AVENUE MAGAZINE

Breaking the Mould: Home Decor - LISA KADANE

Surrounded by Georgian- and Tudor-style McMansions, the blocky, contemporary home of Vern and Jocelyn Lalonde doesn’t fit into their neighbourhood’s traditional mould.

It’s as if the suburban developer lost his cookie cutter when it came time to frame and finish the house.

Rather than standard beige or white doors, opaque tempered-glass garage doors greet the street. Corrugated metal siding offsets horizontal cedar planks that are wedged snugly between rectangles of charcoal grey acrylic stucco — no beige California stucco for this home.

The Lalondes’ Wexford Estates neighbours can’t call the “architectural control” police to complain, however, because developer 7S Group set the guidelines for the southwest community and a “contemporary block” of eight homes is part of the master plan.

The Lalondes’ house is one of four modern homes, including a show home, completed so far.

A MODERN HOME

“The concept of a modern home in suburbia is atypical and is a big step forward in residential design in suburban Calgary,” says Kishan Gajjar, vice-principal of development for 7S Group, which owns BuiltbySKY, the Lalondes’ builder.

7S Group’s intent with the block is to push the envelope in the way developers think about suburban neighbourhoods, which are often places of uniformity.

The company wanted to think outside the four walls of a traditional new build.

It consulted with Jeremy Sturgess, who provided a master plan that included concepts for each lot on the block.

Ultimately, 7S Group felt the renowned architect brought credibility to the project’s vision and intent that was originally conceived by 7S Group’s founder and owner, Warren Sinnathamby.

“Jeremy motivated us. He made us believe it could happen,” says Gajjar.

After all, developers are making new communities more walkable — the Lalondes can walk to Mercato West and Fergus & Bix, for example — so why not make them more diverse by playing with the housing mix?

CHANGES IN SUBURBAN HOUSING

Gajjar thinks this relatively new concept will catch on — five of the eight lots slated for contemporary builds have sold and BuiltbySKY is also currently working on the design for modern townhouses in the northeast community of Saddle Ridge.

“I think we’ve started a trend,” he says.

If so, the Lalondes were early adopters. The couple had lived in a traditional home in neighbouring Wentworth for eight years but longed for a custom home that reflected their modern tastes.

They toured the contemporary block show home twice and then purchased a lot, becoming the first family to commit to building in the unique block of homes.

“Our taste and preference is clean lines. I like starkness, but it also has to be warm,” says Vern, seated in a white reproduction Eames chair inside the open, informal eating area that connects the kitchen to the living room.

“I don’t like vinyl siding. I don’t like having my house look like everyone else’s. We wanted a contemporary home. That, ultimately, is why we’re here — because you typically can’t build modern homes in the ’burbs, where there are strict architectural controls.”

Finding a tear-down in the inner city didn’t appeal to the family, and the price tag on an urban lot would have pushed the overall cost too high.

To build at a suburban price point while staying close to their friends and a new elementary school was ideal.

The Lalondes worked with Gajjar to design the home, stopped in almost daily during the building process and moved in late summer 2011.

“With modern homes, it’s almost like you’re designing it from the inside out. You design and plan the interior spaces first, and the resulting exterior form is derived from these internal functions,” says Gajjar.

THOUGHT OUT SPACES

Upon entering the 2,980-square-foot, three-storey home, which appears squat from the outside because of its flat roof, it’s obvious every room and hallway, and even the stairwell, has been thought out.

Though big, the house has a small footprint compared to its neighbours, in part because the couple pushed for the third storey. No space is superfluous or unused.

“We spent about four months designing the house so everything is family functional,” says Jocelyn. For the Lalondes, it was important to think about the needs of Xavier, age six, and Nathalie, age three, without making it all about the kids. Every level features a space where adults and children can engage in “parallel play.”

KITCHEN AND FAMILY ROOMS

On the main floor, the kitchen opens to a vaulted living room so Jocelyn can prepare meals while the kids build with Lego or watch the TV, which is typically tucked behind a white, sliding, high-gloss MDF panel when not in use.

Upstairs, a sitting area provides a bright spot for Mom or Dad to read in while Xavier and Nathalie play in their rooms. The laundry is also located on this level, so it’s easy to strip beds and empty laundry baskets.

Up another flight of stairs, the entire third storey is a bonus family room filled with toys for the tots, seating and a TV for the parents and access to a huge deck for outdoor living.

KID FRIENDLY

The family spends weekend mornings in the sunny bonus room, with Vern and Jocelyn drinking coffee while the kids play

“It’s a lived-in kids’ space and we don’t have to worry about it being pristine,” says Jocelyn. It’s also Vern’s favourite room because of the adjoining spacious and private west-facing deck with an uninterrupted view of the Rockies.

Even the open-riser stairs were built with kids in mind — they’re U-shaped, the treads are deeper and spaced closer together than average and they’re carpeted in thick charcoal grey, in case of a fall.

The home’s walls are predominantly white and the stairwell boasts panes of tempered glass that take the place of drywall, a contemporary look that lets in more light and works to connect the house, vertically.

The home also has large expanses of windows to allow for passive heating and to bring in daylight (and thereby reduce reliance on artificial lights).

The couple admits it’s been hard to reconcile the reality of kids’ inherent messiness — dirty fingers, spilled food and gaudy plastic toys — with the white and glass aesthetic of a modern space.

“You can’t build a house for your kids just as they are today,” says Jocelyn. “We’ll be here for at least 10 years.”

ENERGY EFFICIENT

In the meantime, they rely on regular visits from a house cleaner and ample storage solutions for the toys. Another priority was making the home as environmentally friendly as possible.

Twenty photovoltaic (PV) panels should, in theory, take care of 60 to 80 per cent of the home’s power.

As well, 60 per cent of the home’s hot water is heated by two solar thermal panels. Spray foam insulates the walls and roof and a heat-recovery ventilator uses warm inside air to heat cold air coming in to the high-efficiency furnaces. All of the lights in the house are LEDs — energy-efficient and stylish.

Since Jocelyn was busy with the kids and a demanding job as a financial controller, Vern — who works full-time in the oil patch — made most of the decor decisions.

Home design is more of a passion for him (his favourite magazine is Dwell), though he consulted with his wife on most decisions, especially in regard to the kitchen.

RETRO

The bank of high-gloss orange cabinets from Rational Kitchens is all Jocelyn. Fortunately for Vern, the orange cabinets fit nicely with his vision for the home.

“I was trying to go for a 1970s retro-modern look,” Vern explains; hence the orange R2-D2-esque trashcan and a white Marset Discoco chandelier that channels that decade’s infamous artichoke lamp.

The blond wood on the engineered ash floors is evocative of the era as well, and the furniture — like the living room’s tan swivel chairs with their grey-and-orange circle pattern — also nods to the ’70s while staying true to today’s take on contemporary. There’s also a wet bar in the basement.

Though the family rarely entertains, it’s another example of how the parents can attend to adult pursuits (mixing a vodka and soda) while the children follow their interests (watching Treehouse TV while seated on the huge sectional from Interior Living).

“This home truly is a reflection of us,” says Vern.

Even though the Lalondes have kids, in their world cookie cutters are overrated — it’s apparent the unique and urbane home works for the entire family.

“You don’t have to live in the inner city to live in a modern home,” says Vern. The Lalondes are proof that change is coming to the ’burbs — however slowly — and that it’s good.

www.avenuecalgary.com/August-2012/Breaking-the-Mould-Home-Decor/