Custom Details, Family Fun

STORY NICOLE LAIDLER 
PHOTOGRAPHY JASON HARTOG

From the street, it looks like a fairly typical suburban home. But cross the threshold and you quickly realize this house was designed and built with plenty of thought, careful attention to detail and lots of love. 

That’s par for the course for Julian and Christy Aveiro of Victoria Design-Build Ltd. The couple have been building custom homes for 15 years, learning what works and what they would do differently with each new project.

This time, that meant having a walk-in kitchen pantry and upstairs laundry room for Christy and a sunken mudroom for Julian. “That one step keeps you from dragging dirt through the rest of the house,” he explains.

With a young daughter, both wanted a house that was family- oriented but still suitable for entertaining. “We love to have people over, and to spend time outside,” says Julian. That called for a showstopping kitchen, a formal dining room for special occasions, and a backyard ready for days spent lounging by the concrete pool and hot tub, finished by Julian and Christy.

The home they designed and built, with help from Jeff C. Wilson Architectural Design, ticks all those boxes and more.

Christy worked with Dynamic Kitchens – responsible for vanities, built-ins and cabinetry throughout the home – to design a kitchen both fabulous and functional. It was her idea to combine white and walnut cabinetry accented with gold drawer pulls and black fixtures to create a traditional yet modern look that Julian calls transitional.

The space is a chef’s dream, featuring a double oven, six-burner gas stove, custom oven hood and the couple’s favourite appliance – a Frigidaire Professional refrigerator and freezer. “We’ve put that fridge in every single house we’ve done,” Julian notes.

Cleanup is a breeze thanks to quartz countertops from Progressive Countertop and oak floors in engineered hardwood (Refined Flooring & Design) throughout the home.

Family meals are shared around the centre island, which features a large walnut butcher block at one end. An adjacent serving station provides a second gathering spot for casual get-togethers.

Formal meals are enjoyed in the dining room. With its tray ceiling, the room is more traditional than the rest of the house. But its layout – open to the hall and joined to the kitchen by a walk-through butler’s pantry – makes the space flexible enough to serve a variety of functions for future occupants.

Like many modern homeowners, Julian and Christy didn’t want a living room they would never use. Instead, the home’s great room offers the perfect place to relax. With its soaring ceiling and wall of windows (Golden Windows), the room is impressive yet welcoming. A six-foot surround frames a gas fireplace (Marty’s Heating and Cooling) with hexagon tiles and a custom accent wall above by Custom Trim Solutions.

A contemporary floating staircase by London Stair & Railing Co. Ltd. connects all three levels of this custom home.

The walk-out basement was designed for fun. Here, floors are covered in a beachy wood laminate (Refined Flooring) – a worry-free choice for a children’s playroom. “We also wanted people to be able to come in from the pool without having to worry about wet feet,” Christy notes.

A spare bedroom, a retro-inspired bathroom, a well-equipped home gym and a media room complete the lower level.

When it’s time to rest, the couple can retire to a calm parental retreat on the upper floor, featuring a fireplace and large balcony overlooking the backyard. With walls painted in Atmosphere by Dulux (used throughout most of the home), Christy decided to create visual interest by adding shiplap to the ceiling. A spacious walk-in closet by Dynamic Kitchens opens to the main bath where round mirrors and floating cabinetry in maple with white quartz countertops (Progressive Countertop) add a pop of unexpected fun. A dedicated makeup counter is another uncommon addition. “At first, I thought, ‘Who sits to do their makeup?’ ” asks Christie. “It’s fantastic and highly recommended!”

In addition to Christy’s must-have upstairs laundry room, the second level includes a bright sunny bedroom for their young daughter and two spacious guest rooms joined by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.

Because of COVID-19, the couple – who moved into their home in late August – have yet to host a full house. “We put a lot of ourselves into this home,” says Julian, who also works as a site superintendent for a commercial construction company. “You could say that custom home building is something we still do on the side, but it’s a true passion.”