A triple gabled roofline that is mirrored by double peaked detailing over the triple car front drive garage adds interest and balance.

One enters the home into a grand two-storey foyer through a stunning etched glass front door. From the foyer, a maple and wrought iron railed spiral stairway soars to the second floor, animating the house. The main floor is an open space that flows beautifully from foyer to great room to kitchen. A private dining room is accessed from the foyer through an arched entranceway. Although the room is separate it maintains its connection to the great room through a see through two-sided glass fireplace that features an open alcove above the mantel.

The house is filled with natural light generated by an abundance of floor to ceiling windows and a row of rectangular single paned windows that line the front second story façade allowing light to stream through to the open foyer. “We believe that people want to let the light in and we are known for how much glazing that we put in our homes, says Bruce Hall, senior vice-president at Cedarglen.

Designer Catherine Ellis played on the light and used soft golds and browns to create lightness throughout the house. “I wanted to lighten the colours since we are close to the lake and there is such beautiful light in lake Chaparral,” she says. She used Tobacco Road a gold toned caramel hue as the primary colour and highlighted it with a darker brown – Balsam Bark. For detailing on some of the trim like the seven-foot double French doors leading to the main floor den she used a dark taupe.

The interior blends aspect of the contemporary and the traditional melding them into a cohesive whole that works well with the Craftsman exterior. The goal was to create a warm and sophisticated casual elegance. “I wanted to create an environment where people could envision themselves living,” says Ellis. To do this she used luxurious fabrics in rich colours that play against the dark wood detailing.

Traditional details like coffered ceilings in the great room and the dining room, arched doorways and almond stained maple hardwood laid on the diagonal add elegance and the essence of stately grandeur.

In the great room, Ellis detailed a gold linen couch from Ethan Allan  with rope cording that brought  a sense of casual to its traditional styling. The gold in the couch is highlighted by the dark brown tufted leather Versailles accent chairs, which reflect the chocolate brown of the aspen built-ins and fireplace mantel.

In the oversized dining room, Ellis placed a dark walnut oval dining table and matching sideboard by Brian Gluckstein. The main floor den features two wing chairs in a chocolate brown microfibre and a dark wood table desk that contrast with the floor to ceiling white built ins.

In the kitchen chocolate stained alder cabinetry  combined with African black granite creates a contemporary edge that contrasts with the great room’s traditional lines. Details like a large centre island with double under mount sinks, Bosch appliances, a five burner gas stove top and a fridge façade custom designed in chocolate stained solid alder add that extra wow factor to this epicurean oasis. A huge walk through pantry leads into a full sized laundry/ mudroom that exits into the garage. The kitchen flows into a light soaked breakfast area that opens to a large terrace.
Light fixtures throughout are nothing short of sculpturesque and the commanding copper toned half moon globe in the dining room is no exception. “Because the dining room is so large the fixture had to make a statement and stand as apiece of art work on its own,” says Ellis. Similarly, Ellis notes that when you have high-end furnishings in your great room you have to complement that with spectacular fixtures in the kitchen because it is all one open space.

This attention to detail is carried through to the second floor  where the plan includes two large bedrooms, a full bath and a lovely master and ensuite. Rather than a traditional bonus room over the garage, the entertainment room, which is accessed by double French doors graces the center of the plan. 

A three-sided fireplace in the master, which can be enjoyed from the large soaker tub or from the bedroom area, sets the tone for luxury. High-end features like white marble countertops,  36-inch vanities, and Victorian oil rubbed bronze fixtures complete the look. There is even a window in the walk-in closet to ensure that your clothes are fresh. “This is just one of the high-end features that we are known for,” says Hall.   NL

Cedarglen right on track
In May of this year Cedarglen introduced the use of two  24/7 real time electronic tracking systems – aptly named Cedarglen OnTrack and Your Home OnTrack –   which allow Cedarglen to communicate immediately with trades,  suppliers and customers.

Cedarglen OnTrack is aimed at communicating with and updating trades and suppliers - essentially eliminating the frustration associated with timing issues in the field. It works like this: when there is a change in the field, the job superintendent enters all of the relevant information including  scheduling changes into his laptop  where it is downloaded and transmitted in real time to all of the trades involved.

“The benefits are enormous,” says Bruce Hall, senior vice-president at Cedarglen. “When you are in a heated market like this the last thing that you want is trades that are upset. This system makes Cedarglen very accountable to the trades and the trades accountable to us.”  

A natural extension of the real time processing, Your Home OnTrack gives customers the ability to access all of their documents, schedule all of their appointments and check out the real time progress of their home. “We know that customers are stressed when they build a home.  It is a very difficult process. So the more information that we can give them and the more that we can involve them in the process, the happier they are going to be,” says Hall.