Mirabel takes its inspiration from its West End location
Mary Frances Hill
The Province
Mirabel at English Bay
Where: 1345 Davie Street, Vancouver
What: Two neighbouring 18- and 19-storey buildings comprising 149 units; 105 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom, 36 studio/one-bedroom/one-bedroom and den, plus 68 social housing units that will be owned by the City of Vancouver
Residence sizes and prices: Studio/one-bedrooms, 405 to 915 square feet, from $615,900; two-bedrooms, 756 to 1,336 square feet. from $910,900; three bedrooms, 2,132 to 2,659 square feet, from $5.25 million
Developer and builder: Marcon Developments
Sales centre: 1283 Davie Street, Vancouver
Hours: open by appointment
For creative designers like Alda Pereira, inspiration can come from anywhere: a piece of artwork, a textile’s pattern or shade, or the blue of a morning sky.
The influences for Pereira’s work in the interiors at Mirabel, Marcon’s planned West End condo project, found their origins close to home — in the West End itself.
The architecture of many older buildings, and the beaches surrounding one of Vancouver’s oldest and most beautiful communities provided a palette for Pereira. She says she was inspired by both the natural and man-made local features in her vision for even the smallest kitchen and bathroom detail.
“The palette from the beach at English Bay, the spirit of the modern midcentury buildings along Beach Avenue, as well as the West End neighbourhood vibe of casual sophistication, are reflected in the hexagon -haped marble tiles used in the kitchen backsplash and the secondary bathrooms in particular,” Pereira says of the interior design of Mirabel’s display space, a unit with two bedrooms and a den.
The two highrises that will make up Mirabel at English Bay will fit right into the character of a community popular among homebuyers, renters and tourists alike. In one Mirabel rendering, white and cream dominate the main kitchen and dining space, seen in a stunning circular pendant lighting over the dining table, chairs and the marble rectangular marble table. The calming palette takes its influences, such as sand and light grey, from the beach, Pereira says.
“The mix of varying shades and textures, such as the softness of the velvet upholstered dining chairs in the oyster grey with the hard marble, creates a juxtaposition that provides visual interest,” she notes.
“The pendant lighting introduces a flash of the past [as it embraces] the ‘70s with its characteristic shape of two opposing outside, mobile shades…This asymmetrical art light is a statement in any space.”
Buyers can choose from one of two themes, ‘Beach’ and ‘City’; a suite at the sales centre showcases the ‘Beach’ option with white-oak engineered hardwood floors and white cabinetry.
If Pereira were a homeowner at Mirabel, she says, she’d choose the finishes characteristic of the ‘Beach’ theme.
Or maybe not.
“I prefer the lighter ‘Beach’ scheme because it brings a carefree casual feeling into the space but I also love the sexy drama of the darker ‘City’ schemes. “It’s a difficult choice for a Gemini.”
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