June 13, 2016

The value of an interior design professional when renovating

Hand in hand with a robust real estate market in the Toronto area is a booming renovation industry.  Whether to increase the value of their home, for aging in place, or for the sheer enjoyment of their property, homeowners are investing in their homes.

And they are investing in the value of an interior design professional.  We’ve never been busier helping dozens of clients through their renovations.   Our process involves planning everything so that the journey should be pretty seamless.  There are always bumps and turns in the road no matter how much planning is done.  But following a plan makes it so much easier especially together with someone who has ‘been there, done that’.

Our process begins with determining the parameters of the project in terms of function, scope,  look and budget.  Then once the layout has been established the design magic begins! Concept drawings are drawn up and the finishes for cabinetry, counters,  flooring and tiling get selected.

In our first example below the bathroom was completely swathed in Venatino Marble and some Carrera accents.  Details such as the tudor leaded glass inserts, crystal knobs, and scalloped furniture-like base on the vanity all add to the sophisticated and elegant look this client was looking for.

custom bathroom renovation

And of course, we love to specify all the ‘pretty’ too, like mirrors, art and lighting:  the jewellery of the room.  Its in these layers that you often get the ‘wow’.  Pre-planning them as part of the overall scope and budget of the project makes for a more satisfied client.  The chandelier below was placed above the freestanding tub and co-ordinating shaded sconces used on either side of the mirrors.

chandelier crystorama

And here is the end result.

Nobleton bathroom ensuite renovation

 

In a second bathroom re-design we combined 2 smaller bathrooms that were back to back and made 1 large bathroom.  The layout worked out perfectly symmetrical with windows on both ends of the bathroom.  This bathroom was to be elegant but a little more relaxed which was more in keeping with the home.  We did a carrera marble subway tile half way up the wall and a beautiful ‘carpet’ inlaid into the carrera tile on the floor using a smaller herringbone marble tile.  Instead of a freestanding tub (which hubby wanted) we opted for a panelled drop in tub.

Thornhill bathroom renovation

The photo on the left above shows how we laid out the tile on floors and walls.  It is missing the herringbone ‘carpet’ we added to the design later. Essentially this gives the client a very good visual of what the end result will be.  We’ve sketched in vanity sconces and soft roman shades.  The lighting, window coverings and paint colours were all pre-selected from the beginning.  And this was the final result…

 

thornhill bathroom renovation

 

In the final example below, we included some beautiful Anna French wallpaper to dress it up.  It complemented the beautiful Oriental White Marble that was used in this room. One of the client’s biggest requirement was better storage in her small ensuite bathroom.  By reconfiguring the walls by 6 inches we were able to give her a larger vanity with a tower mounted on it for extra storage.  It came together beautifully harmonizing patterns for a fresh English new-trad look.

richmond hill bathroom renovation

The process is pretty much the same in every case:  the parameters get established, the concept, the layout, the finishes, and then the ‘jewellery’.  But every project should speak about the homeowner.  It should be a design THEY love – not the latest trend.  Unfortunately we don’t get around to professionally photographing most of what we work on.  Just not enough hours in a day but you will catch glimpses of many other projects that are in process if you follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

 

 

 

 

 

    Subscribe to Receive

    Stay tuned for news & updates
    delivered straight to your inbox