CPI Interiors Blog

Catherine Pulcine — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:11:50 +0000

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” Norman Vincent Peale

We, along with our staff and contractors, would like to thank all our clients for their support over the past year. That support contributes greatly to our continued success and allows us to continue doing what we love best: beautifying and enhancing Ottawa-area living spaces.

During this holiday season, let us cherish our family and friends, both near and far. From our family to yours, we send our warmest wishes for a happy Holiday Season, a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous and safe New Year.

Catherine & Jerome Pulcine

Affinity Colours!

Catherine Pulcine — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:52:14 +0000

Affinity Colours. Have you heard of it? It is one of many paint lines from Benjamin Moore. This line contains 144 rich hues that complement one another no matter which one it is… but still use your judgment! The pallet is completely elegant, all which contain sufficient amount of pigment and Colour Lock technology to keep the paint fade resistant, mildew and water proof. Due to this advancement, you can use Affinity Colours in any room in your house and YES even in your bathroom! Not only are there 144 colours to choose from, there are also three sheens available. If this doesn’t sound amazing enough, the paint is durable to withstand multiple washings and is seamless enough that touch ups will not be seen or picked out. In addition to all this leading technology, Affinity Colours still contain low VOC’s for you and your families’ healthy atmosphere.

Affinity Colours

Great colour combinations are:
Sparrow AF-720 & Coastline AF-570
Tempest AF-590 & Agave AF-420
Caliente AF-290 & Safari AF-335
Hush AF-95 & Ylang Ylang AF-305
Blue Echo AF-505 & Kalamata AF-630

www.benjaminmoore.ca

Why Hire an Interior Designer?

Catherine Pulcine — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:51:02 +0000

I have been reading many blogs on what people think of Interior Designers and there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings. Those who are creative do not feel that they need the assistance of a designer but those who have no time and no interest in selections would. There are also those who are just looking for a second opinion on their selections for reassurance that the end result will look good.

Below, I have gathered a list of reasons to hire a Interior Designer to assist you or take on your new project.

- Saves you time and money

- Educated, trained and qualified

- Follows a strict timeline that is realistic

- Not only takes on remodeling projects but will work on new construction as well

- In-depth planners

- Reassured guidance

- Ability to overcome obstacles

– Ability to look a the whole picture

- Can have as much or as little control of every phase of your project that you want

- Creates function in your space as well as a visual pleasing display

- Defines and enhances your preferred style

- Proper space planning for traffic flow and functionality

- Access to a wide variety of products that are great quality

- In the end, the job gets done and done well.

If you think that you can do all these tasks and fulfill these skilled qualities then you do not need to hire a Designer. I just want you to remember that Designers are hired to get their brain picked, they have been trained to take on the stress of your project and they know the ins and outs of any project procedure. Your time is valuable and this is what we do for a living. Get to know your Designer and connect. Once this is achieved, you will have the most beautiful end result of your dreams.

Comparing Reality to Television

Catherine Pulcine — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:16:05 +0000

I just wanted to write a quick blurb about renovating and decorating. Many misinterpret the length of time certain projects take because of the television shows the public watches. The ‘Do It Yourself’ projects or just a regular home makeover shows completed in one weekend. Please keep in mind proper space planning is a must, you cannot just order pieces of furniture that look good and pray that they fit. You need to plan ahead. You cannot just put one coat of paint on and it will dry immediately – ready for the next coat! If you are doing a kitchen or bathroom renovation, mediums take time to set, like your grout, plaster, etc., not to mention the lead time for working drawings, cabinet builds etc. . Again, I just want to avoid the surprise when you hire your designer and they inform you of the time needed to fulfill your project. These are just a few examples that are not shared about reality on television. Also, this timeline does not include any unexpected occurrences that may arise during the redesign or renovation. This is reality, not television. But reality makes everything exciting and every project is a great experience for both me, the designer, and you, the client. Have a great day!

What kitchen style are you?

Catherine Pulcine — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I thought I would share some examples of different kitchens descriptions in light of CPI Interiors holding a Kitchen design seminar next week.

Galley Kitchen – When there is a lineup of cabinetry along one wall or line of cabinetry along two walls facing each other; usually known as a walk through kitchen. This type of kitchen does not contain enough room for an island when there are two wall of cabinetry.

L-Shaped Kitchen – When cabinetry is arranged along two connecting walls and meets in the corner. Islands can be used in this type of kitchen.

U-Shaped Kitchen – This type of kitchen has three walls of cabinetry. From a top view, it is in the shape of a ‘U’. Also, this type of kitchen usually has room for an island.

Block Kitchen – A block kitchen is a ‘U’ or ‘L’ shaped kitchen with the stove or both stove and sink are located in the island. With this island, it creates a block with all areas of the space covered.

These types of kitchens are the most common kitchen layouts. You may come across other kitchens that have breakfast nooks or double sided cabinetry with large pantries. All kitchens are different, they have their own flare or may lack in certain areas depending on space available and budget. Kitchens are a reflection of you so work closely with your designer to add the extra flavor to the most important space in your home.

