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Every year, Minto communities and the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) partner up to build an immaculate home that anyone would dream of living in. This now being their 23rd year, Minto and CHEO have done it again with this year’s home, The Equestrian.
The winnings for this year’s dream home include $100,000 in cash, a 2023 electric Mustang, 50 gas cards of $100, bi-weekly cleaning for a year, a $5,000 Farm Boy gift card, moving services from Adam’s Moving, legal services from Mann’s Lawyers, and of course, the Minto Dream Home that is fully furnished by La-Z-Boy.
With prizes comprising $3.2 million worth of winnings, there’s no doubt that a lot of work was put into this home.
The proceeds raised by the community go towards high-priority needs in the hospital. In previous years, millions of dollars were equally distributed among all departments covering a wide range of hospital expenses.
As with every year, La-Z-Boy is honoured to be involved in a great local cause! As the doors opened up to the public this past week, we thought we might shed some light as to La-Z-Boy’s involvement, as well as the inspiration behind the design of the home. We will also fill you in on how to enter the draw.
In This Article…
This year’s Minto Dream Home, notably titled The Equestrian, is a British-European-inspired home centred around traditional horse-riding culture.
Establishing itself within a newly built neighbourhood within Minto’s Mahogany, Manotick Community, this year’s home goes back to where most dream homes were made over the years.
Built on a 4,383 square foot lot, The Equestrian stands tall around what will soon become an inviting neighbourhood close to greenery, quiet spaces, and two golf courses! While the exterior does not disappoint with its 3-season patio and semi-private cul-de-sac lot, the interior pays a rich homage to the equestrian lifestyle, creating a bold and distinctive atmosphere.
With so much room to take advantage of, this year’s home satisfies a desire for gracefulness and refinement.
“The Equestrian combines timeless elegance with luxurious design, creating a unique and enviable space you’ll dream of calling home,” says Minto.
While maintaining a European inspiration like last year’s home, Le Rêve, this year’s house makes a complete turnaround from what has come before.
Instead of going light and airy like last year, the design team decided to go dark and moody. But who designed the Minto Dream Home this year? Back at it again for her 6th and final year, acclaimed interior designer, Tanya Collins, teams up with Minto once more to bring another unique approach to a stylish home.
Every year, Tanya feels inspired to elevate the design of the home, and with this being her final year, she decided to go above and beyond.
Looking at the design of the home from the outside, visitors will notice its tall stature, with solar panel tiles indicating its environmental consciousness. Homeowners will never have to worry about veering away from greenery since this home is connected to a protected green space.
It is also the first Minto Dream Home to use geothermal systems to heat and cool the home without fossil fuels.
Within the interior, first-time visitors will be taken aback by the dark palette shown throughout the home, which not many are used to seeing. While we are used to seeing neutral and lighter colours within our modern interior decor, Tanya says there’s been a global shift toward rich and warmer colour tones.
“The Equestrian has a luxurious and aristocratic feel, and you can tell by the dark navy blues, hunter greens and cherry burgundies. It’s a welcoming change, and an example to not be afraid of using rich and warmer textures.” says Tanya.
There are also modern integrations like the pull-out storage laundry room, the integrated kitchen appliances and the fully outfitted media room in the basement.
Tanya highlights many design elements she enjoyed adding to the home this year. The Equestrian’s open-concept living area, for example, is one of the first main rooms guests see, which is joined by the dining area and the kitchen.
The living area definitely stands out as the spotlight for the first floor, which is apparent with its caramel-coloured sofas from La-Z-Boy. These Mackenzie Sofas are covered in cognac leather and naturally pop off the darker walls.
Tanya also highlights the kitchen as one of her favourite spots. “The kitchen is a room I’m really proud of. It has brass inlay details across the marble counters and centre island. It was made to intentionally look like heavily stained marble, which adds character to the room,” she says.
Lastly, the herringbone patterned runner on the stairs leads to the showstopper of The Equestrian, the master bedroom. Taking inspiration from European hotels, this primary suite features a unique bed frame that includes custom leather and button tufting that is irresistible.
There is also a beverage centre situated within the walk-in closet that you can take advantage of while having a drink with a friend outside the private balcony adjacent to the master bedroom. And who could forget about the primary bathroom, with its luxurious bathtub in the centre of the on-suite.
As mentioned earlier, Minto Communities and Tanya Collins Design have worked together to create the Dream Home for the last 6 years.
With two decades of experience under her belt, Tanya certainly knows a thing or two about creating a beautiful and extravagant home.
The CHEO Dream Home is a passion project Tanya looks forward to every year. Everything you see within the home was brought to life, thanks to her brilliant and creative vision. And with this being her farewell year, she decided to close the door with a bang.
“Every year I try to do something dramatically different from the year before. I try to challenge myself to create a design that nobody could predict,” she says.
Choosing to step down as the interior designer for the Minto Dream Home, Tanya says it’s time for a change. “I love this project and, as you can see, I put my heart and soul into it, but I think it’s time for someone else to experience that for themselves,” she says.
Since last year’s design was inspired by the Parisian style, she thought she’d take another European-inspired design, but add a twist.
Tanya says that the process behind picking furniture from La-Z-Boy was much better compared to previous years. “It was a dream compared to what we had to go through during COVID.”
Other than a few accessories unavailable, there were very few obstacles and challenges with furniture selection.
The only furniture piece that took the longest to arrive was the custom king-size bed in the master bedroom. “This tufted bed was only available in fabric but I wanted it in leather so it would match with the rest of the home’s furniture. Even though the process was a little challenging, we were able to pull it off and I’m very happy with how it turned out.”
Minto Describes this year’s home as full of, “relaxation, flexibility, well-being, and a sense of togetherness.” But overall, The Equestrian, along with other Minto dream homes, is full of hope.
For the last 23 years, Minto has proved time and time again that the Dream of a Lifetime lottery helps bring people together for a charitable purpose. “We all have a role to play, from trade partners and media relations to the entire community. 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 each and 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, when CTV News Ottawa announced the winner of last year’s home.
With such a worthy cause, Tanya says it best in regards to giving back to the CHEO Foundation, “Having met so many families over these last 6 years, we are truly honoured to give back to such a worthy cause. It keeps me motivated as a designer and it really has inspired us to elevate the design every year.”
La-Z-Boy’s Ottawa & Kingston locations are a family-run business. With such a family-oriented environment, what better way to give back to the community than this opportunity? Since the very beginning, each dream home has been furnished by La-Z-Boy and there are no signs of stopping.
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 she and Tanya have worked together for a while, things on La-Z-Boy’s end were also smooth sailing this year.
“The process was quite straightforward this year,” Cecile begins, “Tanya and her team have grown accustomed to our product offerings in the past 6 years and they used a software program that I was able to access and contribute to. It helped us keep things organized by room.”
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 says, "All of it of course!” One of the La-Z-Boy pieces she does mention, however, is the Alani Sectional in the media room. “The navy blue fabric layered with plaid pillows against dark walls is especially cozy and inviting.”
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 two front-row tickets to Bruce Springsteen’s 2023 international tour at the Canadian Tire Centre (order before midnight Sep. 29, 2023); winning a car, an RV or $100,000 in cash (order before midnight Oct. 27, 2023); and the Early Bird Prize, which includes $250,000 in cash (order before midnight Nov. 17, 2023.)
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 15th, 2023, which is when ticket ordering will also close. You can find this year’s home at 364 Flare Grove. The lucky winner of the grand prize will be announced at the beginning of the year on January 4th.
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 2022 CHEO Dream Home