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Minto Communities and CHEO have once again partnered up for the 24th year in a row to bring this year’s home, The Oasis.
This year’s Minto Dream Home includes winnings like $100,000 in cash, a 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4MATIC SUV from Star Motors, 50 gas cards of $100 from W.O. Stinson & Son, bi-weekly cleaning for a year from ATC Cleaning, a $5,000 Farm Boy gift card, moving services from Adam’s Moving, legal services Mann Lawyers LLP, and, of course, the Minto Dream Home, fully furnished by La-Z-Boy.
With $3.3 million worth of winnings, all proceeds raised by the community go towards the CHEO hospital, helping sick kids in the area get the treatment they need, across all departments.
As always, La-Z-Boy is incredibly thankful and honoured to be part of a great local cause. Since the doors to the home opened up this past week for touring, we thought it would be appropriate to shed some light on La-Z-Boy's involvement, as well as the inspiration behind the design of the home.
Stick around to find out more about this year’s designer, Tanner Vine, and how you can enter the draw and contribute to the cause.
In This Article…
This year’s Minto Dream Home, fittingly titled The Oasis, is a minimalist-inspired home promoting sustainability, wellness and relaxation.
Situated right beside last year’s Minto Dream Home in the rapidly growing Mahogany, Manotick Community, this year’s home promises to be bigger and better, which is true when looking at its size.
Built on a 5,097-square-foot lot, the Oasis stands even taller than the Equestrian (last year’s home), with a three-storey tall configuration. It is also backed by a protected green space, so you’ll never have to worry about this picturesque scenery disappearing as you take advantage of your multi-use pathway.
Inside and out you will notice the natural elements in every corner. The raw textures that ooze from this home help to create a calming atmosphere, which will help you decompress after a long day.
Being nicknamed “The Home that Cares” this year’s home has many wellness-inspired uses to it including…
Lastly, the Oasis is also energy conscious, promoting sustainability with solar panels on the roof, hybrid heating, an air source heat pump water heater and a water-permeable driveway.
As mentioned before, this year’s Minto Dream Home takes on a stripped-down approach to interior design. While The Equestrian had many bold and rich accents inside, The Oasis pulls a huge 180 to this and includes naturalistic elements throughout the home.
Tanner Vine takes over for this year’s dream home, making it the first time he has designed a home to this level.
Taking a look at the inside of the 2024 Minto Dream Home, guests will notice the light and natural colour palette that Tanner and Minto decided to go with for the home. While a minimalist approach is normally what people choose for a simple themed house, the design of the home is elevated to show off a more pristine lifestyle.
“The main inspiration for this home was the main wooded area that runs along the back of the property,” Tanner says. “We thought, why not bring these natural elements into the space to capture that feeling of calmness people feel when they’re surrounded by nature.”
There are also some very intuitive design details, especially in the kitchen design, which includes integrated appliances and a hidden pantry to create a clutter-free environment.
The basement includes a golf simulator followed by a family TV room with our best-selling Paxton sectional sofa.
Tanner highlighted many design elements he enjoyed adding to this year’s home. The Oasis features an open-concept main area, with the living room and kitchen blending to create a cohesive look.
Inside the living area includes two large Emric Sofas that ground the space, as well as a stunning art piece made by a local artist, Judy Nakagawa, that represents the spread of CHEO’s message throughout the Eastern Ontario region.
Tanner highlights the kitchen, which features custom travertine counter finishing done on hickory wood, complimented by a large dining area, wood-carved stools and two Kimberly High-Leg Recliners.
Last but not least, the master bedroom is the room Tanner is most proud of, featuring a simplistic king-size bed, an additional sitting area that overlooks the view of the home, and a stunning bathroom with a mirror that spans the entire wall.
This year marks the first year that Tanner Vine Interiors and Minto Communities have partnered up to create the Minto Dream Home.
Tanner has been an interior designer for almost 20 years, studying in Montreal in his early years and slowly moving into residential design for kitchens and bathrooms.
“This is the first time I’ve ever designed a home with a large platform like this,” he says. “Everyone including La-Z-boy has been very warm and inviting to me, which made me feel very comfortable.”
With the Minto Dream Home being the biggest project he’s done, Tanner felt like he shouldn’t overcomplicate the design and keep it simple. “I decided to do a modern interpretation of a Belgian farmhouse design, blending traditional architecture with simple and natural colours,” he says.
