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Architect Deborah Wang transformed her friends’ standard condo kitchen by removing a wall-docked island, building upward into the nearly three-metre ceiling, and combining concealed storage with display spaces for the objects they actually use and collect. The result in Toronto’s Junction is an 84-square-metre, one-bedroom home where Delft tile, soapstone, dark cabinetry, white oak and vintage pieces make a compact kitchen feel specific to its residents rather than to an anonymous future buyer.
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Kendra Jackson’s Azure Magazine feature, published June 24, 2024, follows Wang’s renovation for Andrew Sardone and Philip Sparks, friends who had lived in the condo since 2014. Their home occupies a converted Victorian-era church, a setting with architectural character that the former kitchen did little to express. Wang’s design response was not a collection of fashionable finishes applied over the existing room. It was a rethinking of storage, circulation and display around the couple’s habits and taste.
The project at a glance
| Element | Documented detail |
|---|---|
| Home | 84-square-metre, one-bedroom condo in a converted Victorian-era church |
| City and neighbourhood | Toronto’s Junction |
| Residents | Andrew Sardone and Philip Sparks |
| Time in the home before renovation | Since 2014 |
| Architect and designer | Deborah Wang of DesignTO |
| Ceiling height used by the redesign | Nearly three metres |
| Custom white-oak cabinet | 2.5 metres long by 0.6 metres deep; floor-to-ceiling |
| Key millwork | Integrated refrigerator and pantry storage; supply closet; vintage-inspired hutch with bar storage |
| Signature finishes | White ceramic Delft tiles, soapstone counters and dark lower cabinetry |
Why the original kitchen no longer worked
The previous room had heavy granite countertops, dark brown cabinets, prominent appliances and a large island docked against a wall. It supplied the expected components of a condo kitchen, but it did not support the way Sardone and Sparks had grown into the home. After nearly a decade in the condo, the room had become insufficient in both function and appearance.
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Wang described the starting point plainly: “It was a standard condo kitchen designed for a future unknown inhabitant.” Her second observation explains the renovation’s central ambition: “It was not a personal reflection of who Andrew and Philip are.” Those comments frame the work as a correction to generic planning rather than a rejection of condominium living itself. The challenge was to make a relatively small room more useful without losing the broader character of the converted church.
A design brief based on real occupants
Wang had known the couple for a long time, so she already understood their preference for vintage design mixed with modern and contemporary selections. That familiarity informed decisions that are easy to miss in a conventional specification sheet: what should be hidden, what deserved to be displayed, how much storage was necessary and where a practical but visually awkward need could be accommodated.
The renovation therefore treats personality as a planning tool. Instead of choosing a neutral kitchen and adding accessories later, the design gives Sardone and Sparks’ collections, rituals and domestic constraints a place in the architecture. The room is still organized around cooking and storage, but its visual identity comes from the residents’ own objects and from details selected to sit comfortably beside them.
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The large island was docked against a wall in the old arrangement. Wang removed it as part of the redesign, creating an opportunity to reconsider how people move through the kitchen and how cabinetry occupies the room. The source does not publish a new plan or aisle dimensions, so it would be inaccurate to assign a specific circulation width or claim a particular work-triangle configuration.
What is clear is the design logic: an island is not automatically useful simply because a kitchen has enough floor area to contain one. In a compact condo, a fixed block can consume the very space needed for comfortable movement, visual breathing room or better-directed storage. Removing this island allowed the renovation to concentrate on pieces that perform several jobs—concealing appliances, storing supplies, displaying objects and supporting the couple’s everyday use.
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Using the ceiling for storage instead of treating it as leftover space
The condo’s ceiling rises to nearly three metres, and the renovation takes advantage of that height with a custom floor-to-ceiling white-oak cabinet. It measures 2.5 metres in length and 0.6 metres in depth. Rather than leaving the upper portion of the wall unused or filling it with disconnected wall cabinets, the cabinet reads as one tall architectural element.
Its functions are deliberately layered:
- It integrates and conceals the refrigerator.
- It includes pantry space for food and kitchen supplies.
- It contains a supply closet, assigning a home to less decorative but necessary items.
- Its full-height presence turns vertical volume into useful capacity without adding another freestanding object.
For a small kitchen, this is a significant shift in emphasis. Storage is not spread across every available wall at the same height; it is consolidated into a piece that reaches upward and gives the room a stronger visual anchor. The white oak also prevents the tall cabinet from reading only as an appliance enclosure, linking utility to the warmer, furniture-like character Wang wanted.
A hutch that combines display, hospitality and concealment
Millworker Terry Moore of Black Bear Woodworking built a vintage-inspired hutch for the room. It provides display space for selected pieces and a stocked bar, so the kitchen can support entertaining without requiring a separate drinks cabinet elsewhere in the condo.
The hutch also includes discreet access to the kitty litter at one end. That detail is especially revealing: the design does not pretend that a home consists only of photogenic objects. A successful renovation can absorb an unavoidable household function and keep it accessible while reducing its visual impact. The hutch’s value lies in that combination of presentation and problem-solving. It acts like furniture, serves hospitality and quietly handles a pet-related need.
The old-and-new material palette
Wang’s mix of vintage and contemporary choices is expressed through contrasts in surface, weight and use rather than through a single period style. The documented materials establish a clear framework.
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White ceramic Delft tile for sheen and texture
White ceramic Delft tiles run from the pantry to the window and continue over the range hood. Azure describes them as adding sheen and texture. Their placement gives the backsplash a continuous field instead of limiting tile to a narrow strip behind the cooktop. Extending the tile across the hood and toward the window makes the wall read as a finished architectural surface.
