CREED

E-Design Bathroom: From Concept to Sneak Peek

2015-09-23T13:52:00.003-04:00

E-Design Bathroom Concept

Lindsay contacted me through my e-design website rearding their 3rd floor master suite, located in a century home in the beaches neighbourhood of Toronto, it was a large full floor bedroom with sitting area. Her goal was to turn the sitting area into a new master ensuite. The wish list included; double vanity, freestanding tub, walk-in glass enclosed shower, a separate water closet and….create space for a walk-in closet in the planning of the new ensuite.

Before Plan - Master Suite

The before plan was a wide open space divided by a staircase and there was a low sloping dormer ceiling in the soon to be new ensuite area. The staircase had a half wall on one side and a frameless glass guard railing on the other. Spaces with sloped ceilings are always a challenge for most people to visualize because the plan view is deceiving, there appears to be lots of floor space but in reality the useable floor space is much less. Wherever the sloped ceiling dips below 5or 6', its not considered *useable* floor space because there isn't standing room, its not completely useless space but its not useable for anything that requires standing up, like showering or using a sink or using a toilet. In a bathroom with sloped ceilings the layout and placement of fixtures is largely dictated by these slopes - the plumbing fixtures all need to be located where there is full ceiling height or at least standing height clearance.

The initial space plans quickly determined it wasn't feasible to fit everything in this space that Lindsay had hoped. The top of the staircase landing is only 24" wide so accessing the ensuite from the landing side of the staircase was out of the question - this meant the only access for both the walk-in closet and ensuite would have to be on the far side of the stairs. I could get everything including a walk-in closet in the floor plan but ultimately Lindsay decided she didn't want to walk-thru the closet to get to the bathroom. So we'd need to give up either the walk-in closet or separate water closet....

Layout option A reflects this compromise and came really close to ticking all the boxes. The bathroom was spacious with the luxury of a separate tub centred in a dormer window and... a water closet. While there is no walk-in closet the proposed wardrobes offered more space than the existing closets, but would require losing the long glass railing in order to fit a wardrobe wall. I envisioned the wardrobes creating a beautiful wood veneer "wall" backing onto the stairwell, stopping short of the ceiling to let light flow thru and also keeping the glass guard on the one end again to let light into the stairwell, possibly with mirror doors on the wardrobes too. The glass guard rail though was not something Lindsay wanted to give up. I would chose closet space or at least a half wall with drawer storage versus keeping a glass guard rail because storage is so very important and keeps your space/life organized. However, I do understand how important it was for them to keep the glass, we moved on to explore more options and ended up at this final plan….

The ensuite was made a bit smaller to accommodate the closet location and thus the final plan doesn't have a water closet or walk-in closets but they were compromises Lindsay and her husband were happy with. The closet space was great (deeper than the old closets) and the new ensuite was still spacious and bright with a large window, a new skylite, interesting sloping ceiling and some built-in shelving.

The concept board illustrates the fixture and finishes I recommended based on Lindsay's style survey and her desire for modern elements, white marble and rustic warm wood, in addition to these choices I also provided alternate options for each selection. The vanity would be custom made and the inspiration photo is an example of the style and wood finish (character grade walnut planks). Here's an excerpt from her design summary of how I described the concept:

"overall I took a contemporary approach using classic details and materials to create a timeless mix of modern and organic elements. The high contrast of the ‘black’ metal finish with white also gives it an attractive graphic punch that feels modern and vintage at the same time."

"There is a great mix of materials; natural wood, natural stone, glass, and ceramic, as well an interesting mix of textures (both shiny and matte) and metals, paired with various levels of lighting all very thoughtfully applied to give the space great interest and depth. "

The tile options I provided worked with both her style preference and budget. An elongated white subway tile on the walls, a white marble mosaic on the shower floor and a large format marble tile on the main floor as described in the written summary:

"...the large square in particular can give the effect of slabs especially if tight joints are maintained."

As an alternate to the marble floor tile I also proposed a narrow rectangular black slate as I described in a written summary:

"This can be a very modern look paired with lots of white on the walls and natural wood, however, I do find that although its modern the dark on the floor is ‘heavy’ looking and a tad more rustic looking. To make it a little more elegant in feel, I’m suggesting a plank shape which you can lay in a herringbone pattern."

The concept for the cabinetry and built-ins, I proposed either a rustic walnut veneer that included the character of the knots, or a knotty european white oak.

Here's the actual finishes that were chosen pictured here in an instagram photo, Lindsay ended up doing the europoean white oak for the flooring throughout the bedroom. I believe the hexagon was intended for the shower floor (as per the design plans) but I think in the end it was either omitted or used only in the soap niche. Can you tell how detail oriented and organized Lindsay is! I love that she has her materials mocked up so you can really see how the proportion of the tile sizes and patterns work with each other and how each material offers a different texture.

The floating walnut vanity would be custom made per the design elevations. I provided a selection for a countertop mounted faucet or wall mounted (budget decision!), and a single long mirror would be floated off the wall, like so…..

"Have the float frame part of the mirror made from the same wood as the vanity or paint out in white to match the wall tile."

E-Design - In progress, custom floating walnut vanity.

I'm thrilled to see how this installation came together, and especially the decision to go with the wall mounted faucets, absolutely love it!

This option of the shower wall showed the wall tile continuing across the entire wall behind the toilet with a recessed soap niche in the shower and recessed wood shelves under the eaves and a wood shelf ledge above the toilet. I provided another option of this same elevation with the wall tile stopping just past the shower glass which is in fact the way it was installed.

E-Design - The After, view of shower wall

In this instagram image you can see a sneak peek of the finished space with a glimpse of the herringbone floor, recessed wall shelving beside the toilet and the floating walnut vanity. It looks like they opted to forgo a shower threshold which also means they continued the black slate tile into the shower. My one concern with this decision is that the dark tile could really show soap residue on the surface and in the grout so hopefully that doesn't prove to be an annoyance.

The oval freestanding soaker tub takes prominence centred in front of the large dormer windows and tucked under the dormer roof. A simple roller shade that operates bottom up will provide privacy and daylight.

E-Design - After, soaker tub

I'm absolutely thrilled to see the progress of this bathroom renovation and how well the e-design plans were implemented. With each e-design package there is always room (options) for clients to make decisions on their own and make personal choices and I love seeing which choices Lindsay ended up making and how beautifully its come together.

If you're interesting in E-design plans for your own bathroom or kitchen reno please visit my E-Design website www.thedesignshop.ca for details.

All design rawings/plans: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

Room and sample photos: via Instagram

Labour Day 2015

2015-09-07T11:16:00.002-04:00

Labour Day on the East Coast is bitter sweet because summer arrived really late here this year so it feels like we're celebrating the beginning and end of summer at the same time. I've spent most of the summer at our house on the East Coast which explains my lack of blog posts recently - when I'm here, I focus hard on client projects during the weekdays so when the evenings and weekends roll around I can really disconnect from work and savour our time here, whether its just hanging out at the beach or getting some projects done around our own house.

Our house in Nova Scotia is located on the South Shore and is in a very small fishing community where most of our neighbours are multi-generation fisherman. The lifestyle here is extremely laid back and very low key, there is nothing fancy or pretensious about the people, the homes or the businesses here. I find it an extremely refreshing environment to focus on design work and I am always overwhelmed with inspiration from the ruggid scenery around me. Yesterday we were so fortunate to be invited by neighbours to join them on an outing to their fish camp on a nearby island. It was a day that was nothing short of idyllic in every sense from morning to dusk, it was the kind of day that epitomizes all the things I love about the East Coast and a day that not many non-locals would ever get the chance to experience.

We boarded a neighbours lobster boat and headed out to a nearby island where another neighbour has a camp. The weather was picture postcard perfect,,,crystal clear blue sky with not a single cloud visible the entire day, the sea was calm and the air was hot! I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but you'll have to just imagine the scent of the salt air, the sounds and tastes of the day….

Our destination was an island that is home to a dozen or so fish shacks that the local fisherman use as camps for over night fishing trips and also for family getaways in the warm months where they enjoy swimming and cooking everything over an open fire. Which is exactly how we spent the day…

Fishing camps.

Outhouse.

Our ride.

Collecting driftwood for the camp fire.

The salmon is strung up on old seasoned cedar planks and cooked by the open fire, we roasted scallops on sticks, and ate them like marshmallows while the salmon cooked.

Time to pack up for the boat ride back..

The view through a knot hole in the wood door on the fish shack in the above photo, no filter, this is literally the peep hole view through the hole in the door.

Captain.

The island in the background, the sun setting on one of those days you never want to end.

Happy Labour Day!

All Photos: Iphone, by Carol Reed

Cottage Make-Over Tips

2015-06-30T11:53:00.004-04:00

From the West coast to the East Coast, I think most Canadian’s would agree the ultimate summer past-time is cottaging! That being true, one might say the second favourite past-time is searching for that ultimate summer cottage to call your own, but often the reality of what’s available or affordable can look more daunting than dreamy. In honour of Canada Day I’ve compiled my top 10 favourite ways to update and transform a dated, dysfunctional drab cottage interior into your dream retreat, without the need to take a sledgehammer to it.

1. Tame the Wood: Wood on wood on wood, topped with more wood,,,is simply too much wood. Everything in wood looks like a sea of brown (or orange). If you love wood,,,,,then paint some of it out, this will in turn highlight the natural unpainted wood so it can be appreciated for all its beauty, not drowned out.

2. Clean Sweep: Remove wall to wall broadloom and replace it with a light to medium coloured character grade wood plank or natural stone tile like slate. These will be durable, forgiving, easy to clean and age well. Layer natural fibre area carpets and flat weave kilims for added comfort and coziness.

3. Unobstruct the Views: Strip the windows of fussy ruffled fabric or boxy valances and heavy dark coloured blinds. Replace with retractable rollup blinds, shades or swing open shutters. Alternately or additionally add simple cotton or linen drapery panels on a dark metal or wood rod that fully open to reveal the outdoors.

4. Counter Points: Many old cottages have plastic laminate, tile or plywood counters that are chipped and stained. A new wood counter will add instant quality and substance. Custom made ones can vary greatly in price point depending on species, joinery and edge details but you can also find ready made and easy to install basic solid wood countertop material at most building supply stores. Perfectly suitable and charming for Kitchens and bathrooms.

5. Sinks: a simple swap out can add more function and style, replacing a small kitchen sink with a larger size can make clean up a breeze (or hide the mess til later), or swapping to a smaller size can net you more precious counter space. Adding a second sink makes the kitchen doubly functional for two cooks or family gatherings. In bathrooms, replacing a stained or retro coloured sink with a new vessel or drop in style is an affordable, easy install even onto an existing counter.

6. Faucets & Hardware:

A new faucet and cabinet knobs are an instant update to a kitchens or bathrooms. Look for styles that will enhance your cottage character and evoke vintage or rustic charm. Large goosneck spouts, industrial pulldown sprays, classic bridge style or convenient single lever high arcs. Spluge on solid brass cartridges and you won’t be replacing these anytime soon.

7. Appliances: Replacing older mis-matched appliances is not only an aesthetic upgrade but the newer models are more multi-functional, energy efficient and space saving.

8. Light it: replace generic looking lighting with simple vintage or rustic style fixtures to enhance your cottage character. Evok rustic or coastal charm by selecting fixtures with aged or painted metals. You can add wall sconces, pendants and swing arm task lights without hiring an electrician - just use plug-in style fixtures that can be mounted to walls or ceilings, all you need is an outlet nearby.

9. Shelf it: The easiest and most affordable solution for adding storage without the cost of built-ins. Install wall mounted shelving and brackets or ready to assemble shelves to not only organize but add purpose and function to any unused area.

