- Words by Darcy Nybo Photography by Lia Crowe
Quick Facts
Square feet: 4,200
Bedrooms: 3
Offices: 2
Bathrooms: 3 plus 2 powder rooms, including one outdoors
Garage: Oversize 2-car
Amenities: Swimming pool, gym
Fireplaces: 2
Decks: 1 upper and 1 lower
Darryl Chemel and Cindy Granek were happy in Toronto, except for the traffic and noise, which seemed to get worse each year. Visiting 琉璃神社, they were captivated by a lone vacant lot with sweeping views of mountains, lakes and vineyards.
It was the last lot in Woodland Hills, so they bought it, and over the next year, they worked with Destination Homes and Uprise Design + Drafting to create an eclectic, functional and comfortable home鈥攂uilt just to their liking.
It鈥檚 apparent that this professional couple has eclectic tastes the moment you walk up to their bright orange front door. As you step inside the house, the open space immediately takes the eyes darting from one unique feature to another. First, they settle on the gas fireplace, which is encompassed in a tiled, 18-foot-tall, monolithic-style wall. These gorgeous tiles have warm browns, whites and greys running through them to create asymmetrical patterns.
A glance to the left and the kitchen area pops with splashes of colour, like the bright red quilted island stools and deep red kitchen cabinet uppers.
Look again and you鈥檒l see a custom-made, 42-inch round kitchen table attached to a rectangular island. This works remarkably well in the room and adds a softness to the right angles. The island countertop is made of Dekton, a mixture of 20 minerals bonded to create a composite that is functional, easy to clean and beautiful.
When you look more closely at the large open-concept area, you鈥檒l note that while everything is beautifully designed, much of it is not symmetrical. This couple loves asymmetrical patterns, and this theme repeats itself throughout the house.
鈥淚f you were to describe us, you could say we are very asymmetrical,鈥� Cindy says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 need things to be perfectly balanced.鈥�
This attitude is present in the asymmetrical patterns in the counters, the fireplace surrounds and the unique lighting choices. The highly asymmetrical Kuzco Cursive LED linear pendant above the island draws the eye with its unique design. The fixture above the dining room table is also asymmetrical, with a different number of lights on each end.
No matter how you look at it, this kitchen/dining area is ready for any cook or chef to create cuisine to their heart鈥檚 content. The kitchen backsplash features vertical glass tiles instead of horizontal ones. The couple decided on a BlueStar six-burner gas stove with a pot filler and a large double-door fridge/freezer by Frigidaire. Add two Miele dishwashers, a Blanco sink in the island, and another below a window on a side counter, and you have a dinner party just waiting to happen.
Heading into the butler鈥檚 pantry, you鈥檒l see more Dekton counters, both in the pantry and in the large mudroom and laundry room, located off the garage. The pantry also has Norelco pull-out shelving, a sink and a coffee area.
Back in the great room, one can鈥檛 help but notice the 18-foot ceilings are complemented by the entire dining and living area walls, which are constructed almost entirely of glass. Five glass doors lead out to the upper deck, and each can be opened on its own or, since they are joined together, they can be folded into each other. Sixteen transom windows in the great room let even more of the great Okanagan sunshine in.
There鈥檚 more on this spacious main floor. To the right of the front entrance sits Cindy鈥檚 office, which catches the morning sun. From here, you鈥檒l find a large closet and a powder room for guests, and snuggled away behind that colossal fireplace is the master suite, which happens to be Cindy鈥檚 favourite room.
鈥淲e end up with a gorgeous view of the lake and the sky with the L-shaped windows,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he light is amazing, especially at sunset. I love it here at that time of day. Then in the morning, we wake up to the mirrored surface of Okanagan Lake.鈥�
The master en suite has a full soaker tub, a double-headed walk-in shower and a separate side room with a toilet and sink. Off that is the master closet complete with shelving.
As we head downstairs, it鈥檚 time to see Darryl鈥檚 favourite room. It鈥檚 not the open-concept family/entertainment room with more gorgeous Okanagan views and floor-to-ceiling windows and doors. It鈥檚 not the almost-full second kitchen complete with sink, dishwasher and freezer/fridge. It鈥檚 also not the two large bedrooms with a full bathroom and steam shower sitting between them. It鈥檚 not even the downstairs fireplace, which mirrors the one upstairs, without the towering height.
It鈥檚 the electrical and mechanical rooms that Darryl loves, because this home is a techie鈥檚 dream come true.
鈥淚 have an app that does almost everything in our smart home,鈥� Darryl explains. 鈥淚 can change the temperature of the floors in each room separately. I can choose lights anywhere in the house and turn them off or on. I can open the garage door for deliveries and close it when they are done. I love that I can see who is at the door without going to the door. This smart home has it all鈥� from the control of the blinds, lights, security cameras and alarms, to floor and room temperature and so much more.鈥�
After a tour of the mechanical room, we enter the home gym. It is a huge space and comes complete with Fibrematt flooring. Natural light pours through the windows and there鈥檚 another bathroom with a shower right around the corner.
On those days when work has to get done, Darryl simply walks into his lower-level office.
Hands-on from far away
When you plan to build a home in the Okanagan while living in Toronto, you may assume it will be stressful. Darryl and Cindy say there was a little stress, but for the most part, it was easy.
鈥淲e鈥檇 come out for four or five days and we鈥檇 have three to five appointments in a day,鈥� Darryl said.
They give a simultaneous head shake when Cindy brings up the day they went to Wolseley Plumbing to pick out sinks and plumbing fixtures.
鈥淲e have 14 sinks,鈥� Darryl says, 鈥渁nd we had to pick out every one of them.鈥�
鈥淭hen there were the faucets,鈥� Cindy adds. 鈥淓ach one was accompanied by a question like what kind of finish we wanted. Near the end of picking out sinks, we just told them to pick anything, we were done!鈥�
Darryl, the gadget-loving owner, admits that much of the stress was relieved due to their Buildertrend app. 鈥淲e knew when everything was being scheduled. All the materials were listed on it, as well as the architectural drawings. If we needed information, we just went to the app.鈥�
Asked why they chose Destination Homes as their builder, both smile.
鈥淭ravis from Destination Homes was better than great to work with,鈥� Darryl says. 鈥淵ou could tell he cared. He treated our home like it was his own. He鈥檇 drop by just to check in to see how things were going.鈥�
Describing how they found Destination Homes, Cindy says, 鈥淲e went to Lakeshore to see the open house, but it was after hours. Charlotte, Travis鈥檚 partner, told us to come in anyway. They were having a little party for their subcontractors. We felt that if they treated their workers that way, we wanted that too.鈥�
Cindy and Darryl are looking forward to warmer days when they can use their outdoor, in-ground pool.
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to enjoying the Okanagan summers,鈥� Cindy says. 鈥淎nd all they have to offer.鈥�
Supplier List:
Destination Homes
Uprise Design + Drafting
ROBINSON Lighting & Bath
Coast Appliances
Folding Sliding Doors Canada Ltd.
Ply Gem
Smarttech Integration
K2 Stone
Interior Pool & Spa
Wolseley Plumbing
Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
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