Dear reader,

Sometimes, a single space can add supreme value to a property and even its surrounding neighbourhood. I’m thinking of Koerner Hall, designed in 2009 by KPMB as a showcase concert venue for the Royal Conservatory on Bloor. Entering it is like coming upon a glowing cave crowned by an undulating oak veil that spans the length of the 1,135-seat venue. World class by every metric, the hall—sandwiched between the ROM and U of T—has helped establish that stretch of Yorkville as one of the city’s finest, architecturally speaking. 

Then there’s Curb Appeal’s top post this week, a $16.5-million estate just off Bayview. Its façade is similar to many in this part of town—old world inspired, lined with fancy stone. But the basement hides the real treasure: a temperature-controlled wine cellar and cigar room with a breathtaking ceiling echoing Koerner Hall’s cavernous wooden curves. If I were a realtor, I’d be herding buyers down here first. 

Also in today’s newsletter: a laneway suite in the Annex with coffered ceilings. Plus, a Cobourg heritage home with an old-school panic room. Visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition for all of our real estate coverage and more. 

How about a $16.5-million, 8,500-square-foot mansion in St. Andrew-Windfields with a 5,500-square-foot basement designed for fun? It comes with nine bathrooms, a quarry’s worth of limestone, a show-stopping wine cellar and cigar room, and most importantly, a stadium-style cinema that looks like the USS Enterprise. Engage. 

Here’s an in-law laneway suite in the Annex that was built in one year on a $500,000 budget. The place is equipped with heated floors, Douglas fir coffered ceilings and tons of natural light. 

A six-bedroom stunner sitting on an acre of land right on the Cobourg waterfront. It has a giant veranda, a gazebo, original pine floors and an old-school panic room. And it’s currently going for $3.9 million.

In the latest issue: our annual ranking of where to eat now. Plus, the small-town doctor who tore his community apart, confessions of a reformed shoplifter, an eye-popping history of Budweiser Stage, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.