What it is: Two-Bedroom, two-bath condo in Kitsilano.
Price: $535,000 in 2008 before extensive renovations.
Square feet: 1,000.
Occupant(s): Chris Campbell (VP of R&D at a local software company),
Peta Brookstone (teacher) and Bo (two-year-old Boston Bulldogge (aka Angelina Jowlie).
Major selling feature: We only looked at the place on a whim, swearing we werent going to live on Broadway due to traffic noise. Once we realized the north side unit was sheltered from the noise, saw the mountain view, the bright light from both north and south windows, and the renovation potential we decided to put in an offer.
First thing we changed: A better question is what didnt we change. If you can see it, we changed it. The place was all original, boring and white when we purchased it. We worked with our designer and created an open-concept kitchen, put in a breakfast bar/island, new hardwood, tile and carpet throughout and finally we revamped both bathrooms entirely. The renovation didnt go as smooth as we hoped, but the finished product is everything we imagined it would be.
Features we brag about: Peta brags about her heated floors in the bathroom even though Chris snuck them in during the renovation against her wishes. Chris brags about the shower for two with dual rain shower heads.
That one conversation piece: Handmade mirror made by a friend of ours, local artist Brent Boechler out of wood recovered from an old horse fence in Langley. It helps add a rustic touch to the chic, modern décor in the rest of the place.
The décor: Contemporary and modern, yet warm and inviting. We wanted it to be stunning yet maintain a welcoming feeling for entertaining guests. Our friends cant stay away, so I think we hit the mark.
Story behind the art: We have a trio of amazing original black and white photographs in our office/guest room courtesy of a photographer friend, Glenn Davis who took them on his travels through Egypt and Kenya.
Downside(s): Lack of storage. Like in all condos, storage is at a premium so we have to be creative to find places to put all our junk.
Neighbourhood haunt(s): We are spoiled with nine restaurants/cafés in our block alone. Two of those were Lumiere and db Bistro right in our building but it was either eat there regularly or pay our mortgage. We chose the latter, so we take some small bit of responsibility for their recent demise. Real haunts: New Bohemian for upscale casual dining, Modern Burger for comfort food and Caffe Vergnano for Vancouvers best coffee. Oops, we almost forgot Thomas Haas. Try resisting that smell every day when you leave for work!
Compared to my last place We had a nice, but small (600 sq.ft.) place in a great building in the West End. It was tough to leave the building and the neighbourhood, but weve grown to love Kitsilano and having the extra space feels like a luxury now. Our old place had a view of the alley, so waking up and looking at the mountains starts the day off right.
Most recent home purchase: 1960s-style chair and ottoman made by Hinlim Furniture purchased at Moes Home Collection on Terminal. Finally guests can put their feet up!
Favourite home activity: We love to have friends over to laugh at bad reality TV while putting a dent into our wine fridge. Our kitchen is great for cooking so we love to crack a bottle of vino and try to replicate something we saw on the food network.
