Toronto Star Referrer

Dream reno

Vegan cookbook author made a kitchen that worked for her

C AR OLAVYHN AK SPECIAL TO THE STAR

The tough task of shopping for appliances during her home renovation had its moments for Hannah Sunderani.

Salespeople showing off their wall ovens would say things like, “Oh, it’s big enough to put your turkey in,” she laughs. “So funny, because I’ll never cook a turkey.”

In the end, the passionate vegan decided her Bosch built-in actually worked best with her plant-based lifestyle and love of cooking.

As a developer of recipes, food blogger and cookbook author, Sunderani puts big demands on her kitchen. So she’s thrilled that the redesign and update two summers ago turned an “awkward,” inefficient space into a dream kitchen that feels like the heart of her Stouffville home.

“It’s just beautiful,” she says of the $70,000 makeover, the biggest project in the nine-week house reno, which included two bathrooms, the laundry room and baby nursery.

Sunderani and her husband, Mitchell Pittaway, bought the1960s three-bedroom home remotely in early 2020 when they were living in France. After four years there, they planned to return home to start a family and fell in love with the 2,200-square-foot stone abode online.

“I’m pretty sure I cried the minute we walked in,” recalls the Torontoborn homeowner, citing the charm, character and warmth from wood floors, interior brickwork and fireplace. “There was so much love in all the rooms.”

Interior designer Tiffany Leigh helped them get the redesign and reno rolling in the summer of 2021, with the aim of making the interior “light, bright” and more modern, to

‘ The‘ re was so much love in all the rooms. HANNAH S UNDERANI F OOD BLOGGER AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR

suit their taste and needs.

At the time, Sunderani, a selftaught cook and food photographer, was busy developing recipes for her “Two Spoons” blog, launching an app and putting the finishing touches on “The Two Spoons Cookbook” of French-inspired vegan recipes.

Fortunately, her parents lived 10 minutes down the road, so they hauled her pots and pans, gadgets and styling props there to set up a kitchen staging area.

“It was very cluttered, but we made it work,” says Sunderani, who added that and Pittaway stayed with her parents during the renovation, which cost roughly $125,000 in total. It was finished “just in the nick of time,” three weeks before their son Oliver was born.

“(The kitchen) wasn’t functioning the way we wanted,” she explains. “We were always on top of each other (and) each space felt disconnected.”

They kept its size the same, but reconfigured the layout to suit different purposes.

Sunderani describes it now as “one big cohesive space” with a galley area, a “beautifully framed” cooktop station, a pantry wall for props, decor and coffee/tea station, and a sage green island that’s a daily hub of activity. The myriad gadgets and small appliances she uses daily are tucked away, but in easy reach.

Floor-to-ceiling white cabinetry and backsplash tiles are punctuated by the warm tones of natural oak open shelving and gold accents from knobs and pulls. The deep farmhouse sink and unlacquered brass faucets add an “old-world feel” characteristic of French interiors, Sunderani notes. They managed to shave $3,000 off expenses by using a knock-off brand of quartz countertop.

With the kitchen’s transformation into a fully functional place that’s elegant, minimalist and Zen-like, it’s become “my favourite space in the home.”

It’s also a silent star in the background of her cooking videos.

In one demonstration on her YouTube channel, she swaps meat for vegetables. Viewers can see her “wow” kitchen in action while feasting their eyes on a steaming plate of mushroom bourguignon.

BUSINESS

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2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestarepaper.pressreader.com/article/281986086691999

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