Tanner felt like the process of picking La-Z-Boy products was very smooth. Although he wasn’t able to see everything he wanted in the showroom in person, the catalogue of furniture made him feel inspired to choose modern and simple products that would complement the overall idea of the home.
Other than the typical furniture delays with custom furniture, Tanner felt like the rugs might’ve been the harder decor item to coordinate with the rest of the pieces selected.
“Either the rugs I chose were either too big or too small or just too expensive,” he chuckled as he mentioned one of his first choices being over $72,000! “But it all worked out in the end and I think the rugs I chose compliment the floors and the furniture nicely.”
Minto Describes this year’s home as full of, “relaxation, flexibility, well-being, and a sense of togetherness.” But overall, The Oasis, along with other Minto dream homes, is full of optimism and hope.
For the last 24 years, Minto communities have proved over time that the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery brings people together for a worthy and charitable purpose. “The Minto Dream Home stands as a beacon of hope, community spirit and exceptional design. It’s a full team effort with a singular goal: give CHEO children and their families hope for a brighter future.”
With so many families being affected by tough decisions for their sick children every year, the CHEO Dream Home touches the hearts of many in the community.
Although there has been some relief from the strenuous years of the pandemic, there are still many obstacles that face hospitals every day. Physician shortages are at an all-time high and hospital employee burnout is affecting a lot of healthcare workers.
"Every ticket purchase has a positive impact on the lives of the children, youth and families that rely on CHEO for care and support," said CHEO Foundation president and CEO, Steve Read.
With such a worthy cause, Tanner hopes to come back next year and help contribute his work to a compassionate and heartfelt project.
A Family-run business, La-Z-Boy is a proud main sponsor of the Minto Dream Home. Furnishing these homes since its inception, we hope to continue contributing to such a worthy cause for many years to come.
Cecile Panet-Raymond, La-Z-Boy Ottawa & Kingston’s Merchandising Director, has worked on and represented this project for almost 15 years. Each year, Cecile assists and works closely with the interior designer and creates the Dream Home they envision.
Since this was Tanner’s first year working with Minto and La-Z-Boy, Cecile felt like he was very organized and thorough from the very beginning, “He came into the store with a great sketch with 3D drawings, which made it so much easier to make his vision come to life using our products,” she says.
Cecile also ensures that all products are available to order and that everything stays on budget for both parties. Planning for each Dream Home starts as soon as the last home is launched to the public.
“All orders went through smoothly with manageable timelines,” Cecile says.
When it comes to Cecile’s favourite furniture item in the home, she mentions the Paxton Sectional in the basement, which has made many appearances in the dream home before.
“We've featured the Paxton sectional often in the dream home but this year's cover is one of my favourites. It's a gorgeous low-pile velvet with a touch of sheen and with a super soft and cozy hand. Perfect for lounging in and watching movies. So luxurious looking and feeling!”
Now that you know why the Minto Dream Home is important to many, you might be interested in helping contribute to the worthy cause.
You can make a difference in the Eastern Ontario community by simply entering the draw for Dream of a Lifetime prizes.
Early prizes include winning a 2024 Ford F150, a Yamaha 195S Sport Boat or $100,000 in cash (order before midnight Sep. 20, 2024); two tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan at the Canadian Tire Centre, plus $50,000 (order before midnight Oct. 25, 2024); and the Early Bird Prize, which includes $250,000 in cash (order before midnight Nov. 15, 2024).
For the Dream of a Lifetime Lottery, which includes winning the Minto Dream Home, getting a ticket is as easy as ordering one online or by calling 1-877-562-5437. Grand prize tickets cost $100 each.
Doors to tour the Dream Home will remain open until December 2024, which is when ticket ordering will also close. You can find this year’s home at 845 Companion Crescent. The lucky winner of the grand prize will be announced at the beginning of the year in January.
Lastly, If you like the furniture and decor of this year’s Minto Dream Home, don't forget to visit our showrooms! Visit us at one of our local Ottawa or Kingston La-Z-Boy locations or schedule a visit online.
Our design consultants and interior designers at La-Z-Boy would be happy to help you find the furniture of your dreams to help you build your own dream home.
If you’re interested in learning more about past CHEO Dream Homes, take a look at these articles:
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A Catalogue of the Furniture in the 2023 Minto Dream Home
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A Catalogue of the Furniture in the 2021 Minto Dream Home