As a young woman striking out on her own for the first time, Laina looked for security as a top priority for her home. “I was a bit scared to live alone,” she admits. “This area felt like a safe neighbourhood, and the design of the condo made me feel less afraid. I wanted somewhere that I felt safe.” Her condo complex (the third of four phases) fills that prerequisite with its bright bold colours and funky design that prompts a friendly atmosphere and makes you feel immediately welcome. As you wind your way down the wide halls, you’ll also notice fun details such as each unit having a different coloured door than its neighbour.

“I was drawn to the design,” she says, no surprise what with being a creative mind herself (she works as a Web designer). “I also like the open concept of my condo, plus it was built well.”

It didn’t take her long to decide on the 715 square foot home either. “This was the first one I saw,” she recalls. “I had been thinking about renting, but my dad told me to look at a condo. I looked at rentals for a week, but I didn’t want to live in any of them! It was a quick decision once I knew what I liked.” She didn’t even consider looking at houses as she knew a condo would better suit her lifestyle. “I’m not handy at all so home maintenance is pretty much out, plus when I go away, no one has to check on my place. You can just take off whenever and not have to worry. Plus it’s nice not to have to shovel snow or mow lawns.”

In terms of location, Laina did look downtown as most condo buyers usually do. However, she actually prefers being outside of the city’s core. “I like the suburbs because it’s quiet. I’m not really a downtown-living girl, but I wanted to be somewhat close.” The commute from her parents’ home in Shawnessy was just too far. Now, she’s only a 15-minute drive to downtown. “It’s much better than the hour I used to commute!”

The downtown condos also posed cost concerns, and she wasn’t keen about living that close to work anyhow. “Either I didn’t like them or they were too expensive,” she explains of the centrally based condos she looked at. “Plus, I like the idea of getting away from downtown after work.” The ability to leave the downtown to go home lets Laina change gears, and really leave work at work—out of sight, out of mind.

Her condo also came with an incentive of a gym membership at the nearby recreation centre since her building doesn’t have its own facilities. “Being close to the gym is a bonus,” she says. “I don’t think I’d use a work-out room if we had one anyways. They’re usually so small, and this way, you don’t have to put any condo fees toward it.”

Laina’s building size was also something she considered when buying. “I didn’t want it to be huge, but reasonable. Three levels are good.” Her unit is one of 122, which all enjoy heated underground parking—complete with a carwash—a boon for Laina, who likes not having to scrape her car windows on frosty Calgary mornings. “I just roll out, and roll in!”

Inside her unit, Laina selected a red colour palette, which makes her home bright and appealing, as well as complements her maple cabinets with black accent doors and the mosaic tile backsplash. The home also features a gas fireplace, nine-foot ceilings, stainless steel appliances, breakfast bar, and built-in shelving. She’s also lucky to have spacious rooms, and roomy closets since there isn’t a lot of separate storage space. “There is no poorly used space here; it’s laid out well.”

And the kitchen is her favourite room. “I was most drawn to the kitchen—that did it for me,” she says. “The funny part is that I don’t really cook! But I like to entertain. It’s a nice place to welcome guests. My mom always says, ‘Everything looks untouched,’ because she’s always cooking at her house and has stuff out. She’s scared to touch anything here!”

The bold colours and design also give the home a very modern feel. “I wanted dark wood furniture with stainless steel appliances,” she says. “I like clean lines with not a lot of clutter but it’s a bit of a mixture right now. I wanted to buy all new furniture but I didn’t have the money so I had to compromise.” The result is a mix of old and new, and Laina has managed to give everything a function and home of its own so that it all works together to create a warm and relaxing ambience.

And despite being a rather uninformed new home owner, Laina did not shy away from taking on responsibilities within her building, becoming vice-president of her condo board at the 2005 AGM. “I thought with 122 units full of urban professionals, the room would be full, but there were only 20 of us,” she remembers. “They asked if anyone wanted to be on the board, and no one wanted to be! So I volunteered with four others. At first it was hard because none of us had been on a board before. Our first few meetings were four hours long! But it’s all good now.”

Clearly, Laina is proof positive that condo living can be easy living, even for firsttimers. She’s had an impressive inaugural year on her own, particularly for a gal who wasn’t even sure she was ready to buy a home. Bravo!  CL