10. Neutralize it: If you want a relaxing, calming, serene space that lets the outdoors be the main attraction,,,then paint over any loud, bold, intense hues on the walls in lieu of a light neutral palette that will compliment your view of the great outdoors and not detract from it.

11. Panel it: I couldn’t stop at 10 without including my final and favourite way to add instant character and durability to walls and or ceilings - add v-groove panels, shiplap or beadboard panelling. When painted with an enamel paint its also a great inexpensive alternative to tile around a bathroom or kitchen sink and provides a sturdy backing for installing hooks and shelves (see tip no.9!).

To see how I applied all of these strategies in this family cottage make-over check out the links below for individual before & afters:

Cottage Master Ensuite

Kitchen Progress

The Guest Bathroom Progress

The Guest Bathroom Before and After

The Boathouse Bathroom Before and After

The Boathouse Before and After

Photos By: Carol Reed

My Kitchen Reno Progress: The Antique Wood Floor

2015-06-27T14:29:00.002-04:00

In the early stages of my kitchen reno we discovered the original wood floor boards (the same as we uncovered and refinished throughout the front part and 2nd floor of the house) were not going to be salvageable. Sadly, after scraping off the current top layer of vinyl we discovered the plywood sheeting that was installed over the original floor boards was screwed down with a million screws all spaced randomly closely together. Each attempt to remove a screw resulted in the heads being stripped or breaking off. There’s only one way to remove a subfloor like this and its not easy - its backbreaking tedious work requiring a skill saw to partially cut thru the boards and then pry up the wood in bits and pieces while also cutting the screws off. Its a slow process and after all that prying and removing of screws the floor boards underneath would suffer a lot of damage. It would result in a lot more time, a lot more work, a lot more money to end up with not so great boards. My heart and mind were set on having the same antique wood boards continuous throughout the house but the time and effort needed to uncover and then restore the kitchen boards wasn’t practical and didn’t make sense to pursue. I needed to come up with another solution, and fast, since we had just demolished the old kitchen.

The original floors in the rest of the house after being stripped of paint, ready for finishing.

I knew without a doubt I wanted wood floors in the kitchen as the house did originally. Trying to find new wood to install right next to the antique floors in the rest of the house wasn’t appealing to me, at all. Distressing new wood to make it look like old, also wasn’t appealing to me (besides the last thing I needed is another project). The entire point of the kitchen floor is I had never given it a second thought, there was no over thinking or contemplating choices,,,they would just be wood as you would expect them to be in a house of this age. Nothing imported, nothing decorative, in other words not over designed, I would just be peeling back the layers to restore some original character - or so I thought. Turns out I needed to another layer not peel away. : / Fortunately in Nova Scotia there are a lot of re-sellers of antique wood flooring as well as suppliers for salvaged architectural wood products. One of my concerns was that we didn’t know what species our original floors are and it’s important to me they be the same. Up until this point no one had been able to identify the species, hemlock?, pine?, ash? all we knew is it was local.

After a bit of research I found a supplier who demolishes dilapitated historical houses, piece by piece, salvaging and re-selling the components. A few of the houses recently dismantled looked to be of the same age, size and character of our house. I sent off some pictures of our floor boards and they easily identified them for me as red spruce from approx 1875. Lucky for me they had several batches of salvaged boards that matched, this would be my perfect solution. Unfortunately for me it was early February and we would need to wait a month or two before we could search thru their inventory which wasn't accessible until the snow melted.

The antique boards I selected.

On Easter weekend we finally made the trip to pick up the wood. I was thrilled to find a batch of smooth, previously walked-on, unpainted flooring boards, which meant they would be fairly easy to refinish as they wouldn't need to be planed or grinded down. And, the fact the boards came out of a house on the South Shore was also perfectly fitting. What wasn't perfectly fitting was that the boards were so long (some were over 16' long) we had to cut them down to less than 11' in order to fit in the trailer, this meant we wouldn't be able to do single continuous boards across the width of the kitchen, like the rest of the house, but it was a small compromise I was happy to work with. On the spot I calculated the best lengths to cut so the seams would be under the cabinets or in inconspicuous places, and counted off the quantity of boards we needed as they were loaded up - using a piece of bark for a make-shift note pad.

Since the boards are all planks and not tongue and groove, they were face nailed in place, they're also random width, rarely two boards the same size. I did a dry layout in key areas to make sure the best boards were used in the most visible open areas and placed the cut boards so the joints were staggered and as discreet as possible. The task of trying to align two cut pieces so the widths and colouration matched was a challenge, in hindsight we should have marked each piece of a cut board at the time it was cut so we could pair them up easily. Once the 'art directing' of the layout was done,,,I took a jet plane out of there while all the dusty and noisy work happened, first sanding and then nailing - 6" nails, each one pounded in by hand. It was a long and noisy installation.

Newly laid old boards, sanded and ready for finish coat.

I returned a week or so later to find the floor completely laid and ready for its finish coat, it was wonderfully smooth and felt amazing underfoot. I was happy to see that so much of the patina remained after the sanding, they had a subtle greyness to them and beautiful blackened crevices.

The newly laid antique kitchen flooring viewed from the back sun room (family room).

Where the kitchen and the addition on the back of the house meet there was already a 3/4" transition in flooring height and now with the new installation of the kitchen floor that transition got even larger but we made the best of it by sloping a threshold between the two rooms.

The newly top coated floor and a peek of the other finishes going in the room.

Next up I'll post about the cabinets and the other details in the room. Here's a little sneak peek of some of the finishes with the floor. The cabinets are painted in a colour inspired by vintage crockery….

Check out the previous post for the first look at the kitchen reno, the before and after floor plans.

All photos: Carol Reed

My East Coast House: Kitchen Before & After Plans

2015-06-17T16:37:00.003-04:00

Before - the dining area of the old kitchen

The Kitchen in my new old house on the East Coast is the second last room in the house to be renovated, today its near completion except for a ceiling light fixture and some furniture for the eating area. Renovating this kitchen was a long and painful process that has taken more than a year to complete thus far. This is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house and how it remained until the ktichen reno started last year. (Dining area seen above, kitchen area below)

The kitchen was ugly to say the least. It came with no appliances other than an old electric stove. The exhaust hood was not vented nor recirculating (thus useless), the dishwasher didn’t work, the water was not drinkable and the sink leaked out the bottom of the cabinet when the faucet was turned on. The plastic coating on the cabinets was peeling off in large sections held in place in some spots with shipping tape. The floor was covered in peel and stick vinyl tiles which were broken in places and mis-matched patched in others. The ceiling like the rest of the main floor was acoustical tile, complete with stains.

Before & After Floor Plans

When we purchased the house I had re-designed the kitchen as part of an overall master plan that we would implement in 2 phases. The kitchen would be in the second phase about a year after phase 1. Over the course of that year while the second floor and front part of the house were being renovated I continued to re-think the new kitchen. The biggest challenge is the space itself, I really hated the old placement of it in the centre of the house. Like most old houses the kitchen had so many doorways it was like being in a hallway. One thing I knew for certain is I wanted to flip the kitchen to the other side of the room so it would be on an exterior wall with windows.

My first kitchen design plan involved moving windows and adding double french doors to the deck and incorporating a wood stove. More than a year later, far behind schedule and already over budget before phase 2 started,,,,,the priority became to re-work the kitchen without changing any of the window locations or putting in new patio doors. There were a lot of unexpected but necessary ‘blow-outs” in phase one so minimizing the work and costs for phase two was critical but I was ok with that because i felt ‘the simpler the better’ approach suited my vision for the kitchen anyway. A week before the new wood stove was to be delivered I decided to have it installed in the back sun room (family room) which would make that room useable all year and still provide heat for the kitchen. Without the wood stove in the kitchen I was left with ample room for a seating area which currently is planned as a built-in banquette.

Looking at the rest of the ground floor, the other change I made was creating separate dining and living rooms. I intentionally wanted to keep individual rooms, having lived in an open concept space once before I definitely prefer not having my living or dining room open to the kitchen, however, I do love an eat-in kitchen and open concept family rooms. I intentionally didn't build any cabinetry on the wall between the kitchen and dining room so that it could easily be opened up should any future owner want an open concept. As it is the separate dining room maintains the flexibility of becoming an office, or a bedroom if not used for dining. Figuring out what to do with the existing laundry and bathroom was key in determining my new kitchen layout. In the end moving the laundry or bathroom was not an option for many reasons besides budget, so those rooms will stay where they are and will be the next room(s) to be renovated after the kitchen.

The old combined laundry and bathroom will be divided into separate rooms, the laundry room will get a new exterior glass door to what will be a patio on the sunny west lawn of the house with views over a meadow to the beach beyond. The washer and dryer will be under counter and behind a fabric skirt, with a sink and wall cabinets this area will also function as a servery/pantry which will be convenient between the kitchen and patio area (future screened in porch). Being able to come directly into the laundry and bathroom from the yard is also a great bonus feature when you have more than an acre of lawn to mow each week - tick control means stripping down and showering after yard work. : /

The family room at the back is a single story addition to the original house, its concrete foundation has no insulation and even with ducted heating in the space it was an extremely cold room, unbearable in winter. The new wood stove keeps it toasty warm and was the best addition ever because this is not only the biggest room in the house but it also has the best views and the most sunlight - now its useable all year long.

Despite the numerous kitchen layouts I came up with none of them were ideally what I wanted and it became a very frustrating cycle of trying to decide which layout I hated the least rather than loved the most. Very. frustrating. I have piles of scrapped plans like this one.

I'm happy with the plan I decided on and know that a new layout wasn't worth making drastic or extensive changes for. I struggled with the fridge placement the most, debating over putting it to the right of the dishwasher but I just didn't want the large bulkiness of a fridge blocking the openness of the kitchen directly as you entered it. The back door is the main in/out entrance where everyone enters the house (no one uses the front door here). The compromise was to put the fridge away from the cooking/prep area but add under counter fridge drawers to the island.

With those agonizing decisions over with we moved forward in clearing out the old kitchen and putting in all new finishes. The ceiling, like the dining and living room had the original wood beams which we uncovered from under layers of tile and plaster. The floor is another story which I'll post about next…...

Kitchen reno progress.

The kitchen really is the heart of the home, I have to say that renovating this one has given me a new perspective on renovating and the reality of what is truly necessary, what matters and what doesn't matter, what brings you joy in its day to day use. A make-shift kitchen with no running water and no large appliances for months on end while endlessly waiting for trades to show up (like waiting 3 months for the electrician and 6 weeks for a plumber) was enough to make me never want to renovate again, ever. At least this house. ; ) But it also was truly revealing in many ways. For the most part, when we were here we ate as well as we did with a full functioning kitchen, and even had lots of house guests and visitors - I just had to shop very selectively and plan meals more creatively. Having survived all of that, I'll confess I'm finding the new kitchen to have an excessive amount of space compared to what I'd become use to, but for now that's one problem I'll happily enjoy living with.

For more post on my East Coast house Reno progress:

Dining Room Before & After

Staircase Before & After

Framing Pressed Leaves

All Photos & Drawings by: Carol Reed

Framing Pressed Leaves

2015-06-07T23:00:00.001-04:00

Each June the huge chestnut tree on the front lawn of our East Coast house in Nova Scotia puts on a spectacular show. Spring arrives late in the Maritimes so its usually June before its gigantic leaves open up, and then immediately after, the cone shaped blooms appear. This majestic old tree has a huge canopy that reaches low to the ground and spans at least 30 feet wide and when its at its peak by mid-June, its a stunning sight, between that and the sprawling lawn it creates a view of brilliant green out all the front windows. Sadly the white blooms on the tree barely last 2 weeks so I try to enjoy every moment of them while I can. I'm really not into DIY posts on this blog but I wanted to share this small project which I just did for my own house because it was so easy and turned out so beautiful.

