A Home Built Out of Love: A Mid-Century Modern Home Made Fully Accessible to Beauty and Comfort
On a beautiful tree lined street just steps from Glenora’s beloved Community League and school, you’ll find a one-of-a-kind home built from scratch – out of love, devotion and necessity.
10506-137 Avenue is a throwback to the mid-century modern era of clean lines, graphic shapes, vibrant colours, with an integration of indoor and outdoor motifs. It has a clean, minimalist aesthetic, with incredible natural light that comes in through floor to ceiling windows on both the main floor and basement.
It was built by a couple who married all their favourite things together and approached the build with a passion for beauty, a strong sense of design and a need for functionality.
“The house was a labour of love, says the homeowner Paavo Montandon. We had lived on
that same street since 2001 in a little 50’s bungalow and we thought we’d die there with our boots on. We just loved it and we were happy. But then two things happened. Financially we did well for ourselves and then my wife got sick.”
Paavo’s wife was diagnosed with progresive Multiple Sclerosis and it wasn’t long before their much adored 50’s bungalow no longer provided her with the comfort or accessibility she needed. Now having the resources and impetus to build a home how they wanted it, they found the right people and the right design to build something that would meet every need while maximizing comfort and beauty.
“We wanted an accessible house that didn't look like an accessible house. And it is fully accessible from all directions. You can get out of a car in the garage and into the home and not have to face a curb anywhere. And I think all homes should be built like this. It doesn’t take that much more effort. You don’t have to be disabled to appreciate the functionality. The elevator is great to get heavy things up and down the stairs. You just never know when stairs and curbs might become a barrier.”
With just over 3492 sq.ft. of finished living space, the bungalow has an elevator to the forced walkout basement which lets in tonnes of natural light so there is light through the entire home. It has barrier free floors, wide hallways and spaces, built-in cabinetry throughout, and easily accessible bathrooms and showers, all with warm woods and bright colours and a minimalist feel that lets the sunlight hit every surface for warmth, comfort and peace.
“My wife had a very strong design sense and so do I. We knew we needed something different, so that’s what we built. We were children of the mid-century era and we were influenced by Finnish, Swiss and Nordic design. It has yellow bricks because we wanted them. My wife was also subtly influenced by buddhism and eastern philosophy and loved a japanese esthetic. We wanted lots of natural light - and the home captures the incredible sunlight that Edmonton has to offer. We wanted a lot of wood of that mid-century modern style,” he says.
“I’m a cyclist so I built a room just to house bicycles. I had many motorcycles and many cars – so we built a big garage. It can hold up to 2 vehicles and 4 motorcycles. I wanted a basement that didn’t feel like a basement – so it captures the light through its windows. All those things came together. We had a trained architect work with us - designer work with us - and we both had a sense of where it all came from.”
Paavo’s wife died in 2020, and while living in the home holds too many memories for him to stay, he reminisces so fondly about the people that came together to build this one of a kind home.
“I wanted her to live in the most beautiful home possible with as much comfort as we could provide,” says Paavo. “We were so blessed to get the craftsmanship we had at that time. Brett from Waygood Kitchens imagined the world from her perspective and matched the aesthetic we wanted, with the functionality we needed. The millworkers came and would roll on the floor and problem-solve with us to make sure it was all right. Angelic Case from Angelic Case Interiors, became a close personal friend after helping us design the home. It was just such a labour of love for all of us to be involved in.”
From the solid core doors to the wood-framed/oversized windows, all with electric blinds, this home has every luxury feature. It features custom cabinetry, Miele appliances, has quartz countertops, AC, an outdoor lounge area and motorized screen & heater for year-round use. Every detail was thought of in the design of this home - to create both a home where the owners could be surrounded by beauty, while providing maximum functionality.
Paavo says moving into that home did two things for his wife.
“It was so beautiful, and that was important to her morale and spirits to be in a beautiful space, with everything she loved. She picked all the details in that house – all the colours and materials and art and surfaces and it all had her touches to it. And two, it gave her comfort. She absolutely loved living there. She loved that home. And it was because so much love and a lot of heart and soul went into building it. It was such a personal thing – but it was quite an experience. I’m so fortunate to have done it with her.”
To view this listing visit the Holland and Associates website.
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