Smart design
Efficiency and style showcased at 8888 Osler
Marpole is having a moment, with the city and developers recognizing its potential as a revitalized and vibrant mixeduse Vancouver neighbourhood community, close to Richmond and the airport.
For interior designers, it’s exciting to be part of Marpole’s revitalization, says Cristina Oberti, whose firm designed the interiors of 8888 Osler, Tria Homes’ community of condominiums planned for the area.
“I see it as an opportunity. It’s a chance for us to be creative and imagine what the future of Marpole might look like a few years from now. Rarely do you get this kind of freedom as a designer,” says Oberti, principal of Cristina Oberti Interior Design Inc.
“I expect to see a lot of young families and single first-time buyers migrating to Marpole. It’s definitely a great area to invest in.”
Where another professional might consider suites as small as 431 square feet as a restriction in their work, Oberti sees it as a challenge.
“To design for efficiency is to design smart. This is often when design becomes the most interesting and inspired,” she says. “There is literally no room for wasted space.”
Oberti says she and her team enjoyed creating an open-concept area with a multi-functional use of space. Visitors will find that the design of the kitchen takes advantage of every last square inch available.
Oberti says kitchens in smaller homes look great when a homeowner sees them as deserving of attention as fine pieces of furniture.
It’s too easy to crowd countertops with appliances and devices.
But in an open-concept space, it’s on full view, so Oberti incorporated deep drawers and spinning Lazy Susan shelving to maximize storage space.
At 8888 Osler, “the kitchen is designed to be exceptionally efficient. It’s an area that is always on display, so it needs to look good, if not in order. Besides hiding things from view, the extra storage also gives the kitchen an interesting esthetic.”
First-time homebuyers of smaller suites may want to ask themselves hard questions about what is essential in a
comfortable home, but Oberti suggests that choosing fewer items should not be seen as a hardship or sacrifice, particularly when these pieces can serve more than one function if necessary.
“As cities grow, our spaces become more and more precious, so we have to make the most out of what we have available to us,” she notes.
“In these cases, it’s important to prioritize. Is it essential to have that massive sectional when a more compact love seat will do the trick? I don’t see it as a limitation, but rather as another way of approaching the spaces we inhabit.”