Dwelling in a three-story Victorian sounds like a dream come true to some homeowners, but for designer Shirley Meisels it was a struggle. The home was amazing but impractical because of her family, so she began hunting for an opportunity to downsize. Meisels found another Victorian tucked off in midtown Toronto. The 1,500-square-foot house had less space but still retained the high ceilings and structural bones of a Victorian. Meisels equipped it with functional storage, space-saving solutions, and classic furniture punctuated with pattern and color.

in a Glance
Who lives here: Shirley Meisels and her household
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Size: 1,500 square feet
That is interesting: A couple of days later Meisels purchased the house, it was on the front page of the real estate section of the newspaper, together with the headline”Ugly Duckling.” “I was really proud of the headline, because I could see the transformation in my mind’s eye,” she says.

Shirley Meisels

Despite its own”ugly duckling” standing, Meisels knew this home had good bones. The home is located in a part of Toronto where some of the last Victorians from town were constructed, so the majority of the homes have high ceilings. “A few blocks north, the houses are newer — maybe 1920s — and the ceilings fall,” Meisels says.

In the formal dining room, a chandelier highlights the room’s high ceiling, and Meisels’ classic vase set adds color to a clean-lined dining room collection.

Shirley Meisels

Vintage furniture dominates the chambers. The excitement of the hunt is partly what attracts Meisels to these bits — as well as the endless customizations. “These items tend to be more whimsical and less expensive, with good-quality basics,” she says. “I think this mix is what makes my house feel warm, inviting and a bit quirky while still maintaining its modernity.”

Meisels fell in love with this home’s Victorian bones and more contemporary layout — every room was more thought out with respect to space, storage and flow. “I actually realize that this home feels bigger than my old one,” she says. “We utilize every square inch , where before I was heating so many unused rooms.”

Chairs: re-covered at Robert Allen Entrelazos; ottomans: Target, re-covered in Missoni fabric; sofa: habit; lamp: vintage

Shirley Meisels

The narrow front hall supplied some spatial challenges. There was no coat cupboard, so Meisels needed to find out a way to incorporate storage without consuming too much space. Sliding at a narrow cabinet allowed for adequate storage and strengthens the wall as a divider between the dining room and hall.

Pendant: classic; wallpaper: Osbourne & Little, Asuka

Shirley Meisels

Meisels transformed one of the home’s first 3 bedrooms into her office. Built-in shelving plus a desk offers plenty of storage, and the space is big enough for a classic chaise and table.

Table lamp: Restoration Hardware with custom shade

Meisels made the master bedroom with performance in mind. She’s not someone who recalls to hang up clothes consistently, and it is partly why she constructed the dividing wall behind the bed. A pass-through cupboard is tucked beneath this wall; she could make a mess there and nobody would know it from a glimpse into the bedroom. “If I had a traditional cupboard, my clothing would be stacked on the ground at front,” she says.

Wallpaper: Elitis, Fleurs Découpées; bedding: Matteo; bed frame: habit; sconce: classic; chandelier: vintage

Shirley Meisels

Most of the house has neutral undertones, and Meisels brought the very same ideas to her daughter’s room. “If there’s a common tone to color, then you don’t actually have to match everything perfectly. My daughter’s room has pink, but it’s not actually a pink room,” she says.

Wallpaper: Anthropologie; bedding: Pottery Barn and Urban Outfitters, Bella Notte; bed frame: habit

Shirley Meisels

Meisels quickly learned to take advantage of as much space as you can — even it’s meant inches instead of feet. “Niches in walls, beneath stairwells and supporting cabinets are key and worth exploring,” she says.

Rug: Elte; chair: classic, re-covered at Robert Allen Cat’s Cradle

Shirley Meisels

A Calacatta marble backsplash and countertops provide the kitchen a contemporary but timeless appearance. Meisels kept the space clean but functional by installing massive pull-outs and pantry space into her cabinetry. “Function is the most important thing,” she says. “Really consider how you live. What are your habits?”

Countertops: Calacatta; backsplash: Calacatta mosaic; bar stools: Umbra; cabinetry: O’Sullivan Millwork

Shirley Meisels

A chalky gray exterior reflects the home’s contemporary interior layout. Synthetic grass makes the little backyard livable and vibrant, and saves money and time in the long run.

When remodeling a house, Meisels proposes designing from the inside out, with a clear layout in mind. “This way, you can prevent errors, like a window where you might have inserted a desk in a bedroom,” she says.

Shirley Meisels

Meisels was torn between using a little master bath plus a small principal tub, or devoting all of the space to a big bathroom. “I finally arrived at the conclusion that if any single space in the home was small and pokey, then the home would feel small,” she says. She left the idea of a master bathroom and instead built a generous family tub that would look at home in a bigger home. “People are always surprised when I tell them just how many square feet I have,” she says.

