“They wanted me to design a bachelor and a bachelorette pad, and I said to myself — I’ll never get rid of this image, will I?” says Harris, who became a TV star in her back-to-back stints in The Bachelor and The Bachelorette reality shows and gained new fame as a host for several home design shows.

“But I‘m really glad that I took on this challenge, which turned out to be the most fun project I’ve done in a long time. Young professional men and women are my demographic, after all, and I know what they like.”

Mosaic Mirage in McKenzie Towne is the last multi-family development in this popular master-planned community in the southeast and Brookfield Homes wanted to finish this very successful development with a flourish.

“Not only did we save the best for last,” says Doug Owens, General Manager of Multi-family for Brookfield Homes, “but we have also decided to do seven show homes in one parade, which is a first for us. We wanted to showcase the best of the best and create a memorable parade in McKenzie Towne.”

Harris was asked to decorate the 720-square-foot The Ivory, and the 800-square-foot The Ruby, as bachelorette and bachelor pads, respectively. “I had so much fun working on these homes, they have such great floor plans and I really wanted to showcase the space and make it personable.”

The Ivory is the Bachelorette pad and features a mix of creams, pale teals, and pinks, a soft feminine touch pervades with crisp white spaces and fresh flowers. “This was designed with everything a well-travelled, well-educated professional woman would like,” Harris says. “I want the women who come to visit here to feel like this is the best home for them, to show them the full potential of what it would be like to live here.”

The Ruby is meant for the opposite sex, and Harris says she’s put a definite masculine spin on design, including a brick feature wall with a couple of oars as accent pieces. “It’s those little touches that personalize the home, instead of the oars it could be something else that has a strong personal connection to you, your family or personal history,” she tells Condo Living.

Both the Ivory and The Ruby are two-bedroom, stacked townhome models with single-level living and garages underneath. Both have open concept layouts that are perfect for entertaining. “They are well-designed spaces that lend themselves to decorating, and most of the décor I used are inexpensive pieces you can easily get from the big box stores.”

Since her reality TV days, Harris has established herself as one of the most ebullient female TV personalities around, with stints in Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Canada’s Handyman Challenge, and the interior designer by trade has also made appearances in home design trade shows including the Calgary Home + Design show.

The Mosaic Mirage certainly isn’t her first interior design job but it is one of her biggest, and a definite first for a show suite. And judging from the strong positive feedback both models received during the opening on April 19, it probably won’t be her last.

Mosaic Mirage in McKenzie Towne, however, is the last multi-family development in this popular master-planned neighbourhood. There will be 286 row and stacked townhome condominiums with attached garages on build-out.

The development is being built around a central courtyard feature with benches and pergolas for all residents to enjoy, and has one of the most desirable locations in the neighbourhood right next to Inverness Pond and a stone’s throw away from the stores and services of High Street.

There are seven floor plans with either two or three bedrooms, all with attached garages. They range from 720 to 1,338 square-feet. Prices start in the $200,000s.

Fast Facts

Community: McKenzie Towne

Project: Mosaic Mirage in McKenzie Towne

Developer: Brookfield Homes

Style: Row and stacked townhomes

Size: 720 to 1,338 sq. ft.

Price: Starts in the $200,000s

Address: 347 McKenzie Towne  Gate S.E.

Directions: South on 52 St. S.E., right on McKenzie Towne Link and follow the signs.

Hours: Monday to Thursday 2 to 8 p.m. Weekends and holidays noon to 5 p.m.

Website: www.buildwithbrookfield.com