ALLURING PROSPECT BY DESIGN
The Allure oozes charm on banks of the Mactaggart Sanctuary
It was an alluring prospect for Jim and Karen Sklarchuk.
The retired couple found one of Edmonton’s newest condominium projects — a boutique-style, 47-unit development in an in-demand southwest location — to be exactly what they were looking for.
“Certainly the cast-in-place concrete construction and the no-fuss, no-muss lifestyle of the Allure played a major role in our purchase,” said Jim.
Allure, from Carrington Communities, was unveiled to the public in late June, with construction having started just over two years ago. Located in the Uplands of Mactaggart, which is perched on the banks of the Mactaggart Sanctuary, residents started moving into Allure this past August. The four-storey building, which features contemporary West Coast architectural styling on the exterior and a modern esthetic with luxurious touches inside, includes spacious suites ranging from 1,312 to 1,678 square feet. The Sklarchuk unit, a 1,650-square-foot two bedroom and den combination, transports their visitors directly to central Italy.
“I like to call it a little bit of Tuscany,” said Kathy Douglas, project sales manager for Allure. And that it is. Close the eight-foot-tall entry door into their unit and the Sklarchuks have customized their suite into a home that exudes Tuscan elegance and charm.
“We’re trying to stay in places where the temperature in Fahrenheit is warmer than our ages,” joked Jim, who was busy with moving and organizing a multitude of boxes as the couple settled into their new home.
NOT JUST TUSCAN
With soaring 10-foot ceilings in each of the suites and eight-foot tall doorways, once you’re inside an Allure unit it feels more like a private home as opposed to a typical condominium.
Most of the remaining units — Allure is currently 50-per-cent sold — are at various finishing stages, allowing for prospective owners to put their own touch on the interiors.
Douglas points out that it’s all about personal style and taste, and no one is bound by design packages at Allure. She points to the in-house interior design studio, providing buyers with a home that meets their individual design needs.
“You won’t find an identical suite in the building,” said Douglas, referring to how Allure’s five different floor plans have been finished. “Buyers are letting their imaginations run wild.”
Touring just a few of the units, it’s easy to see how buyers are putting their own stamp on their future homes. While the Sklarchuks went Tuscan, a number of others are going modern.
Some are mixing in a traditional twist to the modern backdrop, while others are adding a bit of a European feel.
Each unit also comes with oversized patios and glass-panel railings, so that the views overlooking the nearby pond are not obscured. The pond’s horseshoe shape ensures that everyone suite surrounding it enjoys a stunning, relaxing view.
NOT SO COMMON
Common space is front and centre inside the development. A twostorey lobby is what first catches your eye. Think elegant hotel as opposed to just a regular entryway.
Explore further and you’ll find that Allure was constructed in a way where its amenities are set in the middle of the building, with the residential units across the large hallways.
The main floor Silver Salon dining room, with a working kitchen, is designed for special functions and available to residents to rent out for a nominal fee to host dinner parties, holiday events or various celebrations.
The room also includes a separate conversation area, where participants can branch off from the 14-seat dining table and lounge next to the cosy fireplace.
On the second floor there’s a members’ lounge that includes a full bar, poker table, pool table, flat-screen TVs, and a variety of seating options.
On the third floor, the amenities are all about exercise.
The building’s Precision Athletic Club is equipped with stateof-the-art fitness equipment and flat-screen TVs.
Meanwhile, tranquillity awaits in the Satya Studio, a yoga studio. The fourth floor central space is framed by windows, or residents can head up another level to the rooftop patio.
“The amenities,” adds Douglas, “are an extension of your home.”
NOT JUST FOR PARKING
This is not your typical parkade. Indoor visitor parking is available on the first level, but it’s the secured garages on both the first and second parkade floors that take these parking spots to yet another level.
There are double, triple and quadruple underground garages, but it’s not the size that makes these spaces unique, it’s the customization options. From the outside they look inconspicuous, but if you get a chance to look inside you can see how Allure provides buyers the possibility to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.
“One of the motivating factors was the garage,” said Jim, about his decision to purchase at Allure. Already hard at work in his garage/man cave, there’s customized shelving dotted with a variety of different Coca-Cola memorabilia, including a vintage-style Coke vending machine. A picture of Elvis needs to be hanged, as do other items, but this quadruple garage has become much more than just a parking spot for the Sklarchuks’ vehicles.
The Sklarchuks went the extra mile and added a wall to separate the tandem portion of their garage, creating a unique storage room with rolling hand-crank shelving units that move back and forth to optimize the amount of items that can be easily accessed. Allure’s parkade also includes a separate wash bay.
SATISFIED BUYERS
While Jim and Karen are enjoying their retirement in their new Tuscan-style condo, they also are satisfied buyers.
“When we bought we had some minor issues, but Carrington has been wonderful to deal with. They were accommodating and helpful throughout the process,” said Jim, noting he and Karen spent hours with Allure’s design staff, and credits them for all the assistance they provided. “They gave us so much help to make it reflect our style.”
You know Jim is sincere, as the Sklarchuks do not hesitate to speak their minds. Take the wall of clocks Karen asked for in their unit.
“Now we look up at the clocks and tell our guests it’s time to leave,” said Jim with a smile.