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Happy Monday!

Sometimes a few key decor pieces can really give a room a “wow” factor. Maison Simons in the Rideau Centre is a great place for interesting, fun and beautiful decor. Who doesn’t like decor that is designed or even better, made in Canada.
There are some great sales going on now and Samantha Pynns collection is not only beautiful but affordable as well. Love her collection of bath and table linens. You can always order online if you can’t make it to the Rideau Centre.
Here are some cool items from Maison Simons!

M Forioso- Large triangle macramé wall hanging (Made In Canada) Need a little bohemian in your room?

Samantha Pynn Design Love these all cotton bath mats!

Samantha Pynn Design- What an amazing duvet cover featuring so many colours!

A Walk In The Woods growth chart (Made in Canada)

These napkins would be great for spring/summer! Samantha Pynn Design

Velvet Moustache-Hooty The Owl Cushion (an original design from Quebec)

Happy Monday!

With spring finally here now is a good time to paint rooms to refresh your home. Weather you are putting your home on the market or just painting to change things up painting can really transform a room.

I recently helped my girlfriend choose paint colours for her adorable five-year old. Her daughter wanted pink and turquoise for her bedroom. Pink of course is a very popular choice for some girls. We both agreed though………no bubblegum pink. I chose Benjamin Moore Gentle Blush in half strength and Benjamin Moore Birds Egg. I can’t wait to see how the room looks when it is all finished.

Take a look at some fantastic rooms right below!

Megan Crane Designs, Inc.

Lucy and Company

Create Construction

Steele Street Studios

Dalia Canora Design, LLC

m monroe design

Here are some paint colours you may want to use!

CIL Swiss White	BM Melted Ice Cream
PP Macadamia Nut	BM Gentle Blush
BM Ecru	Dulux Vanilla Quake

Happy Friday!

Compact bathrooms can provide a punch of beauty for their small size. They are extremely important, and are used quite a bit especially with families and kids. Having a main floor bathroom that looks great and is on trend is important to most buyers as well.

Here are some great photos of powder room bathrooms that would definitely please a potential buyer. Take a look!

Daniela Pluviati Staging

Staging a bathroom can really pull the space together. I decided to stick with neutrals, and added artwork and accessories.

41 West

This is a beautiful transitional powder room featuring wood cabinetry and neutral painted walls. I really like how soothing this compact bathroom feels.

Mercury Mosaics and Tile

This is such a gorgeous compact bathroom. I love the floor tile and wall tile as well. The paint colour is a nice contrast and accentuates the grout colour.

Kriste Michelini Interiors

Most people would shy away when buying a home with wallpaper. Not with a bathroom like this. I think most people would fall in love with this bathroom.

Paul Interiors

This bathroom features such a beautiful palette of blues, greys and neutrals. Love the light styling on the countertop. Definitely a dream powder room.

Casey St. John Interiors

A fantastic transitional powder room featuring a pedestal sink. Beautiful green statement mirror. I love the contrast of colours. Such a big impact for such a small space.

Happy Wednesday!

This is a kitchen I staged not to long ago. The kitchen featured dark wood cabinets with a white subway tile backsplash. There was an abundance of kitchen cabinetry and counter space as well. I wanted to add some warmth and texture to this space. Wicker trays and cutting boards are great accessories to add. I found this wicker tray and my client had a beautiful tea set in her cupboard. Cookbooks not only soften corners but are great to keep handy on the countertops. I personally love flowers and try to have fresh flowers in my own home as much as possible. I encourage clients to buy some when the home is ready for photos.

With kitchens that have an abundance of countertop space then accessorizing accordingly is important. Seeing completely bare countertop space is a mistake.

With all white kitchens adding some colour is always nice. It makes a kitchen look not so bland and gives it a little personality. Whether you are selling or living in your home kitchens are one of the most important rooms in a home. If you are selling then staging a kitchen is really important to attract potential buyers!

Have a wonderful day and see you Friday!

Daniela Pluviati Staging

Daniela Pluviati Staging

Before

Jules Art of Living

Happy Monday!

This is a staging job I did not to long ago here in Ottawa. The clients have a wonderful home featuring Revere Pewter (Benjamin Moore) painted walls. Revere Pewter is a great paint colour and I currently have it at half strength in our home. It is a light grey paint colour with warm undertones. It looks fantastic in a transitional living room as the one I staged.

This home is south facing so it gets a ton of light. With plenty of light Revere Pewter looks a lot warmer. The home has dark almost ebony hardwood and dark cabinets as well. Although already beautiful staging really elevates a home. Dining rooms, kitchens, and living rooms should always be styled and staged.

I brought in some accessories, mixed metals and added texture. Everything brings the whole look and room together. I also love bringing in fresh flowers and love to use greenery as well.

Take a look!

Revere Pewter at 50% Strength

Happy Wednesday!

EQ Homes allows home buyers to choose one paint colour from Sherwin Williams paint collection.

