Well, here we are in the final week leading up to Christmas. No doubt, most of us still have lots to do! If you have a moment, take a look at this special Christmas edition of Hello! Neighbor. Anja and Andreas kindly welcomed us into their home a couple of weeks ago, hours after they finished decorating it for the holidays. It’s a really stunning house with many of the original details still in tact including beautiful woodwork in the hallway and the most amazing radiator covers I have ever seen. You’ll also notice throughout the house, Anja’s own deft sewing skills. She made the pouf in the living room, the quilt in the master bedroom (styled after a Hudson’s Bay Blanket) and the blinds in the upstairs bedrooms.
As we head into the New Year, I’ll be on the lookout for more homes to feature in the Parkdale neighbourhood. If you think your house would be a good fit, drop me a line.
Enjoy the tour!
Names
Anja, Andreas and Oscar Duess
Occupation
Client Rep and VP at Marsh Canada Limited and Partner and Chief Creative at fisheye corporation.
How long have you lived in your home?
About 4 years
When was your home built?
1886
Any kids or pets?
Our son Oscar is 18 month and we have three cats, Oswald, Felix and Bella
Which room do you spend the most time in? Why?
Anja: Living room, just love hanging out at the fire place
Andreas: The kitchen. I am the cook in the family, cooking is my way to relax after work.
What were the major changes you made to the house?
It used to be a rooming house, so slowly over time taking over apartments and returning it to being a single family home. We’re carefully peeling back the layers and were lucky enough to find some of the original features, such as cast iron radiator covers and high baseboards.
How did you end up living in Parkdale?
We moved to Canada in 2004 and always lived in the West End, first Roncesvalles, then the Brockton Triangle and finally fell in love with our house on Melbourne Avenue. We met and got married in London, UK; Parkdale has a very similar vibe to the part of town where we both lived at the time, Islington. When we first looked at Parkdale, we felt at home immediately.
What are your favourite holiday/Christmas traditions?
Love the advent calendar. Candles, yes we have real candles in the tree. Gluehwein (mulled wine), Christmas songs, dinner with family and friends. We are big Christmas nerds.
What is on your Christmas table? Do you have a traditional meal you serve each Christmas?
Andreas: Every Christmas my dad used to make a herring salad for Christmas eve. It’s a meal in itself, with beets, walnuts, diced roast beef and sour creme. Every Christmas I plan on making it myself, but it’s ton of work, so far I’ve never got around to it.
Anja: Our tradition is roast version with red cabbage, pan fried Brussels sprouts and mashed or roast potatoes. Dessert is usually bread and butter pudding but this year I’ll make a chocolate and red beet cake.
What is your favourite Christmas song?
Winter Wonderland
What are you hoping Santa brings you this year?
Anja: In general that my family remains healthy and happy. If you mean presents, I’d love to find a bag from Sarra Tang’ s Hoi Bo design firm under the tree.
Andreas: Materially, we try to reduce clutter and stuff in our lives, so we’re not big present people. I love reading, we both love and collect art, that kind of thing. I also love cooking and last year Anja got me a stove top smoker, which was pretty much the best Christmas present ever.
Thanks for welcoming us into your home Anja and Andreas and Happy Christmas!
All photographs by Kristin Sjaarda for The Marion House Book
13 Comments
It may be the subtle hints of Christmas here and there – but this home just feels warm and lovely. I especially liked this Hello Neighbor tour!
very cool place. i love all their lighting choices- beautiful in every room!!
Very lovely home. Do you know the color of the paint in the master bedroom? The blue/grey color? Very soothing.
I also just want to thank you for doing these hello neighbor posts. I just love them. And it is nice to see real and creative homes!
@Laura – I don’t know it but will get in contact with Anja and find out!
Laura,
The colour of the feature wall in our bedroom is called “Rainwashed” SW6211 from Sherwin Williams. But we actually ordered the paint from a local Canadian company, Homestead House Paint, which produces high quality non-toxic paints.
Love this house! Is this a functional fireplace? I have a similar one and have been looking for an insert.
@ Hanna Yes it is a functional fireplace. It’s an insert that is specially made for old coal burning fireplaces.
Thanks so much. Do you happen to know what brand it is?
@Hanna – I don’t but will get in contact with the homeowners for you.
Hanna, we found this coal fire gas insert at Easy Fire. Just google. We love it. It’s about the only one that doesn’t have the glass front for a more authentic look. And I found the vintage heavy duty iron fire screen at the Door Store (one of my favourite stores in Toronto) to protect little ones from getting too close. It actually came with a metal mesh cover but looked flimsy and not authentic, so took it out.
What an incredibly beautiful & warm home. So many lovely details and so much love….thanks for sharing this home and looking forward to more in the new year!
xo
Melis
Thanks so much for the paint color! I love how soothing it is
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