“This home will garner mass appeal as it is catered to those who love entertaining while still retaining a functional base from which a modern family can live comfortably,” says Charron Ungar, vice-president of product development with Homes by Avi, the 2007 National SAM Awards Builder of the Year.

Past Rotary Dream Homes have been designed in a western theme, and one especially popular design was done in a beach theme. This year, the designers at Homes by Avi decided to try a modern approach.

Modern accents in this 2,369-square-foot home include the consistent use of tile, glass and metal throughout, in the backsplash, flooring, fireplace, tub and shower surround as well as in the glass feature shelving, and glass and metal light fixtures. The home boasts a cool, natural colour palette of blues and greens which co-ordinates with the work of featured artist Sheila Kernan; eco-friendly bamboo flooring; a modern kitchen with flat-fronted, ebony-stained cabinets, stainless steel appliances and smooth granite countertops. Also included are whimsical touches throughout, such as the polka-dotted linoleum in the nursery, funky floral wall art in the second bedroom and a ceiling fan that masquerades as a modern light fixture in the great room. The Dream address is also smart-wired to meet the e-community requirements of Panorama Hills, where it will move permanently later this summer.

Underneath the modern veneer, traditional elements abound in this fundamentally Craftsman-style home. Features such as recessed wall shelving, and a large pantry and walk-in closets with sturdy, painted wood shelving meld seamlessly with the modern aspects of the home, giving the 21st-century family a place to entertain and enjoy life while retaining a sense of tradition.

The layout of the home is flexible, meant to appeal to the mass, varied audience of Stampede-goers. On the main floor, an open-concept plan incorporates the kitchen and break­fast nook, great room, dining room (which could also act as a den) and mud room. The kitchen and breakfast nook are delineated from the great room by a double-sided fireplace. Meanwhile, three frosted glass windows between the dining room and great room allow light to filter in through the main floor, regardless of the time of day.

Upstairs, the loft acts as a media room with one of the two flat-screen TVs included in the Dream Home prize (the other will be in the master suite). The master suite includes a large, open ensuite with a glassed-in shower with bench seating, a jetted soaker tub and dual sinks; a wide hallway lined with glass feature shelving connects the ensuite to the spacious bedroom. Here a gas fireplace and walk-in closet round out the spa experience. The second floor is also home to the laundry room and second and third bedrooms.

All proceeds from the Rotary Dream Home go to the Rotary Club of Calgary South. “In the past ten years the Rotary Club has contributed $2.4 million to projects in the Calgary area, specifically from Dream Home proceeds,” says Stampede Lotteries volunteer Gay Robinson.

“They’re an organization that works very hard for the betterment of their local community, and I think that the Dream Home proceeds are certainly helping them perform the services they like to.”

The home will be open to the public throughout Stampede, and in August it will be disassembled into five pieces and moved to its corner lot in Panorama Hills.

“The structure alone is an impressive engineering accomplishment as the home is built to withstand the forces associated with dismantling and movement to the homesite, all while retaining the level of finish expected in a new Homes by Avi home,” says Ungar.

“Building the Dream Home continues to be a labour of love for a team of professional interior designers, contractors and suppliers. We’re able to push the limits and do something different that normally can’t be replicated,” he says, adding that components of the Dream

Home are inserted into the Homes by Avi product line each year. Examples can be seen in the builder's 13 show homes throughout the city.

When it comes to designing the Dream Home, “It’s not about what sells, it’s all about being creative.”  NL