This species is known as a horse chestnut tree, the leaves are enormous with five or seven petals, they kind of have a tropical palm-like vibe to them (which is probably why I love them so much). Last June when the tree was blooming in all its glory, I was inspired to preserve its beauty somehow as I'm so in love with this gorgeous foliage. I've always had a passion for natural elements and found objects that I always come home from a walk or outing with my pockets full of rocks, shells, branches, bark or anything I find to be beautiful or interesting.

The idea of framing these chestnut leaves had been in my head for a long time so last June when they were at their peak I decided to give leaf pressing a try. I absolutely love botanical prints and have installed them in client's homes but I've never pressed leaves before so this entire project was/is an experiment. I picked about a dozen or so perfect looking specimens hoping that at least a few of them would turn out. BF quickly made a press for me using multiple layers of plywood, I carefully placed the cuttings between sheets of cardboard and paper towels layered between the plywood, we clamped it all down and let time do its thing. After about a month or so I took them all out and moved them into flat drawers where they stayed until just a couple of weeks ago.

My plan was to hang a series of botanicals in my new kitchen and finally ….. finally (!) a year later as the kitchen is slowly finishing up, I was ready to get these leaves framed! After a lengthy search for some affordable ready to hang frames I decided on these simple black gallery frames from Walmart that I found online.

Black Gallery Frame 16 x 20

There are very few retail options available in Nova Scotia outside of Halifax, and I'm sure anyone who lives in rural Canada can relate - basically your in-store shopping options are Walmart, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware, the grocery store and the drug store. Online shopping is great but there's always a 2 or 3 week wait plus exchange rates and shipping charges,,,and as I was experimenting here, I really wanted to be able to try one first before purchasing 9 of them, and I also didn't want to drive 3 or 4 hours to purchase one trial frame. I considered Ikea's Ribba frame which I've used many times but it wasn't available to buy online in the size I needed and ultimately I really wanted something a bit more traditional. My search didn't net too many options on that front though so on my next visit to the nearest Walmart (its the only place I can get the cat food my diabetic cat likes, so I make regular trips) I checked out the frame in person and decided I could make it work. They didn't have the size I needed in stock but the best part was, I could order them online and they arrived at my door in 4 days, free shipping. (note, this is not a sponsored post, I'm just sharing the facts and also, I had no idea you could shop on-line with Walmart).

Because I didn't really want a modern frame, I also purchased some gold metallic acrylic paint, again, from Walmart, so I could experiment with making the frame look less new, less modern. I used a foam brush to apply the gold paint along the inside and outside edges of the frames by just dipping, dabbing off excess, then dragging the brush up and down the edge. It just took that *new* off the shelf department store frame and made it look a bit more like a custom frame moulding.

The hand painted gold edge gave the stock frames an aged look and I loved the effect. It took about 15 minutes to do all frames. (The fabric looks like it has stripes in this photo but it doesn't, its just the reflection of the beam ceiling seen on the glass)

The frames came with a fairly nice, wide white matt but I knew I wouldn't be using them, partly because the leaves were so huge and partly because I had envisioned them mounted on borderless sheet of watercolour paper or a linen. On my next shopping excursion I found a wonderful linen fabric at Atlantic Fabrics (which is the maritime equivalent of Fabric Land). I needed 2 yards and it was only 7.99 a yard, easily affordable for experimenting with. To make the linen mats I took the backs off the frames and used the backing as a template to cut fabric rectangles, each slightly larger than the frame. Then I pressed each piece of fabric using starch. To mount the leaves I simply removed the contents of the frames and placed the leafs right side down, directly on the glass, then I carefully laid the linen overtop and proceeded to layer the original mats and all the backing back into the frames. I didn't use any glue, tape or adhesives, the fit was very tight and everything is held in place by pressure.

Here's a sneak peak of the collection in progress. I was able to use all the frames I pressed which filled 6 frames but I'm planning on pressing some ferns and wild flowers this month which I'll add to this grouping later in the summer. I should point out the glass is regular glass, its not non-glare and its not UV glass which means they shouldn't be hung anywhere that's exposed to direct sunlight or the fabric and leaves will be effect by fading.

If you're looking for a super easy, fun and inexpensive way to create some personalized (and beautiful) wall art this is a wonderful way to display some of your prized specimens from your own garden or keepsakes from a favorite destination not to mention a great project to do with your kids. Anything that grows can be pressed - flowers, leaves, herbs, moss and you can mount them in so many different and interesting ways. I'm so thrilled with how the chestnut leaves turned out, I already have the press ready for some ferns and wild flowers but after that, what I really can't wait to try is a series of seaweed which is plentiful on our beach and just a great excuse to go for even more beach walks.

All Pohtos: Carol Reed

Cottage Ensuite: Before & After

2015-04-30T12:02:00.000-04:00

Cottage Ensuite - After | Carol Reed Interior Design

This client's cottage in Kawartha, Ontario, underwent a complete facelift that included updating 5 bathrooms a kitchen, a bar and a kitchenette. (You can check out links to previous before and afters of this cottage at the end of this post). One of the biggest issues to address when planning the updates was that not only did the bathroom finishes look dated, but the style of the bathrooms looked more suited to a suburban house rather than a lakeside cottage. Dated or not there was a lot of quality there in custom built-ins and solid materials. No question it was built with every comfort of an all season urban home, as its located in a premium area of high-end cottages. The main objective in this 'gentle' reno was to work with what was there but infuse a more modern cottage style - while retaining a high quality level of finishes. I felt this could be accomplished through a series of strategic changes as opposed to gutting everything and starting from scratch.

For the master ensuite I recommended leaving the walk-in glass shower untouched except for replacing the faucet set from polished brass to brushed nickel and I also recommended leaving all the floor tile which was a neutral taupe ceramic. This then put the focus of the facelift on the feature wall, a large double vanity that was the centre of attention when you entered the room. We would also remove the wallpaper and all the wall mounted polished brass accessories leaving us with a very neutral base to work with and allow most of the budget to be directed where it would have the most impact.

Ensuite Vanity - Before

The Before: The existing long double vanity was superb custom quality and was in excellent condition. It sported a peachy/tan corian countertop, oval sinks, polished brass faucets (although it doesn't look brass in the photo, all the fixtures in the room were brass), painted knobs, a frameless wall to wall mirror and a dropped bulkhead with recessed pot lights. The vanity was made from solid woods, the framed cabinetry had inset flush door fronts with a bead detail and raised moulding. There was loads of storage and counter space and each end of the vanity had countertop mounted cabinets that extended all the way to the ceiling - the only negative was it was all very dated looking and lacked that cottage style the new owners were looking for.

This is what I envisioned for the new finishes and fixtures, keeping in mind everything had to be readily available from the small local town nearby or available for quick delivery from an out of town source.

Cottage Ensuite - Finishes & Fixtures Concept | Carol Reed Interior Design

The starting point for the fixture replacements was the hardware. The pine doors throughout the cottage were all updated with new distressed bronze lever handles that gave them a modern country look. Continuing with this aesthetic, I introduced new bronze knobs and wall sconces to add contrast and vintage charm to the vanity wall. For the plumbing fixtures we looked to the shower set first - because we were only replacing the trim not the rough-ins we had to work within the same mfg's product line in order for the new trim to be compatible. The finish options were chrome or satin nickel, easy choice, the darker 'patina' of the satin nickel is a much better pairing with the bronze so satin nickel it was in a classic bridge style faucet and gooseneck shower head.

Ensuite Vanity - After

The After: The entire vanity was refreshed with a new coat of paint in a crisp warm white, new low maintenance cararra look engineered quartz counters, new rectangular undermount sinks add a contemporary vibe, satin nickel bridge style faucets add a vintage country vibe as do the oil rubbed bronze hardware which also adds a sharp graphic contrast and ties in with the oil rubbed bronze lever handles on all the existing interior doors. Other key updates to the vanity wall included; removing the bulkhead with pot lights, replacing the sheet mirror with a pair of framed mirrors above each sink, installing a crown moulding and breadboard wallpaper on the wall between the upper cabinets and flanking the mirrors with new bronze wall sconces with parchment shades. Painting out the mirror frame, the beadboard paper and the crown moulding the same as the vanity unified the wall and cabinetry to read as one continuous built-in.

Ensuite Vanity - After

On this visit last Spring I was there to do a final walk-thru and make a list of recommended accessories and finishing touches, what would really finish off this room would be a graphic black and cream geometric patterned area carpet and a large woven towel hamper. (Those should now be in place for this coming season. ) I'd also like to see a more rustic cache pot or planter with something less formal than orchids so we will work on that….

Ensuite - Before

The wallpaper and brass towel rods were removed and all the trim work was painted in the same white paint as the vanity.

Ensuite Vanity - After

The walls received a new coat of paint in a dark brown/grey, similar but lighter shades of this found in the tile. This dark colour really anchors the room and it neutralizes the pre-existing wall and floor tiles in a way that a light colour on the wall wouldn't have done. The earthy colour also added a natural organic tone to the space and really accentuated the painted woodwork and all its charm.

Projects like this can be much more exciting to work on in ways that designing from scratch or all new aren't, also evident in the way people are so drawn to Before & After story's. Its literally a transformation before your eyes, making something out of nothing per say. Taking a space that is uninspiring and working with it rather than ripping it all out - this is when vision and seeing potential really comes in to play and when the true value and power of design is realized.

For more Before and Afters of this cottage reno check out the following links below for older posts:

Kitchen Progress

The Guest Bathroom Progress

The Guest Bathroom Before and After

The Boathouse Bathroom Before and After

The Boathouse Before and After

All Photos by: Carol Reed

Easter Lilies

2015-04-05T14:17:00.000-04:00

I have a growing collection of vintage crocks, I pick them up whenever I'm out antiquing because not only do I love the putty colour of their glazes, the number of uses for them is as countless as their sizes. I keep several in my kitchen and I use them for putting fresh herbs in from the market,,,and holding coffee spoons, utensils and rolling pins. This size (in the pic above) is my favourite because it always seems to be the perfect size to put a potted plant or some branch cuttings from the yard and it works perfect as an ice bucket in a pinch too. To be honest I'm not a fan of the typical holiday variety, foiled wrapped potted plants the markets seem to have every season or holiday but I love to receive any type of flower or plant as a gift so when someone is kind enough to gift me with one I love to find a stylish way to display them. Sometimes I actually cut the blooms from the stems and put them in a vase or multiple single vases but if you have cache pots or a crock this size, pop your plant in for an instant stylish fix, it takes two seconds and doesn't interrupt your hosting duties.

This morning as I was getting things ready for brunch I happen to switch this crock out (to use as an ice bucket) but I had a cache pot handy that is almost the exact same size so it was a simple swap that looks equally as beautiful with the Easter Lillies. (This blue and white pot is perfect for potted orchids too which is the main reason I bought it a few years ago.)

Either way, both of these options provided a beautiful place to display the Lillies which were a welcome addition to our Easter weekend and a wonderful distraction from all the the snow outside! I hope its a little greener wherever you are celebrating your long weekend.

Happy Easter!

All Photos: Carol Reed

In Conversation: By Ivan Meade

2015-02-27T09:37:00.002-05:00

Photo by: Mark Burstyn

One of the best surprises I've had recently was when I received a request from Ivan Meade to be interviewed for his In Conversation series, I was incredibly flattered and honoured to say the least. Ivan is the founder and principal of the multi-disciplinary firm Meade Design Group based in Victoria BC. He's an Interior Designer, a Graphic Designer, has his own personal line of namesake art and accessories and in 2014 launched his first fabric collection. Not only is he one of the most multi-talented creatives I know, he's also a savvy business man who always seems to be at the forefront of the latest technology. Within an industry that's steeped in old school ways (pencil and tissue, notebooks and sketch pads) his firm is leading the way for the interior design industry when it comes to online branding and communications - from interactive websites, e-books, e-classes, to social media platforms, Meade Design is setting the benchmark for how it should be done.

