LIVING THE HIGH LIFE
Last call for 25-storey UpperWest
The views are stellar. Depending on which one you’re in and where you look, the three new model suites at Minto’s UpperWest condo in trendy Westboro offer panoramic views of the surrounding neighbourhood, glimpses of the shimmering Ottawa River, a peek at the Peace Tower. It’s enough to make waking up on even the dreariest morning a happy event.
The recent launch of the model suites — they range from 661 to 777 square feet — should give a final push to sales at the 25-storey, 175-unit UpperWest. At the time of writing, Minto had sold 83 per cent of the building, which is a joint project with Canderel.
Most of those sales have been to owner-occupiers rather than to investors, says Kevin Harper, Minto’s highrise development manager.
“We designed the features and finishes for those who actually want to live here,” he said during a tour just before the three models were launched.
In addition to its views, UpperWest offers amenities like a sixthfloor urban terrace and a dining room with full kitchen. It’s located in a highly walkable neighbourhood and is adjacent to a multiuse pathway that leads to both Richmond Road and the Transitway’s Dominion Station, which is a three-minute walk. The building is targeting LEED Gold status.
Occupancy at UpperWest begins this November.
Floor plans
Remaining suites range from the Ashton, starting at $269,900 for 532 square feet, to the ByronRoosevelt from $1,310,900 for 2,188 square feet.
THE MODELS The Clifton (Seventh floor)
The one-bedroom-plus-den Clifton packs a lot of gracious living into just 777 square feet. It’s been outfitted with the late-30s to early-40s professional in mind, and starts at $347,900.
The unit’s main living area is anchored by a full-wall window/patio door leading to the unit’s balcony. These large windows are common throughout UpperWest, filling the units with natural light and offering those stellar views.
The den just off the foyer is decorated with white leather chairs around a steel-and-glass table, to maximize the feeling of space, and it has a closet tucked into one wall.
The bedroom (all the units are large enough for a queen-size bed) boasts large corner windows, along with an easy chair and small table that practically beg you to unwind with a cup of coffee and a good book.
The Clifton’s U-shaped kitchen features an upgraded quartz counter and glass mosaic backsplash. The dining area, with a glasstopped table and dark, buttoned chairs, nestles between the kitchen and living room. The Hillcrest (Seventh floor)
The 725-square-foot Hillcrest is, as Harper says, “a compact two-bedroom suite and very, very efficient” — pretty much ideal for the empty nesters who were in the minds of those staging this suite.
The linear kitchen has an optional island-breakfast bar topped with granite, cream gloss tiles in a classic brick pattern for the backsplash, and Shaker doors on the cabinetry. Simplicity and clean lines define this kitchen.
A couch in a neutral light grey and a glass coffee table help keep the living room feeling open and airy, while a console tucked into a wall niche lends a woody touch that complements the oak flooring.
The bedroom includes an ensuite with a walk-in shower — Harper’s not kidding when he talks about efficient use of space — and a second bathroom is off the foyer.
The Hillcrest starts at $343,900. The Broadview (11th floor)
With its east- and south-facing living room, the 661-square-foot Broadview model offers not just a view of the Peace Tower, but also the morning sun. The one-bedroom unit is cheerful and bright with tantalizing angles, thanks to the curve of the building ’s exterior walls.
The kitchen has been upgraded with an antique white Caesarstone counter, a white marble mosaic tile backsplash, and white, high-gloss cabinetry. The flooring in the kitchen and throughout the unit is a richly stained maple.
The bathroom boasts light-grey floor tile paired with deep-grey tile in the shower, a charcoal-blue-grey granite counter and a mocha woodgrain vanity.
Staged with darker furniture in the living room that contrasts nicely with the unit’s natural brightness, the Broadview has been designed with a younger demographic in mind. It starts at $320,900.