Every Piece Is a Statement in This Designer’s Sunny Toronto Loft
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published Nov 24, 2025

Every Piece Is a Statement in This Designer’s Sunny Toronto Loft

Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
Adrienne BreauxHouse Tour Director
For more than 10 years, I've led Apartment Therapy's real home content, producing thousands of house tours from around the world. Currently, I live in my maximalist dream home in New Orleans, Louisiana, with my partner, a perfect dog, and a cute cat.
published Nov 24, 2025
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About this tour
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Home Type

Apartment

Location

Leslieville neighborhood, Toronto, Canada

Style

Contemporary

Industrial

Bedrooms

1

Square feet

1200

Sq ft

1200

Creativity has been a common thread through Dimitri Chris‘ career chapters. He had a fashion label, called DIMITRICHRIS, where his clothing designs were known for architectural shapes and sleek lines.

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"What started as a worn-down, mismatched rental has become a space that feels intentional, warm, and thoughtfully updated — proof that with creativity, constraints can actually become the best design opportunities," Dimitri writes.

Fast forward to today, and Dimitri Chris has transitioned to outfitting interiors, applying what he learned in fashion to fashioning homes. His attention to detail is on full display in his own home, this 1200-square-foot industrial-style Toronto loft he shares with his husband David Marinier.

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"I’m really not a DIY person," Dimitri admits. "I rely on my trades, and thankfully they always show up for me. I was so grateful when they put their other projects on hold and came right away. They had everything wrapped up in a couple of days so we could move in without delay. What I am good at is the hunt. I love a bargain, and I never stop at the first option. When I’m sourcing, I go into full obsession mode — scrolling, digging, comparing — until I find exactly the right piece. And somehow, I always do. This time, it was those perfect backsplash tiles."

“My husband and I first discovered this building almost 10 years ago, right after we moved to Toronto,” Dimitri begins. “We were instantly drawn to its historic façade and those beautiful original factory windows. At the time, nothing was available for sale, and we didn’t want to rent, so we ended up buying a loft in the building next door, at the Garment Factory. It felt like a funny coincidence since I had just stepped away from a long career in fashion to start fresh here.”

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"I don’t really believe in hard rules, especially in design," admits Dimitri. "If anything, I tend to break them. Strict rules can limit what a space could become. To me, they’re more like loose guidelines that should evolve based on the people who live there and the context of the space. Design 'rules' exist mostly to help those without experience or a clear vision find their footing, but once you know what you’re doing, they’re meant to be bent, stretched, and reimagined."

“About a year later, we moved again and built a home in Toronto’s Greektown – another coincidence, given that I’m Greek,” Dimitri continues. “Then, two years ago, we decided to simplify our lifestyle and return to condo living. By total chance, my husband came across a rental listing for this unit on Facebook Marketplace. He never looks at the Marketplace section, but that day it seemed meant to be.”

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Dimitri explains that the owners of this unit did allow the couple to renovate a bit, but there was one non-negotiable: They had to keep the black granite countertops. "They were nice, but not what I would have chosen, and since we’re renting, there was no way I could justify spending $10–15k on marble I’d have to leave behind," he writes. "That constraint ended up guiding everything else. I decided to lean into the darker palette and refinish the cabinets. I didn’t want true black — I was doing black kitchens a decade ago, long before it was trendy, and I’m over it — so I chose Farrow & Ball’s Off-Black, which has a rich brown undertone that shows beautifully in daylight."

"Then I got incredibly lucky. After only two days of sourcing, I found glass tiles on sale that were the exact shade of the new cabinetry, and the supplier had just enough left in stock. It felt meant to be. I replaced the oversized industrial pendants with slim, modern linear fixtures that actually brighten the space rather than overwhelm it."

“The moment we walked in, we fell in love with the soaring 15-foot ceilings, the incredible natural light, and the sweeping view of downtown. At night, when I’m in bed, it feels like I’m sleeping above the city. It’s magical,” Dimitri writes.

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PAINT & COLORS

  • Hallway, bookcase, kitchen, bedroom — Farrow and Ball “Off Black”
  • Everything else — Benjamin Moore “Decorators White”
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Dimitri explains that they needed storage in the entry "desperately" so they came up with a "smart built-in solution and covered everything with crisp white garment bags to keep it looking neat and organized."

ENTRY

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LIVING ROOM

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DINING ROOM

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KITCHEN

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BEDROOM

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Dimiti says the bathroom had previously been renovated with a "nice respect for the building’s industrial heritage — they didn’t try to turn it into a faux French château or mid-century bungalow. Still, the cabinetry there was also tired and needed refreshing. In the bathroom, I swapped the old veneer for something lighter and more in tune with the room's calm, refined feel."

BATHROOM

This tour’s responses and photos were edited for length/size and clarity.
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