Stylish, state-of-the-art and convenient
Kate Webb
Province
Toyu Group says Brillia, its new 30-unit, four-storey luxury complex, will be a ‘landmark’ of Vancouver architecture by the time it’s finished this April. Photograph by : Wayne Leidenfrost, The Province
Suites are full of high-end designer touches typical of pricier million-dollar condos.
Luxury — including engineered hardwood floors, solid wood cabinetry and natural granite slab countertops — pervades the Brillia show homes.
Closets in the bedrooms are modestly sized, but nicely organized and laid out with custom cabinetry.
On the border of West Point Grey and Kitsilano, two of Vancouver‘s most prestigious and sought-after neighbourhoods, large older homes dominate most of the land.
But the condo boom and market for modern living couldn’t wait to touch the beachside community, and developer Toyu Group has picked up on consumer demand there for condos as posh as the scenery.
The company’s new 30-unit, four-storey luxury complex, called Brillia, will be a “landmark” of local architecture by the time it’s finished this April, according to marketing director Jonathan Cheung.
The highrise is located on West 4th Avenue two blocks west of Alma.
“It’s already an established neighbourhood, but it’s because it’s sort of an older neighbourhood that we haven’t seen many new developments,” says Cheung. “People have been here for a long time. They really enjoy it and they’re not ready to leave, so that makes this a very rare opportunity to get into this neighbourhood.”
The perks of living just past the reach of bustling Kitsilano are too many to list, but here are a few: Brillia is a five-minute walk from Jericho Beach, two minutes from shops and one block from tennis courts, as well as being adjacent to the University of B.C.
“All along 4th Avenue you’ve got all your boutiques, all your restaurants, so it’s a great place to just enjoy life,” says Cheung, adding that the prime location prompted the developers’ decision to leave the usual expensive bells and whistles off of Brillia’s short list of communal amenities.
“Locally there’s a lot of stuff to do, so what we decided to do was keep the amenities in the building low to keep the maintenance fees low.”
Vertical glass and horizontal stainless steel tile accents lend a unique contemporary aesthetic to the bathroom and kitchen. Rectangular geometry — it’s hard to miss the distinctive under-mounted bathroom sink with its flush, square corners — is repeated throughout the one- and two-bedroom homes, giving them a clean, modern and slightly masculine appeal.
Peace and quiet are achieved through cement construction and extra soundproofing between floors and shared walls, as well as “inaudible flush” toilets, which couldn’t be tested during our visit last week since they weren’t yet hooked up to the water main.
Appliances and textiles come with designer labels. Custom wood Hunter Douglas blinds are an improvement over vinyl venetians. In the kitchen, stainless steel, energy-efficient appliances include a Fisher & Paykel fridge and Bosch stove, microwave and dishwasher. In fact, luxury is so pervasive that the developer opted not to give buyers any optional upgrades.
“Everything comes standard. There are no options because everything’s given to you,” says Cheung, pointing out the engineered hardwood floors, solid wood cabinetry and natural granite slab countertops.
While some of the suites are what realtors might call “cozy,” with just roughly 600 to 800 sq. ft. of living space, the living rooms feature spacious outdoor patios. Those on the upper floors facing north boast sweeping views of the North Shore mountains, while the raised concrete perimeters of patios on the main floor make the outdoors feel like a true extension of the indoors.
“They’re like an extension of the living space. Because we’re so close to the beach we figured the buyers would like to bring the outside in and the inside out,” says Cheung.
Picking a wardrobe out of the bedrooms’ modestly sized closets could have been a small hang-up for the fashion-forward, but they are so nicely laid out with cabinetry that they look like something out of a closet-organization reality show.
With 11 units sold in three days of showings, the Toyu Group is confident that the end of April will see a full host of buyers moving into their new homes. Buyers so far have been locals downsizing from large homes nearby, or parents with children starting at UBC. “It’s different from what you see in the neighbourhood,” says Cheung of what attracted these eager buyers. “It’s more contemporary than the craftsman look you see along 4th Avenue.”
THE FACTS
What: Brillia, a four-storey, 30-unit condo development.
Where: 3839 West 4th Ave., Vancouver.
Developer: Toyu Group
Sizes: One- and two-bedroom homes, from 575 sq. ft. to 962 sq. ft.
Prices: $429,000 to $738,000
Open: Presentation centre and two display suites open weekends at 3839 West 4th Ave. View by appointment only. Information at www.toyu.ca/brillia.
More info: Visit www.toyu.ca
© The Vancouver Province 2008
