As I shared previously, we recently moved our family from a 2000 square foot semi-detached home to a 6000 square foot cabin in the woods (that is walking distance to a Starbucks)! I still cannot believe we have the opportunity to live in such a beautiful space.
We are also very excited to make our space our own. I have so many fun décor projects up my sleeve and I cannot wait to share them with all of you! But before we can get to the pretty, I wanted to make sure the house was safe. Today, I am teaming up with the Electrical Safety Authority, the administrative authority mandated by the Government of Ontario to enhance electrical safety in the province, to highlight some of the things you want to keep in mind when you are making your home your own.
With a family as large as mine (I don’t even want to tell you how much my family of 6 kids spends on groceries every week), I have to make very careful decisions with my budget to make every decorating dollar count. For me, this includes DIY-ing whatever I have the time, the energy, and the skill for- which often includes things like painting, hanging art, and assembling furniture (I painted my laundry room ceiling at 2am while 7 months pregnant to finish it for a photoshoot!)
But there are a few things I will never mess around with from a DIY point of view, and this includes anything electrical. Electrical work is complicated and, in most cases, it is an important part of any renovation plan. But did you know that if you hire an unlicensed electrician and something goes wrong, you’re responsible? And, if an insurance claim can be traced back to work that was performed by an unlicensed electrician, the claim may be denied. If you are hiring someone to do electrical work in Ontario, by law they must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
So, one of the first things we did in our new home was to have my Licensed Electrical Contractor in to tidy up the MANY random wires that were very precariously hanging in multiple areas. Our new house, while new to us, is over 50 years old and has plenty of evidence of that fact. In the area I am going to use as an office, we had a bouquet of wires sprouting from the wall with zero knowledge of what was live and what was not. My Licensed Electrical Contractor was able to tidy them up safely.
Good bye messy cables! Come back soon for the after!
Another project I am so excited about is installing an electric fireplace in our master bedroom. The house is surrounded by so much nature, and has incredible natural light. Unfortunately, with the age of the home and the windows, it means drafty rooms are a reality, and the warmth and ambiance an electric fireplace will bring this space is really going to increase our comfort. When planning for your fireplace, either electric or gas, there are specific electrical requirements. Under the advisement of our Licensed Electrical Contractor, we are going to have a dedicated circuit for the fireplace installed. This will help to ensure that the the circuit breaker won’t trip when the heater is operating. Here’s a peek at what I am thinking for the bedroom:
I can’t wait to share this finished space with you so soon! It’s a bit of a departure for me design wise, embracing the whole cabin in the woods aesthetic, but I’m pretty excited about it!
While I love the beauty a new renovation can bring, what’s most important to me especially where my family is concerned, is the safety and integrity of what’s behind all the beauty. With this sentiment in mind, I was excited to see my long time mentor and friend Kimberley Seldon (remember her beautiful magazine Dabble that I was a regular contributor to?) partner with the Electrical Safety Authority for its Power Your Reno program. It’s an online resource that provides homeowners and design enthusiasts with the tools they need to create beautiful -– and safe -– home renovations.
On March 17th, ESA is hosting a panel discussion titled “Behind the Walls” at the National Home Show in Toronto featuring designer Kimberley Seldon, CityLine host Tracey Moore, and electrical safety expert Steve Smith. Kimberley and Steve will share tips to achieve a home reno that is on-trend and powered to perform. To learn more about the panel, click here.
Thanks to the Electrical Safety Authority for partnering with me on this sponsored post.
If you have been following me for a while you know I have taken part a few times in Calling It Home's One Room Challenge. I have completed my home gym, and my laundry room in this mad dash challenge, and just this past spring I completed this amazing modern kitchen. If you've been following along, you know I attempted to complete not one, BUT TWO kitchens, for neighbours who built houses and both worked with me at the exact same time in this series I am affectionately calling A Tale of Two Houses. Due to realities beyond my control, the second kitchen didn't make it to the finish line. But now… I get to share it in its finished glory for you here!
We kept it tried and true and classic in this kitchen. A beautiful, classic grey on the island with all kinds of trim goodness, and white cabinets for the win.
We used the Cassidy faucet collection by Delta on the island faucet, the pot filler, and the main sink on the back counter. The gorgeous curves of these pieces fit in so nicely with the transitional style of this space.
