Home:    The Provence, Vintage Fine Homes
Designer:    Chris Houlind

Chris Houlind, Senior Designer and Project Manager with Vintage Fine Homes, a Baywest company, got an interesting start in the home industry. “I originally started moving lumber for a framing crew,” says Chris. “And I eventually became more interested in how the buildings were built.” Chris says that this motivated him to stop what he was doing and go back to college. “In the early '90s I started training to be an Engineering Technologist,” says Chris. “I loved buildings and the way they looked and I wanted to find out how they go together.” Although there are designers who envision what a home will look like fully furnished and decorated, Chris says he found it more interesting to discover what he could do structurally to make a building unique. “I thought is was important to have a solid foundation of how a particular home works, how it’s built and put together and why the concrete works in this way and so on,” admits Chris. “When designing a plan you have to know where you can push the limits or bend the rules and still come up with a solid design.”

Established in 1985, Baywest Homes wanted to build higher-end custom executive homes and so just over a year ago Vintage Fine Homes became the division that would accomplish just that. With his background in structural engineering, Chris is able to provide some truly amazing designs and his newest, the Provence, is named after a small town in the wine country of France.

“I chose to feature this floor plan because it’s fairly unique,” says Chris. “We wanted to present a quaint little country cottage from the curbside, but when you open the doors there will be an explosion of features just perfect for entertaining.” The Provence is a bungalow that will boast 19-foot ceilings with stunning lofts on either side of the home, and enormous two-storey windows on either side of the raised deck at the back of the home. These fantastic windows are really more like glass walls, offering an incredible view from either the main floor or from the loft above. The front entrance foyer includes a barrel-vaulted ceiling and an elegant water-wall, as well as a walk-in closet off to the side that more resembles a charming reading-nook with its window seating bench. This entire home is full of incredible features, but one of the best has to be the sweeping spiral staircase within the master bedroom that leads up to a private loft and an additional winter closet.

“This closet is great for hanging seasonal items like winter clothing,” says Chris. “It also provides even more extra storage space.” This private loft has tonnes of potential; whether it serves as an office, a private library or gym area, the incredible view and elegant staircase will ensure that this is a favourite spot in the home.

The Provence will be built in the SE community of Cranston, on the ridge overlooking the Bow River. With its phenomenal rear windows, someone is going to have an fantastic view. In addition, this beautiful home will include a three-car attached side-drive garage – another great feature that will enhance the appearance of the exterior of the home while offering lots of space for vehicles. Due to open as a show home sometime next June, the Provence is sure to impress visitors with its towering lofts and executive-style features.  NL