By Elia Essen | Photography by Natasha Gerschon | Hair & Makeup by Holly Jones | Styled by Jenna Bitove-Naumovich
If you live in the GTA, you probably recognize Pooja Handa’s face. She’s been a news anchor, reporter, and TV host for nearly two decades, appearing on CP24, CTV, and Global Morning News, covering a wide variety of topics. You might also be able to pick out her voice thanks to The Pooja and Gurdeep Show, which she co-hosts on 98.1 CHFI. The 45-year-old has become a household name thanks to the wit, charm, and humor she brings to everything she does.
What you might not know about Handa is that she’s always really, really loved children. She would gravitate towards them, sitting at the kids’ table and playing with them at the park. “I’ve always known in the most guttural way that I was meant to be a mom,” she says. But when it came time to start her own family, it didn’t happen as she’d expected. After seven years, seven rounds of IVF, two rounds of IUI, and 11 failed embryo transfers, she was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. “I think everybody just assumed that, because I had such a big career, I was just this career woman who didn’t want kids and that maybe this was a decision that we made. Behind the scenes, I so desperately wanted to have children,” Handa says. “It was really hard. And in what I do, you have to be on. My job is to make people smile in the morning, so you have to put your own stuff aside and come to work and do what you’ve got to do.”
It was during this grueling cycle of doctors’ appointments and letdowns that Handa and her husband, Paul Pathak, purchased a home in Toronto, and what started as a renovation project turned into a full-on tear-down to create their custom dream home in 2018 with the help of long-time friend and designer Harvey Wise, now of Wise Nadel Design.
Amid the countless disappointments, the house ultimately was an embodiment of hope, ready and waiting to be filled with the pitter-patter of small feet whenever and however they came into Handa’s life. “I remember one point when they were a bit exasperated about their journey and I said to them, ‘Trust me on this: you will have children. I don’t know when it will be, but it will be, and you need to have hope that it will happen,’” Wise says.
Now, six years, two children, and an in-law suite later, the Handa house is filled with family and joy. The 5,000-square-foot midtown home defies trends, instead serving as a sanctuary of timeless elegance that is just as impactful now as it was when Wise first designed it. “I did not want to pick a look that was just super trendy or modern or contemporary or any of those things,” Handa says. “I just wanted a house that exudes warmth.”
In keeping with her personality, Handa wanted a casual and cool family-oriented vibe that prioritized livability over fussiness. To do this, Wise and Handa opted for warm and woody interiors filled with clean lines, timeless silhouettes, and brass finishes. Throughout, works by Canadian artists, including painter Steve Driscoll and photographer Edward Burtynsky, and layers of texture add dimension to the serene muted color palette, while statement lighting fixtures create design impact and a bespoke feel to each room. “I wanted it to feel like we were in a hotel,” Handa says. “The type of vibes where it just feels warm and modern, but it’s not so contemporary that it feels cold. I had a real problem with grey. I kept saying, ‘I don’t want a grey house.’”
Nowhere exudes effortless warmth more than the kitchen. Intricate marquetry flooring in a deep-toned wood harmonizes with a mix of white, glass-faced, and walnut cabinetry. A stacked-tile backsplash gets a geometric and modern flair with bright white grouting, balancing some of the more traditional elements. Three ribbed globe pendants reminiscent of beehives are suspended over a generous island that conceals extra storage beneath the waterfall marble top.
In the family room, a floor-to-ceiling white-veined grey marble surround makes for an impactful backdrop to the linear fireplace and 80-inch TV (this and an integrated ironing board were Pathak’s two requests for the house). On each side, built-in white bookcases are decorated with books, mementos, and sculptures, while a large white sofa pairs with a chestnut leather chair and a chaise longue, tucked in a window alcove.
The dining and formal sitting rooms are separated by an asymmetrical two-sided linear fireplace with a striking marble-clad chimney column, accented with gold. Above the spacious wood dining table, a glamorous chandelier, made from dozens of hexagonal pieces suspended from golden chains, casts a soft glow over the diners.
