PERCHANCE TO DREAM
This year’s CHEO Dream Home combines old-world charm with modern styling in an understated, elegant ‘livable space’
We take a walk through this year’s CHEO Dream Home and find a blend of old-world charm and modern styling.
Old-world charm meets modern styling in a case of understated elegance and flexible spaces that is this year’s CHEO Dream Home. Set on a corner lot in Minto’s Mahogany community in Manotick, the home makes up the bulk of the grand prize in the hospital’s Dream of a Lifetime Lottery fundraiser that launched Monday.
And while it’s a little different than recent dream homes, set on half-acre lots in Minto’s nearby custom home subdivision of Butternut Creek, it still carries plenty of pop.
French Provincial in style, the two-storey, double-garage home features a wraparound porch and leaded windows. Slightly smaller than last year’s home yet still huge by any standard, it comes in at about 4,100 square feet (or more than 5,550 with the basement).
Across the street, a two-acre park offers plenty of space to play, while to the rear, the ravine that contains the creek meandering through the site can be seen from the ensuite windows.
Inside, the home follows a similar decor theme to last year’s offering as designer Donna Correy of KISS Design Group has once again chosen to play up the rural setting.
“What we were trying to do is bring a little bit of that fact that you’re living out in the country, so some of the products, some of the finishes are a little more refined rustic, urban country,” she says.
“But then the furnishings are a mix and they’re a little more modern.”
There’s still the grand feel to the home — as soon as you walk in you’re met by an impressive split staircase in oak and metallic chestnut finish; there are five bedrooms (including two masters) and three ensuites; not to mention four fireplaces and six TVs — yet the scale is not overwhelming.
“I think it’s more livable space,” says CHEO spokeswoman Connie Lebrun.
“A family could come in here and feel quite comfortable.”
The home is a modified version of Minto’s Oak model, which can be purchased as an option by Mahogany buyers. It’s designed to offer flexible living: the two master suites, for instance, could easily accommodate a multi-generational family. Both elegantly appointed, one with a double-sided fireplace into the ensuite and the other with a fireplace and TV opposite the bed, it would be hard for the “master” to choose between them. As a result, the decor was chosen so that the furnishings can easily be switched from one room to the other.
Other flexible spaces: A guest room on the main floor includes a walk-in closet and full bath just outside the door, although Correy has chosen to decorate it as a craft room; the main-floor office could easily become another bedroom; the cedar closet in the basement is roomy enough to convert to a sauna; and a large storage area behind the mechanical room would make a perfect workshop.
“It’s a different look and feel from what we’ve had in previous (homes),” notes Lebrun, who oversees the dream homes from start to finish and co-ordinates the 80-plus suppliers who donate time, materials and products.
Correy has again used a neutral palette as a base, adding in pops of colour and a mixture of thoughtful and funky accessories for visual interest in each of the rooms.
The floors are mostly wide-plank hickory in a light finish, creating a warm, rustic feel.
“We went a little more modern in the furnishings because we can keep it feeling light and airy,” Correy adds.
“I chose pieces that kept the rooms feeling as large as they could feel, so the function’s still there but you can see through.”
And as for the lighting, “She’s gone wild once again,” Lebrun says of Correy’s choices. A cascading chandelier of silver rings adds drama to the dining room, for instance, while a contemporary fixture that looks like a burst of fireworks creates a focal point in the stairway.
To make sure the home was finished with features that buyers in Mahogany can duplicate, Correy worked with the design centre’s Sandy Burke to get just the right look.
“We want to make sure that whatever we’re showcasing here people can go and get it (at the design centre),” says Lebrun.
The effect is a relaxed yet luxurious home that balances the scale to make it easier for the average person to picture themselves living in. “It’s country living,” says Lebrun. Adds Burke: “You feel the tension go down as you drive around.”
The Dream of a Lifetime lottery grand prize is valued at $1.8 million and includes, along with the home, $100,000 cash, a 2014 Lincoln MKS AWD, house cleaning for a year and $5,000 in groceries.