Touches of glam

Mid-century and industrial looks enhanced by injection of ‘glam’

EYE-CATCHING ELEMENTS INCORPORATED INTO THE SHOW SPACES AT ZENTERRA’S FAIRWAYS CONDOMINIUMS

At Fairways, Zenterra’s planned community of townhomes overlooking Surrey’s Peace Portal Golf Course, designer Gene Guindon had fun with creative pairings of contrasting materials as he embraced the return of luxury and glamour.

Guindon likes to flex his design muscle by mixing and matching, incorporating materials one would find among modern decor into a more conservative setting. Velvet, which injects a touch of luxury into spaces populated by harder materials like tables and countertops, is one such element.

“Velvet is back at the right time,” Guindon says. “The design industry has definitely headed back to adding a little more luxury and glam.”

He notes the return to super-soft materials in home accents around the home was inevitable after the popularity of mid-century and industrial design took hold. It was just a natural progression to swing back to adding some softer touches.

“This doesn’t mean industrial and mid-century are cold and out of fashion. You’ll still be seeing mid-century pieces and shapes, but pairing with velvet-covered upholstery is a perfect way to soften up an industrial end table or mid-century dining table.”

One show home features a peacock velvet Madeleine bed set against gold-spattered wallpaper, “again, pulling in that luxury touch, but not overdoing it,” Guindon says.

The hard surfaces of the kitchen provided a perfect spot for Guindon to add more velvet. He used a smoky navy blue velvet on counter stools.

“They are wonderful against the stone counter and grey kitchen cabinets — a classic colour combination,” he says.

Going glam came easy for Guindon, who says he has a preference for coupling warm materials with durable solids — like the gold and navy blue, and peacock and gold colour combinations against grey flooring, white stone and grey cabinetry in the kitchens and bathrooms.

“I have to say, my favourite element used would be the combinations of navy blue and gold and the peacock and gold.”

Guindon says he felt free to be creative and daring with materials, thanks to his guiding companion at Zenterra. He works closely with Zenterra’s sales manager Bryanna Christopherson, who shares feedback from homebuyers.

“A lot of thinking goes into the small details.”

The showcase homes for the Fairways townhome project in South Surrey feature mid-century design elements matched with softer materials to create a more luxurious look.

An artist’s rendering of Fairways, a planned community which comprises 22 townhomes in four buildings backing on to Peace Portal Golf Course in Surrey.

Designer Gene Guindon crafted two show homes at Fairways, one contemporary, and one traditional.

The blue velvet counter stools work well set against the stone counter and grey cabinets of this showhome kitchen at Fairways.