VictorEric Design Journal Our Latest News & Thoughts On The Design Industry

If you think Toronto is already a big city, then you’ll be in for a big surprise in 2012. 

Mr. Gillespie, Developer and owner of real estate firm Westbank Projects Corp,  is planning to unveil the new luxury hotel in Toronto in August 2012.   This luxury hotel is the Shangri-La and it will be a towering 66 floors. 

Internationally, the hotel is known for it’s ethnic style, being the best-known brand in Asia.  It will now provide Toronto with more hotels than just the Ritz and the Four Seasons.

Furthermore, two Toronto condominiums behind the Shangri-la are in the works, where one will be designed by Denmark’s famous architect Bjarke Ingels. 

For the full article: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/john-bentley-mays/west-coast-builder-has-big-toronto-plans/article2232087/

Scotiabank have partnered with RONA to put forth a contest where the grand prize is a fully built $40,000 kitchen.  To have a chance to win, all you need to do is be a homeowner and register online on http://ecoliving.scotiabank.com/contests.

The grand prize involves a consultation with a designer from Green Living Enterprises.  The consultant will work with you to draw up a design for your kitchen, incorporating $20,000 in RONA eco-products and $20,000 in design and labour.  And for those who miss out on the grand prize, there are still plenty of RONA products you can win valued at approximately $100.

Enter today, not just for the free kitchen but also to promote the idea of an eco-friendly living.  Scotiabank want to bring awareness on the advantages of eco living, where eco-friendly products are both stylish, practical and minimize impact on the environment.

For the full article:  http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/876983/scotiabank-launches-40-000-eco-friendly-kitchen-renovation-contest-with-rona

When we think about homes, we think about homes being traditionally rooted to the ground.  However, based on this idea, land disappears quickly as cities become over populated.

A designer in Berlin by the name of Werner Aisslinger has put forth a brilliant solution.  Why not live on top of roofs in the city?  All those commerical buildings, with flat unused space is plentiful in the city.  With 360 degree views of the sky, who wouldn’t want to live there?

Aisslinger has designed a modular home that is compact and stylish called the Loft Cube.  It is has a ground living area of 40sqm, with many customizable options.  The Loft Cube is constructed from a kit and then placed on rooftops wtih a crane or helicopter.

There is some preparation involved to allow the Loft Cube to be installed.   The rooftop perimeter is first secured with railings, the roof is certified to carry the extra weight and the utility lines are extended from the building.  The effort is worth it, with contemporary accomodation ready to move into.

For further details: http://www.loftcube.net/loftcube_project/main.html

There has been a growing concern by Vancouverites that foreign Chinese buyers are stopping Canadians from buying prime real estate in their own country.

With money as no object, Chinese buyers are snapping up properties and increasing bids on homes, particularly in West Vancouver.  It has reached a point where families living  in West Vancouver have to tell their children to buy elsewhere.   In this year alone, prices  for homes worth $2+ million are being pushed up 118 per cent.

Mayor Gregor Robertson and rival Suzanne Anton are reluctant to address this issue, as the foreign buying trend is bringing in capital.  They’ve rejected the idea of applying restrictions to the number of homes a foreigner can purchase and do not want to introduce additional taxes to foreign buyers.

However, we have to ask, how founded are the fears of Vancouverites?  Real estate expert Tsur Somerville believes that even if there were no foreign buyers, the price for housing would still be unaffordable  to Canadians. 

Furthermore, many of the foreign buyers may not be as foreign as we think.  Cam Good, president of a real estate firm tailored to Asian buyers called The Key, believes that his typical clients are immigrating housewives with husbands still residing in China. 

For the full article: http://www.theprovince.com/business/time+curb+foreign+real+estate+buying+Vancouver/5703433/story.html

Who would have thought that a tiny home could be worth $849,000?

In a small neighbourhood in San Francisco called Cole Valley, there is a two-story home consisting of only 1,030 square feet with a width of 10 feet. 

Even though it was built back in 2004, it’s contemporary style has made a simple two bedroom, one and a half bathroom house worth $849,000.  In fact, it was initially selling at $1 million.

