Archive for Design

A Bakers Dream

Posted by Sheri on

Saturday, November 10th, 2018

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My clients recently purchased a home and were wanting to make some spaces more efficient and user-friendly. On my list was to create a butlers pantry and a closet-makeover. While they were two totally separate spaces, we addressed both areas at the same time. This is Part 1 of a two-part series for this home. For this blog, I’ll be going over the Butler’s Pantry Makeover.

Butler’s Pantry Makeover

The Concept

Let’s start with this space that is located just off of the kitchen. When my clients moved into the home, they did a lot of painting. Part of the painting was the existing cabinets. The gorgeous hood fan in the kitchen is a lovely blue.

Sherwin Williams Ancor’s Aweigh SW 9179

This blue is such a strong and rich statement. We decided to do all of the cabinetry in this color! I have used this color before and was excited to be working with it again! After discussing the items on the ‘wish list’, the conceptual design was created.

Design by Sheri Bruneau

My client loves to bake and there were certain things on her list that she wished for. The items we were adding were:

A tall cabinet to house the cleaning supplies, brooms, a vacuum, etc.
An apron sink.
My clients wished to have their microwave (in a base cabinet).
Floating shelves were a must!

And here is the 3D conceptual rendering of the butler’s pantry makeover:

Butler’s Pantry: Before

Here is what the butler’s pantry looked like prior to the work getting done.

Part of the space was used as a dropping zone for….things.

The previous owner had plumbing in already for a sink and we were lucky there were also outlets at counter height.

Butler’s Pantry: The Reveal

The tall cabinet that now houses the cleaning supplies (out of sight).

We chose a beautiful, delicate knob in a Golden Champagne finish. This finish, with the blue cabinets, is just so damn pretty!

For the faucet, we continued with the Golden Champagne finish.

My client LOVES to bake and can’t wait to use her new space!

Butler’s Pantry Makeover

This was such a great space to create. I absolutely loved working with my client and I wish to give her a special shout-out. Our initial conversation started in March of 2018. I had mentioned that I was pretty booked but she patiently waited for me to fit her in. We had a couple of long delays with things (no fault of anyone – just an extremely busy renovation summer). In the end, although this space took longer to get it all done, I am extremely grateful for such great clients. In a recent email, my client said,

Love my Pantry! It so much fun to work in.

Coming next week I’ll be showcasing their master closet makeover! I hope you stay tuned.

One Room Challenge Week 4: Baseboards in a bathroom

Posted by Sheri on

Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

in Bath, Design, Interior Design, renovations

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I have just completed week 4 of the One Room Challenge™. If you’re stopping by for the first time and are not sure what the ORC is, you can read all about it here. A big shout-out to Better Homes and Gardens who is the official sponsor this year as well! This week, I’m bringing up the topic of baseboards in a bathroom. Who knew this topic was such a hot one?

One Room Challenge

A Little Background

For my ORC, I am renovating our main bathroom. You can read about the whole masculine design plan here.

What happened this past week?

First of all, the pretty is being installed! This past week, the floor tile and the tile for the bath/shower walls were installed. The very first ‘pretty’ that I chose for this bathroom renovation, was the flooring. With the bathroom only being 75 sq feet, I knew I couldn’t go crazy with a pattern. When I went to Deerfoot Carpet and Tile, I looked at a number of tiles and samples (some with colour and some without). As I thought about this design plan, I was leaning towards a black and white bathroom design. Almost immediately when I saw the tile (shown below), I knew it was the one! Although the tile is not black and white, I knew that I was going to incorporate some black elements into this space.

A great big thank you for Deerfoot Carpet and Tile for supplying the tile for my bathroom! Seriously, if you live in the Calgary area and are in need of great service and a variety of flooring and tile options, please check them out!

Baseboards in a bathroom

It seems like baseboards in a bathroom is a pretty hot topic. This exact topic came up in a design group that I belong to and let me tell you, there were some pretty strong opinions on this matter. I also happened to post the question on my Facebook page and people were not shy to give their opinions! First of all, did you know you had options for baseboards in a bathroom?

MDF baseboards

Let’s start by saying this is a hard no. Every. Time! MDF is never a good option in a bathroom. The minute MDF gets wet, it swells. Take a look at the image below. Enough said.

Image Source

Wood baseboards – Pros

Choosing wood is a good option for baseboards in a bathroom. Wood baseboards will not swell when it gets wet. You can continue the look of baseboards that you have throughout your home into the bathroom. Wood baseboards can be stained or painted giving you lots of options to complete your space.

Wood baseboards – Cons

While you can continue the look of your wood baseboards into your bathroom, what I don’t like it is that they still are a pain in the ass to clean. In my own home, the profile of our baseboards throughout our home are 1/2″ in depth. That means that there is 1/2″ ledge to wipe off every week. Do you think they get wiped off every week? No matter what kind of paint you use, there always seems to be dust getting stuck to the wood baseboard. It’s not just as easy as taking a dust rag and wiping them off. That dust is stuck on! Wiping off these bad boys means using a damp rag (and being on your knees). Ugh.

