Interior Designer Riverdale
Design-Build Home Renovation for Upper & Lower Riverdale, Playter Estates & Blake-Jones
As an interior designer in Riverdale, BiglarKinyan Design Planning Inc. (BKDP) brings 20+ years of design-build experience to the area’s Victorian and Edwardian houses, bay-and-gable rows and semis. Many of these homes are more than a century old, and a good renovation here usually goes past new finishes to wiring, plumbing, basements and layout. At Eclectic Haven, we extended and modernized a Victorian row house in nearby Cabbagetown, across the Don. One integrated team handles design, permits and construction, and stays accountable for your Riverdale home renovation from the first sketch to the final styling.
An Interior Designer for Riverdale’s Victorian Streets
Riverdale was annexed to Toronto in 1884 and filled in with two- and three-storey Victorian and Edwardian houses from about 1880 to 1924, many with third-floor walkouts. Bay-and-gable rows are common. Blake-Jones has homes from the 1870s to the 1930s, many of them semis, while Playter Estates was farmland until about 1912 and built up through 1930. Lower Riverdale keeps more of its original houses; Upper Riverdale has seen more renovation. We plan for each from the first visit.
Toronto's Most Trusted Interior Design Firm
Best of Houzz
13 Consecutive Years
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Serving Greater Toronto
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Interior Design & Home Renovation Services in Riverdale
BKDP combines architectural training, interior design and construction management under one roof. A 13-time Best of Houzz winner, BKDP plans each Riverdale renovation around what the house already does well, from bay-and-gable fronts to third-floor walkouts, and adds the space and function today’s families need.
Riverdale HCD Homes on First, West & Tiverton
Interior renovations and rear additions for houses in the Riverdale Heritage Conservation District, with the heritage permit coordinated alongside the building permit.
- Heritage permit coordination
- Street-facing detail restoration
- Rear addition design
- Interior redesign behind original facades
Victorians & Bay-and-Gable Rows
Update the 1880s–1920s two- and three-storey Victorians and bay-and-gable rows of Upper and Lower Riverdale without losing their character.
- Kitchen and family room layouts
- Third-floor suite and walkout design
- Original millwork and trim restoration
- Electrical and mechanical upgrades
Blake-Jones & Playter Estates Homes
Rework the semis of Blake-Jones and the 1912–1930 houses of Playter Estates into open, well-planned family homes.
- Open-concept conversions
- Basement underpinning and finishing
- Rear addition design
- Custom millwork and built-ins
Homes on the Don Valley Edge
Renovation planning for homes near the Don Valley, where TRCA regulation and the City’s ravine by-law may apply.
- TRCA status checks
- Ravine-lot renovation planning
- Tree protection coordination
- Deck and addition design
Complete Interior Design & Build Services for Riverdale
Interior Design Services
- Full Home Interior Design
- Condo Interior Design
- Space Planning
- Lighting Design
- Custom Millwork
- Kitchen Design
- Bathroom Design
- Furniture & Finish Selection
Riverdale Specializations
- Victorian Home Renovations
- Bay-and-Gable Updates
- Heritage District Projects
- Third-Floor Suites & Walkouts
- Rear Addition Design
- Basement Underpinning
- Semi-Detached Renovations
- Ravine-Lot Projects
Construction & Renovation
- Full Home Renovations
- Kitchen Renovations
- Bathroom Renovations
- Rear and Side Additions
- Basement Finishing
- Custom Built-ins
- Electrical Upgrades
- Plumbing Updates
Project Management
- Design-Build Integration
- Permit Coordination
- Contractor Management
- Timeline Management
- Budget Control
- Quality Assurance
Local Knowledge for Riverdale Renovations
Part of Riverdale is a Heritage Conservation District. By-law 951-2008, from September 2008, covers 224 properties on First Avenue east of De Grassi, West Avenue and Tiverton Avenue, streets laid out in 1886 and 1888 and built up from the late 1880s to the First World War. There, exterior alterations and additions generally need a heritage permit, reviewed alongside the building permit, while interior work and changes not visible from the street generally don’t. Homes on the Don Valley edge may also fall under TRCA regulation and the City’s ravine by-law.
Our closest comparable project is just across the Don. At Eclectic Haven, a Victorian row house in Cabbagetown, we extended and modernized the home around open gathering spaces and an outdoor family room. At Classic Minimalist in Lawrence Park South, we kept a century home’s original facade and fully reimagined the interior behind it, the same balance a Riverdale HCD house calls for.
Transparent Pricing for Riverdale Projects
We believe in honest, upfront pricing so you can plan your investment with confidence.
Condo Design Packages
Design only, for Riverdale condo owners: space planning, custom storage design, finish selection and complete styling. A full condo renovation runs $80K–$250K+.
Victorian & Semi Renovations
Kitchens, bathrooms, open-concept conversions and basement finishing for Riverdale Victorians, bay-and-gable rows and semis.
