Noteworthy Mentions Around Town

TOWN

Welcome to our custom content page meant to highlight unique news from the Windsor-Essex region

THE REAL GROUP WITH DORIS & MATT

The Real Group with Doris & Matt is the region's newest and most talked about, luxury-focussed real estate team, leveraging Doris Lapico's 25 plus years of selling luxury properties across WindsorEssex and Matt Biggley's successful track record as a real estate investor. Doris is synonymous with luxury properties, forwardthinking design, and her philanthropic leadership, while Matt spent 15 years serving students and families as a well-known area educator. They've partnered together with their incredible team, Brandi Plantus and Nahid Alam, to offer concierge-level service and bring luxury marketing to their clients, getting amazing results in the process. With years of experience and countless happy clients, The Real Group with Doris & Matt, look forward to sharing their passion for beautiful homes and helping more good people. For more information about The Real Group and to “Get on the List”, please contact Concierge Services at therealgroupdm@gmail.com

DEVOS FURNITURE

In 1981, after 32 years working in the furniture industry, George Devos decided to open a furniture business named Devos Furniture. Along with his wife Georgette, and three children, they have built what has become Chatham's most recognized fully independent family run furniture business. Through years of providing top notch customer satisfaction, quality furniture above and beyond expectation, and everyday exceptional pricing, their business has continued to grow and has satisfied the home furnishing needs for all of Southwestern Ontario. Today, Ryan and Andrea Devos run the family business with the same commitment to all the aspects that have made them successful for over 40 years. Devos furniture is in the heart of historic downtown Chatham at 14 King Street West. Hours of operation are Mon-Fri,10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sat, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. and closed Sunday. They may be reached at 519-397-5288 or visit them online at devosfurniture.ca

CCS ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION

CCS Engineering and Construction is a local, family owned and operated business committed to quality work built on a foundation of trust for every project. Whether you’re looking for a renovation, a custom home build or commercial/healthcare space, CCS engineering and construction can make it a reality. With an in-house design and engineering department, CCS can put your dream to paper, providing sealed drawings and can submit them to your associated township for approval. CCS engineering and construction are proud to have talented project managers as part of the team making sure you enjoy a hassle-free, and entertaining building experience. They proudly service all of South Western Ontario. Please contact them at (226) 499-2227 or visit ccsengcon.com

Modern FarMhouse Colors

french delicacy meets rustic chic.

transform your home using PPG Paintstm modern farmhouse colors. Bring in the softened colors from the popular farmhouse trend featuring clean, minimal and natural elements that are modernized with a sleeker style.

PPG1097-4 dusty trail

PPG1041-1 mOOnlit snOW PPG1025-3 WhisKers PPG1009-2 tOrnadO

PPG1128-2 friVOlOus fOlly PPG1129-5 farm fresh

PPG1025-1 cOmmercial White PPG1022-2 intuitiVe PPG1104-1 White rOcK PPG1058-3 tanGy taffy

PPG1187-6 BOnfire PPG10-04 POlaris

for more information, please contact: Phil Bonadonna Or Michael Marotte 519-974-8855

PPG1010-3 sOlstice PPG1011-7 OnyX PPG1009-4 Gray stOne

PPG1040-6 freedOm fOund

PPG1145-5 scarBOrOuGh PPG1058-5 sunstOne

Building Lifestyle into Our Homes: Dory Azar Architect Inc.

Photo by Syx Langemann

Dory Azar’s architectural designs take his clients’ dreams and desires and bundle them into the spaces of their future homes.

“It’s like we’re shrink-wrapping someone’s life with walls; we’re taking how they live and building a framework around it,” Dory explains the method behind his firm’s holistic approach to design.

The team behind Dory Azar Architect Inc. works to bring unique homes to the area while also encouraging homeowners not to shy away from their extraordinary visions. “People often want something unique and different, but they worry about fitting in and not offending their neighbours and they wind up living in something they don’t love. I want people to know that while it’s important to consider the context of the neighbourhood, you can do it without being an exact replica,” Dory says.

Dory has built his entire reputation on this belief. When he first established his residential portfolio after working on commercial architecture, Dory began by designing projects that were close to his heart — his own homes.

“I was a nervous wreck,” Dory says about taking the leap with his designs. “But every sale since has shown a higher resale value than other homes in the neighbourhoods and I believe it’s because they’re unique”. When designing those first contemporary homes, Dory considered the size of the other homes in the neighbourhood and used comparable materials that would make the home “fit in” while also standing out with its unique structural features. With each build, he made a list of objectives by asking himself and his family how they wanted the home’s qualities to enhance their existing lifestyles. This approach is what continues to set Dory and his team apart today, as they design around their understanding of how clients live and then build them in with flair. With the decades of experience that Dory and his team have under their belts, clients now know exactly what type of design and energy they’ll receive through the process. “We’ve got enough work out that there’s a style there. It’s a little more contemporary, not so cookiecutter, and is meant for someone who is looking for that special something.”

They take as much pride in the process as they do in the end-result, and they understand that there’s a lot of emotional energy on the clients’ part when designing and building a home. “We always meet them with empathy because we want the process to be as enjoyable as the finished product. We challenge each other, we have fun, and we always make it through together.”

Dory and his team are motivated by the permanence that residential builds hold; how they go from being a kernel of an idea to someone’s home. Once that torch is passed, the homes and their stories outlive the architect and become a part of generations of legacies. That has been one of Dory’s main motivators for focusing on residential work: the influence that could be had and the impact that homes have on people’s souls. “When you’re designing homes, you’re designing something that people can’t wait to get back to after a long day.”

Dory says he and his team can’t get to work fast enough. They spend their days designing good work for good people, and that’s all they’ve ever aimed to do.

You can see more of Dory Azar Architect Inc.’s designs and influence on the community on their website at doryazar.com or you can catch Dory’s high-energy and approachable self on his TikTok channel where he educates on architecture and design trends. D