Tile baseboards

I mentioned above that this topic came up in a designer group that I belong to. This was such a fun conversation to watch. You see, I’m a fan of tile baseboards in a bathroom. While I love to use Schleuter® to finish off the edge of the tile, this also can be a bone of contention (as some people love Schleuter® while others detest it). My tile setter is a huge fan of Schleuter®, as is my painter! Nothing says a nice, clean edge like Schleuter®. There are so many profiles and choices these days, including their Schluter^®-FINEC

Image source

Baseboards in a bathroom

In the end, I always review with my clients the pros and cons of each option. I like to educate them with the knowledge and let them decide. It really is a personal choice and I believe both can look nice.

For my ORC, I didn’t ask anyone in my house what they thought. Why didn’t I ask anyone you may be thinking? Who do you think cleans the baseboards? Who do you think even notices the baseboards? See why I didn’t ask anyone in my family for their opinion on this matter? Remember, this is going to be our son’s bathroom and I know there will be some hot, steamy showers happening in this space! I also want to point out that while I am drawing attention to the tile baseboards, once everything else is installed, you most likely won’t even see those baseboards!

While I knew I was going to go with tile baseboards, one thing you may not know is that you need to let your tile setter know how high the baseboards should be. In keeping with the same height as our other baseboards in our home, I had the tile baseboard installed at 4” high (which is what the rest of the baseboard height is in my house). Here are what my tile baseboards look like – with Schleuter®.

The transition between our hall and the main bathroom. The blue floating shelves are not installed yet!

Here’s a little sneak peek video of how the bathroom is coming together after week 4.

I know, I know….some people hate the tile baseboards while others like it. For me and my home, the decision was all based on function. I was not going to be wiping any more dust off the wood baseboards. I went for simplicity with the function over the ‘pretty’. I would love to hear (and see) what you have done with baseboards in your bathrooms!

What’s on deck for Week 5?

On deck for week 5 is (taking a deep breath):

Vanity install
Countertop Install
Plumbing install
Electrical install
CLEAN
Start to install décor items

I look forward to sharing this space with all of you!

One Room Challenge Week Three: Bathroom Fixtures and Accessories

Posted by Sheri on

Wednesday, October 17th, 2018

in Design, Interior Design, renovations

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It’s week three and we are half-way through the One Room Challenge™. Things are progressing very nicely in our main bath renovation/refresh project. Although we hit a tiny snag with the minor bathtub damage, that was quickly fixed and we continue to move ahead – just as I have planned out in my Renovation Calendar. This week, I won’t be sharing a ton of updated images as it was a boring week – drywall. There really isn’t any pretty getting installed yet! What I do wish to share are all of the bathroom fixtures that I have chosen for this space.

Please note, the products listed below contain an affiliate link. While these links are at no additional cost to you, I will earn a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As I write about the products below I wish for you to know the views expressed in this blog are totally mine.

Bathroom Fixtures

As you may know, the design for this main bathroom falls on the ‘masculine’ side. Although a Champagne Bronze finish would look fantastic with some of the choices I have made for this bathroom, it really doesn’t say ‘masculine’ does it? I knew immediately, I was going to go with matte black!

Sink Faucet

The bathroom fixtures are my supporting fixtures for this entire space. I knew that doing a ‘standard’ faucet (coming out of the counters) was something I did not wish to do. I really wanted the sink faucet to come out of the wall. When I contacted my plumbing rep (Laura at The Ensuite), I told her that I wished to have the faucet come out of the wall and for it to be matte black. I let her know that I was designing a more masculine feel for this bathroom. Laura showed me the line from Delta Faucets and I instantly fell in love with the look.

Get this faucet here.

Shower Faucet

In keeping with the same line from Delta, I knew I wanted to have a shower head that was a hand-held shower head. You know what it’s like cleaning a bath/shower and by having a hand-held shower head, it was the perfect choice for it to be functional in the space. I have to say, it’s not bad to look at either!

Get the Valve and Trim here

Get the Shower Head here

Accessories

I knew that I needed 2 robe hooks for the towels. After debating back and forth about a tissue holder, I decided to order one and if I ended up not using it, it would not be the end of the world. I have a little surprise that involves the robe hooks. I am going to save that little surprise for the final reveal!

Get the tissue paper holder here.

Get the robe hook here.

Bathroom Fixtures

As you may see, the lines of all of the bathroom fixtures are strong and have a bit of a masculine feel to them. They are the perfect additions for this One Room Challenge™ and I can’t wait to see them installed!

Coming up for week four is super exciting! Here is what is on deck:

My tile installer will start to install the tile for both the bath/shower walls and the floor. I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve changed the bath/shower wall tile. Wait until you see what I’ve chosen!
The painter is going to come in and start painting the walls and ceiling. I did not scrape all that darn popcorn off not to have that fifth wall painted white!

Oooo…I get so excited when the pretty starts to get installed! I hope you continue to follow along with my journey!

Mixing fixture brands in a bathroom: Should I do it?

