It might sound like a contradiction, but a customized condo is entirely possible, it just takes some planning and a fertile imagination, which this couple have in spades.

Turning apartment-style condos on a high-rise to a fully-customized home is right up there among the most difficult things to do, there may be several restrictions imposed by the condo board or limitations created by the structure of the building itself.

But under the right circumstances and with the cooperation of the condo’s developer, it is still quite possible to create a condo to fit your own vision and lifestyle. Victoria and Max have such a strong vision of what a condo should look like that when the opportunity presented itself in Casel, they took it without hesitation.

“Whatever I envision, he can build it,” says Victoria proudly of her business and life partner, Max.  “We let our imaginations go. I have always wanted to be a designer and Max has facilitated my dream!”

“Whatever Victoria sketches, I can bring it to life!” says Max, a native Calgarian, who has been crafting beautiful millwork for over 20 years.  The couple, married for the past six years, have their own business, Vadessa Kitchens, which does full scale home renovations.

Their stunning 1,068-square-foot one-bedroom suite with two bathrooms plus a den in the equally stunning Casel mix-use condo in Richmond Park S.W. is evidence of their passion and talents for design.

“This is the only suite in Casel that has been drastically and dramatically altered,” Max explains. “We are fortunate that Niklas Group (Casel’s developer), whom we have worked with previously, gave us a great deal of leeway during the early stages of this project. We were given the freedom to design the unit. We had to have approvals, of course; we felt it was a privilege to be able to do this.”

“When we looked at the original floor plans, we understood immediately what needed to be changed. The original design is good,” Victoria concedes, but her trained eye found spots that could still be improved upon.

The jaw-dropping view from the Casel vantage point was central in their redesign and Max and Victoria wanted to maximize this unique aspect of their home. Casel, which sits on a quiet hilltop on the corner of 17th Avenue and 24 Street S.W., affords most of the suites panoramic views of the cityscape and the mountains and they tailor-made the suite to maximize enjoyment of the panoramic view. With the unit’s eight-foot floor-to-ceiling windows, Victoria poses, “Why would you want to obstruct the view with walls?”  

“We have a great vantage point to look straight down the Red Mile, plus we came up here with our two children to watch the fireworks during the Stampede. At night time, the whole city is lit up!” To the north, Nose Hill Park is prominent; and to the west, the Alberta foothills and the Rockies.

“We designed the condo with entertaining in mind.” The great room is open to the chef’s kitchen, which features full-sized stainless steel appliances, a custom-made hood fan and a wine fridge, “for the white wines,” explains Max.  The red wines are stored in the massive concrete island along with appropriate glassware, in customized cabinetry.  

Access to the spacious outdoor deck is through the bright kitchen. “It really expands one’s entertaining space.”

Max continues: “There is no passageway, no door or walls from the time you enter the unit.  You can go straight from the elevator, through the door into your life. You can go from one world to another; from work to a personal luxurious space.”

“We also wanted to deliver functionality. Just because a person lives in a condo, does not mean they have to sacrifice storage space. We didn’t have the luxury of going horizontal, so we went vertical.”  

Hidden storage compartments abound everywhere throughout the unit, from the master bedroom where the closets go right up to the ceiling with warm Bird’s Eye maple cabinetry, procured from local sources, the cabinets in the kitchen created with creamy Zebrano Italian veneers, inside the front closet, to beneath the handsome electric fireplace hearth.  

The den serves as a multi purpose room: an office with folding desktop, plus a Murphy bed. 

Wherever space could be found, Victoria and Max exploited it in their purposeful design. The cabinets in the kitchen harbour the side by side full-sized washer and dryer, as well as a convenient folding ironing board.  

“Now that we have completed this unit, we would like the opportunity to do it again. We’ve been told that it hasn’t been done before. We know it is do-able. The old-school designs and floor plans do not fit modern tastes,” explains Max. “People are more interested in the possibilities of what can be done. Their tastes have become more discerning.”

This brand new, custom designed, ‘ready to move into’ condominium is on the market to become someone’s future home for just under $700,000.  

Oh, and with the new C-Train line only a few blocks away, J. Webb Wine Merchant, Market 17, vie café, and Cassis Bistro ­­— they deliver — located on the main floor of the building ... this is truly a castle, ready and waiting.