I love blue so deciding on a paint colour with blue undertones from Sherwin Williams was were I was heading. Our home will be south facing, so we will get plenty of light. I still prefer lighter walls so I finally decided on Rhinestone from Sherwin Williams. With fantastic large sized windows I think Rhinestone is the perfect backdrop for a slightly west coast feel.

I also chose a standard oak floor and we paid extra for the stain that we wanted. I wanted wider planks but it was too expensive. Our floors will provide some warmth since there is an abundance of white cabinetry and light walls.

The one negative is the hardwood manufacture that eQ Homes deals with does not provide flush vents. Well, they do but they are not manufactured finished flush vents. The cost of a vent was pretty much astronomical for them to finish and install. I think the quote was around $160.00 per vent. So, this means that Scott will be buying the vents, staining them and installing them. There is always work even if you buy a new build!

Take a look at the photo featuring Rhinestone from Sherwin Williams right below!

Blue Tangerine Art

Sherwin-Williams – Rhinestone SW 7656

Happy Monday!

When you buy a new build one of the first things that you will review and be required to make decisions on are the structural changes. Some items that you may want will cost thousands of dollars. When you begin making decisions on extras for your home it is important to have a budget. Items quickly add up if you are not careful. When Scott and I signed (with the wonderful Marissa) eQhomes had a decor bonus which helped. Below are some structural changes that we think are worth paying for.

Basement Windows

If you want a bedroom in the basement you will need two ways of egress. Your bedroom must also have a window. The square footage of the bedroom dictates the size of the window required. The size of the window depends on  the building code of your area. We decided on two larger egress windows for our basement as we like extra light.

A Three Piece Rough-In

If you want a bathroom in the future it is worth spending the money on a three piece bathroom rough- in. eQhomes does not provide this so the rough- in was extra.

Other Changes

If you have extra cash and you do not want jack posts in your basement then paying for a beam is something you should consider. I always love basements that do not have posts right in the middle of the room. You can work around jack posts of course, but its just nice not to have them!

One structural change that we have made in the past and are glad we did was omit the living room. Shifting a wall or adding a wall for an office makes more sense to me. Does anybody ever use their living room now?

A few other items that are not structural but worth mentioning. I personally prefer garage doors without handles. It gives a home a cleaner look. We always request that door handles not be put on.

Bonus: eQhomes provides pot lights in the soffit which I think is great!

Love the Pot Lights in the Soffit

Happy Wednesday!

I can say one thing is for certain when renovating or staging. Lighting is very important. Back in 2007 when we first renovated our home I made the mistake of not having enough lighting. We opted for just potlights in our family room and I think that was a mistake. I know use a combination of ceiling, floor and table lighting. Lets just say that there is plenty of light in our family room now! Potlights have a clean esthetic to them but………..you do not want your room to look like a landing strip! Adding a beautiful pendant for example can add another dimension to a room.

Here is quick overview of lighting placement in a kitchen or dining room (minus pendants over the island) for a quick reference.

Lighting a Kitchen Table with an Eight Foot Ceiling

The base of your pendant or chandelier should be approx. 30″ to 34″ from the base of your kitchen table.

Ceiling Higher than Eight Feet

Designers recommend adding two to three inches for every foot of ceiling height.

According to Living Lighting here in Ottawa to determine the diameter of your fixture above your kitchen or dining room:

Take the width of your table

Divide it by two

That number is the diameter you should use.

Of course these are guidelines and by no means set in stone. I personally like having larger fixtures in some instances. A designer or lighting specialist is worth every penny when renovating or purchasing a new home that requires lighting placement. Our designer/lighting expert gave us valuable advice (for our next kitchen)!

Happy Monday!

Mudrooms are purposeful rooms that many homeowners now look for when buying a home. Sometimes a home will have a mudroom/laundry room combination. Other times it can be a walk through space between the garage and living area of the home. A mudroom is definately convenient to have in a home and serves different uses for different people. For some families it can act as a “drop zone” for stuff.  Canadian weather makes it a perfect room for wet boots, extra coats, and winter gear. I love my mudroom because our four legged dog can come in from a walk and dry off on the carpet before walking through the home.

Designing a mudroom is easy once you know what you want. When I designed our mudroom these are some items I wanted that would make our room functional for our family.

• Storage cubbies to fit baskets
• Open space under bench for ski boots and shoes
• Hooks at different heights to accommodate our family
• A bench height that is comfortable to sit on
• A transitional style room that complements our other living spaces

Here is a picture of our bench/cubby combination. Take a look at some other amazing mudrooms below!

Daniela Pluviati Staging

Where to Buy

• Pillow – Anthropologie
• Hooks – Home Depot
• Rug – Homesense

Bench Paint Colour – Dulux Pelican

Andrew Howard Interior Design

CM Natural Designs

Jennifer Weiss Architecture

Happy Monday and Happy Family Day!