Au naturel
THE VANGUARD’S OVERRIDING DESIGN OBJECTIVE IS STARK AUTHENTICITY
Interior designer Dan Menchions had one main directive when designing the model suite at The Vanguard. Everything had to look as natural as possible. “The client wanted everything to feel authentic,” he says. With the building being designed to LEED Gold standards, Devron Developments wanted the design team to focus on environmentally friendly fixtures and materials inspired by nature. With that in mind, Menchions chose a neutral colour palette with driftwood grey hardwood floors that ground the space, and high-gloss lacquer kitchen cabinetry with a wood appearance that adds visual texture. Sunshine-inspired accents brighten up the suite. “It’s a grounded, warm, inviting environment,” adds the partner with II By IV Design. Suites at The Vanguard range from 522 to 3,500 square feet and are priced from the high $200,000s. The sales office is currently open by appointment only. To register, call 289-597-2005 or visit vanguardto.com.
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“It’s like your jewelry,” Menchions says of the suite’s metallic accents, and these days mixing metals in both fashion and design is on trend. So while this Urban Mode coffee table may have a bronze base, it’s just one of several metal types used throughout the space.
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“There’s a visual texture to it,” the designer says of this grey sectional sofa from CB2. Covered in twill-style upholstery, the contemporary sofa features a tailored design and chrome legs, while a chrome and marble C-table slides anywhere alongside — the perfect place for a cup of tea.
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A walnut feature wall behind the bed adds a natural accent to the master bedroom. The horizontal panels visually expand the width of the room, while a grey wash on the wood creates warmth. The wall “gives the bed an extended headboard,” Menchions says.
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To accentuate the height of the bedroom, Menchions kept the bed low, with slim graphite-toned lamps on either side. “That leaves more surface to put something down on,” he says. The bed, from Urban Mode, is upholstered in dark fabric, in contrast to the lighter bedding.