Posted by Sheri on

Sunday, September 9th, 2018

in Bath, Design, renovations

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When the functional design is all solidified and the time comes to start choosing the pretty, mixing fixture brands is a common question that is asked by clients.

Is it ok to mix brands in one space?

Starting Oct. 1, I will be starting two bathroom remodels and this was the exact question that my client asked. While she liked the faucet from one brand, she loved the shower valve from another brand. So what’s a person to do? Should you be mixing fixture brands in a bathroom, kitchen, or other spaces?

Please note, this specific blog contains affiliate links. While these links are at no additional cost to you, I will earn a very small commission if you click through and make a purchase. As I write about the products below I wish for you to know the views expressed in this blog are totally mine.

Collections

Brands do a good job of curating collections. This can make it easy to choose one collection and use it for the entire space.

Here is a sample of what Brizo has put together for their collections.

While it is convenient to choose one collection for your space, it is very common for interior design professionals to mix brands to ensure the look and feel is perfect!

Mixing fixture brands

Style

When I work with clients to design their space, we spend a lot of time together working on the function first. In those meetings, I really start to get a sense of the style that my clients are leaning towards. Some common words used may be:

contemporary
modern
traditional
minimalist
industrial
mid-century modern
transitional

Once the style is determined, we can start to look at choices.

Finish

I am a strong believer that a finish plays a huge role in the look you are going for. Here is the same faucet in four different finishes from Delta.

Image source

Is there a finish above that fits better with a contemporary feel vs an industrial feel? You bet there is!

Mixing

I’m a huge fan of mixing brands IF it means we get the look and feel we are going for.

Sink Faucet for the Main Bathroom

Image source

This faucet falls in the modern category (which my client was looking for). Right off the start, it was mentioned that this faucet above was too contemporary and too ‘chunky’.

Image source

My client loved that this faucet had a modern feel to it, yet the handle had a curve to it making it feel a bit more feminine. This was the winner!

Shower Valve

The single-faucet Hansgrohe faucet was the faucet that my client really liked (shown above). When we started to look at shower valves, she didn’t like what Hansgrohe had to offer in the same line for the shower.

Image source

My client wanted that modern look. Riobel offered a great choice.

Image source

Shower Faucet

We also decided on going with the shower rail that Riobel had to offer.

Image source

Again, a more modern feel without feeling too boxy and large.

Mixing fixture brands

As you can see, we will be using a Hansgrohe faucet and Riobel shower valve and shower faucet – all with a Chrome finish. Both of the handles have a little bit of a ‘flair’ to them and my client loves the way they work nicely with each other.

©www.gityyc.com

Mixing fixture brands

One word of caution

As you can see, we are going to be mixing fixture brands in the upcoming bathroom renovation. As you also know, we are going to be using Chrome as our finish. Chrome is a good finish to mix and match brands because there really isn’t a lot of difference between the brands. Matte black is also a pretty easy finish to mix and match brands. There are finishes where they may not be as easy to mix and match My word of caution to you is that you ensure the finish from both brands is similar (if not identical). Take a peek at the image below.

While the Brizo faucet finished with Luxe Nickel and Polished Chrome is close to the finish that Delta offers (Stainless), they really are a lot different when you see them in person. I would be very hesitant to mix Brizo and Delta in the same space if my clients were going for a softer finish on their fixtures.

Mixing fixture brands in a bathroom can be a great way to ensure that every faucet, valve and trim kit you are going to use fits perfectly with the design you are hoping to achieve. Don’t be afraid to step out of the ‘collections’ to curate the perfect space!

Why the small details in interior design make or break a space

Posted by Sheri on

Saturday, September 1st, 2018

in Design, Interior Design

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When Rick and I were planning our 25th Wedding Anniversary trip, I knew I wanted to go somewhere in Europe. Italy and Greece were on the top of my lists and since we had never been to Europe, our minds were wide open. In true Bruneau fashion, it was me who looked after all of the planning. I’ve never been a huge cruise fan as I can get seasick (and have gotten seasick before). However, we wished to see as many sites as possible so cruising was a great option. By cruising, we believed it was a great way to have a ‘home base’ – a place to come back to at the end of a busy day – and not have to live out of a suitcase.

I compared cruise lines ruthlessly and looked at absolutely everything that was included. I ended up with suggesting to Rick that we cruise with Viking Ocean Cruise Lines. From the minute I saw what Viking had to offer, I knew they paid attention to the small details.

Our cruise ship the Viking Orion

We took the Italian Sojourn 8-day cruise that started us off in Rome and had us ending in Venice. While this was not the cheapest cruise, it is in line with the life lesson, “you pay for what you get.” Being on two different cruise lines in the past, I can see why we paid what we did to be on this ship. From the moment we stepped onto the cruise ship, we were treated with first class service!

Most people boarding the ship (including Rick) gladly accepted the Prosecco and were making their way to the pool deck and most importantly, the bar. Me? I was slowly walking taking in all of the details! As my life revolves around finished spaces, I was looking at the fine details that created the magnificent spaces on the ship. I know all too well that small details in interior design can make a HUGE impact. So what was so spectacular on this ship? What was jaw-dropping?

