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Catherine Cachia’s Toronto home blends vintage character, practical updates, and personal collections. In this tour, the semi-detached house offers ideas for making a modest living area feel welcoming, from opening up the kitchen to choosing furniture that suits the available space.
How the Catherine Cachia Toronto home took shape
Cachia and her husband searched for a home in Toronto, where buying property can be competitive. They viewed around 50 homes across several neighbourhoods and took part in multiple bidding wars before finding their current semi-detached house. Its kitchen needed work, which helped the couple see an opportunity to renovate while staying slightly under their budget.
During the week they moved in, they began creating a large opening between the kitchen and living area. The opening functions as a breakfast bar and helps daylight travel through the main floor. For a similar layout, consider how an opening might improve sightlines and everyday conversation, and consult qualified professionals before altering a wall.
A small living area designed for everyday life
The main-floor living space is the couple’s favourite part of the house. It serves as a gathering place for the household, friends, and family, while the stools at the breakfast bar make it easy to chat with guests during meal preparation.
A four-person midcentury sofa provides seating without requiring several separate furniture pieces. In a compact room, measuring furniture before buying and keeping walkways clear can help the space feel more comfortable. Cachia has tried different furniture arrangements over time, showing that a room’s layout can be adjusted as needs change.
One standout piece is a vintage peacock chair found at a neighbourhood garage sale for $10. Cachia’s father cleaned it and repainted it in her favourite colour. A dress form named Judy, once owned by her great-aunt Dorothy, displays some of Cachia’s vintage clothing collection. These pieces give the room a personal feel while serving as distinctive décor.
Vintage finds and an evolving decorating style
The home’s décor brings together vintage and thrifted pieces, DIY projects, and a smaller number of new items. Rather than furnishing every room at once, Cachia prefers to let the spaces develop gradually. She removes objects that feel cluttered or dated and adds items that bring a fresh look.
This slower approach can be useful when decorating on a budget: live with a layout for a while, notice what the room actually needs, and look for secondhand pieces that fit both the space and its purpose. Checking furniture and textiles carefully before purchasing is also a practical way to spot wear or damage.
A particularly memorable thrift-store find was a vintage king-size Hudson’s Bay blanket purchased at the Salvation Army for $15. Cachia inspected it closely and found no stains or imperfections. For anyone shopping for vintage linens, checking the full surface and seams in good light can help identify condition issues before bringing an item home.
What comes next for the home
With the couple expecting their first baby, Cachia looked forward to turning her studio into a nursery. The home’s gradual, adaptable approach to decorating leaves room for changing needs without requiring every decision to be made at once.
The Catherine Cachia Toronto home shows how an open kitchen connection, carefully chosen furniture, and meaningful secondhand finds can help a house feel personal. Its most useful takeaway is to let a home evolve: focus first on how each space needs to function, then add pieces that make it feel like yours.
