URBAN LIVING: No white picket fences here, just one of the city’s hottest neighbourhoods
Jeani Read
Sun
The view from this Stella bedroom is phenomenal. The 96-unit building is located in the trendy South Main area of Vancouver, smack in the middle of all those hipper-than-hip shops, cafés, restaurants and retailers. JON MURRAY — THE PROVINCE
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province Stella will house 89 condos and seven townhomes at its 350 Kingsway address. Note the lack of white picket fences.
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province The sleek bathroom features double sinks, deep soaker tub and a glass-walled shower.
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province White Corian extends throughout the kitchen, while the wide-plank engineered flooring takes you through to the livingroom.
STELLA
WHAT: Stella is 89 condominiums and seven townhomes in the South Main area of Vancouver
WHERE: 350 Kingsway
DEVELOPED BY: 350 Kingsway Ltd.
SIZES: One-bedroom, one-bedroom and den and two-bedroom condominiums as well as two-bedroom townhomes and two-tiered penthouses, 584 sq.ft. — 1515 sq.ft.
PRICES: $252,000 — $799,000
OPEN: Every day except Friday, 604 677-1099.
www.liveatstella.com
Location is Stella’s strong suit. There’s little doubt that the South Main area, down from the Kingsway and 12th intersection and all along Main Street from Broadway, is one of the city’s hottest new urban neighbourhoods, and Stella is right smack in the middle of all those hipper-than-hip shops, cafes, restaurants and retailers.
It’s hard to go wrong when just a few steps outside your door you can find Barefoot Contessa, Eugene Choo, Twigg & Hottie, Soma, Monsoon, Aion Gallery — it goes on and on.
One of the nice things too, is the way Stella is marketing itself, as an integral part of this area. There’s some eye-catching, in-your-face urban attitude on the windows of the presentation centre — “No White Picket Fences” it says on the glass. “No Suburban Malls.” “No One-Hour Commutes.” “No PTA Meetings.” “No Desperate Housewives.” Thank you, marketing smartie-pantses, we totally get that this is not the suburbs. Add that to the great way they show off the urban streetscape, from the images in the windows of the display home to the digital bank of images that reveal the views from every home, and the package looks even better: Yes, there are the mountains in the background (SoMa is on a surprisingly high rise) but mainly what we see are the rooftops, streets, shops, traffic — we’re definitely IN the city, and liking it that way. You could think of it as Yaletown The Sequel — just maybe with a few more brakes on the population boom in the future.
This is maybe the time to tell you that Stella doesn’t open its doors officially until Oct. 29 — mark your calendars — but for preview viewing, call or register on the website for an appointment before then.
What will you see? A suite where “urban” is written all over the inside, too. It starts with this very cool kind of built-in Corian dining table on your right as you enter. Trust us, this Corian rocks, it even looks like some kind of rock but thankfully not granite — smooth, pure, white, flat, very contemporary. In the display suite the “table” (they call it a multi-functional island) is set for dinner but the area could just as easily be used as a work surface. Great idea. The white Corian extends throughout the rest of the kitchen with a big square white-tile backsplash making it all really fresh and clean. The wide-plank engineered flooring takes you through to the living room (please factor in the cost of a thin plasma or LCD TV to the cost of most of your new city digs; we’re just all going to have to bite the bullet on this one) and big deck. Off the master bedroom is a flexroom solarium that’s been set up as a study/reading area, and beyond the walk-through closet a sleek bathroom with double sinks, deep soaker tub and glass-walled shower awaits.
We do like the way Stella is likely to appeal to city dwellers who are becoming skilled at living large in small spaces, right down to the handy pull-down soap tray below the kitchen sink that opens up right where you were sure there wasn’t any space at all. That Vespa in the entryway? That’s the Stella spirit.
FIVE FAB FEATURES
– The Corian. Thank you. We have seen so much granite, we never want to see it again (although, of course, somebody will find a way to make it look good again, we’re sure).
– That multi-functional island, so Euro, so practical, so totally slick.
– Lots of greenspace on the third floor, plus a public park out front. OK, it’s urban but don’t forget, urban Vancouver is unique for its greenspace. Yay.
– Gas lines to decks and patios are an option. BBQ anyone?
– We have to say it again: location, location, location.
Ran with fact box “Five Fab Features”, which has been appended to the story.
© The Vancouver Province 2005