Tile: Luna Honed stone tile; vanity: O’Sullivan Millwork; wall paint: Revere Pewter, Benjamin Moore
More:
Builder’s Beige Gets a Makeover
Global Architectural Style: Victorian

See related

After reading the comments from previous weeks’ articles on home planning, it appears to be a lot of folks are thinking about living the paperless way of life. However, as you can probably imagine, no matter how much you really need paper from your life, receipts, bills and business cards will still make their way in your home. So it’s crucial to handle them by creating effective but simple systems for easy access later.

This implies:
Placing an active filing zoneDeciding the way you’re digitize your paperMaking sure you back everything upYou’ll also need a strategy for properly disposing of paperwork which now exists in the digital world.

Jeri Koegel Photography

Corralling

It’d be great if I had the discipline to scan paperwork as it comes, however I don’t. I also don’t have time to open up the scanner and record things away one by one. So I have made a place for “active files” to corral my paperwork prior to the lot gets scanned and digitally recorded.

And as you may be organized into some T (and therefore likely to skip this step), I think it’s important for one reason: Taking a second for your busy filing will help clue you in as to what needs to be scanned and everything could be recycled, preventing the custom of attempting to scan each record that comes in.

For example, after a couple weeks, I know I am not likely to return my Banana Republic shirt, and I can now recycle the reception. Or perhaps I have determined I don’t really require the pamphlet for my newest organizing conference. You get the picture.

CWB Architects

What to Contain Energetic Filing

It may be as simple as having a “To Scan” file folder which you process once each week to twice a month. I’ll usually process this file folder when I really have time to scan the things inside. Anything deemed irrelevant or no longer needed gets recycled or stained. The rest gets scanned.

Other files you could create: “To Do,” “Pending,” and some other project-related newspapers that require a spot to land.

I tend to think vertical when looking for a spot to store my busy files, and utilize hanging wall pockets. It is possible to use the interior of a cabinet door or the corner of a wall socket.

Mark Newman Design

Scanning

Flatbed scanners: You probably already have a flatbed scanner in your home; mine arrived as an all-in-one together with my printer a few decades back. And while those scanners work just fine for digitizing active newspapers on a weekly basis, you will probably die of boredom if you tried scanning your backlog of paperwork with those dinosaurs.

Sheet-fed scanners: If you’re seriously interested in going paperless and have tons of photos, business cards and newspaper which require digital archiving, then you will want to have a scanner that is thick. Normally compact in size, most take 25 to 50 pages at once. Here are my top faves.Fujitsu ScanSnap scanners. The Fujitsu ScanSnap S1500M is owned by me. It is a scanning monster and also can capture double-sided paper. These scanners also utilize technology called OCR, which permits you to search handwritten or typed files as soon as they are scanned.NeatReceipts makes scanners compatible with PC and Mac users, with a portable or desktop variant available.If you’re saying, “Bah, humbug” to scanning, you may always send off your paperwork to be flashed. I have clients who love 1DollarScan and Shoeboxed. The investment is significantly less than buying a scanner but may accumulate over time. It depends on the circumstance. Will the newspaper get scanned only if you pay someone else to get it done? Answer this issue before spending the big bucks on a new scanner.

CONTENT Architecture

Backing Ude

If you don’t anticipate your backup system, you’re bound to maintain the paper copy as a reinforcement, which negates the purpose of scanning everything in the first location.
Mac machines finally have a program called Time Machine which will automatically back up your data to an external hard drive.If you are using only an external hard drive to back up, you may think about having a backup external hard disk drive saved away from your computer. I’d suggest a safe or something comparable. If something bad happens to a computer, it might also occur to your external hard disk drive, so it’s best to have a backup of your backup.I strongly suggest also backing up your data into the cloud. Not only will your data be safe if something happens to a personal computer, but you are able to get your files from anywhere.My personal favorite cloud programs are DropBox, Evernote and iCloud — all free.

Isolina Mallon Interiors

Shredding

Disposing of your sensitive files is key to finishing up the paperless process. If you don’t need to purchase a shredder (or refuse to discover a spot to conceal this eyesore) there are loads of shredding tools out there.Most office supply stores offer shredding services for approximately 75 cents per pound. With most file boxes weighing 5 to 15 lbs. When filled with newspaper, it’s not a bad idea to have someone do it for you.Most large cities host shredding events where you could bring approximately five boxes of newspaper to be ruined. Do some research and find out what you can find.The Automobile Club of Southern California generally offers one or two totally free shredding events per year.
More:
Just Say No to More Paper
Online Tools Help You Move Paperless
The Paperless Office
The way to Use a Professional Organizer

See related