Scroll through the photos to see the wow factor for yourself.  

Only customized homes can offer a wow factor.  To bring a wow factor to your home, contact your nearest custom home designer like VictorEric Design Group.

For the full article:  http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/56PBJS/www.homedsgn.com/2011/10/05/would-you-buy-a-10-foot-wide-home-for-849000/

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently issued their Vancouver Housing Market Outlook Report.  This is a report providing a sneak peek into the conditions of the housing market for 2012.

The news is good, with expectations that housing prices will remain fairly steady and not sky rocket.  The reasoning behind this lies in the balance of demand and supply of homes expected in 2012.  It is believed an increase in price will only be about 2%. 

However, when it comes to single detached homes we need to take into account current prices.  This year alone, prices have already sky rocketed an extra 17%.  Thus, the predicted increase of 2% will bring up the cost of single detached homes to an estimated $805,500. 

For those can’t afford single detached homes,  a low cost home option is being provided through the construction of more multi-family homes.  

For those who can afford single detached homes, customized home design will only increase the value of your home, so contact VictorEric today to discuss customizing your home. 

For the full article: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/cmhc-vancouver-2012-housing-market-outlook-1582314.htm

With the upcoming winter season, real estate house tours are becoming less pleasant.  However, for the buyer, it will be worth the trip as housing prices tend to be lower in the winter.

During the winter season sellers pull their properties off the market, and wait for summer to come round to put it back on the market.  Families are usually in no rush to sell their house during the winter as they are focussed on getting their children through the school year and wait for the warmer months to show off their house.

However, for those who keep houses on the market during winter, are those that need to sell.  Thus lower housing prices ensue.

It isn’t all bad news for those that need to sell.  This can also be seen as an opportunity to sell based on the unique features of the home, especially with less houses to compete with. 

VictorEric’s specialty is custom homes.  Not only do they customize homes to provide all the tailored comforts for families, but they also boost the value of homes when it comes time to sell.

For the full article: http://www.vancouverobserver.com/blogs/realestate/2011/10/24/vancouver-housing-market-expected-slow-down-during-winter

Being a bookworm is now greatly rewarded with a new $38 million library.

The new downtown library boasts five storeys, glass walls facing the north and south, 11,000 square feet of space for books and one of the largest early learning centres in the country (composed of 4,000 square feet).  The 100 computer terminals, community meeting rooms and rooftop garden are a few of the many features of the library.

The American Institute of Architects have also noticed the buiding design, giving the design award to Seattle architecture firm Miller Hull Partnership.

Visit Vancouver Community Library today on the southest corner of C Street and Evergreen Boulevard. 

For the full article:  http://www.columbian.com/news/2011/oct/27/vancouver-community-library-designers-receive-arch/

We know our parents and grandparents worked hard and saved hard for their retirement.  We can see it in their comfortable retirement and multiple mortgage-free homes.  However, young parents are finding that they are no where near progressing as well as the baby boomers, and they’re wondering why.

The boomers lived in a great time, where the housing market worked in their favour by increasing in value of 76 per cent over their adult lives.  Furthermore, boomers have put more pressue on political parties, bringing forth the Canada Pension plan and the Medical Care Act, ensuring that they will be taken care of in their senior years. 

On the flipside, young parents are faced with soaring housing prices.  They live in an economy with a national debt that has nearly tripled.  Their lack of involvement with political parties have led to policies still favouring the boomers.  So all in all, young parents are running households with smaller piggy banks.

For the full article: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Struggles+next+generation/5457701/story.html

Ross Lovegrove is UK’s top-selling designer.  He has had his work exhibited all over the world, from the Axis Centre in Japan to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.  He makes his presence in Vancouver at IDSwest (Interior Design Show West) by opening the event with a key note speech.

IDSwest ran from September 29 to October 2, opening up design discussion with hundreds of retailers, manufacturers and interior designers.  Victoreric designers attended the event, soaking up the new trends and engaging in discussion for design inspiration and design solutions.

For the full article: www.theprovince.com/travel/Designing+dilemmas+discussed+IDSWest/5455631/story.html