I remember when I first joined blogger in 2009, Ivan was the very first blog in my blog roll that I followed, when I later joined twitter Ivan was the first twitter account I followed,,,and the same when I joined Instagram, Facebook, and most recently Houzz,,,,, each and every social media platform I eventually joined, Ivan was already there with an established following and setting a perfect example of how to do it well. In return, Ivan's always so supportive in being one of the firsts to follow back and always takes the time to leave a thoughtful comment, retweet, or 'like' a post.

In addition to keeping his firm's various SM sites up to date, Ivan publishes an online magazine called LifeMstyle, a newer version of his original blog. LifeMstyle is geared at providing resources and inspriation for both the design industry and the public - a community for design lovers as Ivan puts it. Its here where he publishes his In Conversation series, a collection of interviews he has done with Designers from around the world. I've been a huge fan of this series for years and have enjoyed getting to know so many Designers that I would never have known of otherwise and its been a thrill to learn more about some of the high profile designers who I’ have admired since the beginning of my career - he’s interviewed them all! These interviews are so good, I truly wish this was a TV series.

I have such great admiration for Ivan’s work, his passion for design and his ambition to create a sense of community among design professionals. I want to take this opportunity to thank Ivan personally for inviting me to participate in this series. I am beyond flattered that he showed interest in my work. Most of all, I think its incredibly generous of him to use his own time and his own website to showcase other Designers in such an insightful way, you can add 'a very gifted writer' to his list of talents.

E-Book, In Conversation Vol.1 is a collection of some of Ivan's favourite interviews

If you havn’t already, I high recommend you visit LifeMStyle and check out this amazing series of interviews that Ivan has written over the years, now including his very latest In Conversation interview with me (honestly reading it made me blush)! The article has reminded me its really time for me to get a new portrait and I need to redeem myself as an avid blogger. ; ) On his website you'll also find an impressive compilation of some his favourite interviews which have recently been formatted into an E-book (see above), the quality of this book is absolutely stunning.

Thank you again Ivan, I can't wait to meet you in person one day soon!

Images: www.meadedesigngroup.com

The Australia Project - The Evolution of a Space Plan

2015-01-12T15:16:00.002-05:00

Design Plans and Kitchen Concept for the Australia Project, by Carol Reed Interior Design

While its not out of the ordinary for me to travel a few hours drive to a clients weekend retreat or summer cottage, or even have the opportunity to fly back and forth to work on a project in Manhattan… being asked to design a whole home renovation on the other side of the world is not a request I get every day. In addition to my full-service projects I've always oferred a selection of limited e-design services for homeowners across North America but I limit this type of consulting to single rooms only. Last year I made an exception when I took on the whole home re-design of a residence in Australia, as a hybrid full-scope/e-design.

One of the homeowners whom I knew from Toronto is an expat now living in North South Wales, Australia. She’s a newlywed (married an Aussie!) they're first time homeowners of an older style bungalow in need of a modern overhaul. They both travel a great deal for work so embarking on a home renovation would require the ability to do much of the consulting virtually - and this is where I came. We knew each other when she lived in Toronto and she has been in some homes that I had designed, there was the comfort level of working with someone from home, and knowing I had experience in long distance projects. They reached out and a couple of skype meetings later we began the process of re-designing their forever home.

Kitchen and Dining Before.

Before we could delve into new finish materials, design details or furniture, we had to start with reworking the floor plan. Here’s a look at the floor plan I started with. Its single storey, with no basement, and an attached garage (to the left side of the house), the back of the house and balcony overlook a beautiful green conservation area. The windows across the front and sides of the house are partial height, the windows across the back extend to the floor. Lengthways from one end of the house to the other, the ceiling slopes up to a centre peak.

The house was very divided with lots of interior doors and there is no basement or attic space. The main objective was to update all the fixtures and finishes as well as create a more open concept living, dining, cooking space. A dedicated storage room had to remain as well as a home office large enough to accommodate two workspaces. Lastly a new master suite was on the must have list. As for finishes, they wanted sleek, modern, all white, and natural wood floors with the addition of colourful artwork and accessories.

When I first reviewed the plan and the exterior photos, my instinct was to move the kitchen and dining areas to the back part of the house so they could enjoy the view and direct indoor/outdoor access. Below is a look at the final layout we arrived at….

The new plan provides them with a long open concept great room, with slope cathedral ceiling and views overlooking the conservation area. New retractable doors will allow them to have an expansive opening to the exterior and new sliding doors directly off the kitchen so they can access the bar-b. The den has ample room for both of them, an oversize sliding glass pocket door allows them to close it off when they have company. The laundry is combined with the storage room and will have a futon for overflow guests who need a place to crash (beyond the two spare bedrooms). The main hall bath gains a vanity with storage and a tub shower combo, the master ensuite gets a sleek walkin shower with trough drain and floating vanity and the 4th bedroom was converted into a maser walk-in closet.

I know from experience often the first reaction people have when they see floor plan is to critique it, and often wonder "why is that so big, or why is that so small" or think "what if we move this here and that there?". I think that's natural and expected, especially if you weren't part of the planning process in getting from a to b. Its the reason I don't ever present a client with just one layout - because even if they love it, they'll wonder if they are overlooking any other possibilities. There are some Designers who believe its best to present one solution only, but this method never served well for me despite how confident I might be with any given plan, I believe clients have expectations of being offered choices. I like to present only the best options and let them be involved in making choices from there. There is never just one way to slice up a space and the possibilities can vary greatly in budget and personal preference. Below is a glimpse of where I started reviewing layouts with them and where we ended up at the final new layout.

_ _ _

The first concepts were based on their idea of moving the laundry out of the kitchen and into the main hall bathroom (stacked units) in lieu of the existing shower stall. Besides the obvious disadvantages to this placement, it had some benefits worth considering. (At this point we weren't exploring the master bedroom changes until the living areas were determined.)

This concept was the least amount of change, but still offered lots of improvement with a new centre island kitchen opened up to the living room. Initially this was the extent of the renovation they had envisioned before contacting me - a new kitchen with a bigger opening to the living room.

Some more walls came down in this layout to further open up the kitchen, dining and living rooms and get more exposure to exterior views and light.

Next even more walls came down. Sections of the centre wall needed to remain as its the main supporting wall. Although not noted in this sketch the laundry would again be in the bathroom. What was lacking at this point was a larger home office (Study) and the laundry situation was still being debated.

The next three concepts explored the idea of placing a stacked washer dryer to replace the hallway linen closet, allowing us to add a larger vanity with storage into the main hall bathroom with the tub/shower combo.

This one was getting there but the main concern was still the Study was too small, and ideally I wanted to explore the idea of putting the kitchen along the back of the house instead of the storage room….

This was getting really close to where we finally ended up but the need for a larger laundry area was being realized.

And this was the almost final layout. The laundry was combined with the storage room, and also a futon for the occasional overflow of guests. When we began the space planning the intent was that all the windows and exterior doors in the house were being replaced and the exterior re-clad in a new finish. We intended to work with all the existing window locations as is but the homeowners were also investigating if they could increase the amount of windows across the back living room wall. But because of the bush fire hazards in their area, their local by-laws (and property insurance) restricted them from changing their window configurations/sizes at all. Which meant this kitchen plan, requiring modifying a window to work with the fridge,,,was out.

So one more round of tweaks led to this final layout below (also shown earlier in the post)…...

The final kitchen layout ended up being a U shape with centre island. After the engineer's review, we had to also incorporate a supporting stud wall immediately to the left of the sliding doors beside the fridge so this area got squeezed a bit smaller. This new plan gives them one large living and entertaining space with cathedral ceiling, direct access to the balcony and wonderful views. The double office has lots of natural light, and its wide entrance flows off the main room, and their bathrooms and closet space were upsized and enhanced.

So I hope you enjoyed this peek into the space planning process and how we arrive at any particular final floor plan with a client. Taking the client thru this process assures them they have made the best possible decisions and they move forward with confidence, even if the scope of the renovation doubled (!). Following this space planning we developed the details for the kitchen and baths and selected all the new interior finish materials and fixtures compiled into a set of working drawings (which involved working in metric and learning some new jargon!). I''ll share more of the design concepts in another post.

G'day ; )

All drawings and images by: Carol Reed Interior Design Inc.

Alterations: Seaport Holiday Shopping

2014-12-16T15:07:00.002-05:00

Gingerbread display in shop window, Lunenburg, NS

Clearly you can tell by the date of my last post, I'm a Designer not a blogger! Its hard to believe its been 2 months since I've been back with any updates. "Alterations" is a fitting theme for this post. My attempts to write a post always fall to the bottom of my to do list, especially this past year as my personal time has been consumed by our house "alterations". At this point our alterations don't look nearly as beautiful as this gingerbread house - I love the symmetry and simplicity of this and I'm dying over that bric-brac detail! On the technical side, I'll be making "Alterations" to the blog and transferring all the content over to a new site in the new year so part of me has been postponing (or procrastinating) any updates until that's done. I'm desperately in need of a simpler platform for blogging, hopefully the technical changes will allow me to write posts faster and more frequently. In the meantime, Christmas will come and go before that happens.

I'm always get captivated by the holiday spirit and the natural beauty of the season. So although I have a back log of projects to post about I'm feeling more in a holiday mode than work mode right now and I can't resist sharing a little holiday spirit while I have the chance....

Storefront window boxes adorned with pine boughs and berries.

We're spending the holidays on the East Coast this year and last weekend we went into Lunenburg for a bit of shopping and lunch. There is no town more charming than the seaport town of Lunenburg (a UNESCO heritage site) known for its colourful heritage buildings that are tiered up high overlooking the picturesque harbour. Its not a place that sees many tourists in the winter so I thought I'd share some images of the town all dressed up for the holidays!

The sign taped to the door says, "Merry Christmas we are sold out of scallops". Not surprising since they are known to be the best scallops in the world. The back of this building overlooks their fleet docked along the waterfront. Their bright red and white shingled buildings are iconic landmarks of the harbour.

I'm not one for organza bows but I liked the placement of the sprig of berries which gives this wreath a modern vibe.

The Lunenburg Furniture Company. No holiday decor but the red door on its own is pretty festive.

Not only my favorite shop in Lunenburg but one of my favorite buildings too. This distillery is located in a former blacksmith shop, the late 19th century building is one of the towns most noted landmarks, and has been carefully restored to maintain its original character. Ironworks Distillery. (Unfortunately this daytime photo doesn't depict the festive lights in the windows.)

I'll admit this is a favorite place of mine, for the product and the interior. 130 year old timber and beams. Hand crafted spirits made from local ingredients and distilled on site in a copper still. The smell of a wood fire…

The still is quite a sight and occupies a prominent corner of the retail shop. Standing next right to it you can taste sample and purchase some holiday cheer. Also, their bottles, labels and packaging are so beautifully designed.

With this much colour, you don't need to anything more than greenery and white lights!

The beautiful, Pentper General Shop. The grey on grey gives this heritage building a contemporary vibe. (sorry for the reflection which obscured the gorgeous pinecone wreath.) Pentper.

The shop was closed when I stopped by the other day, this image is from a previous year... a peek at the heritage-meets-modern simplicity inside The Pentper.

If the buildings aren't brightly coloured, they are high contrast black and white.

Hope you enjoyed this photo tour of some holiday style in Lunenburg!

