The word “luxury” gets tossed around a lot, but when it comes to describing the rich yet restrained interiors at Westwood Gardens, no other adjective will do. The timeless designs for amenities and suites display the signature style from renowned interior design firm, Tomas Pearce IDC. “We play with colours, shade, and texture to make any space, big or small, look and feel sophisticated,” says President and Co-Founder Melandro Quilatan. At Westwood Gardens this means hotel-inspired lobbies with gallery-white walls, accented with architectural lighting, wood features, and rotating art exhibitions showcasing local art. It means a state-of-the-art media room and a tech lounge where residents can relax and co-work with neighbours and friends. It means sumptuous suite designs with custom kitchens and luxe bathrooms featuring unique vanities and striking feature walls. It means an eighth floor event space opening onto a rooftop terrace, a dog spa, and two ground-level fitness areas that include a weight room and half-court sports court in the East Tower, and a cardio room and yoga studio in the West.

We sat down with Tomas Pearce President and Co-Founder, Melandro Quilatan to talk colour, community, and the key to designing for spaces big and small.

The interiors at Westwood Gardens are spectacular. How did the designs begin?
Collecdev is committed to creating a place where people can enjoy each other’s company in engaging and well-designed spaces. We’re eager to help them bring this vision to life and we’ve tried to imbue this sense of community into every space at Westwood Gardens.

For example, we start in the lobbies, which are very hotel-like. They have large banquettes where people can sit and relax in gallery-type spaces that will unite art and community with rotating art events and exhibits. Adjacent to the West lobby there’s also a media lounge and a tech lounge, which can be opened up through large sliding panels, creating an event space. It’s a very hotel-like concept, where people can socialize and engage.

What other amenities can residents expect to find?
In addition to the lobby, the East Tower will have a fitness area with a weight training room and a half-court sports court. The spaces open progressively onto the courtyard, availing themselves of the abundant natural light. There’s also a unisex sauna and some individual change rooms and bathrooms which will be well kitted out – that’s what we do at Tomas Pearce with bathrooms, we have a lot of fun with them. In the West Tower, there’s a beautiful cardio studio with bikes and treadmills, and a separate yoga studio that offers a little more peace and quiet. Both spaces face into the central courtyard, with windows all around. 

Upstairs on the eighth floor of the East Tower there’s a multi-purpose event space that again takes advantage of the building’s exquisite landscaping, opening onto the dramatic outdoor terrace. There’s a little kitchenette, a bar, lounge, and dining area. I think this will be a popular spot for entertaining friends, throwing birthday parties, or catching a big game.

We also know that residents love their pets so there’s a dog spa where people can come in after a walk in the park and clean their doggy’s paws off, give them a full bath or even just a quick blow dry. It’s practical, so that your beloved pets aren’t trekking dirt into your suite.

Brilliant! You’ve thought of everything!
Thank you. With everything we do, we try to take it to the next level.

What have you planned for the suites? What are the key things to keep in mind when designing for a condominium space?
We do a lot of high-end luxury residential work (we’re wrapping up a 45,000 square foot private luxury residence right now) and we like to bring our design sensibilities from our private residential work into condo living so when we design for smaller spaces, it’s still all about tone, colour, texture, and reflection – the pulling together of a unified palette is key to a successful condominium design.

Luxurious kitchens and bathrooms are also essential. We try to make those spaces feel rich and refined using feature walls, unique vanities, integrated appliances (as per plan), stone countertops, and small touches like doorfront lighting or trying to hide hood fans where possible.

The suites at Westwood Gardens will have the same type of warm contemporary feel as the amenity spaces. They’ll be places no one will ever want to leave.

It certainly sounds like it. Would you say that Westwood Gardens is ushering in a new era of residential living in Richmond Hill?
Definitely. We’re very excited about this project. What’s coming together is really beautiful and unique. It’s our signature Tomas Pearce style - classic luxury on an international level – combined with the incredible architecture from KIRKOR and outdoor spaces from Land Art Design. Collecdev gave us all a mission to bring something unprecedented to the market, and we’re doing exactly that.

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