Small details in interior design

Atrium

Let’s start with the atrium. This is where you typically enter the ship and is the space on the ship that is in the center. This grand foyer is truly stunning. There are three levels where you can sit and enjoy the live musicians. In this spectacular space, everything from the furniture, to the grand staircase (which was covered in Luxury Vinyl Plank) to the cute little rock garden underneath the staircase was carefully thought of.

One of our favorites was resident Guitarist Pablo. Can you get a sense as to how high this area is? The combination of the carefully chosen music with the furniture (see the cream and blue pieces to the left, right and behind Pablo) evoke the sense of emotion of relaxation. Say it with me, “Ahhhhh”

This is a rock garden that is located under the staircase. Although this is a fairly large space, strategically adding pops of colour draw your eye to this little-hidden gem that truly is a work of art.

A mixture of fabric and leather to go with the blue and cream colour theme throughout the ship. Cream tends to be quite soothing for most people. In addition, cream and blue are great nautical colours – perfect for a ship!

Staterooms

When it comes to the staterooms on the Viking Orion, every room has a balcony. Our stateroom was a Deluxe Veranda Suite. The minute we walked in, the nautical theme of blue and cream continued with the décor.

Some small details in interior design in this space that bring it all together are the blue and cream accent colours (a theme throughout the ship). Of course, white, crisp bedding is a must, and don’t forget the ceiling. A ship-lap look (I will admit I stood on the bed and touched the ceiling and it felt like some kind of plastic-y type material) was a great addition to the space.

This little, small interior design detail of wrapping the stateroom door lever with leather was on every room. Rick didn’t even notice until I pointed it out!

This was the door lever going into our washroom. Again, leather wrapped and just a really nice touch.

Washrooms

When it comes to washrooms, there are many ways to incorporate small details in interior design for these spaces. Viking Ocean Cruise Lines outdid themselves with these spaces!

One of the public washrooms (and each one was different by the way) showcasing some extraordinary artwork. A close up is below.

How stunning is this?? And yes, I was praying that no one would walk in as I was taking photos! Notice how the undertone in the floor tile (which is LVT) works so nicely with the undertones of the vanity.

One of the small details in interior design details that were present in every public washroom was… are you ready for this? Birds chirping. Yes! There was a recording of birds chirping in each of the public washrooms. You may be thinking that adding the sounds of birds chirping is tacky. No way – no how! While some of you may think that has nothing to do with interior design, I beg to differ. Evoking emotion, whether it be with colour, sound, textures, etc. are ALL part of creating a space. I thought it was really brilliant to have that addition. Nothing like a little bird chirping happily while you’re busy doing your business!

Other Areas Worth Mentioning

There were so many areas that truly showcased how important the small details in interior design are to spaces. I won’t bore you going through the entire ship, but here are a few that really caught my eye.

The World Café

The World Café, better known as the buffet, was one of my favourite places. The mixture of cream and blue truly is nautical and there were so many small details in interior design that were added to this space.

My favorite spot in the World Café was the back wall across from the main bar. Navy, cream, and a sense of light-heartedness were found in this relaxing space.

In all of the dining rooms, there were small details in interior design that tied everything together.

The dishware was white and blue and I especially loved the glassware that had just a touch of blue to tie everything all together! Not a bad morning view to have a cup of coffee, right?

When I was doing a little research into the ship (ok – you can now call me a dork), I found out that the interior design was developed by London-based SMC Design and Los Angeles based Rottet Studio. Talk about going down a rabbit hole looking at their two websites! I encourage you to hop over to their sites later to see some spectacular work!

This is one of the lounges called the Winter Garden. The detail is just stunning.

Glass stairs kept the front of the ship open and airy. Perfect to watch the ship sail into the sunset!

The service

Can you tell I was absolutely in love with our cruise ship? While the design of the ship was stunning, I do not want to miss talking about all of the small details in customer service. From the minute we stepped on board, we were made to feel like family.

Every time we headed off the ship, we were sent off by friendly staff along with bottles of water for our excursions. When we arrived back on the ship, we were again greeted by friendly staff, bottles of water, and a nice cool washcloth to wipe ourselves off (with temperatures of 38-41 degrees Celsius (100 – 104 degrees Fahrenheit) with an average humidity of 89%, the cool cloth was a nice touch!

How You Doin’?

When we talked with each staff we learned a lot about the countries they were from, their families, etc. If you know Rick you will know his first question was, “Where are you from?” followed by “How long have you been working on the ship?” We are never on a trip where we do not learn a little about someone who has helped us or served us!

What I Learned

I always find that in every situation, there is a learning opportunity. So what was my learning takeaway from Viking Ocean Cruise Lines? Viking reminded me that the small things matter. Whether it is something related to interior designing a space, or customer service – all of the little things you do matter! Whether it is as simple as a toss cushion, a strategically placed light, a cool cloth welcoming you back on board, or fantastic customer service. All of those things add up to make you feel – make you experience. A good reminder for when I work with clients!

