Creating modern homes in a heritage setting

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Tartan Homes is shaking things up in Russell, a move reflected in its recently unveiled model homes and a name change for its under-construction community in the charming town southeast of Ottawa.

Tartan has been building in Russell for a decade and first partnered with Corvinelli Homes to create Russell Trails in 2013. But that changed last year. in a new development that Tartan is building on its own. Adjacent to the original project, it is called Cornerstone at Russell Trails, partly to reflect that connection by keeping Russell Trails in the name and partly inspired by the area’s heritage. “Some of the streets reflect Russell’s brick (and brick-making) history,” says marketing director Heidi Hayley. Tartan hopes to build more than 300 homes in four phases over the next few years.

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The scenario for Cornerstone is the introduction of new models and new floor plans for the area. There are two single homes that opened on March 2 and four townhomes that were not yet ready at the time of writing but were scheduled to open in late April.

One of those new floor plans is the simple Welland, which is a revamp of their popular Summerhill model.

“We wanted people to see the new and improved version of the home that is probably the most popular we have sold in Russell Trails,” says sales manager Kyrie Warren. “We made some really good design changes (and) people love them.”

Summerhill was earmarked for a 50-foot lot, something Tartan is phasing out in Russell as it rationalizes its portfolio in its communities. The new Welland fits a 44-foot lot and the interior has been reconfigured to allow for a more spacious living room and large kitchen island with an optional attached dining table, shown in the model. “That island is spectacular,” Warren says.

Also new is the option of a fifth bedroom in the basement. “Think about guests or children coming home,” says Anna Riopelle, director of the design center. “It’s a great use of space and doesn’t take away from the rest of the house.” And with the stairs to the basement located off the foyer, it makes access to that lower bedroom more private.

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Decorated for a young, large family, the 2,808-square-foot model is a mix of traditional decor and farmhouse elements in a fairly monochromatic palette of grays, creams and whites with pops of pinks and blues and an array of bird and dog details .

“I wanted it to feel like a cozy home,” Riopelle says. “I imagine holidays with family gatherings. “I wanted it to be traditional, but I didn’t want it to be so formal that it seemed unapproachable.”

That’s part of the reasoning for adding molding to the walls of the dining room, living room and master suite. “They’re fun, but not too traditional” for adding detail and texture to walls, she says.

The Capella is a smaller 35-foot single with 2,282 square feet and three or four bedrooms – the first time Tartan has had a 35-foot home in Russell. Riopelle gave the house a small advantage, causing some visitors to find it “a little shocking for Russell”, although she says that’s a positive. “It’s a little bit different in design than what they’ve seen before in Russell.”

In addition to that edginess, Riopelle uses modern styles and lines but with more rustic and tactile textures. “He puts more emphasis on texture than color; You will see that it is quite neutral.”

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Black on the hardware, spindles and lighting adds contrast, but also had fun with the little deer heads on either side of the fireplace. “There’s been a lot of talk about that.”

Also a hit is the prep kitchen option shown in the model (the standard floor plan has a pantry) and the eye-catching board-and-batten paneling in the living room. While the Welland wall molding is not a design center option, the Capella panels are made for Cornerstone by Tartan kitchen cabinet company, Ottawa Valley Kitchens, and are therefore available as an upgrade.

Typically, when Tartan builds models, they will display one of them with only standard (or included) features and finishes to give buyers an idea of ​​what they can get without having to pay for upgrades. That’s not the case with these singles.

“With just the two singles there, we wanted to highlight some of the floor plan options that haven’t been built before in these models and some of the awesome upgrades that the design center has and the things you can do,” Warren says. “But we still have a standard (model) on the way because we are confident in our baseline; “We just save it for the townhouses.”

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The townhome models that come are Ambrosia, Spartan, Cortland and Gala. The Spartan will be the one with standard finishes.

Living in Russell

Warren says that while the Russell area maintains its small-town charm, it is a very different community today than when Tartan began building there.

“We used to have people from the Russell and Embrun community” as well as people from Cornwall coming into the town, he says. “Now, with the prices, a lot of people who would have bought in Orléans and Findlay Creek are saying Russell’s not that far away and it’s moving… It’s definitely becoming a lot more diverse.”

For a small city, it has many amenities. There are four schools, plenty of shopping, recreation, conservation areas and more. Additionally, an Amazon fulfillment center just down the street has brought jobs to the area and Russell is just a short drive down Highway 417 to Ottawa.

“It has a lot of amenities in such a small area, and it also has a small-town feel,” says Hayley.

For information on how to tour the models, visit tartanhomes.com.

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