Additions & Luxury Renovations
Rear additions, third-floor suites, custom millwork and premium finishes for Upper and Lower Riverdale and Playter Estates homes.
Full Home Design-Build
End-to-end design and construction management for complete home transformations. One integrated team, one accountable process, from concept to completion.
Our Proven Design Process
Discovery & Planning
An in-depth consultation at your Riverdale home to understand how you live, what you want to change, and what the zoning and any heritage or TRCA rules allow.
Design Development
Using 3D visualization, we develop detailed design concepts so you can see your finished Riverdale interior before construction starts.
Project Coordination
Our project management team handles building and heritage permit applications, contractor scheduling and delivery coordination, so you aren’t managing trades yourself.
Seamless Installation
We finish with curated furniture, art placement and styling details that make your Riverdale home distinctly yours.
Meet the Award-Winning Founders
Fardid Biglar & Kenneth Ho
Co-Founders & Principal Designers
Fardid Biglar and Kenneth Ho met while studying architecture at the University of Toronto, where they quickly discovered a natural synergy—every time they collaborated, their work consistently earned top marks. After gaining experience across the fields of interior design, architecture, kitchen design, and furniture manufacturing, they decided to team up once again—this time to create something entirely new.
Drawing on their complementary strengths, they co-founded BiglarKinyan Design Planning Inc. (BKDP) in 2005 with a clear vision: to elevate residential design in Toronto through thoughtful architecture, highly personalized interiors, and a more streamlined approach to the design-build process.
Recognizing the complexity and fragmentation of traditional renovation models, they set out to reimagine the client experience—delivering not only exceptional design, but also a simplified, transparent process. Their goal was to bring high design and a sense of everyday luxury to renovation projects grounded in creativity, practicality, collaboration, and execution.
That founding vision continues to shape the firm’s work today, setting BKDP apart as a leader in thoughtful, integrated residential design. Their work has been nationally recognized and widely published, reflecting a partnership built on trust, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to detail. Together, they lead a firm where every space tells a story—and every detail matters.
Fardid Biglar
Co-Founder & Principal 
Kenneth Ho
Co-Founder & Principal Frequently Asked Questions
What areas of Riverdale does BKDP serve?
BKDP works across Riverdale, including Upper and Lower Riverdale, Playter Estates, Blake-Jones, Badgerow and South Riverdale’s Riverside neighbourhood, on streets like Simpson Avenue, Langley, Howland Road, Bain, De Grassi and Playter Crescent. Our closest comparable project is Eclectic Haven, a Victorian row house renovation in Cabbagetown, across the Don.
Do I need a heritage permit to renovate in the Riverdale HCD?
It depends on the work. In the Riverdale Heritage Conservation District (By-law 951-2008), which covers First Avenue east of De Grassi, West Avenue and Tiverton Avenue, a heritage permit is generally needed for exterior alterations, additions and new construction. Interior-only work, work not visible from the street and routine maintenance generally don’t need one. A heritage permit doesn’t replace a building permit; the City reviews the two together, and a standalone heritage permit is free and often approved within a week.
Can you renovate the third floor of a Riverdale Victorian?
Yes. Many of Riverdale’s two- and three-storey Victorians, built from about 1880 to 1924, have third-floor walkouts, and that floor can become a primary suite, home office or family room. A building permit is required for structural changes and for a new third-storey addition, and in the HCD an exterior change visible from the street may also need a heritage permit. We review the structure, stairs and zoning at the first consultation.
How much does a home renovation in Riverdale cost?
It depends on the scope, size and finishes. BKDP’s projects typically range from $25,000 for a design-only condo package and $80,000–$250,000+ for a full condo renovation, to $500,000+ for full home renovations with additions. We provide transparent, fixed-fee quotes upfront so there are no surprises. Book a free consultation for an estimate on your project.
How long does a Riverdale renovation take?
A focused kitchen or bathroom renovation typically takes 8–14 weeks from design approval to completion. A full home renovation or addition can take 4–10 months. If the project needs a heritage permit, TRCA approval or engineering for underpinning, that adds time before construction starts, so we plan for it from the beginning.
Do Riverdale homes near the Don Valley need extra permits?
They can. Homes on the Don Valley edge may fall within the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority’s regulated area, where additions, decks, pools and fill may require a TRCA permit. The City’s Ravine and Natural Feature Protection By-law also protects trees of any size in designated ravines. We check a property’s status early with TRCA’s address lookup and build any approval time into the schedule.
“We live in a large, open concept turn of the century Annex home … the kitchen was dated and poorly designed for a multi-cook family like ours. … In the design phase, they spent several hours with us in our existing kitchen to understand what we wanted, came up with an excellent concept for re-orienting the space, and took detailed notes on the look, feel and materials we liked.”— J + C, the Annex — kitchen renovation in a turn-of-the-century home