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 […]
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. […]
Can you believe it? Fifteen years. It’s still so humbling to me when I sit back and look at what has been built. I remember standing in Monaco. Yes, that place with the famed Casino and the Royal Family. I stood there and looked around me at this perfect place. The streets are magically always clean. It feels like there are little fairies following people around cleaning up after them. The architecture is stunning. Iron adorned balconies, colourful yet tasteful stucco buildings, pretty little cafés and perfectly groomed gardens filled with blossoming, fragrant flowers. I stood there, my eyes scanning the buildings, the sheer drapery billowing in the windows, the sails atop the luxury boats and thought; this is what I want people to think of when they see my business card. I had been working at a drapery store at the time, for about 18 months. My boss had hired me to both sell window coverings, and the bring “design” to his clients. He had been asked for design help, and his solution was hiring me. It wasn’t easy, working for someone else. I was far too independent with my own ideas and goals. Far too honest, which, when […]
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 […]
Monaco Interiors of Toronto Awarded Best Of Houzz 2017 Remodeling and Design Professionals in North America and Around the World Over 40 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Building, Toronto, ON, January 17, 2017 –Monaco Interiors of Toronto, Ontario has won “Best Of Design and Customer Service,” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The renowned and award winning design firm, was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals. The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2016. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2017” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on […]
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 […]
The Kitchen Renovation/Design Do you love to cook? I LOVE to cook. I LOVE to bake fancy cakes. I LOVE to eat (which really explains it). I have a LOT of kitchen stuff. Pots and pans, machines of all sorts, rolling pins and buckets of fondant, cookie cutters, crockpots, you name it. And I want more. It’s my sanctuary, second only to my master bathroom (which doesn’t even exist more than a stud outline at the moment.) Before Working in my last kitchen, the tiny 10 x 11 micro-space, was brutal. LOOK AT THE PHOTOS! It was ugly, zero work space, and I used an 11” Ikea buffet as an island. A remnant from my single days. I couldn’t even roll out a pizza on that thing, let alone chop onions. **This is the photo from the listing when we purchased the home. These are NOT my roosters… When we got the plans for the house done, we expanded the kitchen to double its size. More so because we took down some walls to enable a huge island. And there began my long fall into despair. A journey into a black hole filled with cookie cutter kitchens. A veritable plethora […]