Condos offer great room perfect for entertaining

The Regency is a penthouse unit on the fifth floor at The Waterford Condominiums in Des Plaines.

With autumn in the air and the holiday season not far away, family entertaining is on the agenda.

"When you need open space for family entertaining -- for a Halloween party, a Thanksgiving dinner or celebrating the warmth of the Christmas season and New Year's Eve -- the great room in the Regency model is the perfect choice at The Waterford Condominiums in downtown Des Plaines," said developer Ray Franczak, partner in R. Franczak & Associates.

The loft-style Regency model is one of the exceptional fifth-floor penthouse units available at The Waterford. The Regency has two bedrooms, two baths and 1,405 square feet of living space. The modernistic model is priced at $345,900, which includes many design options.

"Step into the foyer of the Regency and you will be impressed with the spacious flow of the great room, which contains nearly 550 square feet of family entertaining space," Franczak said.

The great room starts with the high-end urban-style island kitchen and opens to a dining and living room, and connects via sliding glass doors to the balcony.

"We have brought city living to the suburbs with the new models which showcase sleek interiors with high-end urban finishes, upgraded stainless-steel appliances and open floor plans and soaring, 10.5-foot-high high ceilings that evoke city-style loft living," Franczak said.

Shown as Residence 506, The Regency model with its ceilings is now open for viewing. The model showcases the latest in decorator lighting, Polo-style kitchen cabinets and other decorator accents at The Waterford, a new three-building, 118-unit enclave.

The Regency is one of three newly unveiled models which features interiors that resemble an urban loft residence near downtown Chicago with luxury finishes, lofty light-filled plans with open living areas.

"The Regency model is one of only six unique light-filled, spacious and airy penthouse located on the fifth floor at The Waterford," said Lynne Gregg, sales manager for R. Franczak & Associates.

"These special fifth floor units were customized by our design team to include 10½-foot ceilings that and eight-foot interior doors, as well as light beech wood floors through the main living spaces."

The Regency penthouse also features designer paint colors, granite with Italian marble mosaic tile back splash 42-inch Cherry Mocha Polo cabinetry, an upgraded stainless-steel appliance package and custom three-inch window and door casings and five-inch baseboards with solid two--panel doors.

"Buyers are getting the trendy 'downtown' finishes and floor plans without the city price tag," Gregg said. "We've combined urban-like interiors with a quiet suburban neighborhood location, complete with tree-lined streets and kids on bikes."

The Waterford is located on the site of the old Des Plaines library building, 799 Graceland Ave., at the intersection of Graceland and Thacker near downtown Des Plaines. Franczak currently is marketing the second and third buildings of the development.

Building II at The Waterford is nearly 75 percent sold with deliveries now taking place. Prices for the remaining units range from $312,400 to $379,900.

Phase III at The Waterford offers a choice of a one-bedroom-plus-den, two-bedroom, two-bedroom-plus-den and three-bedroom-plus-den floor plans with one or two baths and 1,130 to 1,856 square feet of living space. Phase III prices start from $269,900. The first residents have already moved into their condominiums.

Examples of some of the luxury appointments included in the residences at The Waterford are: a stainless-steel General Electric appliance package, which includes self cleaning gas range, 21.8 cubic-foot refrigerator, dishwasher, built-in vented microwave and a full-size washer and dryer in white.

Buyers also have a selection of Corian or three-quarter-inch granite counter tops in the kitchen and custom cabinetry.

Other standards include: wood or ceramic kitchen flooring, white colonist or oak trim package, brushed nickel hardware by Schlage; lighting package, kitchen islands per plan; mini-blinds on windows; wood-wrapped windows with deep sills and an indoor heated parking space and storage room.

The Waterford was also built on the site of the former Des Plaines library building, and in an effort to incorporate some of the old with the new, R. Franczak restored the facility's famed cupola and made it the centerpiece of the Waterford development.

The Waterford development is located two blocks from the Metra and several restaurants.

To tour the two new models at the Waterford, visit the sales center at 799 Graceland Ave. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (847) 297-6769 or visit www.rfranczak.com.