Söenhaus: blend of Nordic and West Coast styles in Coquitlam

Article content

Söenhaus, Marcon’s new seven-storey building in Coquitlam, will incorporate elements of Nordic minimalism and West Coast modernism to add to the urban fabric of the area where the developer has been active for nearly a decade.

“Marcon has been building homes for people in the Lower Mainland for almost 40 years. We’ve delivered over 13,400 homes to the market,” says Richard Klein, the developer’s director of sales. “We have a particularly deep connection to this area where we have been operating and delivering homes for nearly a decade.”

Article content

The 46,246-square-foot site in West Coquitlam is in a quiet location within an established neighbourhood but close to shopping and amenities, says Klein. The Burquitlam SkyTrain station and the new Bettie Allard YMCA are a short walk from the development.

The building’s amenities include a Nordic-inspired rooftop lounge, fitness centre, Scandinavian-inspired sauna, wildscaped south-facing courtyard and children’s play area with naturalized play equipment.

Klein says RH Architects’ design of the 165-home, wood-frame building on Como Lake Avenue incorporates inspiration from both architectural styles: Nordic minimalism and West Coast modernism. Elements like light and dark frames in the external architecture of the building and perforated bronze-coloured screens allow light to permeate while enhancing privacy, all of which add visual interest to the facade.

Marcon also looked to the Nordic countries for the name. Loosely translated from Danish, Söenhaus means lake house.

“The design of the building and the name combine to present a project that will feel like a retreat, somewhere that is calming and serene,” he says.

Article content

Article content

That same concept of tranquillity and calmness inspired Marcon’s interior design team, says Maxime Zentner, the company’s vice-president, product development and interior design.

“We are proud of connecting the same concept of a quiet, still place — a retreat — and executing that through the suites and then flowing that same execution through to the calm area spaces,” she says.

The lobby will feature a light-coloured split-face stonewall that spans the length of the lobby, Nordic walnut-tone panelling that extends onto the ceiling, and warm lighting designed to convey a feeling of being in nature.

Other examples of features that exude tranquillity will be found in the wellness spa that includes a steam room and sauna that will have darker coloured ceilings to create a warm, nested ambience, says Zentner.

The junior, one- two- and three-bedroom homes will range in size from 419 to 1,018 square feet. For the homes’ interiors, the team created two midtone colour schemes, both with light, honey-coloured oak laminate flooring.

The kitchens feature two-tone cabinetry. In the Light option, the upper cabinets are a wood laminate with taupe-coloured lower cabinets while the darker palette has dark grey lower cabinetry.

Article content

The flat-slab cabinet doors reflect the minimalist influence enhanced by the edge pulls on the lower cabinets and the finger overhangs on the uppers, avoiding the use of any visible hardware. Also contributing to the seamless design is the decision to integrate the Fulgor Milano refrigerator and dishwasher.

“One of our major in-house design studio goals is to create timeless design,” says Zentner. “We want (our design) to really stand the test of time and we feel that through having continuous finishes [such as panelled appliances], it really visually enlarges spaces. It’s our goal to make you feel like you’ve come into a space where every detail is thought about.”

Moving from one finish to another is seamless, she says.

“We are connecting to the sense of calm within the space and have everything very tone on tone and a degree of texture through the materiality.”

The Dekton countertops mimic a natural stone with a very slightly textured honed finish, says Zentner, adding that the countertop colour variation between the Light and Dark schemes is minimal.

The textured effect extends to the bathrooms where the tiles have a matte finish along with the plumbing fixtures in a brushed nickel.

Article content

In the ensuite bathrooms the team echoed a design feature from the plans for the building’s exterior.

“The building has framed details around the windows that actually extrude from the architecture. We pulled that detail into our bathrooms where we have a fully framed mirror with the bottom side creating a ledge. At the top, we’ve integrated an LED mirror,” says Zentner.

The sales experience is also a differentiator, says Klein.

“We’ve built this beautiful coffee shop space at the Outpost in Port Moody, which is where we’re hosting our sales gallery for Söenhaus. We are calling it a jewel box, which is in essence a glass encased two-bedroom mock-up of what will be built at [Söenhaus],” he says.

“[The space] is very inviting, and a lot of people who’ve walked through our jewel box have really commented on the fact that they feel calm when they walk in, and they do lean into that sense of Nordic minimalism,” he adds.

Klein says Marcon wants Söenhaus to be a gift to the community and stand the test of time: “[a building] that’s enjoyed by people who pass by every day. The design elements animate the building and add real value to the urban fabric of this neighbourhood.”

Article content

Project: Söenhaus

Project address: 710 Como Lake Avenue, Coquitlam

Developer: Marcon

Architect: RH Architects

Interior designer: Marcon Design Studio

Project size: 165 Homes

Number of bedrooms: Jr. one bedroom, one bedroom, one bedroom and den, two bedroom and three bedroom

Price: Homes starting from $499,000

Sales Gallery: Söenhaus Sales Gallery at Outpost in Port Moody — 3001 St. Johns Street

Gallery hours: Open Daily from noon to 5 p.m. (Closed Fridays)

Phone: 604.866.2339

Website: marcon.ca/soenhaus

Article content