$4.5 million Toronto home hides an award-winning architectural surprise inside

Toronto real estate loves a dramatic glow-up. But the transformation at 122 MacPherson Ave. goes far beyond a quick cosmetic flip.

Because while the classic Victorian still looks right at home on its tree-lined midtown street, what's happened inside is something else entirely.

The classic Toronto Victorian in the Summerhill area last sold in 2018 for $2,120,000. Now it's back on the market, asking $4,499,000 — and the leap makes a lot more sense once you see what happened in between.

The front entrance and living room. 

According to listing agent Myles Slocombe, the renovation was so extensive that "it essentially became an entirely new home on the inside," with new floors and joists installed on every level.

The open concept main floor. 

The extensive rebuild was completed by sKa Construction, with the kitchen and millwork by Olympic Kitchens and structural engineering by Honeycomb Engineering — a team effort that helped transform the home into something far beyond a typical Victorian renovation.

One of the bedrooms. 

Located just steps from both Summerhill and Yorkville, the four-plus-one-bedroom, five-bathroom house blends old Toronto charm with striking contemporary architecture.

The staircase. 

The centrepiece — and arguably the most talked-about feature — is the staircase.

A view from the third floor. 

Designed by architecture studio LAMAS, the sculptural stair sits at the heart of the home, swirling through the interior with rounded walls and circular volumes that create what the designers describe as a feeling of "inexhaustible motion."

Curved details of the award-winning staircase. 

It's not just eye-catching; it's award-winning. The design earned an Architect's Newspaper Best Residential Interior Design Award in 2022.

Slocombe doesn't mince words about it either.

Another view of the staircase. 

"The staircase is a spectacular piece of art that is worthy of being part of a modern metropolitan art gallery," he said.

The living room. 

The rest of the home keeps the same high-design energy.

The kitchen with integrated appliances. 

The kitchen features Blue Banfield marble, a walk-in pantry, a generous centre island, and built-in Gaggenau appliances.

The family and dining area. 

It flows directly into an open-concept dining and family space designed to be flexible depending on how the owners want to live or entertain.

The primary bedroom. 

Upstairs, the primary bedroom includes a five-piece ensuite and a walk-in closet with sleek built-in storage.

The front bedroom. 

A front bedroom with a gas fireplace and built-in shelving can easily double as a cozy family room or library.

One of the third-floor bedrooms. 

The third floor offers additional bedrooms with vaulted ceilings, a multifunction hallway area, and plenty of natural light pouring in around the upper landing of that dramatic staircase.

The basement recreation room. 

Downstairs, the lower level — with eight-foot ceilings — includes a mudroom, laundry room, temperature-controlled wine closet, a bathroom, and two flexible spaces that could be used as bedrooms, an office, or a recreation area.

The primary bedroom ensuite. 

Behind the scenes, the house is just as impressive as it is visually.

Another third-floor bedroom. 

Heating comes from a full in-floor hot water radiant system across all four levels — including the basement — with each level individually controlled.

The primary walk-in closet. 

As Slocombe puts it, "the heating system is the Bentley of heating systems."

The backyard. 

Out back, a landscaped garden provides space for outdoor entertaining, while the rear of the home features a striking custom-formed stucco façade marking the modern three-storey expansion.

The back of the house. 

In a city where many century homes get stripped down to the studs and rebuilt into something generic, 122 MacPherson Ave. stands out for doing the opposite — turning a classic Victorian into something architecturally bold.