My favourite stop of the entire trip, beautiful and colourful Burano, Italy

3 Steps to choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

Posted by Sheri on

Sunday, August 26th, 2018

in Design, Interior Design, renovations

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This past week, there was great progress in our Coastal Vibe project. The kitchen cabinets were installed as well as all of the hardware for the cabinets. As you may know, for this project we are using IKEA cabinets and making some customizations to not make it look like an IKEA kitchen. Part of the customizations includes the cabinet hardware. I thought this would be a timely post to discuss the steps to choosing kitchen cabinet hardware. It’s important to guide my clients in not only picking the ‘pretty’ hardware to go along with the overall design but to also choose the right sizes. In addition, it’s important that the installers know which pull or knob is to be installed on the cabinets. So how does an Interior Designer help you with these decisions? How does being the Project Manager ensure that it’s done properly?

Steps to choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

1. Have the kitchen design plan

When I’m helping clients design a kitchen, the first process is to listen. There are a lot of questions asked about what the cooking habits are, what my clients currently like and dislike about their kitchen, and what their hopes and dreams are. Let’s be honest here, typically the hopes and dreams don’t always jive with the budget. I still like to know the hopes and dreams as I believe it’s my task to try and check off everything on their list! From this stage, a kitchen design is created. There is typically a first draft and then tweaks and changes are made to come up with a final design.

2. Evaluate the use of each box

When the design plan is created, it is important to look at each cabinet. Each cabinet provides a function. Is the function to store pots and pans? Then most likely there will be pot drawers. It would make sense that there would be a cabinet pull on these cabinets. Is the function to store dishware and glasses? Most often this means there will be a hinged door. For this situation, you could use a knob or a pull.

3. Choose the right size & location

For cabinet pulls, the ‘Rule of Thumb’ that I use is to take the total length of the cabinet front and divide that by 3. As with all rules, they are meant to be broken and are often done so (depending on the style of the kitchen, the look you’re going for, etc.). If you are really not sure of sizing, then follow the one-third rule. As for the placement of the pulls or knobs, that will need to be determined with the style of your cabinet doors as well as the look you are going for.

Choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

Seeing it in action

For my Coastal Vibe project, my clients and I looked at a variety of kitchen pulls and knobs. We knew that for most of the cupboards, there was going to be a knob and for most of the drawers we were going to use pulls. I say most as there are 2 cabinets (one in the dry bar and one on the stove wall that do not follow the ‘rules’). In the end, we chose to go with the following hardware from Emtek.

Image source

How I plan it out

Once it was decided which hardware we were going with, I started to plan the correct sizing for each cabinet front. These particular pulls come in four different sizes:

- 3-1/2″ C-to-C Overall length 4 3/4″

- 4″ C-to-C Overall length 5 1/4″

- 6″ C-to-C Overall length 7 5/8″
- 8″ C-to-C Overall length 10 1/2″

As I use the one-third guide for sizing, I take what sizing is available and determine which size pull will go on each cabinet. To show my clients, I actually draw on the plans whether it is a pull or a knob.

You can see that it’s not pretty, I’m actually not very neat, but it gives me the opportunity to ensure every cabinet has been thought of. Here is a closer look at one of the kitchen drawings sheet that I write all over.

I place a checkmark beside the cabinet pulls and knobs after I have triple checked the number I need, and then highlight when I have placed the order.

Ensuring it’s done right

On cabinet install day, I ensure that the handles are set out by each box ahead of time. I use my sheets that you see above to place the appropriate pull or knob for each cabinet. Typically we choose cabinet hardware at least 4 weeks prior to the cabinet install and with many projects, you do not want to make a mistake! My little sheets come in so handy.

Cabinet pulls that I’ve tucked under the boxes for each box.

I also ensure that the installer and myself are very clear on where the placement of each knob and pull will be going.

Reviewing the placement of each knob. Each knob is located inside the cabinet ready to be installed.

The End Result

When you go to all of the effort to plan, you had better see the results you were hoping for. That is exactly what happened!

Pulls and knobs perfectly installed.

Choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

When you don’t have an Interior Designer and/or Project Manager involved, you will be responsible for determining all of the above. Were you aware of how much work and planning were involved when choosing cabinet hardware? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

You’re going to be floored when you learn about Luxury Vinyl Plank

Posted by Sheri on

Sunday, August 19th, 2018

in Design, Interior Design, renovations

| comments: (4)

When it comes to flooring, there seems to be a lot of questions about Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring. I thought this would be a timely post as I just returned from 2 weeks in Italy and Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) was everywhere!

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

What is Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring is a type of flooring that can be installed in numerous applications. The base of the flooring is made primarily of PVC vinyl which allows the flooring to be extremely flexible and stable. The film that is applied on top is a PVC film that is typically a clear vinyl wearlayer. This layer may or may not contain a urethane coating that provides excellent protection.

Image source

Where can you use Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

I am a huge fan of Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring for a number of reasons. The biggest question that is asked is if this flooring can be installed in bathrooms. The answer is

YES!

