FINISHING TOUCHES
THE DRAMA IS IN THE DETAILS AT 1335 HOWE
If Julia Devlin was to purchase a suite at the Onni Group’s 1335 Howe tower in downtown Vancouver, there’s no question what she would go for: a residence that would let her rise with the morning sun and watch the city waking from its slumber.
“If I was to design my dream home, I would want a southeast-corner home, as I am a morning person and love my morning latte while the sun is coming up,” says the designer, a member of the Onni team that organized the interiors and finishes at 1335 Howe. “The opportunity to sit on my oversized patio, enjoying my coffee and watching the sun come up would certainly be a determining decision in my home selection.”
While buyers are attracted to the option to customize their spaces at 1335 Howe — a 40-storey highrise with 120 residences — Devlin and the Onni team have also seen visitors admiring the project’s finishes, quality of materials and appliances.
The bathrooms convey a calm and masculine mood, in a perfect dialogue between light and dark, and soft and strong, says Devlin. “We were aiming for mood and contrast with the strong statement of the dark stone and vanity cabinet, contrasted with the soft warmth of the wall and floor tile,” she says. “This space is the ultimate spa experience.”
The kitchen, meantime, features Devlin’s own favourite feature: a generously sized island with the natural stone countertops and open wood shelving at one end that allows the homeowner to show off personal items or cookbooks. She says that when the Onni Group designed the kitchen, “we were thinking of a buyer who loves to entertain or host large family events. This homeowner appreciates the entertainers’ kitchen with a long island, integrated sub-zero fridge and under-counter wine fridge, the Wolf gas cooktop and wall oven.”
Devlin, a designer experienced in envisioning spaces for empty nesters, knows that downsizing isn’t always easy: it can be difficult to move from a larger house with decor homeowners have appreciated for years. She advises that they pare down their belongings and organize much-loved items into groups. “Simplify. Use larger pieces, and fewer of them,” she says. “Create groupings; for example: group accessories on a coffee table, group furniture arrangements in your living room on an area rug to pull them together, group art and photos on walls, rather than spacing everything out.”