The Kelmscott by Uniform Developments

In fact, home building in Canada (or the U.S.A. for that matter) has long been a game of follow-the-leader. Residential builders followed Bob Campeau's lead in the 1970s. And before Campeau Homes, they attempted to imitate Bill Teron (who left us Beaverbrook), but couldn't do as well.

Elegant Style

Perhaps "style" went out of fashion because it was considered too elitist in a more politically correct society. Or perhaps we lacked professional designers after those distinguished streetscapes were built along Island Park Drive and similar streets beside the Civic Hospital. They are what we might loosely call "Edwardian Complacent", or even describe as "a touch of class".

Achieving a state of harmony is the principle goal in some Asian cultures, and many western designers try to do similarly. To reach this state, architect Hobin gazed wistfully back to the Edwardian era for his inspiration. He has cleverly blended "Edwardian Complacency" with post-World War 1 modernism. And it works harmoniously.

Most great thinkers, philosophers, poets, and ancient religions attempted to reflect the macrocosm in the microcosm of organised society in order to establish a harmonious environment and life style. And Hobin apparently has a nostalgic attachment for the age of the craftsmen, which peaked somewhere between William Morris at the tail-end of the Victorian era and Frank Lloyd-Wright at the vanguard of 1920s modernism. And it shows in his own designs.

Tradition

We are confronted as we enter by a sturdy roofed-in porch supported by square pillars that spread out at the base and are in turn supported by brick pedestals - as if to demonstrate the solidity of the roof-line. The other side of the building is taken up by a 2-car garage set at the side, instead of in front.

Brick and ample roof shingles are all in earth tones. And a wide "feature window" is set carefully in the centre of a severe equilateral triangle of a gable end that dominates the top half of the house. This is no oversized or gaudy window we have become accustomed to seeing when some tract builders without any sense of harmony or good taste "threw a lot of multicoloured brick" at the front elevation. This one is a tasteful and almost delicate affair with the gentlest of curves at the top and partly-mullioned windows beneath the curve.

The effect is to counter-balance the severe roof lines. And it works far more effectively for being so subtle - as all good design is.

Of course we have seen that style of pillared porch or portico before, in older downtown suburbs. Here they help to knit traditional and modern in a post-modern world.

Inside is a whole new ballgame altogether. Interior walls have been removed wholesale so that - apart from the private home office in front - the dining room, kitchen and Great Room all open up from and into each other. In addition, the 2-storey Great Room opens up upwards. As if that doesn't enlarge the interior space from side-to-side and up-and-down enough, well-conceived sight lines are so well drawn that the house also expands from corner-to-corner.

As for the upstairs floor where privacy is required for the three bedrooms and the bathrooms, the locations of key windows not only let in the light but also assure that sightlines draw the eye outwards too. Such is the skill of a cerebral architect!

Alternative Floor Plans

Hobin no sooner convinces us that he has made the best possible use of all available space, when he provides us with an entirely different floor plan as an alternative for those who don't want a downstairs home office. Now suddenly there is a large living room in front, with a less grandiose dining room for those who don't entertain so much, a more traditional and smaller kitchen than the large island kitchen of the show house… and again we are convinced he has made best use of the space.

The master suite is a showpiece itself, and yet it is designed in such good taste that one wonders how he has achieved his effects. One key is "minimalism" - the essence of elegant good taste. Just as the main floor has 9ft high ceilings throughout, so the ceiling above the best location for a double bed is raised in a rectangular panel. And the shower stall in the en-suite bathroom is also simplicity itself with its sliding glass panel and its fresh-looking tiled interior. There is not a jarring or vulgar note in the entire house.

Erin Woods was launched with only one show home, and this is it. But two more will be opened before Christmas.

No Optional Extras?

Unlike show homes that are stacked with optional extras to make them look good - but not included in the list price - Uniform's price list includes all the features and finishes you see before you. And there are plenty of them. They include magnificent hardwood flooring throughout most of the main level and ceramic tiles in some corridors as well as in bathrooms and kitchen. And although they may describe them as "standard", all materials appear to have been chosen by the architect - together with the entire colour scheme - as part of a seamless package.

That too is in line with Frank Lloyd-Wright, who designed all fixtures, fittings, features and even furniture, to blend in with each house he built. Of course, his were all individually built custom homes, not tract housing. Whereas in the case of Erin Woods, home buyers have the benefit of customized designs with tract building prices.

If these homes don't win an award for both architect and builder I shall be very much surprised. You can see the details in the following table.

The Kelmscott may be  SOLD OUT  - Check availability with Uniform