What are Edmontonians finding when it comes to house hunting for new living spaces and home design?
That question was posed to a number of experts in the local home building sector and it turns out the answer is that the devil is in the details, which also happened to be the title of BILD Edmonton Metro’s most recent field trip — trips designed to dig deeper into industry issues of interest presented by BILD Edmonton Metro, which bills itself as the voice for the real estate development industry in the metro Edmonton region.
Aside from agreement that good design needs to be seamless and is not just about esthetics but also about how we interact with places and spaces, the four field trip speakers dug deeper and looked at Edmonton’s growth and changing demographics, along with what home buyers are now looking for, to see how these have become major influences in the sector’s evolving design trends.
A few clear takeaways from the late September field trip: bungalows are back after previously being priced out of the market and a bit different than what you might have expected, multi-family is going urban with a big focus on building and neighbourhood amenities (as opposed to in-unit amenities) and the makeup of Edmonton’s family unit has changed when it comes to buying homes, and in turn has altered how builders build and design their homes.
When it comes to the bungalow, moderator Alessandra Bruni-Smith and Cantiro’s Taabish Zaver, the company’s product development and design manager, told field trip participants that the once popular one-level home is back. But while Cantiro is still offering the more traditional bungalow in St. Albert’s new Riverside neighbourhood, among other areas, they’re also putting forward a new twist on the old favourite. In Riverside, for example, they’ve gone a step further by adding a townhome version.
Cantiro’s bungalow townhome, at 892 square feet, comes with just one bedroom and 1½ bathrooms on the one floor, offering all the comforts of a modern home but in a small footprint. However, an option to finish the basement, which adds two reasonably sized bedrooms, an additional bathroom, and a family room, eliminates any of that home is too small feeling by bringing on an extra 689 sq. ft. Pricing for this bungalow offering starts at $449,000.
Meanwhile, today’s home designs are the result of a massive change in Edmonton’s home-buying demographics, added Bruni-Smith, principal owner of ChalkMark Residential, which works with residential land developers on streamlining the development process. Whereas that home buyer was once primarily the typical family unit of a mom, dad, two kids and a dog, that isn’t necessarily the case today. Today’s home, she said, needs to be designed to take into account usage by either single parents, a multi-generational family, young couples with no plans to have children, or even for families with lots of children.
That, said Zaver, is why Cantiro now offers design choices aimed at letting buyers choose from a family, career or entertain series designed home so as to be flexible enough to meet the needs of a wider range of buyers.
Cantiro also showcased its Family Generations show home in Riverside on the tour. At 2,458 sq. ft., this home is designed for larger multi-generational families with a dining area that easily fits at least 12 people, and comes with an oversized double garage. A basement development option adds a fourth bedroom and an additional bathroom that brings this house up to four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms. While the base model starts at just over $700,000, the price can go above $900,000, which would now include a finished basement with extras like an eye-catching glassed-in gym and sauna.
In terms of interior design finishes, Cantiro went for an Aspen retreat feel in this Family Generations home, which combines more modern urban finishes with a mountain-like feel that evokes memories of Banff or Jasper.
“We were looking for something that blends soft, calming hues with moody tones and layered textures,” said Zaver, noting people have asked for this type of design. “We wanted to evoke a sense of warmth and tranquillity, like a mountain escape.”
Speaking of what Albertans are looking for when it comes to their interiors, Jenna Johannesen of Park Lighting and Furniture, also on the field trip, said people in this province want clean, simple lines when it comes to their lighting fixtures. Park, said Johannesen, the company’s social media marketing manager, also designs products itself to offer more exclusive options.
Further, Johannesen said because they don’t want every single house to have the same light fixture, they design new fixtures throughout the year and will bring in new items once existing lines have run their course.
Autograph’s Mercury Block (black building) and Cobalt (white wrapped building) enjoy a spectacular and well-connected position near the North Saskatchewan River.
Multi-Family Design Moves
Better, bigger but not too big.
When it comes to multi-family apartment buildings, Autograph Group, behind the distinctive purpose built 163-unit, seven-storey Mercury Block rental building — a black exterior with red accents including a striking red exterior staircase — said multi-family design has shifted based on the following ethos: you sleep in your unit but you live in the building.
Massive party rooms in residential buildings are not being utilized and instead there is stronger interest in more intimate spaces to socialize, said Katie Schneider, Autograph’s development manager.
The Mercury Block, just off 124th Street and 102nd Avenue, does this with an open-air public courtyard surrounded by retail, commercial and food offerings. This provides spaces to gather and thrive and creates its own neighbourhood, extending how you live in the building.
Directly across the street, Autograph is close to finishing the Cobalt, with its 166 rental apartments. Also at seven stories and a black exterior, but this with blue accents including a blue exterior stairwell, the Cobalt will have some larger units than its predecessor — Autograph found some preferred units that would allow them to fit a king-sized bed; there’s also other tweaks like adapting kitchen storage shelving to properly accommodate cereal boxes.
The Cobalt will also have a ground floor commercial component, and with the neighbouring MacLaren — 27 storeys renovated and completed by Autograph in 2019 — Autograph has set it designs on extending the offerings of 124th Street and the area’s vitality.
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