Drawing the eye to waterfront view
Mary Frances Hill
The Province
Bellevue
Where: 2289 Bellevue Avenue, West Vancouver
What: 35 units in a 16-storey boutique building on the western edge of Ambleside, West Vancouver; includes a twostorey amenities building
Developer and builder: Cressey Development Group
Residence sizes and prices: Two and three bedrooms, 1,954 – 3,900 square feet; from $4 million
Sales centre: 204 — 1868 Marine Drive, West Vancouver
Sales centre hours: Open daily by appointment; open house Saturdays noon — 5 p.m.
When Insight Design Group’s Linda Gallo took on the task of designing Cressey Development Group’s Bellevue display, she and her team approached it on two fronts: they decorated a space to bring the visitor’s eye to the stunning outdoor view, while taking care to highlight the beauty of the materials — particularly the marble — inside.
To direct the eye to the view of the West Vancouver waterfront, Gallo and her fellow Insight designers considered lighting, consistency of shade and neutral palettes.
“We tend to keep flooring consistent within a space to elongate the room and carry the eye to the outdoors,” Gallo says. “We try to maintain a high ceiling, letting in as much light into the space as possible, and keep the lighting details discreet, so as to minimize distraction from the main attraction.”
Gallo placed a long, plush bench next to a window to serve as a seating option that won’t block the view.
The ensuite includes a European-style separation of the shower/ bathroom and the toilet area. It provides privacy for homeowners, and lures visitors’ attention to the stone work Gallo says has been impressing them since Bellevue’s opening.
“By tucking the toilet room and shower behind the tub, we were able to create a beautiful marble feature wall to separate the two spaces. By keeping the toilet on the far side of the room, it has a real sense of privacy.”
For classic inspiration, look no further than the kitchen; with the backsplash, made of a type of marble (buyers can choose between options), Cressey and Insight Design Group installed an elegant focal point in the open-concept space.
“The natural beauty of the stone alongside its unique veining and patterning is a permanent piece of the earth, right in your home … quite decadent in my opinion,” Gallo says.
Cressey, known for its sleek, storage-heavy kitchens (ardent home-hunters may have heard the phrase “the Cressey kitchen”) offers options at Bellevue that allow homeowners to adapt the space to fit their own cooking and entertaining style. An island contains a food prep space or a flat, open surface for displaying and serving meals, for instance.
If Gallo were to move into a Bellevue suite, she says she would choose from among these options, a blend of texture and warmth, and a kitchen layout that emphasizes the ocean view.
“I would choose the Calacatta stone, with the walnut flooring alongside the sink off the island, because I love the rich colours and textures of the materials, and the idea of having an island free of interruptions, allowing the beauty of it to speak for itself.”
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