Upstairs, the serene primary ensuite is a favorite space for both Wise and Handa. Sitting parallel to each other, two mounted curved floor-to-ceiling mirrors abut Art Deco-inspired vanities. A sumptuous freestanding tub in front of the window wall overlooks the backyard. “The primary bathroom is probably one of the most spectacular bathrooms we’ve ever designed,” Wise says. “The floor pattern is beyond amazing and tests the passage of time so beautifully. The vanities are exquisite. I think that bathroom is really ahead of its time in so many ways.”
Wise’s solution for a bit of excess space, an anteroom—a sitting room to use while getting dressed—connects the bathroom and primary bedroom. A pair of modern walnut built-in desks with grid-like open shelves that peek into the bathroom offer a luxurious place to apply makeup or catch up on last-minute work. A huge walk-in closet—a must for Handa—conceals clutter behind leather-like vinyl-clad doors. “The primary ensuite and closet are pretty beyond reproach,” Wise says. “There’s a lot of great moments in that house, but I would say to you that that’s a real wow.”
In the backyard, a peaceful haven awaits with an inviting pool and in-ground hot tub, an outdoor kitchen and dining area, and a contemporary pergola lounge. Beyond the main two floors, a rec room occupies the basement, and on the third floor, an in-law suite, with a kitchenette, lounge area, bedroom, and bathroom, is the newest addition to the home, added a few years after the rest of the house was completed and also designed by Wise.
In anticipation of the children to come, Wise designed the home with durability in mind, choosing finishes, flooring, and fabrics that could withstand wear and tear without sacrificing style. While Handa and her husband try to strategically contain the inevitable chaos of toddlers in certain areas, the ever-down-to-earth Handa admits that “it feels like a daycare sometimes.” And ultimately, it’s that livability that breathes life into the house and makes it a home—a comfortable and relaxed place that doesn’t feel like a museum. “It’s really nice to be able to create this feeling of family and warmth and coziness and also personality,” Wise says. He notes that, as good design becomes more accessible, parents and designers are putting more care into the way their homes work for their kids. “It is important today that you’re thoughtful about the environment your kids are in on any level. Whether it’s about how it’s designed or how it flows or how it functions for them, we think through that.”
For Handa, there’s something special about a house that holds a lifetime of memories, through highs and lows. “I’m never moving. I’m staying here forever,” she says. “I think having a home where you have so many memories that you’re making in it, that’s really my hope for [my kids]. It’s that we, together, make the best memories.”
Though Handa now has her happy ending in her dream home, it’s become more important than ever to her to advocate for those still in the throes of infertility. “I realized that I have this huge platform, and if I don’t start being part of normalizing these conversations, then I’m not helping move them forward,” she says. “I knew from being in waiting rooms at fertility clinics for seven years that I was not alone, and yet I felt so alone.”
“I’VE ALWAYS KNOWN IN THE MOST GUTTURAL WAY THAT I WAS MEANT TO BE A MOM.”
Now, Handa openly discusses her journey with her tens of thousands of followers on social media. She works closely with and is on the advisory committee of the Modern Miracle Foundation, an organization that provides grants for fertility treatments. “I was in a position where I could exhaust all options, including surrogacy, but not everybody has that, so I felt like it was incumbent upon me to start talking about it so I could make it easier for the next person.” Handa’s kids—a boy and a girl now two years old, referred to as twiblings—were born through two surrogates a few months apart.
Wise laid the groundwork for this next chapter of Handa’s life in more ways than one. Beyond designing the home that will be the backdrop for the family for years to come, he introduced Handa and Pathak to the surrogate who carried their daughter, the same woman who birthed Wise’s daughter when he and his husband were going through the process several years prior. “It means so much to me,” Handa says. “It’s one of those things where I’ll never be able to thank him enough.”
Now Handa and Wise share a bond, which transcends one label but is rooted in a mutual respect that is evident in talking to them both. “We have such a great relationship that I just trust him implicitly with almost everything because I just love his design aesthetic,” Handa says. “His vision is usually my vision.” It’s probably this shared taste that gave the house they designed together such a beautiful sense of harmony.
Nowadays, if you stop by the Handa house, there’s a good chance there will already be company