All Photos: Carol Reed

Portfolio Archives - Master Ensuite Before & After

2014-10-16T12:44:00.001-04:00

Photo by Donna Griffith, room design by Carol Reed Interior Design

Looking back at portfolio images its hard to believe I designed this bathroom 7 years ago and I just realized its never been posted on the blog before. So to elaborate on a little throw-back-Thursday instagram post, I thought it was a good opportunity to share more photos about it here. This Master Ensuite was part of a top to bottom renovation of a 3 storey condo in mid-town Toronto. Although it wasn't a complete gut reno like the main hall bathroom, the master ensuite modifications were designed to work with a couple of existing elements. There were three things that remained untouched; the cararra marble tile floor, a walk-in shower (not visible but is located to the left of the tub in this photo) which was tiled floor to ceiling in the same marble tile, and a small mirror medicine cabinet. Since so many years (and computers) have passed I've lost track of most of the before photos but I think you can see from the one before image below the extent of upgrades that were implemented.

Master Ensuite vanity before.

Master Ensuite After, room design and photo by Carol Reed.

I designed a new double sink custom vanity, mirror and tub skirt in macassar ebony. The vanity and tub were finished with a cararra marble top and a pair of rectangular undermount sinks. A feature wall above the tub was designed to create a beautiful sightline as you approach the bathroom thru a hallway from the bedroom. The back painted glass panel reflected a lot of natural light from the skylight and glowed a beautiful and serene watery blue at night. This room photo was taken by me a year or so before the top photo of this post (professionally shot).

Preliminary Concept Sketch of the tub feature wall.

Master ensuite after - room design and photo by Carol Reed

This last image is another shot taken by me, on the same day as the professional shoot and illustrates the difference in how much better the professional images are. I hope you've enjoyed the peek at one of my past projects which has never been seen on the blog before. Despite how many years ago this was designed I still love it as much today and know that it can continue to stay fresh and modern looking thru the simple change-up of accessories.

Karen's Kitchen: Canadian Living

2014-09-15T11:48:00.000-04:00

Karen in her new kitchen with her chicken Cuddles. Photo by, Donna Grffith

At long last, welcome to Karen's kitchen! Words cannot describe how excited and proud I am to see Karen's kitchen renovation featured in the currrent issue of Canadian Living! If you follow Karen's wildly popular blog, The Art of Doing Stuff, you've no doubt read her updates about the more than year long renovation and seen some sneak peeks along the way. Not only have Karen and I been twitter and blogging friends for several years, I'm honoured to say she's also an E-Design client of mine. I was fortunate to work with Karen on her kitchen design from the initial planning stages of the project and helped guide her through the inevitable and various design dilemmas along the way. Karen had a great vision right from the very start along with some very challenging space issues - with her great sense of style, her resourcefulness, her diy skills,,,,and a little help from me ; ), I think the the transformation is nothing short of spectacular. Its truly satisfying to see a plan and a vision come to life but to hear how much she loves, loves, loves, her new kitchen is the most rewarding part of all.

Canadian Living, October 2014

Not only does Karen look stunning posing with Cuddles in her new kitchen (that dress!), but she wrote the feature too. I hope you'll enjoy reading the full story and all the before and afters along with sources in the current issue of Canadian Living, on stands now or you can purchase the digital version thru Zinio. You won't be disappointed.

You can read more about the planning phase of the kitchen, including the before and after floor plan, optional layout plans and the design requirements,,,in an earlier post I wrote last year, here.

For more info on my E-Design services for kitchens or bathrooms

please check out my e-design website

www.thedesignshop.ca

Before & After: Boathouse Facelift

2014-09-09T11:19:00.001-04:00

Boathouse Kitchenette

As the first long weekend of summer arrived I was wrapping up a 2 day long visit to a clients summer cottage in Stoney Lake, Ontario. The trip involved bringing up some small accessories and taking note of remaining items needed to finish off various rooms. I made a big effort to get some progress photos while I was there. One of the last spaces I snapped before I retured to Toronto was the boathouse - sooo as this summer's final long weekend has just come and gone, I thought i’d revisit where I was on the first summer long weekend. How has the time gone by so quickly?

Boathouse Kitchenette - Before

The interior of the boat house is just one big square room with a bathroom in one corner and a kitchenette in the other. The entire interior was clad in knotty pine, the floor was covered in broadloom, the lighting and fixtures were dated,,,but with its soaring vaulted ceilings and lake views it had great potential for a simple refreshing makeover. Loads of white paint, new pine plank flooring and a few new but vintage style fixtures were all this charming boathouse needed. Its one of the lighter renovations I've worked on because it was purely cosmetic but it was a dramatic one, thanks to the magic of paint. It was an easy decision to paint over all the wood, but it was a big job!

Boathouse kitchenette - After

I have to admit I cringe every time I hear people say that paint is such an easy and inexpensive or "quick fix" solution. It suppose it can be compared to gutting a room and rebuilding or, if say you're doing only walls and those walls are 8' tall and you're painting a light colour over a light colour and the walls are in good shape - sure, you can paint an average size room in couple of hours and do it yourself. I've done a LOT of painting in my time and I see professional paint quotes on a regular basis to know that properly painting an entire house is neither cheap, quick, or easy especially when it comes to painting ceilings, trim work, railings, windows, doors, stairwells and tall vaulted ceilings. Factor in patching and repairing damaged walls and covering up dark colours or knotty pine, and you have a major job on your hands. If you don't do the proper prep work, it will be a expensive disaster. If you're an ambitious DIY'er say goodbye to many months worth of weekends or, call in the professionals. So while I would describe this as a simple makeover - it did take a small team of trades people to make it happen.

The boathouse whitification in progress

We left almost all of the wood in the main cottage unpainted so I had carte blanche to paint over as much of the knotty pine as I wanted to in the Boathouse, and I intended to paint it all except the countertops. Since this boat house only gets used in the summer months I wanted to give it a bright and airy summery vibe. The painters had their work cut out for them, but I was ecstatic to see the progress and its transformation to white taking place...the white paint on the wood planks creates a great texture as all the grooves become shadow lines - so you still have the wonderful effect of wood panelled walls and plank ceiling.

See, you can still tell its wood even though its white everywhere!

The boathouse kitchenette - After

Unfortunately I can't seem to find a before picture of just the kitchenette (see before photo above) but here you can see how utterly charming it is now with a fresh coat of paint. I added a new white sink, gooseneck faucet, globe pendants and a wall shelf (not yet installed). The wood counters were perfect just the way they were and are a really great feature against all the white cabinets. The new pine flooring compliments all the white, looks rustic and is obviously much more practical than broadloom.

The furniture is almost complete, all the main pieces are in but some occassional pieces and accessories still needed to be moved in. We briefly contemplated white slipcovers but didn't end up using them here, this one was headed for a reading nook in the main cottage.

The best part about the transfomation is that the all white interior does a standout job of highlighting the incredible lake views. As there’s no heat source or insulation, the boathouse will get closed up soon but the main cottage gets used right thru the fall. This was a such a departure from my usual reno projects but I hope you enjoyed this little peek at what was such a fun space to re-imagine. Coming up in the next posts I’ll share some peeks of the front hall, the kitchen makeover and the master ensuite.

The view from the dock

Check out the boathouse bathroom before & after.

All Photos and room design by: Carol Reed

Before & After: Cottage Guest Bath

2014-08-20T21:54:00.000-04:00

At the risk of overloading my blog with traditional cottage style interiors I'm going to catch up on posting some before and after pics of the Stony Lake cottage project before the end of this summer. I completed the cottage last year...and returned this spring to get some updated photos, but there are a lot of rooms! You can check out my first post on the project here. Most of the reno work involved the kitchens and bathrooms. The cottage is relatively large and has 5 bathrooms in total. You can see the boathouse bathroom before and after here,,,and today I'm posting the first of two bathrooms in the main cottage that I'd like to share. The objective for all the bathrooms was to update the finishes and fixtures and keep the demolition and new construction to a minimum. All the new materials and fittings would have to be readily available from the local building supply store (and nothing custom, nothing special order). In addition to 2 ensuites the cottage has 2 hallway baths that are shared by several guest bedrooms. This before and after is the larger of the two hall bathrooms.

Bathroom Before

This hall bathroom's finishes and fixtures were dated but the vanity was excellent quality and in perfect condition - it would stay as would the entire walk-in shower except for new chrome trim pieces to replace polished brass.

The very first thing I set my sights on replacing was the floor and wall tile outside of the shower. With its tan tile and peach paint and beige corian counter, it was looking a bit 80's suburban and not very Kawartha's lakefront cottage. Because the wall tile in the shower was less prominent and in excellent condition, I opted to keep the shower as is and splurge on updating the vanity area. Below is a concept board of all the new selections.

In addition to new wide plank pine flooring (also throughout the cottage), the bathroom makeover included new wainscotting, mirror, lighting, toilet, sink, faucets, accessories and a new quartz countertop. Switching out all the polished brass fittings for chrome was an obvious update and pairing the chrome with white beadboard wainscotting and deep navy blue paint would amp up the nautical cottage charm.

I drew up the details for a new wainscotting and mirror treatment from stock materials which the contractor made all on site. I chose a new drop in style sink because its a simpler install and a bit of cost savings versus an undermount, the rim profile adds to casual cottage vibe as does the new vintage style single lever chrome faucet (the shower received the same new chrome trim pieces). Rectangular chrome knobs give the vanity a fresh update. I found a set of flower print towels at the HomeSense in Peterborough which were perfect for this room as well as the yellow and white bathroom on the other side of the cottage.

A pair of vintage industrial style chrome scones from Restoration Hardware flank the mirror and illuminate the room in a soft complimentary glow. Excuse the bad photo they were incredibly hard to photograph as the room has no natural daylight so they needed to be on.

All that's left on the to do list for this room is to find a couple of framed prints for the wall above the toilet, i'm on the hunt for either a pair of vintage nautical charts or fern botanicals. : )

But nonetheless i'm told its been a busy space this summer accommodating a steady stream of my client's family and friends.

Note: Please excuse the inconsistency of the colour in the above photos, the original files aren't like this, the images only appear this way once uploaded into blogger and I havn't been able to figure out how to correct it or come up with a work around - never had this problem before. The true colour of the wood vanity and flooring is somewhere between the light and dark versions above.

All photos and room design: Carol Reed

Picking A Paint Colour: Style at Home Designer Secrets

2014-07-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

Thank you to Style at Home, I was thrilled to be participate in their special 100+ Designer Secrets colour issue, which hit the stands a while back. I have to admit I had some difficulty getting my hands on a copy, the first one I had was left behind at a girfriends before I even cracked it open (and I never saw it again) then it took quite some time to find another copy on the East Coast. Inside you’ll find some tips from myself and other paint aficionados on how to pick paint colours. Its a a great topic, one of the major components of every project I work on is selecting all the paint finishes, usually for an entire house. So I thought this would be a great opportunity to elaborate beyond my tips included in the issue. How and where to start when picking a paint colour?

Many designers will say that they pull the paint colour from a fabric, or select a paint based on the exposure of the room or chose colours from the homeowners wardrobe. All common approaches when decorating an existing room. But what if the space a) doesn’t have any significant fabric, or b) doesn’t have a window or c) the occupants vary in age, gender, and fashion taste. Many times you can be in a position to have to pick a paint colour without having a significant fabric or persian rug to work with. You can still lay the groundwork for a beautiful palette - if you chose the right neutrals you can layer in the colour later.

Because most of my client projects are renovations, often the paint colours for the entire interior have to be selected long before the homeowners and I have even contemplated new fabrics or area carpets or before they've accumulated an art collection. Sometimes newly furnishing the space will follow a year or so after move in, sometimes only a few main rooms are decorated with the remaining to be completed over time. Aside from those situations that are driven by time and budgets, there are many spaces in a house that often don’t ever have fabrics in them such as; bathrooms, kitchens, hallways, staircases or laundry rooms. The paint colour can spin off of a fabric story from adjacent rooms but that colour, primarily, has to relate to the hard surfaces.

