Art House - Unique Toronto Real Estate

06/05/2026

06/02/2026

How do you know when you have found the perfect home? You know it when you feel it. That calming feeling of arriving home hits you the minute you walk through the door of 105 De Grassi Street. As you browse, there are no major tradeoffs, only subtle personalizations. It is a home that feels fundamentally sound from almost every perspective. De Grassi Street is the most sought-after and charming street in the neighbourhood, and this attractive Victorian-era home is one of its finest examples.

Sitting on a proper 16 x 115 ft lot, the outdoor space is where it matters most: in the back. The backyard is an ideally deep, natural, private, low-maintenance oasis. Inside, the home has been artfully designed to maximize space and volume. The main floor ceilings are over 10 feet tall, while upstairs, vaulted ceilings in both the primary bedroom and spa-like washroom, complete with a skylight, create an airy feel.

The primary bedroom features custom closets, while the rear bedroom includes custom millwork and a window seat overlooking the backyard. There is a washroom on every floor, including a new 3-piece washroom in the recently lowered and finished basement. The lower level offers a rec room, office, or additional bedroom, along with excellent storage. The kitchen is perfectly sized, complete with a desk nook and walkout to the backyard. Outside, newer fencing and mature trees, including an impressive neighbouring birch, create multiple spots to unwind.

Next door, each attached neighbour is lovely and quiet. Most exciting is the upcoming Ontario Line station at Queen & De Grassi. Not too close, but an ideal walk away, it is a long-term catalyst for both convenience and future appreciation. The owners have a car and have consistently found street parking. Add quick access to the DVP and Gardiner Expressway, and you have a home that is not only unique, but also a safe bet.

2BR - 3WR, full finished basement, beautiful street, beautiful backyard.

Listed by me, $1.099M - Please contact me for more information. Link in bio!

06/01/2026

Open House Sat-Sun 1-4pm

05/30/2026

04/25/2026

Two weeks ago, I featured a home in Queen West and talked about how homes in Toronto often form around the lifestyle of a neighbourhood, and become a reflection of its cultural identity. It’s not a new or surprising thought. It’s fairly obvious. You’re going to notice commonality in people’s priorities, fashion, and taste within neighbourhoods across the city.

You might be sitting in a neighbourhood right now, assimilated, loving life, and enjoying the balance. Or you might be the outlier, feeling like you don’t belong, or like you’re in transition to another place. Or maybe you are just you, and you couldn’t care less about this philosophical stuff. You live where you live because that’s where you ended up. When you see as many homes and neighbourhoods as I do, it’s hard not to pick up on the trends and the personalities that live there.

In the dining room of 40 Claremont Street, there’s a large bookshelf neatly organizing books about art, fashion, politics, and more. Prominently displayed is the adult children’s book Life Doesn’t Frighten Me. The book pairs Maya Angelou’s poem “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”, a simple but surprisingly introspective rhyme, with artwork by the late painter Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Basquiat started as a street artist before bridging the gap between street art and the elite fine art world. This house feels like it’s waiting on something similar. Queen West started that transition years ago, back when it was harder and edgier. The home needs a lot of work, but is also an honest representation. The owners are seemingly moving through life in a way where they leave well enough alone. The priority is personal expression. We’ll make do with what we have, and do what we have to, not more, not less - the most important part is that it feels like home. They haven’t gentrified with the neighbourhood and although it doesn't come through well in the pictures, they’ve proudly run the other way.

If you are in the area on Sunday, I suggest you go by the open house to take a look.

~Nick

04/13/2026

This is a house where I think the neighbourhood and the home sync up really well. It feels like it belongs to west-enders who genuinely jive with Queen West. There is something about the culture of a neighbourhood and living in a home that embodies that culture. You can always spot the homes that don’t fit.

From the street, it blends right into a classic Victorian row, cozied up to the sidewalk. Inside, it’s a hodgepodge of styles meshed together over the years, not unlike Queen Street these days. I am not a believer that a home needs to be perfect or overly refined. In fact, I’m more suspicious of homes that are. I’d rather an honest property, flaws apparent, so I know what I’m getting into. With this house, you see the flaws and you see the valuable work that’s been done over time. You can tell what you’d need to do to make it yours, which makes it easier to assess value and decide whether to move forward. It’s a grand and spacious Victorian with the classic look and vibe.

What I like most is the size of the windows and the east-west exposure. Even though it’s a row home, there is plenty of light in every room, and you don’t get that bowling-alley feeling. You could also add a third bedroom on the second floor if needed, while maintaining the front family room.

