An oft-repeated mantra in the real estate world is location, location, location. It’s usually a winning refrain.
But even the greatest location in the world — with panoramic views and soft sea breezes — can be a hard sell when the home itself is a little rundown, dated and drab.
Craig Mearns discovered this recently after his mother died and he wanted to sell the Oak Bay condo she and his father had lived in since the early 1970s. His parents had purchased their brand-new unit when the waterfront Beach Drive building was under construction.
“Back then, it was home to many of the Who’s Who of Victoria,” recalled Mearns, who held onto the condo for a couple of years after his mother passed away.
“Some of the other residents included mayor Hugh Stevens, the project’s builder George Wheaton, Fred Manning of Bapco Paint and Rear Admiral Hibbert. You could never replace the location; the municipality wouldn’t allow these kinds of setbacks now.”
The units are almost on the water, and Mearns’ parents’ condo, which is on the top floor, covers just under 1,800 square feet, but feels much larger since the reno.
“It’s one of the nicest places to live in Victoria and I thought all it needed would be a few tweaks here and there to make it shine.”
He was surprised, then, when the unit sat on the market for a year without a nibble, despite its spectacular location. “People found the building dated. New, younger buyers are always looking for flash and bling.”
That’s when he decided to ask award-winning designer Jenny Martin for some advice. He’s glad he did — the project won two golds at the recent CARE awards: one for best contemporary kitchen under 230 square feet and another for best interior residence under 2,800 square feet.
When Martin and colleague Mari O’Meara first visited the condo, their jaws dropped.
“We were totally blown away by the view, the huge windows and the fact this home was literally right on the water,” said O’Meara, who became lead designer on the project. “There are very few homes in Victoria like this, but the unit itself was very dated.”
She said it didn’t do justice to the location, with its heavy valances, “ugly drapes” and dark interior.
The designers saw the potential, however, noting that the interior spaces were broken up by small walls. The galley kitchen was a case in point. It was tiny and cramped, with the only natural light coming from a skylight and two doorways.
“It was a no-brainer to open that up and unite the dining, kitchen and living areas into one much larger, brighter space. Now there is a tremendous WOW! factor the moment you walk in, rather than the previous effect, which was of little glimpses of the ocean around the side of the kitchen wall,” O’Meara said.
“It seemed a real shame to be in the kitchen and unable to enjoy the views. People today like cooking, living and dining in the same space. It’s more of a social experience.
O’Meara said opening up the area and bringing in more natural light made the whole space seem more contemporary and luxurious. And by eliminating the kitchen wall and two doorways, they were able to install a 14-by-four-foot island with all-drawer storage space below on the kitchen side. “I think my favourite part of the whole renovation now is the big island. I love the grandness of it, and yet it doesn’t overpower the space,” she said.
They also pulled up all the mousey green wall-to-wall carpet and laid white-stained oak flooring instead.
The travertine fireplace was original, but looked contemporary, so they kept it, but a strip of dark teak beside it was replaced with white oak to match the kitchen cabinets.
The new cabinet behind the fireplace wall now holds a hidden television that slides out and turns so it can be watched from either kitchen or living room.
The condo used to feel slightly enclosed, largely due to the valances over every window and heavy draperies, so the designer took them all out, “although we allowed space on the windows in case anybody should want them in future.”
All the windows had been recently replaced, but the designer decided to upgrade the large skylight over the kitchen, which now brightens the whole area, not just the kitchen.
O’Meara noted the master bedroom was spacious to begin with, and needed little updating, but she chose to create a floor-to-ceiling feature wall in walnut, facing the bed.
The wall previously held open bookshelves, but now features hidden storage either side of a large fireplace and flat-screen television.
The master ensuite, on the other hand, was tired looking, so she focused plenty of attention there, taking out the old carpet and yellowy tile, as well as a geriatric-looking walk-in tub, which was replaced with a large glass shower. “That old tub was not very appealing,” O’Meara said.
The new vanity measures almost three metres long and has oodles of storage below in a sleek walnut cabinet.
Now the bathroom floors are covered in light grey porcelain tiles and the walls are white, in keeping with the neutral, driftwood colour scheme.
While the walk-in closet was a good size, it was dark and dingy, too. By eliminating a few small “pointless” walls and a second closet, the walk-in dressing room was enlarged and improved, with built-in shelving and custom walnut cabinets.
“We did pretty much everything you can possibly do for energy efficiency and the condo is much tighter now with all the new insulation and drywall,” said Mearns, noting LED lighting was added throughout as well as low-flow toilets.
The result is a condo that has been transformed from shabby and dark to spectacular and bright, with a fusion of clean, contemporary lines and traditional details.
Mearns said he made the right decision, giving the designers full discretion when it came to redoing the condo and furnishing it.
“I gave them a blank palette, carte blanche, and told them to do whatever they wanted. At first we thought we could retain several elements, but eventually we decided to let it all go.
“We ended up gutting the place, taking out every piece of drywall, all the insulation and replacing everything — except the travertine fireplace wall.”
The whole reno took about six months and cost a little over $300,000.