Finish samples for a clients kitchen (paint top right). The paint selections compliment the wood floor and cabinets, the marble backsplash and quartz countertop and stainless steel.

My process for selecting paint is always the same. It never starts with fabric. The approach I take with paint is that its role is to enhance everything in the space (and the views outside) not distract from it. First and foremost I take direction from the permanent surfaces and architectural details like wood, stone, tiles, metal, mouldings and in some cases broadloom. These are far more permanent than any fabric or wallpaper but are the foundation of the overall palette and have to be considered with every paint selected. Secondly, I take into consideration the style and character of the home (Heritage or contemporary). Lastly, the natural light and views - what is the setting, what is the view outside the windows. (The only exception to any of the above is kids rooms, its all about their favourite colour and making it work for both mom and child!).

All the upholstery fabrics chosen for the living room in this contemporary home were pulled from the colours in the stone fireplace. The travertine stone tile was also used in the entryway and a guest bathroom.

For 90% of the interiors I design, I could happily work from a paint deck of nothing but greys and when I say grey, my definition of grey covers a wide spectrum from warm to cool, from almost white to almost black , from clear to muddy and with undertones that can make them read green, blue, beige, purple or brown. Light and airy, to dark and dramatic, its all there. Its in this spectrum that I always find the perfect neutral that works beautifully with the finishes of the house as well as more vibrant colours that could be found in the garden, fabrics or the painting over the mantel. For walls, when I'm not chosing white I'm always drawn to the mineral, sky and watery greys. I am least drawn to anything with a red undertone or citrus colours because I don't think they pair favorabely with most natural wood tones (typically golden or reddish woods) they don’t compliment or contrast instead they can clash with these woods or suffocate the room in one note. (This is particularly the case in Canada where we use a lot of wood floors, wood cabinets, wood railings, and wood furniture.) Contrary to this effect greyed neutrals do the complete opposite, to my eye grey makes all other colours and materials look better. Grey is anything but dreary in fact I love how grey brings everything in a room to life - nothing enhances wood tones, complements colour and is crisper with white trim better than grey. It has the ability to make anything paired with it look modern and sophisticated, and that's why it has been and will continue to be my go to palette for picking the perfect colour.

The natural walnut floors and various feature stones inspired the paint palette for throughout the home. The paint palette was a range of off-whites and greys, contrasted by black metal window frames.

You can never judge a grey by the paint chip alone,,,these chameleons only reveal their true beauty in context with the whole of the room. Sample, sample, sample.

Whether you like your spaces neutral or colourful you'll find loads of great colour tips and advice in this issue, including my best tip on picking the right paint colour and what paint combo i'm coveting now. If you haven’t see it yet its on stands until August 31st.

All Photos and Design (Except Cover Photo): Carol Reed Interior Design

Boathouse Bathroom: Before & After

2014-07-01T12:13:00.001-04:00

Happy Canada Day! Its a perfect day to share a before and after of a clients red & white cottage bathroom. This boathouse bathroom evokes a classic canadian cottage style and what's even more dreamy about it is the sound of the waves lapping against the docks below you.

Last year I completed a whole Cottage renovation for a client that involved updating the main cottage and boathouse to incorporate all new finishes and fixtures but without doing extensive construction. I find these type of projects incredibly enjoyable because its so exciting to explore the potential of the existing space and see the dramatic improvements that can result by making a series of simple but thoughtful changes. By simple I don’t mean the modifications didn’t still require a lot of time, effort, and co-ordination but they were simple in that they didn’t require new construction or complicated modifications. I made a visit to the cottage a few weeks ago to check on the status before this season got underway.

Boathouse Bathroom Before

The entire interior of the boathouse (which is only used seasonally) was knotty pine, with exception of the floor which was carpeted in the living areas and tiled in the bathroom. The biggest change I made was that every bit of exposed natural wood on the interior was painted white, and then we added new but reclaimed wide plank engineered pine on the floor. Essentially I took all the wood away from the walls and ceilings and put it on the floor. This effectively doubled the brightness of the interior, emphasized its dramatic vaulted ceilings and painting the wood panelling created interesting tone on tone texture. The best part was the lake view and exterior landscape became the focal point. The white paint transformed the boathouse interior to a fresh, bright, summery oasis.

The boathouse bathroom is a good size with interesting ceiling lines but was dated with respect to its fixtures and accessories and the ceramic floor a bit too suburban looking. Everything about the vanity was perfect though, it was excellent quality and was hand built from solid wood with lots of storage and was in perfect condition, that and the mirror were definitely keepers. I even loved the natural pine countertop and wanted to preserve it because i think its an excellent choice for this application it’s not the place for expensive marble or quartz. I saw loads of potential for this space merely with paint and new fixtures. A main criteria for selecting new items was we had a very short timeline to complete all the changes so everything needed to be readily available and/or deliverable to cottage country. Below is a rough concept I put together for the owners and they quickly agreed with all the proposed changes...

New proposed finishes, Carol Reed Interior Design.

The vanity and the existing mirror would simply be updated with a red paint and some new striped ceramic knobs. New engineered plank fooring replaced the tile and was in the same tones as the existing wood countertop. The key to retaining the wood countertop was replacing the old drop-in sink with a vessel style sink that would fit over the old sink cutout. I decided to mix in some more contemporary fixtures with the otherwise very traditional space but keeping the metal finishes in a dark bronze gives them a more relaxed nostalgic look. A gooseneck barn light fixture with filament style bulb gives the bathroom a modern rustic vibe.

Boathouse Bathroom - After

In the end we opted for a countertop mounted faucet in lieu of the wall mounted (from the same series) for an easier install. A simple hook for a hand towel (I’m obsessed with turkish towels ones and stock up on them whenever I find them!) its rope fringe and blue stripes evoke a nautical vibe, an oversize seagrass basket and more wall hooks on the opposite wall (not yet installed) store large beach towels.

Boathouse Bathroom Vanity - After.

My visit to the cottage last month was my first since all the major installations were completed in the boathouse last summer so its was a thrill to see the progress. I took note of some final details that still need to be addressed, one of them includes installing new knobs on the vanity, I'm in love with the white ones I found with a stripe around the rim which i think will be the perfect finishing touch. Lastly I think the floor needs a fun colourful indoor/outdoor rug for in front of the vanity. But so far the transformation of this lakeside loo as been a dramatic improvement - I think its now bursting with character and style!

Happy Canada Day!

All Photos and Room Design by: Carol Reed

New Website

2014-06-25T12:11:00.003-04:00

AT LONG LAST my new website is up and running! As an extension to my previous "update" post, the past few months while I've been absent from the the blog one of the internal projects I was consumed with recently was getting a brand new version of my website launched, it finally and quietly went live in early May. I'm excited to announce the site is now completely responsive which means its tabloid and web-phone friendly. This update was long overdue, but one that required an enormous amount of dedication and time. For the past several years I honestly felt like I was being held hostage by my old website which after only a year old with its flash technology became incompatible with all the latest mobile devices. There was no quick and easy fix, the only solution was scrapping the old site completely and starting again, overwhelming to say the least. The new site is still a work in progress, and for the most part always will be evolving, but the basics of it are up and running while I continue to work on finessing and updating the content.

There are some new photos of old projects in the portfolio, one of my favorites is this detail shot of a clients kitchen (top photo) captured by Donna Griffith. The lacquered shelf was custom made and installed on a full height backsplash of calaccatta marble. The homeowners day to day all white dish ware and a vintage Eva Zeisel bowl create a striking composition. I'll be loading lots more photos of more recently completed spaces between now and the end of the year with 4 more projects in que to get photographed. This blog will also be moving off of blogger and over to my website domain soon, hopefully without any glitches or losing any content.

Top Photo: Donna Griffith

Website Images: Donna Griffith

Springing Into Summer

2014-06-21T13:20:00.002-04:00

Spring has come and gone and I didn't manage to get a single update on the blog. Maybe because I was so pre-occupied waiting for Spring like weather to arrive I didn't realize it had come and gone, already? So instead of jumping back in with new regular posts (I've already prepared a couple) I thought I'd do a quick recap of what I've been pre-occupied with during the past few months, wow the time has flown by - in 4 different time zones no less. I love that with the advancement of technology and travel I can work on projects in various cities, provinces or countries. Principles of design are universal but I really enjoy being exposed to different regional traditions and lifestyles as well as exploring the local materials that influence the design of a home.

Upper East Side reno project, Living Room progress.

NYC - Construction on the UES reno project was completed some time ago and after taking a much needed break from more than a year and a half of reno madness, the homeowners were ready to focus on furnishings and decor. So with the hard work done and a great canvas in place we've been working together on the furniture room by room. The very first pieces to arrive this spring for the living room where the sofas and the area carpet. So much more to come, tables, lamps, pillows, mirrors,,,its very exciting to see it coming together. (no the table in the corner is not part of the new furniture plan ; )).

A whole home renovation near Sydney, Australia

AUS - Over the winter (their summer) construction started on a whole home renovation I designed for clients in Australia not far from Sydney, she's an expat from Toronto and he's a native Australian. Aside from having to learn some new jargon and conversing in metric, the process was no different than renovating in North America. The entire renovation was completed in slightly more than 3 months and the homeowners moved back into the home in early May. I'm looking forward to sharing more about this project on the blog and its entirely new floor plan. The project began with a very modern vision of a white on white interior and for the most part stayed true to that initial concept.

Stony Lake Cottage main entrance sneak peek.

ONTARIO - In May I was in Toronto getting started on a couple of new renovation projects one is in Oakville and is a family home for a young couple and I'm so excited to get started on the design planning and the other is a master suite renovation for long time clients in Port Credit. I also headed up to cottage country to get some progress photos of the Stony Lake project which wrapped up last summer. It was finished and furnished enough for use last season, some more furniture and small accessories are still needed to fill in some gaps but its been a huge transformation so far. Lots more before and after posts to come.

Sneak peek of Karen's new kitchen.
Image from: The Art of Doing Stuff.

Over the spring I enjoyed keeping in touch with Karen and helping her work thru some final details on her long anticipated kitchen installation. Its finally finished and ready for its close up, in fact its being shot for Canadian Living magazine this coming week. If you haven't seen the sneak peeks on Karen's blog yet, click on over and have a look, as I try and contain myself from showing you the rest of it - which I've already seen, and its fantastic!!

Field of beams. Reclaimed antique wood, in Canning, Nova Scotia.

NOVA SCOTIA - Home of the world's slowest renovation, my own house project came to a halt in the winter when early into the kitchen phase of the reno we discovered we just couldn't salvage the existing wood floor boards. Sheets of plywood screwed down with a million screws would make it almost impossible to remove without doing a lot of damage to the wood floor beneath. The good news is I was able to track down some antique wood flooring of the same age and species. The bad news is we had to wait for the snow to disappear before we could get access to where the wood was stored. It was a looooong snowy winter......so things were at a standstill for a while but an update on my kitchen reno is coming soon, soon as I have some progress photos. Any day now. : /

That's a really brief update on some of the things that have been keeping me busy without even mentioning the garden work I'm trying to do or the many E-design orders I've had the pleasure of working on. I couldn't be more excited that Summer's here and especially to be able to enjoy most of it on the East Coast!

All Photos and drawings: Carol Reed, except where photo is credited otherwise.

