Well. I don’t often write about what can go wrong on a jobsite. But, being in the world of design and construction, the odds are, something will go wrong every once in a while. Welcome to the bathroom renovation project we are calling Murphy’s Law. What ever could go wrong, did. BUT, because our team is so dedicated and so honourable, our client never had a thing to worry about, and in the end, their master bathroom is just perfect. When our clients called, I was very happy to hear from them. Several years ago we did their kitchen and main floor. Last year, it was his parents kitchen. And now, they trusted us once more to renovate their bathroom, and do a few other things in the house. Before Here is a before photo of their bathroom: The bathtub took up a LOT of space. The shower was super tiny and the vanity didn’t offer the type of storage they wanted. To save a little on the budget, we tried our best to keep the plumbing as close as possible to it’s existing location. That’s a cost savings that most people don’t really consider. It costs a lot […]
I am humbled. There comes a day, in most adults lives, if you have been working at your career long enough, when being humbled happens. Click. Humbled. For me, this happens often. Over our years, as we grow, our lives change, we move in different directions, our friendships morph as well. People we once saw and spoke to daily become people we see at parties. Our neighbours, specific friends, people we make time for, take the front seat. As does, in my married life; swim class, ski lessons, guitar, gymnastics, school, playdates, travel, blah blah. But it is when those people, those friends, whom you facebook with but never see, never speak to, when they call you and they ask: “Can you help us. Can you do our home.” That’s the moment. Click. Humbled. They are going to trust me. Me. The person they knew when I started my business 16 years ago. The person who they saw dance at 2am, pre-married, pre-kids, act like a buffoon, me. Yes, I was once an unruly young adult. It’s true. And those people, whom I still love dearly, they want to hire me. It’s happened twice this year. Once, I got to create […]
April is national stress awareness month. Sounds gross. Feels worse. Stress is a real thing, unfortunately. My assistant found this statistic: At least 1/3 of Canadians feel that they are constantly under stress because they are trying to accomplish more than what they can effectively handle and not taking the time to decompress often enough. That’s a mouthful. It gives me a headache just reading it. So, how can we help? No, I am not coming over with a giant glass of wine. I am not babysitting your kids or making breakfast. But here’s some really good advice, and a few things we can do to ease your troubled mind. You aren’t a contractor or a designer. So plotting to do your own renovation may be a little overwhelming. I can most definitely say, do a little Google-search, and find the perfect team to help you with whatever you plan to do at home. If you’ve read my past blogs, I have discussed at length, the things you should look for in a good team. But what are some essential things a designer can do to guide you into a less stressful life? Here’s a list: 1.We can create […]
Why a second opinion, and possibly a third, is sometimes necessary. When Sonia and Jay first called us in, they had spoken to other contractors first. I can’t remember if it was 1 or 2. What I do remember, is they had some grand plans for their main floor, and when they laid it all out for me, I truly felt they were planning too much for their space. Their intent was to open up their kitchen to their den/living room/family room, whatever you want to call it. For a townhouse whose main floor consisted of those two spaces plus a dining area, in my opinion, it seemed a bit much. I am fully aware that the new “in thing” is to have giant, open spaces. But those spaces should make sense to the home and the lifestyle of the people in it. Also, budget is always a factor. If you spend more money on a renovation than your home’s value can tolerate, then A) you have to live there for many years to recuperate your investment or B) you can never leave without a loss. So, a part of what any good designer or contractor does, is evaluate that […]
I have been working in the design industry for over twenty years now. Most of those years have been fabric filled. It’s really an obsession of sorts. My reps come to visit my office, they bring armfulls of new books. The books are filled with swatches of new and exciting fabrics, textures, colours and patterns. The smell of the fabric fills the room. The colours bounce around and the patterns dance like butterflies around my head. Okay that’s super hokey. But seriously. One the the best parts of my job is finding the perfect fabrics for a space. Drapery fabric. Makes a statement. Warms up a room. Creates mood and a luxe vibe. As long as ice-cream kiddie fingers aren’t grabbing them, they will look good for a really long time. And furniture! Who doesn’t love a soft velvety sofa with cushions that scream pretty, or industrial or chic or fun or bright or carribean or a combo of any of those and so many more! Those toss cushions! How we designers love thee! And how many hours have I spent picking out the perfect fabrics ?!?!? It sometimes drives me mad. But it’s fun. And I love it. […]