This is huge as I am a really big believer in keeping flooring as consistent as possible. I love the idea that the flooring in a home does not have to transition to a different type of flooring going into a bathroom.

Our basement bathroom with the Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring

How Durable is Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

When we were on our two week trip to Italy, we were fortunate to be on an 8-day cruise with Viking Cruise Lines on the Italian Soujourn cruise. This is a luxury ocean liner and I have to admit, I was surprised (but not surprised) to see Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring used in a number of areas. Oh – next week’s blog will be all about this fabulous cruise ship!

Our cruise ship when we were docked in Venice.

The grand foyer landing with beautiful Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring.

Image source

Just outside the elevators, some more Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring.

When I discuss Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring with my clients, I often will say that it is as close to being bulletproof as you will get in a flooring (especially if there are kids and/or pets in the home). The flooring that I use in residential designs is 3/8″ thick and is 100% water resistant. Unless you are doing something crazy with a knife, it’s pretty hard to ever scratch or dent the floor. With so many people that are on a cruise ship, I was not surprised at all to see this type of flooring being used.

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring in one of the hotels we stayed at in Rome.

Both images (above and below) showing Luxury Vinyl Plank Floor that was installed in one of my projects. Take note of the stair nosings!

Price of Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

While there are many different brands of Luxury Vinyl Plank flooring, the cost of this product is very reasonable. In Calgary, you can find very good LVP for around $3.80 a square foot. I wish to insert one tip here (and it’s really not a tip but more of a note): you pay for what you get. There are cheaper brands, as well as more expensive brands, out there. It is important to read about the specifications of the brand you are looking at to ensure you are getting what you think you are getting!

Installing Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

One benefit of using LVP flooring is that it is really easy to install. Have you ever hear a hollow sound when you walk on laminate floors? The old ‘tongue and groove’ laminate floors are floating floors, which mean that they float above the substrate and typically have some kind of sound barrier. LVP can be installed directly on the substrate with no ‘floating’. With LVP, you do not and will not, get any clicking sound.

A laminate floor that ‘floats’ and is not nailed or glued down to the substrate (the floor underneath).

Image source

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

As you can see, I’m a huge fan of LVP flooring. The price, the ease of install in combination with the durability is just a win-win for everyone!

Although this post is about LVP, there is also Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) that I also use in a number of projects. LVT is a great alternative when you wish to have a tile look instead of a hardwood floor look. While I won’t go into the pros about LVT, just know that it can give you the look of tile without the thickness of real tile or the coldness that one could feel when you have tile installed.

LVT that I installed (yes – I installed) for a friend’s bathroom refresh project.

I hope this post has helped with giving you some examples of why this kind of flooring is a great choice for busy families, rental properties, and commercial applications that have high traffic.

Thinking of an upcoming renovation?

Are there times when you should compromise during a renovation?

Posted by Sheri on

Sunday, July 15th, 2018

in Design, renovations

| comments: (4)

Have you ever had to compromise during a renovation? In roughly 9 out of 10 projects, this topic comes up. Whether it revolves around compromising on product choices or compromising on a timeline, it does happen.

Compromise during a renovation

Product compromise

When I start to pull a budget together, that’s when the numbers start to roll in and I am given a clear indication on how things are coming together. Typically, the labour budget is the labour budget. There is no bartering with my trades and their cost. They already give me great contractor rates so asking for any kind of ‘discount’ does not happen. Period.

When it comes to products, however, that is where we can really manipulate the budget. I believe,

this is one place that a compromise during a renovation can happen.

Thinking glass half full, the cool thing is typically my clients are I are the only ones who know we have made a compromise. No one else is the wiser (and quite honestly, it really is none of their business either).

Take an apron sink for example. I am currently sourcing items for a Butler’s Pantry. Here is the conceptual design for this space:

Here are 2 apron sinks:

Here are the details of each sink:

Sink A

25″ X 19″ are the measurements
The sink is ceramic and is colored glazed

Sink B

25 1/4″ X 8 5/8″
The sink is fireclay

We are clearly not comparing apples to apples. Sink ‘A’ is larger while both sinks are made with different material. The look of the sinks, however, are very similar. What do you think the prices are for these sinks?

Sink A: $289 (IKEA Canada)

Sink B: $2254 (Kohler Canada)

My client does not wish to spend over $2000 on an apron front sink. We are currently looking at the IKEA sink as it works with her budget.

Colour Compromise

If you have followed my blog or know me, you will know this is a hard no! I am so anal when it comes to colour it’s not even funny. In a recent project, there was a little mix up (ok – a big fuck up) with cement floors. I was having the cement floors redone in a really cool metallic finish. We chose a colour called Steel Metallic. Here is the sample of the floor with the rest of the items we chose.

We had some issues with filling in the lines (the cement floor looked like tile due to lines that were etched into the cement). After a couple of attempts (and delays), it was finally time to get the metallic coating on. Here’s my Facebook Live video where I go into detail about how my bubble was totally burst!

Just Say No!

