Setting the mood in South Surrey
Mary Frances Hill
The Province
Westside at Orchard Grove
Where: 16422 26th Ave., South Surrey
What: 53 single-family detached homes
Residence sizes and prices: 2,667 — 4,282 square feet, starting from $1.245,000, including tax and finished basement
Developer and builder: Miracon
Sales centre: 16422 26th Ave., South Surrey
Hours: noon — 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Sometimes you can’t have too much of a good thing.
Designer Jas Rai illustrates this in her thoughtful use of wood to convey warmth and sophistication in contemporary and mid-century modern design at Westside at Orchard Grove.
Wood is a predominant material in Rai’s work on the interior designs in the display suites at Westside at Orchard Grove, Miracon’s community of single-family homes in South Surrey. In each of the three design schemes, the material tells a story and evokes a mood.
In one, Miracon’s in-house designer shows the character of wood — one variation for flooring, a darker wood on banisters of a spacious show home, and a teak finish on living room side tables, lending the space its strong mid-century modern flair.
The cumulative effect of layers of wood meets her vision of a home that is elegant, comfortable and, she says, “cohesively eclectic”.
“I wanted the room to feel organic, as though a homeowner has been collecting various furniture pieces throughout their lifetime. Thus, the many different wood tones.”
The varied woods work together because they’re all simple and help ground the lightness of the walls and the 10-foot ceilings, she adds.
“Through their natural grains and tones, the various woods add warmth, texture and character to the room, and keep everything balanced.”
The side tables, an attractive wing-chair and the gentle grey tones in the square angles of the sofa were natural additions to the suite, considering that Westside’s floor plans lend themselves to this style marked by clean lines, open floor plans and curved shapes, features that appeal to homeowners today as well, she says.
“The tapered legs and sleek lines on the furnishings, strong characteristics of mid-century modern design, appear to float the pieces and create an open and airy feel in the space. Using the warm earthy tones, also a hallmark of the mid-century palette, combined with the simplicity and form of the furnishings, allow the room to feel nostalgic and inviting, but in a modern retro way. “
“Inviting and warm” define every décor scheme at Westside at Orchard Grove, and motivated Rai in furnishing choices. Rai says she was drawn to using a round table, over the more conventional rectangular version, because the shape denotes warmth, comfort and a sense of family. The shape fits perfectly into Rai’s mission to create visual interest, by using shapes, and to create a contrast with the square dining area and linear island bar.
“The round table setting encourages closeness between family and guests and creates an intimate dining experience. Everyone is able to equally participate in conversations and shared dishes are easy to reach.”
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