FUNKY, FUNCTIONAL: Imaginative use of space makes for great liveability in hot location

Jeani Read
Province

Storage space, work station, laundry, coat closet and pantry all close away behind a smooth sheet of cabinetry that tricks the eye. Photograph by : Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province

Translucent sliding panels and mirrors brighten the bedroom. Photograph by : Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province

Urban spaces in Vancouver just keep getting cooler and cooler — and more imaginative.

Take Dwell, the new condo development at the heart of this quickly transforming Main Street neighbourhood. Here, close quarters are themselves being transformed into really functional homes with lots of storage. Or, let’s say, more storage.

Dwell has twice the storage space required by the city, says sales rep Krista Freeborn, and storage space, work station, laundry, coat closet and pantry all close away behind a smooth sheet of cabinetry that tricks the eye.

“There’s no hardware on the doors so it’s a clean look. It looks like a wall. Everyone comments on how well thought-out it is,” says Freeborn. “So, kudos to the architect.”

That would be Gair Williamson, who has made a specialty of perfecting the liveability of small spaces and winning awards for his work. Here, he not only hides away storage and busy spots that attract clutter, he adds full-window walls for maximum light and translucent sliding panels around the bedrooms in most units. Ceilings here are also higher than expected, an almost-airy eight-feet-nine-inches. The kitchen extends along the wall after the signature cabinetry ends, appliances and counters all lined up in a row, taking up minimal space.

Open living: Hi there.

We like this idea. We like how we can make a mess and then hide it away (except for the cooking part, although the dishwasher can deal with a multitude of sins). Anyway, people are not going to be making multi-course big-family meals here.

This is city living. Singles and young couples are moving in. “The people who want to live in the Main Street area are urban, hip, funky and creative,” says Freeborn.

We’re thinking they will like the galleries. They’ll like the cafes. They’ll like the upscale retailers moving in. They’ll serve cocktails and finger food. Wine in tumblers. Artisan beer. That kind of thing.

“The floor plans are very liveable, and especially very liveable for two people,” says Freeborn. “A lot are one-bedroom-and-dens, and have big balconies.” Open living means the living, dining and kitchen area is all one, so you can put your furniture anywhere you want, says Freeborn, freeing up the space to really make it your own.

South-facing suites have most of the balconies and north-facing suites have the views and more square footage, so things balance out nicely. There’s a common deck on the fourth floor, a common patio on the main floor, and a meeting room.

Within suites, “everything is standard. There are no upgrades,” says Freeborn. Nice features include white component-stone counters and backsplashes. The appliances are all stainless, and include an LG Euro-style bottom-mounted fridge and electric, touch-system AEG stove.

Floors are a V-groove laminate in light classic oak or dark black teak finish, cabinets “light pencil” or dark Kona coffee finish, and suites come with a parking space, front-loading washer-dryer and bike storage.

When Dwell is finished, there will be retail on the ground floor, likely cafes, salons and bistros, says Freeborn, to complement the rest of the neighbourhood.

Overall? “The response is really positive,” says Freeborn. “People like the design, and they like the look of it. It’s very sleek, very streamlined and contemporary.

Central location is key, as it’s very quick to downtown and the whole of Mount Pleasant is becoming very desirable. “It’s an area that’s very exciting for the city,” says Freeborn.

QUICK FACTS

DWELL

What: 46 loft-style flats and two townhomes

Where: 2511 Quebec St. at Broadway

Developer: Holborn Group

Sizes: 559 sq. ft.-826 sq. ft. condos; 1,174 sq. ft. and 1,254 sq. ft. townhomes

Prices: From mid-$300,000 to mid-$800, 000

Open: Noon to 5 p.m. daily except Fridays, 604-708-6010, www.dwellhere.ca

© The Vancouver Province 2006

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 5th, 2006 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Real Estate Related. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.