Mixing it up
MODEL HOME IN BRESLAU BLENDS TRADITIONAL WITH SOME MODERN TWISTS LISA VAN DE VEN
This isn’t “traditional” the way grandma used to do it. Rather, in the “New Traditional” model home at Empire Riverland in Breslau, interior designer Andrew Pike gives traditional a twist. “It’s a blend of the old and the new,” says Sue MacKay, Empire Communities’ vice-president of marketing. “It celebrates the best of both worlds.” Dark wood floors and accents punch up a light neutral base, all juxtaposed against more transitional and contemporary details. “It’s very warm, welcoming, inviting,” adds Pike, principal designer with Andrew Pike Interiors. “It’s very elegant but it’s not pretentious or untouchable.” Homes at Riverland range from 1,345 to 3,238 square feet and start in the mid $400,000s. The sales office is located at 190 Woolwich St. S., Breslau, and open Monday to Thursday from 1 to 7 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 519-213-1190 or visit empireriverland.com.
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The house itself may lean towards traditional, but this sectional sofa from Structube would feel just as at home in a more contemporary living room. It features a streamlined design with chrome legs and wheat-toned upholstery. “Details like the tufting just tie it all in,” Pike adds.
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“It was the jumping off point for the room,” Pike says of this area rug, which combines all of the colours in the space. The floral pattern and traditional weave root the room in the past, while the mirrored coffee table on top offers a contemporary counterpoint.
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“I wanted something that felt elegant,” Pike says of the kitchen cabinetry. The warm white cabinets feature simple frame detailing, for a transitional look that’s broken up by a row of glass uppers and a marble mosaic tile backsplash that combines the home’s warm neutral tones.
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Dark accents help ground the otherwise light kitchen, including the pedestal breakfast table and this tobacco-stained island. “I thought it would be nice to have a hit of darkness,” the designer says. He tied it all together with taupe-toned quartz countertops and contemporary ivory-upholstered chairs.