Client and Friends Appreciation event

Catherine Pulcine — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:33:00 +0000

Giving my speech

Patrick Mullin, great entertainer!!

Jerome & Catherine Pulcine, Patrick Mullin

I am very late in getting this posted and for that I apologize, where does the time go??? . On July 11th CPI Interiors held a client and friends appreciation event at Cedarhill Golf and Country Club A very good friend of ours, Patrick Mullin put on an amazing two set concert which, based on the comments after, everyone loved. I gave a speech that evening to thank our clients and the friends who made CPI Interiors happen. I thought I would just post that speech here so the ones that couldn’t make it that evening could see what I had to say.

My speech, July 11th:

Thank you all for joining us this evening. It is such a pleasure to have our clients, suppliers and friends to help us celebrate and to thank you for your ongoing support.

Now into our 14^th year of business I must say it has been an exciting ride and one that we can’t see as ever ending. It has been very rewarding. It has been my pleasure and reward to have clients that have followed me through the 22 years I have been in this industry. We have had the opportunity to be in more homes in this city than you can imagine. In 2009 we hit the 3000 client mark and to this date have help decorator or renovate over 3400 homes in this city. It is often said in the office if you would like to know how to get anywhere in this city, just ask Catherine, she’s probably been there. I think that’s a fair assessment. That’s not to say I don’t get turned around sometimes but usually I could give some taxi drivers directions without GPS. We will have clients call to ask about something that was done in their home 6, 8, 10 years ago and it may not be a name I will recall, but give me address and chances are I will remember.

We have our staff here this evening that you have met when you came in. Karen Jackson, is our Office Manager has been with us for more than 11 years. She came to us as a new graduate from her business school and recently married. Today she has 2 beautiful children and her oldest has just turned 10. She and her husband Kevin have just celebrated their 12^th wedding anniversary. She has been a steadfast and loyal employee that we appreciate very much. So many times when we go to the trade shows with our designers, we are asked and which one is Karen. We say back in Ottawa at the office. Karen is the backbone of our operation. She runs the show and is the one that stays behind the scenes and keeps us all going. If we need to know anything in our office from the corners you will hear “Kaaaren”. She is tough to stump. Thank you Karen for everything you do.

Allison Parsons has been with us a couple of years now and Terri-Lynn Boulet has been a more recent addition to our team. Allison and Terri are both graduates from Algonquin College Interior Decorating program and work as Design Consultants. We sincerely see them becoming” Karens” too. Jerome, my husband and business partner is the Management side of our operation. It is asked frequently of us, how do you do that? Work with your husband, one woman I recently spoke to was commenting that she considered working with her husband for about 10 seconds and realized she would probably go insane, how do you do it, she asked. Jerome and I have very different strengths. I have my role in the design side and working with our clients. I work with our design staff in making certain we are presenting to our clients the best look possible and work with their budgets. Some people say I get to do the fun stuff. It isn’t without challenge but I do love it. Jerome is the one who keeps us front and centre and is always promoting our services in the best ways possible. We respect each others role and know that neither can do the others job. That’s not to say that is always a “yes dear” but we do work well together. He did say he would make me famous one day and to a small degree he has. I had a cute thing happen one day in the grocery store with a little girl looking at me and finally telling her mother “That’s the lady on our fridge”. Her mother may have attended one of our many seminars and received a note pad that was on their fridge. I noticed she used it for her grocery lists.

Working with people is certainly interesting and sometimes humorous situations arise. We have had designers out on appointments that call and want help in locating not only how to get to a clients house but also to have us tell them where they are. One particular incident involved a designer off to see a rural client and she called on her cell phone to say she didn’t know where she was or how she got there never mind be to the clients’ home. When asked what road she was on, sincerely expressed that she was on a dirt road with a corn field on one side and large oak tree to the other. I’m guessing since Oak trees are less plentiful than a maple that would have given an indication as to where she was. Jerome very patiently – yes for those who know him – he CAN be patient – helped her through where she had been and put her on her right direction. She did make it to the clients’ home and on time.

It is always interesting to receive some of the phone calls and email requests that we get asking for advice. Some give us verbal tours through their home and believe we can give them paint colours – sorry that’s not possible. Others are a little more complex. I had a man call to ask, and this was for real, how did you make it so when you get to the top of the stairs you don’t hit your head on the roof. Apparently he was building a house, by himself, without plans, or permits I discovered and he had no idea how to build it. I suggested he should stop what he was doing and find a contractor that could help him through the process and get permits for the house.

Another one that is always interesting is the person who buys their furniture that is the proverbial good deal only to discover it really isn’t when the furniture doesn’t fit. We had one client that upon arriving at their house to see an extremely large sofa on one side of the room with an equally large loveseat on the other, an oversize ottoman nicely in the middle to join them all together and a chair and half on the other side. There wasn’t an inch of floor or walking space available. They couldn’t return it as it was a deal and it wouldn’t go anywhere else in the house. Needless to say they weren’t very happy.

