Townhouses and Daydreams

One of the things I love is houses.  There is so many things I love about houses, I love looking at floor plans and furniture layouts.  I love perusing decorating magazines and looking at decor, art and of course organizational tools.  I love all the little details it takes to complete a space: from the type of carpet, to the layout of the kitchen (definitely an important one for me), to the door knobs and the windows.  What I love about houses is looking at a space and imagining all the possibilities.

A very good friend of mine has been managing a housing project in Saskatoon.  The whole time she has been working on this project I have been adamant that I was NOT interested in buying a townhouse, merely because I was not a gated community-cookie cutter-suburbanite kind of person.  I love my Broadway, with the trees and the shops and the crazy ladies who take their cats our for walks on leashes and I want to live as close as I possibly can.

This weekend my friend took me over to show me how things were coming along on her project.

I got the see the sports court that can be used as a tennis court and basketball court in the summer and can be flooded with water in the winter for skating.  I got to see the amazing Clubhouse with the clay tiled roof.  The Clubhouse has a fitness studio on one side and a place for entertaining on the other side.  It has a wine bar, a stage to play Wii or karaoke, a poker table and seating all around.  In the center is a double-sided fireplace.  In my mind, I embellished the room by adding a Christmas party complete with a roaring fire, Christmas music and decorations, and friends drinking wine.  Everyone was laughing and having a good time.

We stopped by the townhouses and I checked out the show home.  It had an open floor plan with the kitchen at the back.  I started imagining cooking for a houseful of guests, eating appetizers at the island, playing games at the dining room table and finishing the night with some coffee and good conversations in the living room.  I could see the long kitchen island filled chocolate chip cookies that were cooling on racks with the smell of freshly baked cookies filling the room.

I went upstairs to look at the bedrooms and found a little nook at the top of the stairs that held a desk.  I saw my laptop and books filling that nook.  It was the perfect little spot to start writing my hilarious McCall Smith type novel that would most definitely be published.

One townhouse had a basement that is currently being developed.  It had a laundry room, full bath, a bedroom, and an entertainment room, it would be the perfect space for my son to live.  I imagined a big screen TV where my husband and friends could watch the game.  (In my daydreams, I like to insert handsome husbands in).  I neglected to dream up some couches and chairs, so the guys were just kinda milling around, drinking beer and watching the game, all the while standing in a room with unfinished concrete floors and bare drywall.

Here is a picture of the townhouse that I took with my iPhone:

Little Tuscany

I love the curvy swervy rails and the super cute window boxes.  I love the stonework and the cute little shutters, I love the fine details of the cedar on the gables and best of all, I love that my friend has managed this huge project.

I was immensely surprised that I loved so many different aspects of these townhouses:  from the layout inside, the amazing Clubhouse, and all the little details in the finishings.  I forgot how much I hate the cookie cutter suburbanite lifestyle and I just wanted to go to the bank and talk about financing.

Even if I don't, Little Tuscany is one beautiful community.  I'm definitely proud of my friend for managing such a huge housing project and I love seeing her project coming to fruition.

~b~