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FRAM + Slokker - The Verve


Blog by Julie Dempsey | February 5th, 2019


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February 01, 2019

Stylish Verve

Creating Verve’s sophisticated, lived-in look comes easy to veteran industry insider

Pepper Rodriguez
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FRAM + Slokker’s newest condo high-rise in East Village has all the ingredients for a vibrant, active, exciting urban lifestyle, but to finish the vision  and give the casual show home visitor a better idea of just what living here will look like, the developer turned to Julie Dempsey.

Julie has been a noted real estate industry insider for the past two decades and has done everything from selling homes to staging them. The self-confessed HGTV home renovation show addict brings a professional eye in brightening up spaces in the home to give them a polished, well-lived-in look, and the
show suites in Verve that she has designed certainly look the part.

“You want everyone to be able to see themselves living in this home, so I came up with a design that is visually pleasing and achievable for everyone. The key for me is that anyone can do what I did for these suites,” she tells Condo Living.

But of course, a practiced eye and keen intuition on design gives her a distinct advantage. Her expertise led her to pick a Scandinavian flavour design go with Verve’s Cecconi Simone interiors.

She says she wanted to give the two-bedroom, 840-square-foot show suite on the eighth floor “an urban, outdoorsy feel. The views from this particular room of the cityscape are spectacular and I wanted to bring that feeling of being part of this wonderful community inside.”

Verve is in the heart of Calgary’s East Village, a revolutionary community development that has turned one of the downtown’s most overlooked areas into a thriving, cosmopolitan village attuned to demands of the sophisticated urban dweller.

Verve’s artful interiors are modern and airy, and fit seamlessly in the image of the community. “The show suite achieves what it would feel like to live in such a wonderful community,” says Deb Pedersen, FRAM + Slokker’s Director of Sales.

Verve’s suites are crafted with strong attention to views, right through to the exterior beyond, with doors kept away from principal sightlines wherever possible. “An open-concept live–cook–dine area offers maximum flexibility and maintains the kitchen as the hub of the home,” Julie says.

Julie’s creativity is in full display in the master bedroom where she outfitted the bed in the most DIY way possible by using IKEA tabletops for headboards. “The one thing I’ve come to realize in this business is that you don’t really have to go way over budget to come up with a look that works,” she says.

Verve brings the Cecconi Simone kitchen to Calgary for the first time and its seamless, Euro-look establishes a modern, trendy sophistication that’s just as functional. The overhead cabinetry, glass tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances add to the glamour that young urban dwellers prefer. “The kitchen puts the stamp of cosmopolitan style to the suite,” Julie says.

The tall, rectangular sink with gleaming taps speaks to the polished look of Verve. But there is also plenty of cabinet space for towels and sundries in this room. The bathtub includes a rain-head shower.

Julie wanted a more masculine look for the two-bedroom 240-square-foot show suite. “Buyers, I find, tend to respond more to the masculine design, so we brought in a lot of earthy colours for the den that we turned into a dining nook,” she says. This room also speaks to the flexibility of Verve’s floor plans. “You can turn it into a home office, or den, or install a hideaway Murphy bed that you can use when guests are in town.”

The right furniture goes a long way in creating a specific look, and Julie says it doesn’t have to be pricey. “I go to a lot of places like Homesense and Home Outfitters where you can find plenty of one-off pieces that fit the look you’re aiming for and the budget.” There are two left of this particular floorplan in Verve starting from $468,900 and immediate possessions are available, Pedersen says.


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