INTERIORS IMBUED WITH TIMELESS DESIGN
Jeremy Towning, vice-president of Swissreal, says development of the entire community on the almost eight-acre site will take about 10 years and will eventually be home to between 1,500 and 1,700 people. Construction of the first phase of condos and townhomes is scheduled to start later this year with the first homeowners expected to move in after completion in two years.
Towning anticipates buyers of homes in the initial phase will be a mix of first-time buyers and downsizers. Amenities in this phase will include a playground and rooftop terraces on the north and south buildings, while the north building also features an indoor social space connected to the terrace with a kitchenette and dining area. The south building will include a gym.
For the interiors, Megan Bennett of Megan Bennett Design aimed for a timeless design and selected materials to endure both in design intent and durability.
Buyers can choose from a light or dark colour palette. Countertops in both palettes are a marble-look quartz, while Italian-inspired kitchen cabinetry is white in the light scheme and grey in the darker option. Bennett notes that with the plethora of home design and improvement programming on television and social media sites like Pinterest, buyers are becoming more and more discerning.
She points to the Shaker-style kitchen cabinetry with one-anda-half-inch rails (compared to the more usual two-and-a-half inches) designed to appeal to buyers with traditional and contemporary tastes. Finishes like the black matte faucets and hardware in the kitchen and bathrooms is a stepup from the chrome finishes in many new developments, adds Bennett.
“The interiors are designed to be universally appealing — when people move in they can decide on their own touches and furnishings to make the space their own,” she says.
Depending on the floor plan, kitchens have an island or peninsula with a double sink. In the two-bedroom, two-bathroom show suite (plan D2) at the sales centre at 22351 Dewdney Trunk Road, the white subway tile backsplash — with the tile laid vertically — adds an interesting element in the kitchen.
The slide-in gas range and a stainless steel hood fan creates a focal point in the kitchen, while the microwave is under-counter in the perimeter cabinetry. Open shelving enhances the airy ambience, while Lazy Susans ensure access to the two corner cupboards.
In the dining room in the display suite, a built-in hutch — an optional extra — makes best use of a nook and provides plenty of extra storage.
A vanity with double sinks, a bathtub and a separate shower with glass enclosure make for an elegant and practical ensuite bathroom, Bennett says, while the black border around the mirror complements the black matte plumbing fittings and hardware.
ERA is conveniently located close to city hall, the library and a leisure centre. Residents travelling to Vancouver can take the West Coast Express from Port Haney station, and the B-line bus service connects commuters with the Coquitlam Skytrain station.
The parks and landscaping in the first phase will set the precedent for the development’s central ‘green spine.’
“It’s going to influence future phases and become a real community asset. It will encourage people — not just residents, but people from the entire community — to walk from the first phase through the other phases,” says Daniel Hawreluk, principal at Iredale Architecture.