Getting creative with smaller spaces
Mary Frances Hill
The Province
Pinnacle on the Park
What: 140 homes in an 18-storey tower
Where: 1708 Ontario St.
Residence sizes and prices: 590 — 1,600 square feet; $629,900 — $1,399,900 (prices for the sub-penthouses and penthouses available upon request)
Developer and builder: Pinnacle International
Sales centre address: 1738 Ontario St.
Sales centre hours: noon — 5 p.m., Sat — Thurs
With its presence well established in the popular and vibrant Olympic Village in False Creek, Pinnacle International has made a name for itself as a developer that appeals to young families and downsizers — those looking for spacious homes in a neighbourhood with retail, restaurants and leisure a walk away.
Residents of Pinnacle on the Park, the developer’s new Olympic village condo community, will be neighbours to those in Pinnacle’s sold-out residential tower The One, which stands on West First Avenue.
Grace Kwok of Anson Realty, Pinnacle on the Park’s sales organizers, is seeing interest from downsizers — or mature couples who’ve sold their single-family homes or three-bedroom suites — and “upgraders” moving from smaller one-bedroom units to more spacious homes, and who want spacious, efficient and functional units.
It took the insight of interior designer Rene Chang to make the most of the two show homes with the use of adaptable furnishings and her creativity with colour and shade against neutrals.
In an open-concept dining and living room Chang has decorated in mostly light neutrals with touches of orange and grey.
“This [neutral look] also gives this open-concept layout a sense of unity, giving off a feeling of spaciousness,” Chang says. The neutral colour widens the space, while warm greys, yellows and orange creates a welcoming and homey atmosphere.”
Downsizing is about making a choice to live in a desired neighbourhood, even if it means the homeowner must use some creativity to adapt to a smaller space. Chang suggests that downsizers do some creative editing of their belongings.
“One can choose a couple of beloved smaller items and build their design around them. Also there are many multi-functional pieces of furniture these days that double as storage units.”
Kwok and Chang managed to source a retractable oval-shaped glass dinner table, which can extend and still look “perfectly in place” in the 600-square-foot unit, among the smallest in the building.
The walk-through closet is a Pinnacle feature, according to Kwok, with the developer including it in residences in Richmond and North Vancouver.
Chang says the walk-through is a function of good flow: making a smooth connection from one functional space to the next.
“Using furniture layout, design and colour palette continuity, the whole suite comes [to seem] more spacious, while encompassing all the practical necessities of a home,” Chang adds.
The two display suites show different configurations of solariums, or enclosed balconies — one of Chang’s favourite spots, since they can be used as conventional balconies or as an extension of the bedroom, she says.
“By placing some potted plants on the balcony, which I have in the show suite, one can actually create a small garden of greenery to look out to while in the comfort of one’s bedroom; it is a nice feature,” says Chang.
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