One of our most favourite though has got to be the person who calls to say they have torn out their kitchen and now discovered they haven’t any idea of what is involved next and thought that choosing cabinets was all that was essential to updating their kitchen. There is so much more.

As always you have people in your life that make all things seem easier no matter the circumstance. We have those people in our lives too. To Jerry and Lynn Jordan who are there no matter the crisis to help, we love you. To Barry and Wendy Bell, our dear friends and we thank you. To Paul Sheldon and Heather Munro we value your friendship.

Patrick Mullin, our entertainer this evening is an accomplished musician who has traveled this country over 25 years to play his music in many small towns with his family in tow. From Newfoundland to Northwest Territories, he has made his living playing and entertaining crowds both large and small. He has produced a CD of original material that you will hear this evening and we had the honour of being present at the launch of that CD entitled NORTH. Patrick and his wife Carol have been long time friends of ours. It was with them that we mulled over our decision to start this company. Over a bottle of wine and dinner, very concentrated conversation took place and pros and cons of starting it. The die was cast and we set our course. When we had our first office, it was Carol and Patrick that came to lend his handyman help and I must say is a wonderful craftsman too. Over the years we have followed them to many locations that Patrick has been employed as the entertainment in a variety of venues. We have traveled to Myrtle Beach where he played for several months and to Orillia, London and Windsor to mention a few. They always have a welcome home and good times. When we decided to present this evening we couldn’t think of a better way to say thank you to you all, including Patrick and Carol.

Without further adieu ladies and gentleman please welcome Patrick Mullin.

A-TV Morning Show

Catherine Pulcine — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:08:00 +0000

It has been a very busy spring so far. I hope it never ends. It is so exciting when people are doing projects in their home and I get to be a part of it. I was on A-TV morning show this morning and I thought you might like to take a look: CPI Interiors on A-TV

Till next time,

Catherine

Kitchen Design and Renovation Seminar

Catherine Pulcine — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 20:28:00 +0000

I want to thank everyone at Cedarhill Golf and Country Club for the wonder venue to hold our Kitchen Design and Renovation seminar last night. We had a full house which thrilled us because mother nature was not be very kind to us. My staff did an amazing job with setting up the displays and my business partner and husband, Jerome, did a wonderful job with the slide presentation. A huge thank you to our very close friend, Jerry Jordan, for taking pictures and recording a video for us.

Jim Levie, from Homescope Ottawa, also participated with a 15 minute overview of the renovation work itself. Thanks Jim.

Everyone that attended seemed very pleased and a number of people book appointments with me so I know for sure they were happy. You never know when you hold these events just how much information you can give someone and for how long, before they go into overload. I walked everyone through the process of a kitchen design and renovation from start to finish. Most people are very surprised at how much goes into doing a new kitchen. So many think that it is all about the cabinets. Well that is a very important element, it is just one of many. You have to think about things such as , who is doing the tear out of the old kitchen. What about hardware for the cabinets and sink and blacksplash, flooring, lighting…the list goes on and on. The key of course is in the planning.

I know it is going to seem self serving, but I would highly recommend that you should never do such a major renovation without the help of an interior designer, if not CPI Interiors, do yourself a favour call another designer before you begin.

Till next time…

Catherine

My first Youtube video

Catherine Pulcine — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:29:00 +0000

Hi again everyone, well today I have recorded my first videoto be uploaded to Youtube. It seemed so strange to do this. I have been on TV many, many times and never felt as nervous as I did today doing this short video. It is weird speaking into a camera with no one talking to you and no one asking you questions. Much harder than I thought it would be. My husband and business partner, Jerome, has been after me for a long time to do this and he finally got me to sit down so he could record it. So take a look and let me know what you think. I am trying to explain in the video about our first contact with a new client and what happens. I promise as I do more of these videos that I will get better. Enjoy.

Be Careful When Doing It Yourself

Catherine Pulcine — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:39:00 +0000

Recently I had the experience of meeting with a client that was looking at installing large format tile himself. He was asking my opinion on choosing paint and a coordinating backsplash tile to go with the tile colour and not necessarily about the size, style or how to install it. I felt it my responsibility to mention that when using the larger format – in this case they were 12” x 24” – the style in which they are to be laid will certainly create an effect. The tile chosen was quite contemporary in style, unfortunately the space wasn’t. He was only translating what had been seen in a picture and the taste of the salesperson in the tile store that had never been in his home to know what it was going with. Since it had already been purchased he felt obliged to keep going. I did caution that he had that opportunity to make the change now before installing it and it would be a small cost at this point rather than compounding things by doing the installation. He agreed. The tile colour was ok and we made the change to a 16” x 16” tile that could still give the look that he was hoping for, works with the style of the cabinets and in all honesty was what he was thinking all along.

The other item that drew my attention was the lack of the subfloor for the tile and a distinct slope in the floor area. That would have to be levelled out to allow for the installation to be trouble free. He was thinking he could install the tile directly on to the aspenite subfloor of the house. I suggested he either do a 5/8” plywood subfloor or use the Schluter – DITRA mat system. The system is easy to install and the tile lays well. Some things to think about when doing it yourself!!