PARKER HOUSE HAS THE WRIGHT IDEA
Kathleen Freimond
The Vancouver Sun
Parker House
Project Address: 1152 Windsor Mews, Coquitlam
Developer: Polygon Parker House Ltd./Polygon Windsor Gate Ltd.
Architect: Rositch Hemphill Architects
Interior Designer: Polygon Interior Design Ltd.
Project Size: 131 apartment residences in two buildings
Bedrooms: Limited number of one-bedrooms; two-bedrooms and two-bedrooms with dens
Unit sizes: 645 square feet (one-bedrooms); two-bedrooms from 860 to 990 square feet
Prices (two-bedrooms): $424,900 — $499,900
Sales centre: 1152 Windsor Mews
Sales centre hours: noon — 6 p.m., Sat — Thurs
Sales centre phone: 604-945-8741
Website: www.polyhomes com
Frank Lloyd Wright, the iconic architect whose work inspired the design of Polygon’s master-planned Windsor Gate community in Coquitlam, once said: “We create our buildings and then they create us. Likewise, we construct our circle of friends and our communities and then they construct us.”
David and Sarah Kang personify Wright’s observation. The young couple was happily settled in a one-bedroom apartment at Thomas House in Windsor Gate until the recent arrival of their son Roy had them looking for a larger home. They never considered leaving the community and bought a two-bedroom apartment in Parker House, the final low-rise building in Windsor Gate.
David says this is their third Polygon-built home. “We lived at Branches in North Vancouver, then at Thomas House, and now we will be moving to Parker House. Polygon’s buildings are great quality and customer service is excellent. We also really like the location, it’s convenient to transit and shopping and the community reminds us of the North Shore. Everyone is friendly and there are lots of young couples starting a family, like us,” he says.
The five-storey wood-frame project comprises two buildings: Parker House East has 73 apartments and Parker House West has 58 apartments. The buildings themselves evoke Wright, with their flat roofs, horizontal expressions, wood columns and stone detail, and there is a quote from the architect captured in a floor tile in the lobby of each building in Windsor Gate.
Residents of Parker House East come home to: “The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen,” while those in Parker House West are reminded: “You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.”
Parker House East and West are situated on Windsor Mews, a stone-paved cul-de-sac in Windsor Gate. While there are a limited number of one-bedroom apartments available, most of the two-bedroom homes range in size from 860 square feet to the larger 990-square-foot corner units. Garden-level homes have private yards and those on the upper floors have balconies to enhance outdoor living in the warm summer months. Double-glazed, low E windows increase energy efficiency and all homes have a gas-fired hot water system and electric baseboard heating with individual thermostat controls.
The three show suites, open every day except Friday from noon to 6 p.m., reflect the nine-foot-high ceilings, laminate floors and open-concept floor plans that give the move-in ready homes a light and spacious ambience. The first purchasers will be calling Parker House home in October, says Goldie Alam, Polygon’s senior vice-president of marketing.
Alam says buyers can choose from a dark or light colour palette. Flat-panel doors on the over-height kitchen cabinetry – glossy white in the light scheme and a grey wood laminate in the dark scheme – maximize storage. Engineered stone countertops are complemented by stacked six-by-two-inch glass-tile backsplashes. A double kitchen sink features a stylish Grohe faucet with pull-out vegetable sprayer.
Enhancing the modern finishes, stainless steel appliances include an 18-cubic-foot Samsung refrigerator with bottom-mount freezer and french doors, a Whirlpool gas range and a microwave hood combination and dishwasher. In an era when recycling is a priority and a dedicated space for it often hard to find in an apartment, the kitchens in Parker House have dual roll-out waste and recycling bins.
Alam points out the “floating” vanities contribute to the sense of spaciousness in the elegant bathrooms where the same engineered stone countertops and flat-panel cabinet doors found in the kitchens ensure a cohesive look throughout the apartment. “The double sinks with the full-width vanity mirror make the ensuites feel very custom,” she says.
The second bathrooms feature an over-sized shower with a semi-frameless glass door enclosure or deep soaker tub. Laundry facilities are in-suite with a stacking Whirlpool washer and dryer.
While wood-style laminate floors seamlessly connect the kitchen and living rooms, the bedrooms have neutral-coloured carpeting. Walk-in closets are a feature of most master bedrooms and design choices in the show suites, like ceiling-high headboards, ceiling-hung bedside lights, shelf towers and accent mouldings provide decorating ideas for potential buyers.
One of David’s favourite features in the Windsor Gate community is the Nakoma Club on Kensal Place. “I should spend more time exercising,” he jokes. In addition to the fully equipped fitness studio, the 18,000-square-foot clubhouse also has a gymnasium with basketball nets, and games (ping pong) tables, an outdoor pool, a large lounge, guest suites and function rooms. “We hired a room there for the baby shower and it was awesome. We made a lot of memories there,” he says.
Babies grow up quickly and in a few years young, Roy Kang will likely attend one of several elementary schools in the area. The David Lam campus of Douglas College is also nearby.
Residents who enjoy running outdoors can jog on Town Centre Park’s running tracks or around Lafarge Lake. Retail chains like Walmart, Sears and Hudson’s Bay anchor nearby Coquitlam Centre Mall. Specialty stores like Lululemon Athletica, Davids Tea, L’Occitane en Provence and the Apple Store complement dozens of other retailers in the mall at the intersection of Barnet Highway and Lougheed Highway.
Parking, including visitor parking, is underground. Each apartment has an allocated parking space and a limited number of extra parking stalls are available for purchase. Bike storage and storage lockers can also be purchased.
The Kang family will be moving into Parker House in November. “For Sarah, the most exciting thing about our new place is being able to decorate a room for Roy. She has collected so many things, now she can make a wonderful space for him. It’s the best part of the move,” says David.
Parker House, By the Numbers:
Nine: ceiling height, in feet
58: Number of homes in Parker House West
73: Number of homes in Parker House East
990: Size of the largest homes, in square feet
18,000: Size of the Nakoma Club, in square feet
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