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The Delft reference introduces a historical note without requiring the entire kitchen to look antique. The tiles can carry pattern, irregularity or craft associations while the surrounding cabinetry and appliances remain contemporary. Because the tiles are white, they also reflect light across a compact room; the effect is material and atmospheric rather than dependent on a strong paint color.
Soapstone counters and dark lower cabinetry
Soapstone counters ground the palette, while dark lower cabinetry supplies visual weight below the lighter tile and oak. The combination establishes a deliberate top-to-bottom hierarchy: a reflective, textured wall surface; a warm vertical storage element; and a darker base that makes the work area feel anchored.
The feature does not identify the soapstone finish, edge profile, sealer or cabinet paint color, so those specifications should not be inferred. What can be said is that the counters and lower cabinets provide a counterpoint to the white tile and white oak. The kitchen avoids becoming uniformly pale while still allowing the upper surfaces and collected objects to remain legible.
Collected objects as part of the architecture
A floating shelf displays the couple’s copper pots, vases, vessels and woven baskets. These are not generic styling props in the account of the project; they are belongings selected because they belong to Sardone and Sparks. The shelf gives them a visible role while keeping the main work surfaces available for cooking.
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The copper cookware is particularly effective against the quieter field of tile and cabinetry because it introduces a warm metallic note without adding another major built-in finish. The arrangement also demonstrates a useful distinction between open storage and clutter: a shelf can be purposeful when it is reserved for objects that are used, collected or meaningful, rather than for every item that lacks a cabinet home.
Lighting and the management of attention
The renovation uses curated lighting alongside the floating shelf and display hutch. The feature does not list fixture models, lamp positions or illumination levels, but the design intent is evident: light helps direct attention to the objects that make the kitchen personal. In a room with tall cabinetry and a tiled wall, lighting can separate work areas from display areas and keep the darker lower cabinetry from becoming visually heavy.
For anyone studying the project as a painting or finishing exercise, the lesson is to consider light before selecting a final wall color. Glossy or lightly reflective tile, soapstone and metallic cookware will change appearance as light moves across them. A color that seems neutral under construction lighting may read warmer, cooler or darker beside the finished materials. The documented project does not name a wall paint, so the appropriate takeaway is a sequencing principle rather than a color prescription: test paint in the actual room after the permanent surfaces and lighting decisions are known.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What makes the renovation feel personal
Several decisions work together to move the kitchen away from a developer-standard image:
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- Planning begins with the residents. Wang’s friendship with the couple gave her knowledge of their tastes and routines before drawings were finalized.
- Storage is architectural. The 2.5-metre white-oak cabinet uses ceiling height and hides major equipment instead of allowing the refrigerator to dominate.
- Furniture-like millwork adds character. The hutch supplies display and bar functions while accommodating kitty-litter access.
- Collections are given intentional places. Copper pots, vases, vessels and baskets become part of the room’s visual language on a floating shelf.
- Historical references are balanced with contemporary utility. Delft tile and a vintage-inspired hutch coexist with integrated refrigeration and purpose-built pantry storage.
No single finish carries the entire identity. The feeling comes from coordination: each element answers a practical requirement while also contributing to a recognizable domestic story.
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Painting and finishing lessons from the kitchen
Although the feature is an architectural design story rather than a paint specification, it offers a useful workflow for painters, decorators and homeowners working on similarly compact kitchens.
Map fixed materials before choosing paint
Tile, soapstone, dark cabinetry, white oak and copper all have strong visual effects. Make large sample boards that place proposed wall colors beside these materials, not against a white sheet of paper. Check them in daylight and under the installed artificial lighting. This prevents a wall color from competing with the Delft tile or making the oak look unexpectedly yellow or gray.
Protect the hierarchy of the room
The documented palette already contains a light reflective wall, a warm tall cabinet and a dark base. A new paint color should support that hierarchy instead of creating a fourth dominant block. In practice, that may mean choosing a quiet background tone, but the correct hue depends on the room’s exposure and the exact materials selected. The project does not establish a named paint color, sheen or brand.
Plan cut lines around millwork and tile
When tile runs from a pantry to a window and over a range hood, painting should stop at clearly resolved edges rather than interrupting the tiled field with improvised transitions. Confirm the cabinet, tile and trim drawings before masking. Finish the substrate behind appliances and tall cabinetry where it can be reached, then protect cured surfaces during the remaining work.
Use sheen strategically
The tile supplies its own sheen, while soapstone and painted cabinetry have different levels of reflection. A highly glossy wall coating could create competing highlights; a completely flat coating may be less forgiving in a kitchen. Select sheen only after considering cleaning needs, reflected light and the texture already present. The feature supports this kind of material coordination but does not report a tested coating system.
Questions the published feature does not answer
Azure’s June 24, 2024 account documents the design decisions and key dimensions, but it does not state the renovation budget, construction duration, cabinet hardware, appliance models, paint manufacturer, exact paint colors, lighting specifications or a before-and-after floor plan. Those details should not be supplied by assumption. They would materially affect cost, installation and color matching for anyone attempting a similar project.
The lasting idea behind Wang’s renovation
This kitchen works because personalization is built into its layout rather than applied as decoration at the end. Removing the wall-docked island creates room to think differently about movement. The full-height oak cabinet turns unused vertical volume into concealed refrigeration and storage. The hutch makes display and bar service part of the plan while hiding an unavoidable pet function. Delft tile, soapstone, dark cabinetry, curated lighting and familiar objects then give the practical framework a distinct visual character.
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