~Nick

03/25/2026

These terraces at 160 Baldwin are rare birds. I first got eyes on one in 2023 when a unit a couple doors down came up for sale, basically this unit’s twin. It sold so quickly that I didn’t get a chance to report back on it, but if I had, I would have told you it had one of the better terraces in the city.

The 2-bedroom, 2-bath split-bedroom layout is efficient and well thought out, with very little wasted space. I also don’t mind the northern exposure. With floor-to-ceiling windows, it keeps the temperature inside consistent and comfortable year-round. The unit on the market today offers a slightly different appeal: a more open and attractive north-easterly city view from the terrace, and most importantly, it’s priced $260,000 less than what the similar unit in 2023 sold for.

The average price per square foot in the building in 2025 was approx. $826, but many units here are oversized, loft style with some wasted square footage. This unit is different. It has a more traditional and attractive split 2-bedroom layout with very little wasted space, plus the serious terrace, so it should trade at a premium.

Putting aside the broader condo market, I suspect there is some hesitation around the higher maintenance fees in the building and that the building is aging. It also doesn’t help that some two bedroom freehold condo alternatives have been selling in the $1.15M to $1.30M range.

Still, this is the segment (2BR functional units) of the condo market that is moving and Kensington Market is a cool spot. I think there is an opportunity to negotiate something here that works for both sides.

If you are interested in learning more about this unit, the building, or others like it, please reach out!

~Nick

03/12/2026

This heritage-designated residential/commercial mixed-use property forms one part of a row built in 1874–1875. In fact, this block of properties on the south side of Gerrard Street, from Ontario Street to Berkeley Street, has all been recently designated as part of the Cabbagetown Southwest Heritage District. This is to discourage them from becoming part of a developer/investors land assembly for future development.

Today, the property is home to a former professor of ancient African drumming at York University. In fact, there are a couple African drummers staying with her right now, and on Saturday mornings you can come participate in a drum circle! Suffice to say, the main front commercial area has additional soundproofing in place. It is a spacious room with high ceilings that the owner uses for public gatherings. The most unique aspect is at the rear of the main floor, where an unfinished split-level staircase to the basement unfolds below a set of skylights, creating a courtyard-like vibe.

The top two floors are the owner’s home, while the basement has a kitchen and a separate rear basement entrance. Parking and rear access are not accessible by the laneway, but instead via a gated shared courtyard with the buildings to the west.

This elegant retail strip is in flux, but currently includes a bakery, a vet, a barber, and various other staples that will serve the large Victorian homes and the soon-to-be-completed condo next door. The property needs a lot of work, and possibly a gut depending on your vision, but this is also one of the few locations in the core where a 3-story commercial building with parking exists for under $1 million.

Link in bio for full listing!

Happy to chat, contact me for more! 🙂

Exclusive Photos Courtesy: Nick Horton, salesperson (me!)
Listed by: Susan Toyne, Sotheby's International Realty

03/09/2026

When viewing a home, I suggest clients try to be very present the first time they enter a property. It is beneficial to have a clear mind, concentrating only on the home and what matters most to you. That gut feeling when you are walking up to a house or when you walk in through the front door can guide you later on an offer night or when you are going through the pros and cons. Are you dwelling on the issues, or are you seeing the solutions? People put a lot of themselves into their home, so buying a new home is a bit like taking a personality test. It is not only about what you value, but whether the home represents your values.

I remember when I first walked past this home on a random occasion before it was listed for sale. Along with the neighbour, you can’t miss this pair of homes. I remember taking a picture and posting it on Instagram, asking my followers to choose which one they preferred. It’s a bit more interesting than you would think, because the design language is sneakily very different.

270 Indian Grove allows the outside in. The large, front-facing floor-to-ceiling windows allow not just sunlight in, but the surrounding environment as well. Given the surrounding environment, I am certain these windows draw many curious gazes, as they did my own. Also note that the 3rd floor window is in front of a pedestal tub & shower.

272 Indian Grove (not for sale) is built up slightly above street level, and the front-facing main-floor window is purposely obstructed by the clad porch wall. The design minimizes exposure to the street and has a more fortress-like, brutalist-leaning approach in its philosophy.

You might say this home 270 Indian Grove is suited for an extrovert, while 272 Indian Grove is suited for an introvert. Regardless, each home is a statement. The question is: is this a statement you want to make?

~Nick

Please DM or contact me directly for more information.

Listing agent: Linda Berdnarski & Brendan Powell, BSPOKE Realty Inc.