When it comes to colour, and you clearly have a choice, here is my thought:

Never, ever, ever compromise.

For these clients, even though the floor magically works with everything we picked out, the floors are being changed out. Here is what I said to my client,

I don’t want you coming down to your new basement and hate the floors. I want you to love your space. Our hearts were set on the colour we chose. It is my advice we have them change it.

As my client wrote,

One more week to redo the floor, years to love it. Big picture thinking! It’s the right decision!

Here is how I explained things:

Can you tell I wasn’t getting a ton of sleep over this project!

When I was working on another very large renovation project, we had an issue with the quartz colour. You can read all about that here. In the quartz counter case, the quartz that was delivered and installed in my clients’ home was nowhere near the sample that we received. I provided my clients with advice and the decision was to have the counters changed out! Was there a delay? Yes. Do my clients LOVE their new counters? Absolutely.

Compromise during a renovation

Back to my initial question. Have you ever had to compromise during a renovation? While some compromises need to happen, can happen, and should happen, in my opinion, there are times when you should never compromise. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons (how does this affect the budget and timeline). In the end, the goal is to love your new space! If that means a little delay to get it right, then I say,

DO IT!

I would love to hear if you have had to compromise and if you are happy with your decision to do so.

Trade Day: How to prepare and be organized for your renovation

Posted by Sheri on

Saturday, June 30th, 2018

in Design, Interior Design, Kitchen, renovations

| comments: (2)

This past week, I had a Trade Day at one of our upcoming renovation projects. There was a lot of preparation that went into getting ready for this day so I thought it would make a great post.

First, if you are going to manage your own renovation, this post may give you some insight into how prepared you should be to obtain quotes from any trade.

Secondly, if you are not going to manage your renovation, this will give you an inside look at to all the work that goes into this stage.

Trade Day

First of all, what is a trade day? A trade day is a day where I book a block of time at the renovation site. I invite all of the required trades to meet me to carry out a walkthrough of the site. We discuss what is in their scope of work, we discuss any potential curve balls that we may run into, and we briefly discuss timelines.

For this upcoming renovation project, I met the following:

Electrician
Plumber
Painter
Flooring
Contractor

All the paperwork needed for my Trade Day.

Organizing the Trade Day

In order to get this all organized, I needed to do the following:

Arrange a day/time with my clients.
Communicate with my clients the lists for each trade and add in/delete any task required.
Call/email/contact the above trades to see if they could accommodate the date and time.
Create a schedule for the trades.
Create a list for each trade.
Have the detailed drawings for each trade.

Just so we have total disclosure, the above took a total of 6.5 hours to pull together in total.

Trade Day: Electrical

For this renovation project, the electrical part is the largest part and therefore, has the longest list. Part of the scope is to upgrade the electrical panel, add pot lights throughout the home, add additional light for the kitchen cabinets, and add outlets for the new island.

I always create a ‘conceptual design’ for a lighting plan KNOWING that we will discuss options on site. Together, we make any changes so that the quote that I will receive is the most accurate.

Trade Day: Plumbing

For this project, there isn’t a ton of plumbing changes that will occur. That being said, the home that is going to be renovated is an older home so I need to prepare (both timeline and budget wise) for any curveballs that may be seen. For the most part, the only thing changing is the location of the dishwasher. We will be adding in water lines to both refrigerators. We will also need to relocate a cold air return that currently sits on one wall that is coming down. That means the wall that I have planned to be installed may need to be moved 6″ – 1′ to accomodate this. THIS is something I need to know in advance and I’m happy to make that small change on my plans.

Trade Day: Flooring and Paint

I typically give my painter and flooring guys the same plan. What they really need to know is square footage.

For my painter, he also needs to know how many doors, if he’s including baseboards and casings, how many colours of paint we plan on using, etc.

For the flooring, we need to know who is looking after the substrate (preparation), and what my contractor will be handling and what they will be handling.

Trade Day: Contractor

I left this for the last as the scope for my contractor is the ‘fill in the gaps’ from the above. Some items on this list are:

Demolition of 3 walls in the kitchen.
The new framing of 1 wall.
Install of drywall on the new walls.
Install of all interior doors, baseboards, casing.
Finishing work

Trade Day – Why Do I Bother?

As you can see from the above, there is a lot of preparation and work that goes into planning out a Trade Day. So why do I bother with one? After the trades have their information from me, they have seen the site, they can provide me with a fairly accurate quote. The reason I say

fairly accurate quote

is due to the fact that their quote will not factor in any curveballs that we may run into. While we do our very best to prepare, investigate and plan ahead, there sometimes are surprises and curve-balls that we just did not anticipate. The quote that I receive from the Trade Day also does not include any extras that my clients may add on after the fact.

My Facebook Live video prior to going in for the Trade Day

When the trades have provided me their quote, then the clients and I can continue to source product for their renovation project to pull together a final budget.

I love knowing that I have a number of trade companies that I can call upon for all of my projects. Although I use more than one plumber, one electrician, etc., this is the crew that is going to be working on this project for me. While we look like a goofy bunch, we have a lot of fun working together and I know that these guys truly are part of my ‘A Team’.