Where did the blog go? It’s been over a month! It’s been forever!! I want to see pictures of the renovation! Of the kitchen! Send me something! What happened to the Designer’s Renovation Journey? Those are some of the comments we’ve received lately from readers and clients. Thank you so much for keeping in touch and caring and reading my words! We were a bit trapped. Unable to post new pics of the kitchen, because…well, until just yesterday, they belonged to someone else… In the early fall I received a call from someone at MOVATO Home. They publish several home magazines, including Toronto Home Magazine. “We’d like to feature your kitchen in the magazine. It needs to be complete and ready for photos by January.” Who says no to that? I was so excited. The Article from the Toronto Home Kitchen issue is below. You can pick up a copy at most newsstands, Chapters, Indigo, Amazon etc. Or you may get a copy from me…I have a few… The Deadline Steven (husband who is basically doing the work all on his own), was not so pleased with the deadline. He looked at me, knowing very well that my January deadline […]
How are you? The sun is out right now, makes for a better day. It’s been gray for a month and the sun feels like a welcome old friend. Sort of how our past feels, isn’t it? Memories of childhood are like an old friend that comes to visit every once in a while, to remind us of our youth, the day we tried bobbing for apples, the first time we tie-dyed a shirt or had a sleepover or jumped in puddles or had our first glass of wine. The smell of coffee that takes us back to summer days when our mothers sat around on lawn chairs in the back yard and we huddled in corners planning “shows” to torture them with. It’s nice. Even if there were hard times, there is always some nice. Some jumping through sprinklers, some ice cream, laughter that made Coca-Cola come out your nose. Finding Bits of our History When we started ripping up the bedrooms, it was just a gross experience (read back to the first or second blog about it). But a few days in, tearing out the floors, my brother in law, Ben, and I found old newspapers plastered to the […]
HI!! Sorry, am very behind on blogging regarding the renovation. We took a 2 week hiatus from online stuff over the December holidays, and have been so busy upon our return that social media has basically been the last thing on the schedule. But this morning, after spending the weekend unpacking boxes (our POD was returned on Friday), and organizing the main floor and the basement, it dawned on me that I been living in chaos for six months. And, although this isn’t super educational, it’s funny, and insane, and will make for some fun reading. Besides, I have zero brain power right now to write anything of a serious nature. Before I go any further: THANK YOU! You are my outlet, my friends, my clients, my place to rant today. I don’t often rant for a whole blog. But hey, it’s my blog and at the moment, I need the therapy. I promise next week to get back to business. The truth is, I would never ask my clients to do this. And as I have posted before, undertaking a renovation of this size, when your very handy husband is doing almost all of the work, is very stressful. […]
Well, last year Santa gave us the task of working on his living room design. I think we did a great job. You can see the feed on our instagram from December 2015… This year, we tackled his bedroom which was quite the challenge. It was full of random Christmas items from bygone years (thing #TBT). A bit of overkill if you please. Mrs. Claus was really concerned when we started. “You know, Nicholas really likes to have Christmas all year round. He won’t be happy if you completely take it away.” Then, guiding me out of the room by the elbow, she whispered softly, “But I am a little tired of all the hooplah, if you know what I mean.” She winked. “I wouldn’t mind a little more…glam.” A giggle escaped. She really was looking for a change. Often, as a designer, I encounter times when husband and wife have different ideas about what they are looking for in design, function and budget. It’s like being a home therapist. We have to balance their desires, without making either feel that their opinion is worth less. It’s delicate. But can be, and is often, a part of what makes us […]
Renovation Stumbles and Tumbles SO this week I was supposed to write about the den. And although that’s fun, to be honest, I haven’t really finished that design, and many more interesting things have happened during this renovation. Let’s talk about the time we tried to put in the beam in our kitchen… There are a lot of things that get “assumed” in a renovation, by both the architect and the engineers. They have to do this, in order to create the plans without tearing your entire house apart. BUT, they are assumptions. And we all know that assuming makes an *&^ out of you and me”. In our home, the one big assumption was that the bearing wall that runs along the house was well built. That it was thick enough, that it had posts and footings that would be needed in order to build up above them. Let’s remember, 1945. The new areas, built in 1971, perfect. 1945…not so much. Let’s get some definitions out of the way: Beam: Horizontal wood or steel beam that is used to hold up the ceiling or floor joists which in turns holds up your floor or ceiling Post: The vertical wood […]