Janice's Bathroom: Before & After Photos

2014-03-12T15:31:00.000-04:00

Receiving after photos from E-Design clients is one of the most exciting things I find in my inbox, and the sneak peeks I was seeing of this particular particular bathroom reno had me eagerly wanting to see more. It didn't disappoint, in fact when I did see the finished space I was so impressed with how well Janice and her husband had implemented their design plan that I was longing to see it in person. Since they live in Toronto, last summer while Janice was still on maternity leave I took the opportunity to meet her and the beautiful new bathroom in person. I brought my camera and also a small assortment of flowers, so just a couple of vases and few minutes later I started snapping. The room has wonderful daylight and aside from the fresh blooms, the photos I took below are exactly what the room looked like when I walked in I only wish I could share with you how it felt...it sounds corny or cliche to say 'it was like a breath of fresh air' but it really was like that.

The matt finish of the freestanding tub was one of my favorite things, like honed stone that compels you to touch it, truly gives the tub a modern sculptural quality.

One of the 'bespoke' features of the bathroom was this custom designed and built walnut vanity, its clean contemporary lines, cararra marble counters and vintage style faucets make a classic and elegant statement. The lines of the walnut grain and warm tones of the wood are stunning details on their own, no further embellishment needed.

A marble mosaic floor tile of simple small squares has a wonderful textural impact in the space. The simplicity and expanse of little squares gives this timeless material a modern vibe.

The walls were finished with panel moulding and chair rail. A nod to the historical character of the century old house. I adored Janice's milk glass vase.

A modern chandelier of pear shaped glass makes the room sparkle.

Double sinks and wall sconces. The marble mosaic creates a wonderfully multi-tone effect that adds movement and interest without adding fussy with borders and accent tiles. Janice is still on the hunt for a cart or table and a comfy stool to put beside the tub for bath time, but she has a charming vintage bentwood chair she uses in the meantime (sorry not seen in these pics).

A walk-in glass enclosed shower, with classic white subway tile keeps the space bright and spacious. The modern loo pairs well with the equally clean lines of the soaker tub.

The end result achieved what Janice was hoping to, a classic bathroom that's not too traditional and not too modern but a well balanced mix of both. With a use of quality materials and simple classic details this bathroom will have stylish appeal for many many years to come.

Thank you Janice for welcoming me into your home, even though I felt I knew you already it was such a pleasure to meet you and your adorable Luca in person. xo

For a look at the before and after plans check out my previous post here.

For more information about E-Design services for your home please check out my E-Design website www.thedesignshop.ca

Room Design & All Photos by: Carol Reed

E-Design Bathroom: Before & After Plan

2014-02-24T16:04:00.000-05:00

When Janice contacted me regarding her bathroom reno a couple of years ago, she was in the same predicament as most who reach out with inquiries to me. Her and her husband, who live in a century old victorian in downtown Toronto, had been planning on renovating their main bathroom for quite some time. She had the budget in mind and a contractor lined up but they didn’t have any plans or specifics to share with him. They had some ideas in their head about what they wanted but ideas that they just weren’t sure about. That’s were I came in. Or should I say, that’s when Janice’s bathroom arrived in my in-box and we began the e-design process.

Here’s a look at the floor plan before the reno. This main family bathroom and laundry room are located on the second floor, in the middle section of the house. Typical of Victorian row houses of this period, the house is long and narrow.

Bathroom Floor Plan - Before

I imagine at one time this used to be a smaller bathroom and a bedroom and then sometime in the 80's somebody converted a bedroom and moved the laundry upstairs. In any case, both the laundry and bathroom were in dire need of updating and improvement. The main objective Janice wanted to achieve was a larger bathroom to accommodate 2 sinks and a separate tub and shower. Her initial idea/request for the re-design was to remove the wall between the rooms and combine everything into one large shared space.

There's too many reasons to list here why I didn't think combing the two rooms into one was the best option; for practicality - the noise and smell of laundry, soaking, hang drying etc...not to mention the enormous square footage of the space would make it too costly to finish to the level she wanted to achieve in her bathroom. Also in my opinion deleting the separate laundry room for a shared bathroom would be a downgrade to the home not an upgrade. So I worked up a few different layout options for her with the intent of keeping the two individual rooms. Here's a look at the final plan.

Bathroom Floor Plan - After

After several back and forths this was unanimously declared the winning layout. A new larger bathroom with double vanity, separate tub and walk-in shower and a separate laundry room which they agreed would be so much more practical and appropriate for the house than having it combined with the bathroom. The window locations worked best for each room by flipping the laundry room and bathroom locations (and also means the laundry room no longer backs on to the baby's room). But even in flipping the rooms the new layout was able to utilize a lot of the existing plumbing locations. In addition to this layout I also created a budget for them based on the new plan which confirmed their initial budget just wasn’t going to be enough to achieve their goals. This was an enormous help in making sure they were properly prepared for the costs involved before moving ahead with the project or making any purchases.

Vanity Elevation Options

I provided Janice with three different vanity wall mirror and lighting options. She had her own source for custom cabinets so I was able to design the vanity to fit the space.

Wall Panelling Elevation

The design plans included two different wall treatment options and Janice opted for this one which is a wainscot treatment created from panel moulding. The elevations provide her with all the dimensions needed for installing the moulding (the moulding specs and sizes were included but have been omitted from this copy).

Janice and her husband are experienced DIY'ers who have completed many projects around their house which Janice blogs about on her popular blog Life Begins at Thirty Right?. Due to the extensive nature of this reno she was nervous about making mistakes and wanted the reassurance of expert advice. She does enjoy being hands-on thru the process, she's really savvy when it comes to sourcing products and co-ordinating a project so an E-Design solution was a perfect fit for her. Within the package there are enough options presented that she still gets to have design input in the decision making. This project is from a couple of years ago but Janice kept me updated along the way and last summer I had the opportunity to visit and take some 'after' photos of my own - which I'll share next week!!! I was so impressed by what an amazing job they did turning these plans into reality the room literally blew me away when I saw it in person.

The above drawings are just a portion of the e-design package I completed for Janice, she also received finish and fixture selections, a lighting plan, a source list, and a budget breakdown. (note that specs have been removed from the drawings shown in this post). You can check out more of Janice's bathroom project on theDesignshop website where you'll see some before pictures and some progress photos.

thedesignshop.ca

All plans and drawings: Carol Reed

Winter Blues

2014-02-02T15:11:00.000-05:00

My desk with a few of my favorite things.

I know I'm not the only one who's feeling the side effects of this extreme winter. This winter is the first one I've spent fully on the East Coast and its been a harsh one, or as the elders here call it "an old time winter". Anyone I talk to here says its been decades if ever, they can remember a winter like this. I was born, raised and lived in Toronto all my life I can honestly say I've never suffered from the winter blues, until now. The thought of another 2 months (or more!?) of this gets me down. I'm well overdue to be back in TO and right now I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss the sunshine. Last week I found myself in such need of a pick me up I got up from my desk and drove into town solely for the purpose of finding some flowers.

I was excited to find a dozen long stem creamy white roses at Loblaws amongst the standard mixed bouquets. They'd just been marked down 50% because they'd reached their peak but did I care, ummm no, in fact they appealed to me even more because I felt like I was saving them from dying right there in the produce aisle without they're beauty ever being enjoyed.

The roses went immediately on my desk where I could enjoy them the most right along with some of my other favorite things. Little things can make a big difference. These flowers brought a cheery vibe to my office and gave me joy to look at (and smell) all day every day this week. They really were a pick me up. I need more! I'll be searching for more flowers this week and maybe some spring bulbs. I need to force a little spring to happen around here.

The photo of the roses also captured some of my favorite things that live on my desk. I keep them here because I love looking at them and/or they remind of some one or something beautiful that makes me smile. At the back of the tray you can see a glimpse of a special gift from my friend Michelle, a rendering of my house in an antique gold frame. The antique glass bottle was found in the dirt crawl space of our stone cellar during the renos last winter. There's a quartz rock from our beach that I use as a paper weight (I have many sizes of these!). Next to the flowers is a piece of vintage studio pottery I picked up at an antique market in Ontario, I keep paper clips and a few cards in there, the one visible is from a beautiful home accessories shop in Lunenburg that I discovered last winter. The card reminds me I need to go back for a visit.

The PENTPER General Shop, Lunenburg, NS.

The faux animal print wallet was a Christmas gift from my cats : ) I have a terrible habit of carrying my wallet only into stores and have often caught my cards falling out the end. This zip up one has been so handy and I looove a leopard print, but what makes me smile every time I open it is there's a quote in gold lettering printed on the inside lining:

"If you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can't buy."

Definitely something worth reminding ourselves of everyday. Its the little unexpected things isn't it! (Leopard print wallet from Chapters Indigo.)

Later on in the week, despite another snow storm, working at my desk remained cheery with these mini mandarines - probably the cutest thing I have ever seen at the grocery store! It was another effective pick-me-up shared with a few more favourites. I treasure this japanese tea pot from a best friend and the next best thing to having a cup a tea with her.

On this ground hog day Punxsutawney Phil has predicted 6 more weeks of winter but Nova Scotia's own Schubenacadie Sam has predicted an early Spring. Which probably mean the same thing. I think only six more weeks of winter is equivalent to an early spring in Nova Scotia. I'm running out of ways to beat these winter blues so, seriously Sam, I'm counting on you now.

All Photos: Carol Reed

My House: Staircase Before & After

2014-01-09T12:43:00.002-05:00

My almost complete, newly renovated staircase.

Upon completion of the first phase of our house reno, we wasted no time in moving our things into the new part of the house but we weren't in any rush to plunge into phase 2 of the renovation just yet. Living in the house throughout the renovations took quite a toll on us and the cats, particularly our older cat who became quite sick during this time. So we've spent the past 6 months enjoying a break from the construction as we slowly chipped away at completing some of the finishing work that was left to be done, like some trimwork, painting, and installing door hardware etc., We recently finished painting the staircase treads and railing and added a new runner. There's a teeny bit more painting and touch-up to do on the staircase yet but I'm so thrilled to finally have the staircase at least 'looking' like its finished - its been a long transformation. Here's a look at the staircase we started with.

Staircase before.

The existing staircase was not original to the house and I'd guess probably a 1980's addition. It had no redeeming features or character, the railing was not to code as the spindles were spaced much too far apart and I felt the staircase itself was overly wide for the size of the house. On the second level there is a hallway on one side of the staircase which you can see in the above photo. We didn't demolish the staircase entirely, aside from the railing system, I worked with what was there as much as possible. I did however rework the entire second floor layout which resulted in the upper hallway and railing being flipped to the opposite side of the staircase.

Front hallway and staircase in progress

The one good thing about the extra wide staircase is that it makes for a large closet underneath the stairs, you can see a bit of the old closet door in in the photo above (under the stairs). A glimpse of the new living room framing can be seen on the right.

Staircase in progress

In the above photo you can see the new wall is now installed on the second floor on the left side of the stairs. The new staircase railing will go up the right side of the stairs continuous from the bottom tread to the top landing and then continue (with a 180 deg turn) back along the right hand side of the staircase opening above. I wanted to do this without having a jog in the staircase section of the handrail which posed a bit of a challenge. (If you look back to the photo of the old railing you can see the spindles and handrail actually terminate at the ceiling - or alternately the railing could have continued if it took a jog around the ceiling at this point.)

Railing install in progress

The knotty pine stringers and risers were painted out white. New shop painted solid wood spindles were installed along with solid wood newel posts and handrail. I loved the simple elegance of the tapered spindles. I was fortunate to find Eric, of Rise and Run Wood Crafting, he's a skilled and knowledgable staircase installer who with the help of an assistant completed the installation in a day and half.

Staircase after, view from the top.

In this view you can see the newly configured second floor hallway located opposite to where it was previously. The upper hallway is now directly above the lower hallway. What you can't see in this photo is that on the second floor directly above the front door, there is a tall peaked dormer with an original gothic arched window which now falls in the centre of the second floor hallway. It has brought back symmetry to the floor plan and highlights the beautiful gothic window and drama of the peaked dormer. I swear I could hear the house breathe a sigh of relief "aaagghhhh, that's better". : ) Ok, i'm sure it was myself I heard saying that out loud but it really feels like the way the hallway was always meant to be.