Click here to join in the fun!

Farmhouse Sinks and Faucets: get the look

Posted by Sheri on

Sunday, June 17th, 2018

in Design, Interior Design, Kitchen

| comments: (1)

I am currently working with two clients who love the look of farmhouse sinks and faucets. While one client likes the more traditional look, the other client likes the more modern look. As I started to source the farmhouse sinks and faucets, I thought it would be neat to put together some of my findings.

Farmhouse Sinks

While many people know these as farmhouse sinks, what most people really wish for are called apron sinks. When renovating and getting new cabinets, the cabinet needs to be able to fit an apron sink. This means the front of the cabinet needs to have an opening for the front, or apron, of the sink.

Image source

Farmhouse Sink

Here are a few of my favorite finds when I was sourcing farmhouse sinks:

Purchase this sink

This particular sink comes in many colors including this sexy Thunder Grey. The height of the apron (front) is 9 5/8″ and has a beautifully curved corner. And straight from the Kohler website:

Crafted from enameled cast iron, this sink resists chipping, cracking, or burning for years of beauty and reliable performance. A standard apron front makes it easy to install on 36-inch apron-front cabinetry. The Self-Trimming^® design requires only a simple rough cut, overlapping the cabinet face for beautiful results.

Here is the same sink in a Double Basin. Image source for the image below is here.

Purchase this Sink

There are also stainless steel options for apron sinks and this beauty definitely caught my eye!

Purchase this Sink

This Strive kitchen sink offers professional style with easy-to-clean curved corners. Made of thick, premium quality 16-gauge stainless steel, the apron-front sink has a Self-Trimming design that requires only a simple rough cut, overlapping the cabinet face for beautiful results.

For a more traditional look, here is one that I spent significant time looking at for one of my clients.

Purchase this Sink

This beauty only comes in two colors: white and parchment.

Purchase this sink

What I love about a bowed apron front sink is that it gives a nice feminine curve to a space.

Farmhouse Faucets

I know there are many ways to do things, but I typically source the sink first and then source the faucet. Here are a couple of farmhouse faucets that caught my eye for my clients.

Bridge Faucets

A bridge faucet is popular to pair with an apron sink. I love the look of this faucet as it works with both the traditional look as well as a more modern look. This particular faucet comes in Brushed or Polished Stainless Steel.

Purchase this faucet

This faucet below is by far, one of my favorites! For me, it just screams farmhouse style AND it comes in so many finishes!

Purchase this faucet

Single Handle Faucets

Purchase this faucet

This faucet is one of my favorite single handle faucets. It has a pull-down spout with the DockNetik^® magnetic docking system. There is also a 3-function sprayhead feature that includes Kohler’s Sweep^® and BerrySoft^® spray.

Purchase this faucet

This faucet comes in 5 finishes that include English Bronze, English Gold, Polished Chrome, Polished Nickel, and Satin Nickel. These faucets are made in Great Britain using regionally sourced solid brass and ceramic components. What that really means is they are very well made!

Farmhouse sinks and faucets

Sourcing is one of the tasks that I love the most. While starting to source for my clients, I love seeing what options are available, what finishes are available and what the price points are. I always know that there is a way to get the look my client wishes for, within their budget!

Office: 403.813.0067

Calgary, Alberta

Archive for Design

Butler’s Pantry Makeover

The Concept

Butler’s Pantry: Before

Butler’s Pantry: The Reveal

Butler’s Pantry Makeover

One Room Challenge

A Little Background

What happened this past week?

Baseboards in a bathroom

MDF baseboards

Wood baseboards – Pros

Wood baseboards – Cons

Tile baseboards

Baseboards in a bathroom

What’s on deck for Week 5?

Bathroom Fixtures

Sink Faucet

Shower Faucet

Accessories

Bathroom Fixtures

Collections

Mixing fixture brands

Style

Finish

Mixing

Sink Faucet for the Main Bathroom

Shower Valve

Shower Faucet

Mixing fixture brands

Mixing fixture brands

One word of caution

Small details in interior design

Atrium

Staterooms

Washrooms

Other Areas Worth Mentioning

The World Café

The service

How You Doin’?

What I Learned

Steps to choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

1. Have the kitchen design plan

2. Evaluate the use of each box

3. Choose the right size & location

Choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

Seeing it in action

How I plan it out

Ensuring it’s done right

The End Result

Choosing kitchen cabinet hardware

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

What is Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Where can you use Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

How Durable is Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring?

Price of Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

Installing Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring

Thinking of an upcoming renovation?

Compromise during a renovation

Product compromise

Colour Compromise

Just Say No!

Compromise during a renovation

Trade Day

Organizing the Trade Day

Trade Day: Electrical

Trade Day: Plumbing

Trade Day: Flooring and Paint

Trade Day: Contractor

Trade Day – Why Do I Bother?

Farmhouse Sinks

Farmhouse Sink

Farmhouse Faucets

Bridge Faucets

Single Handle Faucets

Farmhouse sinks and faucets