Meet the Designers of Le Rêve

Minto Communities’ Product Development Manager, Karen van der Velden, and Tanya Collins Design come together in support of the CHEO Foundation. Joining forces to build and design the grand prize for the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery – the Minto Dream Home.   

This is the fifth year in a row for Karen and Tanya, partnering once again to give hope a home. For both designers, it’s an opportunity to inspire the community and contribute to such a meaningful cause. It’s exciting, rewarding and challenging at the same time. And it takes a team effort with a number of different partners and sponsors banding together. 

The Minto Dream Home also gives the pair the opportunity to explore new ideas and push the boundaries. To let their passion for what they do really shine. Something evident throughout this year’s home, Le Rêve. At 4,658 sq. ft., the home combines Parisian-inspired design – one of Tanya’s personal favourites, calling it timeless and chic – with a familiar Modern Prairie exterior. It’s Paris in Arcadia, Kanata. Sophisticated and elegant, comfortable and functional, featuring a large floorplan fit for multi-generational living. 

Le Rêve is a reflection of what the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery represents – compassion and togetherness. It’s the home with heart. Here’s what the duo had to say about their design inspiration.  

Welcome to Modern Prairie Familiarity

For the exterior and overall layout of Le Rêve, Karen and the Minto Communities’ design team took inspiration from a Modern Prairie farmhouse. In fact, the floorplan of our Quinton with Guest Suite was used as a template, including the four bedrooms plus a main floor guest suite, spacious family gathering areas and a den designed as a home office. 

Create your own dream home. Contact us today to learn how your new home can include a floorplan similar to Le Rêve.

The enhanced side-flanking lot is the perfect backdrop for a Modern Prairie home, offering protected green space on one side and the community pond to the rear. Karen took full advantage, incorporating lots of large windows to maximize the outside views while creating bright indoor spaces full of natural light. She also utilized the home’s immediate connection to nature, adding a rear deck and patio, a wraparound porch, and a private deck off the guest suite.

Karen’s intent was to evoke a sense of familiarity as you approach. She wants you to feel welcomed into the home before even stepping foot inside. She wants you to be wowed. The impressive wraparound porch with its dark brick columns create a striking contrast to the home’s prominent white stone exterior, while the triple car garage and its dark, tinted glass doors add to the grandeur.  

Karen describes the home as “a great family gathering place with spectacular natural light.” Whether enjoying time outside on the elevated deck in the backyard (or in the hot tub on the stone patio), watching movies in the home theatre or sitting around the oversized island in the kitchen. One of her favourite spaces is the upstairs lounge, an excellent place to drink your morning coffee with the sunlight flooding into the room from tall windows. The primary ensuite is another highlight, where Karen and Tanya opted for a luxurious walk-in shower/tub combination.

Dreaming Up a Stylish Parisian Apartment

Tanya believes Parisian design is the perfect mix of contemporary and classic. “It’s recognized but not formulaic or expected,” she says. “It’s understated but always elegant.” And very stylish. In Le Rêve, the influence of French fashion, art and culture is apparent yet subtle, giving character and personality to each space in a tasteful way. She juxtaposes modern with classic and ties it all together to create a seamless flow from room to room. 

Doing so required a thoughtful, curated approach, with Le Rêve being one of Tanya’s most personalized homes yet. It’s all in the details, from architectural elements like arched doorways, high ceilings and layered walls to hand-picked décor, features and finishes. Inspired by the city of love, she chose an interior palette that is intentionally quiet. It’s delicate, with lots of white and soft colours adding a certain romance to the home. 

There’s beauty in the simplicity of Le Réve’s design, and it gives you the freedom to add your personal style.

A light pink is featured throughout – on the walls in the primary bedroom, the dining room chairs and the curtains in the kitchen – while the white shell acts like a clean canvas, enhancing natural light and adding brilliance to each space. The exception is the basement, where Tanya embraced a bolder black and white foundation, incorporating hardwood flooring in a herringbone pattern for warmth and richness. 

Tanya admits keeping everything fresh, making the home feel different and revolutionary from one year to the next, can be a challenge. Especially when long lead times and supply issues force her to make last-minute design changes. But it’s always worth it in the end – when everything comes together and her vision becomes a reality. 

Witness it for yourself. The 2022 Minto Dream Home is open to tour in person until December 16. 

Building the Dream in Arcadia, Kanata

The 2022 Minto Dream Home for CHEO is located in Arcadia. It’s the perfect community for Le Rêve – family-friendly, convenient and full of amenities. It’s a great place to plant roots and grow, offering everything you need to maximize your well-being. 

All of which resonates with Le Rêve. As a leading-edge home, it features a holistic approach to wellness and sustainability. Combining greener building practices and materials with innovative technology to enhance your daily life and reduce your carbon footprint. Both Karen and Tanya agree, Le Rêve is designed with the future of your family and the planet in mind – and in support of a brighter future for CHEO families.   

Discover Paris in Kanata. Tour Le Rêve in person today. And don’t forget to get your tickets for the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery before they sell out. 

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