You can also see in this photo above how the spindles are positioned quite a bit inside the edge of the treads but this allowed for the handrail to remain straight (no jog) and the spacing on either side of the runner to remain equal from top to bottom. A detail I debated with myself at length. Another challenge was working with the antique wood flooring on the second floor which is 1-1/4" thick. Typically your wood flooring would transition flush with a wood nosing selected to match your flooring. Since we were dealing with antique wood and a non-standard thickness, I opted to go with a paint grade nosing instead, installed on top of the flooring, not flush with it. This meant I saved on the expense of having a custom nosing made and it would be a less labour intensive install. Because its painted white it looks integrated with the railing system and other millwork around the stairs, so it works well.

Staircase runner install in progress

We added v-groove planks to both side walls of the staircase and coated them in white paint like the risers and spindles. The same v-groove planks are also used upstairs in the bathroom, master bedroom and closets. My love for v-groove panelling will never waver....

Staircase runner install in progress

I chose a durable ready made seagrass runner in a chevron pattern with a black binding, by Safavieh. I like how the black border adds a crisp contrast against the white risers. I love how the angle of the chevron echoes the gothic peak dormer on the front of the house and the seagrass suits this casual beachside location. I ordered 2 separate runners which we butt joined together (bound ends cut), it was installed with a pneumatic gun. This is a thick carpet and very rough to the touch. I chose this specifically for its durability and practicality for our cats. One of the reasons I was so anxious to get the runner installed is because bare treads are slippery and dangerous for pets and our older cat in particular was having such a hard time, slipping and falling.

Staircase After

The treads and handrail were painted a satin finish black. You can clearly see here how the new spindles are inset quite a bit from the edge of the treads, this is a bit further than where I would typically place them, but I'm not bothered by it at all and I'm happy that I did this rather than jog the railing part way up the stairs.

Staircase after.

This is the view from just inside the living room. We still have some touch up painting to do on the newel posts and clearly we still need some vent covers for the floor. (!) We're working on some custom wood ones, in the meantime we have to figure out how to retrieve all the cat toys that have fallen down the vent.

Staircase closet door, after.

The old closet door was clad in the same v-groove planks to make the door look seamless within the panelling. I opened the door slightly in this photo to illustrate the baseboard is attached to the door. Its such a good sized closet you can actually 'walk-in'.

Staircase runner, after.

As you can see Lucy (2 years old) just loves the new runner, as does the older guy who I'm happy to see sprinting up the stairs almost as fast as her.

I had looked forward to dressing the newly finished staircase with cedar or pine garland this holiday season but a mix up in the shipment meant that we didn't get the correct runners delivered until new years eve. Sooo,,,,it wasn't meant to be this season but next year I'll be ready with bells on and if all else goes according to plan I'll have a fireplace mantle to dress up too. Knock on wood.

An earlier post on the demo progress can be seen here, and check out this post for a sneak peek at the dining room progress here.

All photos and room design by: Carol Reed

The Art of Planning: Karen's Kitchen

2013-11-14T16:55:00.002-05:00

Photo by Donna Griffith, for Style at Home

You may remember last year I prepared some design sketches for my cyber friend Karen’s chicken coop gates. If you’re a fan of the Art of Doing Stuff blog, like I am,,,you know Karen doesn’t often need help with anything because she’s a master at figuring how to do stuff herself. She has a wonderful character style house and over the years she’s done many home improvements and decor projects inside and out. Not your average homeowner diy's,,,,Karen has an impressive archive of magazine quality 'afters', in fact the inside of her house and her backyard have both been featured in Style at Home magazine which you can admire here and here.

Clearly Karen doesn't need any help in the decor or handyman departments but one of the few things she hasn’t tackled is the house's original 1940‘s kitchen. She's pretty attached to the old kitchen and its easy to understand why - it oozes an authentic nostalgic charm that’s hard to replace (top photo). Even the editors at Style at Home couldn't resist photographing and featuring it just the way it is. Yah, even the "before" picture of Karen's kitchen is magazine worthy. ; ) Inevitably the time has come to replace it and Karen knows enough to know this in’t something she wanted to tackle on her own because the consequences of making mistakes or oversights are daunting, and expensive. So this is where I came in. Karen hired me thru my e-design services to work on the new kitchen plans. As far as finishes and appliances went she knew what she wanted but what she was struggling with was how to fit all of the new elements together. She needed a plan.

ASSESSING...

The first step I take is to review the existing space to assess what's working and what isn't. The whats not working about her current kitchen might be obvious, but its not all bad. There are aspects of this kitchen layout that Karen enjoys, particularly the huge expanse of uninterrupted counter space between the sink and range....and having a kitchen table and chairs. To be frank the shortcomings of the kitchen were easy to find solutions for but doing so and maintaining those elements that she loved was truly the challenge. That and accommodating all of the other things on her wish list.

THE DESIGN BRIEF...

- 'not cookie cutter'

- no new construction

- non-custom cabinets

- more storage

- a range hood

- a glass door fridge

- a furniture style pantry

- a stand alone butcher block table

- a place to sit

- a fixed budget

- did I say 'not cookie cutter'..

Knowing that we couldn’t alter the bathroom, laundry room, mudroom or doorways,,,,,I recognized the biggest obstacle in Karen’s kitchen was the counter height window on the end wall. It’s location was a prime spot for a range and hood, or a fridge,,,or wall cabinets. Ideally it needed to be moved to best utilize the space. Unfortunately the window was fairly new and had involved re-stucco’ing the exterior of the house. The option of moving it or changing it now was not in the budget so it was staying. Had we not been able to find a workable layout that Karen loved, I would have suggested she hold off until her budget allowed to move the window because it would open up so much more layout potential.

This is an example of how we could have utilized the wall had we moved the window. We quickly eliminated this option (and variations of it) for budget reasons and moved on.

Even though this layout doesn't appear to be drastically different than the existing, the changes are significant enough that with new, more efficient cabinetry and appliances it would be a big improvement. This option ticked all the boxes including a 36" range. It was the front runner,,,,,until,,,, Karen came home with an antique butcher block island that she couldn't resist and that meant a change in plans. But I've seen and completely approved,,,it's a beauty worth changing things up for.

THE AFTER PLAN....

After exploring more than a dozen layout options we arrived at a final plan that Karen loves (shown above). You can read Karen's first post about her kitchen reno plans here .......and you'll notice she received no shortage of opinions and suggestions from readers too. ; ) I'm confident in saying they can rest assured that the planning process was extremely thorough and not a single possible option was overlooked. : ) (We are aware the fridge overlaps the window a tad in this layout but this is the worst case scenario and we're prepared for how to deal with it. The fridge she's hoping to get is narrower than this but we're planning for the larger option just in case).

True to her vision “not cookie cutter” would be the design mandate and concept for Karen’s new kitchen. This applies to the layout too. There are a LOT of kitchen design standards, rules of thumb and conventional layouts with their regulated work triangles - well this plan doesn’t necessarily follow all those rules. And that's perfectly ok. I can say from experience that the clients who do a lot of serious cooking are the ones who's kitchens stray from generic design standards the most because they have much more specific needs, usually simpler.

When I approach a kitchen plan from scratch I use spacing standards only as a starting point (which also is an instant way to gauge if your footprint is considered tight or generous). From there I determine how and where adjustments can be made to suit the space and the users specific needs. There's nothing wrong with conventional layout standards but they simply don’t always fit or work for every situation, that doesn't mean you can't still have a kitchen that's functional - it just means you need more adaptable solutions (while maintaining safety and functionality of course).

In addition to the floor plan I also worked out all of the wall elevations which detail Karen's new cabinetry and will facilitate getting it ordered. The task of pulling this entire plan together is now in her very capable hands and I can't wait to see it all come together. Karen has done some savvy networking to co-ordinate a few great collaborations and sponsors for this project. The design layout reflects the products and publication opportunities that are anticipated thru the collaborations as well as some of Karen’s unique finds so it promises to be an interesting and beautiful transformation story for all parties involved.

You can follow the kitchen reno progress over at The Art of Doing Stuff and I'll post updates here as it starts coming together!

My House: Dining Room Progress

2013-07-28T11:49:00.000-04:00

For the past 11 months we've had the front part of our East Coast house and the entire 2nd floor undergoing an extensive renovation. The reno area consists of a living room, dining room, hallway/staircase, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom - in total less than 1000 s.f. Its been 11 months and this new work is still not finished. I expected we'd have the entire house reno completed by now but reality is I'm dealing with Atlantic time here. Nothing happens quickly. This first phase of renos is complete enough now that we've moved into the new area and its a huge relief to have the extra room and to have the tools and dust and daily trades gone.

Its fitting that the very first room we used in the new part of the house was the Dining Room (even before the bedrooms). What better way to christen the new space than a special dinner with family, our very first house guests. I never imaged 3 months previous when we planned their visit that w'ed be scrambling to get the new space livable by July 1st. It was a close call, I'll be honest, new beds arrived for the bedrooms on Thursday, the plumber arrived on Friday to install the bahtroom fixtures, boxes were being upacked on Saturday and our guests arrived on Sunday. I had hotel rooms reserved just in case but miraculously we didn't need them. Shortly after they arrived we gathered in our "new" dining room for a big dinner. To give you an idea of how far this room has come, here's a little before and after along with a peek at some of the progress.

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After (same view as "Before" photo)

The only redeeming feature about this room "before" was that it was a decent size. Fake wood panelling, acoustical tile ceiling (its everywhere here), nasty pet stained carpet, mis-matched trim work - it all had to go. With a house this old a coat of paint and a steam clean isn't nearly enough to bring the space up to todays standards. Behind the walls and above the tile ceiling your likely to find no insulation, mould, loads of mouse droppings, critter nests, faulty wiring and water damage. We found all of that and more. The only way you could move forward with this interior was to go backwards first.

On the floor we stripped back a layer of carpet, a layer of vinyl and a particle board subfloor to reveal what I had suspected (and desperately hoped) was there. Original solid wood wide plank floor boards, complete with a solid wood subfloor beneath. I was ecstatic when we uncovered these and that they were throughout the entire house.

These are what the floors looked like after stripping off layers of paint.

The next most exciting discovery was uncovering these original timber ceiling joists in the living and dining rooms. Just like the wood floors, these beauties hadn't seen the light of day in a looooong time and I had no intention of covering them up again.

Almost there,,,many months later here's the dining room just after the drywallers finished. We reframed all the exterior walls, added insulation, new drywall and new wood windows and all new trim work. The wood ceiling beams were left bare and new drywall was seamlessly fitted around them.

Below is a sneak peek of what the dining room looked like the day we used it for the first time with our guests, I literally took the building permit out of the window seconds before these photos were taken. The room was far from finished; there are no light fixtures, no electrical cover plates, no vent covers and barely any furniture. The table and chairs we moved into the room are completely temporary but work for now - it will ALL be replaced in the near future. The fact that the room isn't complete and is a long way from where I want it to be, would never stop me from making use of it now as best I can.

This is how the table looked while I was half way thru setting it for our first dinner. I filled the bottoms of the hurricane lanterns with sand from the beach and added wild daisies and ferns that I picked from the side of our road (there's no flower shop to run to). In case you're wondering what was on the menu for this inaugural dinner - we had a lobster feed of course. : )

So that's a sneak peek of the new construction in the dining room, the furnishings and artwork are another story all together. Stay tuned for sneak peeks of the other "new" rooms which I'll be posting soon. You can also check out some before photos of the exterior on my first post about the property here and one other post on some of the demo progress here.

Room Design and all Photos by: Carol Reed