Kitchen Design and Renovation Seminar

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

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

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!!

References and Photos

It is always interesting when speaking with potential clients for the first time to be asked “what style do you work in”? My response is always – “in your style.” It is so important to know that interior design and decorating should be done for each individual client’s tastes and to suit their home style. It is their home, not mine or for that matter it isn’t the neighbours or their sisters either. So many people are intent on getting opinions of others that really have no bearing on what is done for their own space.

It is important to know that when looking at photos on the website, that there may be things that strike you as wonderful however there may be others that you can’t understand why someone would have done that. Everyone is different and our job is to be sure that the basic principles of design are followed but the choices made are always special to the project being done. Colour, style and finishing are what the client wants or at least expressed what they would like.

When asking for what was done in another project, the thought has to be directed to what was intended and does it apply to another space. Sometimes clients ask to duplicate a picture and when reviewing it with them it becomes evident that it may be not in keeping with the style of their home, or in the end there are things that don’t translate well into their environment.

Keep and open mind and experience the difference. You will be amazed.

Lighting, Lighting Everywhere but nothing……

How many times have I had clients say they have gone to look for new lighting for their home only to return home frustrated and without a new fixture or lamp in hand. It isn’t often that I make that trip as we have so many of our own suppliers for everything we source including lighting, that I don’t have to go through that exercise. We have the advantage of sourcing exactly what we want by catalogue and on our supplier websites.

Today I had the task of trying to locate lampshades for a couple of lamps. It seemed like a simple task, I was wrong. So much of the same thing, the wrong colour or size was off or the style wasn’t suitable. I think I will advise my client we have to wait and order in what we need and really wanted. It will be worth the wait.

It is amazing to me when there are so many beautiful light fixtures and lamps available that in the limited space of a retail outlet that they choose to cram so much into it, the ability to actually see what is there is lost. Also why are they almost always all the same? It is no wonder there are so many homes still have the original builders light fixtures.

Lighting is such an important element in our homes, that putting the effort into making the right selections is significant. Shape, size and finish direct so much of our decor. Not only the ability to see in good light, but to be able to control the amount of light necessary for any given task or to create the right ambience. So my advice is don’t settle for what you see in the retail stores. It is worth the wait!!

Colour, colour….. don’t be fearful…

So many times we are asked by clients to make the paint selections for their home. This is often how our relationships begin with our clients. The difficulty for many homeowners that when choosing paint colours for their homes, they are so afraid to use colour they become paralyzed with the fear that what happens if it is too dark. In most instances I can assure you it will not be the case. It would be a very rare occurrence that I encounter someone who has made a selection that is to be honest, not a whole lot more than just not white.

When deciding on colours it is important to be sure there is a good flow from one colour to the other and depending on the area or if you have rounded corner beads, where to make the transition from one colour to another. Similar levels of colour work nicely, if you look at colour chart strips a good place to start is at the 3rd or 4th colour down. The balance from one chip to the next will generally give a nice flow. On the whole the lighter ones are very light and the colour rendition may be lost when transferred to large area.

When making your selections, if you decide to do it yourself, be brave and go with the next colour level. After all it is only paint and an easy change. Colour is something that enhances our living spaces and makes for warm inviting rooms.

And The Winners are!

I was very pleased to be involved in the Ottawa Real Estate Board trade show that was held last Thursday at the Centurion Conference and Event Centre.  This is an event held every year for the real estate industry.  It was very well attended and from talking to many agents, I would say that the real estate market in Ottawa is doing very well.  We at CPI Interiors offered 3 door prizes each being an hour in home consultation from me at no charge.  The winners were Dan Corriveau and Meggi Byers both of RE/MAX Affiliates Realty Ltd. and Elaine Taranu of Royal Lepage Team Realty Manotick.  Congratultions to all 3 of you.  I want to thank all the agents who stop by our booth.  It was wonderful speaking with you.