Back to the fall of 1995. The Vancouver Sun VOICES column
Dream Home Lotteries were a new concept – 100 dollars bought a chance to win an upscale house. We splurged and bought a ticket —
The Peace Arch and Delta Hospital Foundations are holding a lottery featuring a $649,0000 dream home as first prize. There are 30,000 tickets, each costing $100. Each purchaser is now sitting, with fingers crossed, hoping that theirs will be the lucky ticket drawn Dec. 21, 1995. I am among them.
‘Please remove your shoes.’ I hope they let me keep the sign when I win the house. We place our shoes in a row of 30 other pairs and enter, in stockinged feet, through the garage entrance of the ‘Win Fall” dream home. There is the hum of voices coming down the hall from the kitchen as we squeeze by other dreamers and make our way toward the main entrance of the home. I want to start my tour from the front door and pretend that I have entered as ‘company’.
The foyer is spectacular. Gigantic front doors, 12 foot ceilings and a view of the entire backyard through the terrace window wall. The living room is elegantly understated; white carpet atop hardwood floors, glass tables and cream-colored furniture. “Can you imagine the Christmas tree we could have in here,” my daughter whispers. We’ll definitely need new decorations, I think, staring at the spot where her imaginary tree stands. The room is roped off, keeping dreaming patrons from becoming too at home seated on the plush furnishings.
The dining room is defined by the back of the couch; the room looks huge. Murals are painted on walls, decorator curtains frame the windows and gas flames dance in the white marble fireplace. It’s an airy, open, room and very clean. We will obviously need to make some major lifestyle adjustments when we move in.
My girls and I ogle as we wander through the main floor. Decadence beyond our wildest dreams greets us with each turn. One could really grow accustomed to such luxury, each room tastefully decorated and elegantly presented, we contemplate the party we could throw in the bathroom off the ‘master suite’. I can picture myself reading in the chair in the corner of the bedroom the clutter of my current room stashed away in those huge walk-in closets.
Upstairs, my girls select their bedrooms in the absence of their brother. The absentee child becomes the central point in an argument over which wallpapered room would be appropriate for him. Logic winning out, the girls choose the rooms joined by a bathroom for themselves. They do some imaginary furniture rearranging leaving their brother an empty room to furnish himself.
The kitchen has floor to ceiling cupboards and black-faced appliances. There isn’t a sticky fingerprint to be found. I open the cupboard doors, picturing neat rows of color-coordinated Tupperware, complete with appropriate lids, sitting at eye level — no more kneeling and rifling through bins of plastic containers. If the condition of one’s cupboards does in fact reflect the state of one’s mind, I might be considered sane in a kitchen like this.
The basement family room is unfurnished — aside from the fact that all of our current furniture will have to fit into this one room – it appears quite ample for teenage parties and television watching. Yes, we could be quite comfortable here.
The investment of $100 for a ticket on the dream home seems a small price to pay for such a luxurious possibility. Although there are 30,000 printed tickets, you can’t win unless you have one. There is only one home to be won; 29,999 ticket holders will win only the dream portion of the prize. Chances are my ticket will be one of those. Between now and the time of the draw I intend to get my money’s worth. Now, for the question of where the dog will be allowed to wander…. dream on!
Comments (1)
Such a good article!
Right there with you.