GRANVILLE RISE: Ultra-hip urban neighbourhood surrounded by West Coast flavour
Jeani Read
Sun
The Camera development on South Granville Rise boasts an urban, Euro look with spectacular city and mountain views. JON MURRAY — THE PROVINCE
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province Camera boasts a very urban, Euro look with great banks of windows.
The bathrooms are ultracontemporary. JON MURRAY — THE PROVINCE
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province If entertaining is more important to you than storage space, you’ll be happy to learn that the storage room has been converted into a wine cellar
CAMERA
WHAT: Camera is 65 apartments and 12 townhomes in South Granville
WHERE: Pine Street at 8th Avenue
DEVELOPED BY: Intracorp
SIZES: One-bedroom, one-bedroom and den, two-bedroom, two-bedroom and den, townhouses and penthouses, 624 sq.ft — 1597 sq.ft.
PRICES: $321,900 to $900,000 and up (for penthouses)
OPEN: By appointment only until Nov. 19. From Nov. 20, noon to 5 p.m daily except Friday, 1523 West 8th; 604-733-1574
We love South Granville Rise. How can we not? We’ve watched it change over the years to become one of the best urban neighbourhoods in the city. People keep calling it their little bit of New York or L.A., but we think our casual, distinctive West Coast flavour and flair trumps comparisons.
You can spend a fortune on a jacket or dress at Bacci’s or Boboli but still pick up a bag of apples from the greengrocer across the street who’s been there forever. Stressed by the cost of the dinners you’ve been unable to resist at West? Drop by Cafe Crepe or go waaay retro with meat loaf at The Normandy. Or there’s always (gasp!) McDonald’s when you’ve finally maxed out your credit cards in those dozens of art galleries. Meinhardt’s food and deli and its sidekick snackery Picnic are near the top of the street, across the way from Country Furniture; closer to where Camera will be located is Moe’s, Still Life, Industrial Revolution and that crazy busy Sunday morning brunch omelette place. You can entertain yourself all the way from Granville Island to 16th Avenue and do every bit of your gift shopping in the boutiques and decor stores along the way, from Pottery Barn to L’Occitane to Peridot.
Why are we going on and on about the neighbourhood and not the development? Because Intracorp has made quite a marketing mark for itself by, as it says, creating homes in places where people actually want to live. And the people who live here will likely want to be out in the neighbourhood at least as much as they’ll want to be home.
Or wait a minute, maybe not. In the sleek, compact display home the storage room has been converted into a wine cellar, so a certain amount of entertaining will probably be in their plans. (Although not a lot of storing). So we’re thinking social, professional, in-the-loop singles and couples who, frankly, want it all. In a good way.
The philosophy of Camera is an inside-outside living one — a very urban, Euro look with great banks of windows, wonderful city views, a common landscaped garden space, balconies, terraces, rooftop decks. In the display suite (and many of the homes) you can catch the view from the open-plan kitchen, dining room and living room; from the master bedroom on one side; and from the media room/guest room and office on the other via the glass wall that separates them. Plus of course the deck.
Everything here is wonderfully contemporary and high-end from the teak (it’s back!) cabinetry and stainless Bosch and Sub Zero appliances, white composite stone counters and island/eating bar in the kitchen to the dual shower heads, one rain, one conventional, in the double glass shower in the master ensuite and the deep rectangular tub in the second bathroom.
The gas fireplace with glass surround looks wild in the middle of the living room view wall. Give up and include a skinny TV in your plans or it will really ruin the effect. Nice wide-plank engineered walnut floors in the great room and entryways, good choice of high-fashion or funky tile in bathrooms — in all, inside great, outside great. Social and exercise rooms and bike storage are also included. Enjoy.
FIVE FABULOUS FEATURES
– The white composite stone counters. White is the new granite.
– No hardware on the upper kitchen cabinets. So much more like furniture, so much less like, well, kitchen.
– Squareness: soaker tub, bathroom sink. It’s hip to be square.
– Dual-flush toilets. OK, maybe we won’t save the entire world this way, but feeling like a good guy several times a day really rocks.
– The super cool-looking, thin, sleek range hood above the gas cooktop in the kitchen. Slides out, slides back, slides out, slides back. Wait! This is not a toy! Cook something!
© The Vancouver Province 2005
