A Pro Hockey Player and His Family's Amazing Lakeside Home

After more than a decade of moving around, Cory and Shannon Cross built a dream home in Kelowna, British Columbia, where their family could reside permanently. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, Cory had played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League. "His career was coming to a close and I had always wanted to move to Kelowna for the quality of life," says Shannon. "It’s a nice place to raise our family. They wanted their 11-year-old daughter Ayla and nine-year-old son Cale to grow up in a house that they had built themselves."

"We based the entire build on the summer months, wanting to take the outside in," says Shannon. With a open floor plan and organic material palette, the structure was intentionally designed to create a seamless flow between the inside and outside spaces. Working closely with their builder, James Wilson of Wilson Custom Builders, the Crosses were introduced to Kolbe’s VistaLuxe® collection.

"The windows connect you to the natural environment and bring natural light to the home," says Wilson. "You don’t want to pay attention to the window itself; you want them to frame the view and disappear. That’s exactly what VistaLuxe does."

The design called for clean lines, which they included by incorporating flush-style, black-framed windows—seamlessly tracing the frame of the structure. "Kolbe had that look that we wanted, from the inside, but mostly from the outside," says Shannon. The windows open the house to ample natural light and a sublime, panoramic outlook, connecting the family to Okanagan Lake. "We organized the plan so every room has that view," says Cory.

"Our home replicates how we are as a family: it is important for us [that] it has a warm feel," says Cory. Having always been a family on the move, they wanted comfort and stability—a space where they could entertain their family and friends. The oversized VistaLuxe Collection windows and doors allow the boundary between inside and outside to evaporate, creating a minimalist design that is intimately connected to the outdoors. "We live in a great home in a city with a magnificent climate—we can share it all there," says Shannon.