Designing a laneway house

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Results of this Olivia Bailey design are both beautiful and functional

Designing a 560-square-foot laneway house came with numerous challenges but the result was both beautiful and functional, making it ideal for potential renters.

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“The primary challenge in designing this laneway house was ensuring it had all the essential features to make it truly feel like home,” says Olivia Bailey, creative director and principal of Olivia Bailey Interiors in Toronto.

“We achieved this with light oak luxury hardwood flooring, a minimalist approach and a focus on simplicity, style and practicality. With plenty of electrical outlets, modern appliances and a palette of muted tones, this space offers comfort and functionality,” she says.

“Laneway suites are innovative secondary dwellings built behind traditional street-facing homes, making the most of underutilized space,” Bailey says. The homeowners stayed at their primary residence while the laneway house was completed over eight months, visiting it regularly and staying on top of things, she reports.

CENTURY HOME

The house was completed over eight months and is home to two bedrooms and two bathrooms with a full kitchen and dining and living space. It’s located behind a detached century home in Trinity Bellwoods near the Little Portugal, Niagara and Palmerston Little Italy neighbourhoods in Toronto.

“The owners wanted to expand the territory and give the opportunity for the younger generation to enjoy the stunning location,” she says. “The unit is perfect for students or a busy couple who works in the area.”

The most difficult part of the project was making the house feel spacious and luxurious even though it was tiny, says Bailey. She achieved the owners’ goal of making the renters feel at home – not at a studio condo – by taking advantage of every square inch of the property.

In one bedroom, that included making a custom queen-sized bed with storage, built-ins, bar fridge, microwave, coffee machine and a built-in desk so the renters don’t need to buy anything to clutter the space.

The home features light oak luxury hardwood flooring, plenty of electrical outlets, modern appliances and a palette of muted tones. The Scandinavian-style kitchen features melamine cabinets in a light oak finish. “The clients were skeptical about a white kitchen since it is a rental unit, however, with the high-quality materials, there is nothing to worry about.”

The kitchen and bathroom countertops are Italian quartz. The kitchen backsplash is a concrete-looking porcelain slab. “I didn’t want to have any grooves, so we had to get a full slab and cut it specially for our backsplash,” Bailey says.

“I am not a big fan of old school vanity backsplashes so for the bathroom on the main floor I covered the main wall in large format tile; the reason being is easy to clean and much better looking.”

PUSH LATCHES

The kitchen base cabinetry, primary bathroom and lower-level bedroom bar feature simple black linear pull hardware. The rest of the cabinetry are push latch – simply touch the door and it opens.

Bailey’s love of ambient lighting informed her decision to add integrated LED lights on the upper cabinetry that are ideal for cooking. Pot lights are on dimmer switches so the renters can adjust the lighting to their preference.

Chandeliers make the space feel “fresh and modern,” while reading sconces attached to the beds with a set of plugs and switches mounted beside the beds create a European hotel-style feel, Bailey reports.

“The homeowners loved the final result,” she says. “Even though I provided 3D renderings of the space, the clients were thrilled to see everything come together. The cabinetry, lighting, details and final décor all contributed to a truly luxurious feel. I was satisfied when I was taking pictures of the space. I don’t think I would do anything different!”

SIDEBAR:

Designer’s advice

Olivia Bailey, creative director and principal of Olivia Bailey Interiors in Toronto, offers this advice for anyone thinking about building a laneway house:

“Building a laneway house is always challenging, not to mention the complexities of designing one. The important part is to find the best contractor because without a good one, you will end up losing money,” she says.

“The design stage is extremely important for laneway because we are limited with the space. Definitely make sure you have enough space around the bed to walk around. I would advise on hiring the professionals to handle the process and not to worry about the timeline.”