And to keep things interesting we repeated the island colour in the pantry area for a nice pop of contrast.
I love creating spaces that reflect the personality and lifestyle of the people who live there. Interior design is so much more than paint and pretty things. Interior design sets the stage for lasting memories for families to make at home. It matters, and it's important- and designing homes for families so they can thrive at home is a job I take very seriously.
What do you think? Are you more classic and prefer greys and whites, or could you bo bold with a blue island? Tell me in the comments below.
Welcome back- I am so excited to be taking part in the One Room Challenge, where Linda from Calling It Home challenges designers, decor enthusiasts, and DIYers to complete a room in six short weeks. I have done this a few times. Check out my home gym and my laundry room here.
I have been tackling two [yes, two!] kitchens, for two lovely women, who live next door to each other, who are using the same builder, and hired the same designer!!! How much fun is that?!
Week four is a pretty hard week in the challenge- as you are close, but not close enough!!!! Here is the update this week:
HOUSE ONE- GETTING CLOSE
As you can see, house one, my more modern house is getting pretty close. We were bold [and a little edgy] with the contrast of the herringbone backsplash with a JUST GOSH DARN GORGEOUS AND BOLD Cambria quartz counter with some pretty dramatic and gorgeous veining.
And look at the hardware- loving how the circular pulls look on the drawers!!!
HOUSE TWO- CAN'T WAIT TO SEE MORE
Just look at this yummy counter we've got going on. It's elegant and understated, and just the perfect fit for this house [the more traditional house]. There was a small issue with the counter island, so the counter was brought back for a re-do- which means this kitchen will be a significant race to the finish line…
Designing two spaces, for two unique families has been so much fun for me. If you've been following me for a while now, you know how important it is for me to help families thrive at home through strategic interior design. It is so much more than counters and backsplash for me- it really is about setting the stage for lasting memories, and facilitating a place where families can be their most authentic selves.
Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! I've got some fun progress to share. I'm excited to be taking part in the One Room Challenge, a really fun six-week blogging experience where designers and design enthusiasts "compete" so to speak to the finish line [side note, we're all winners] to complete a room in six short weeks. I've done this mad dash a few times. Check out my home gym and my laundry room here.
I'm designing two kitchens for two fabulous families, who happen to be neighbours, using the same builder, same designer, at the same time, and are my friends!!! You can catch up on week one here, and week two here.
Helping families thrive at home through strategic interior design is such a passion of mine. And so much family time happens in the kitchen which is why I wanted to share these spaces with you on the blog. Here's the update for this week.
HOUSE ONE- MILLWORK
SO EXCITED- in this house, which is the more modern of the two, we went with grey custom cabinets with a modern double step bevel profile on the doors. Hidden under all this plastic is a beautiful navy blue island which I cannot wait to reveal.
Counters are in, and I must say they are spectacular- come back next week to see them! But as you can see, since they are down that means the backsplash can go up. And boy is she a beauty.
HOUSE TWO- MILLWORK
JUST LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY- This kitchen is classic in grey and white, and to suit its more traditional design we used a bevel profile on the cabinets. The counters going in this home go in on Monday and the backsplash we have planned is going to be just incroyable. Come back next week to see the progress.
It's going to be interesting to see which kitchen finishes first. They will be days apart from finishing- and very very close to the six week deadline. Very curious to see if we can pull off TWO KITCHENS for this challenge!
Until next week!!! And go check out what all the other linking participants are doing here.
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know we embarked on a pretty ambitious renovation of our Toronto semi-detached home in 2015. We started it when we were a family of just 3 kids- and finished it as a family of 5!
You read that right- designing and renovating my own space took FOREVER (enough time to have not one, but two babies!) for a plethora of reasons (read: indecision, procrastination, busy working on client renovations, more indecision, more procrastination, more babies, LOL etc. etc. etc.)
Well I am so excited to share that while we renovated- we also filmed the experience. I partnered with Style At Home.com, one of Canada’s leading shelter magazines, and brought cameras in to capture what it is like to go through a reno in the city, do it with a ton of kids involved, and come out the end with a family home we LOVE.
The transformation is kinda crazy- I’d love for you to join us along for the ride. Watch below or click here.
I hope this video has given you some inspiration to make your own home amazing for your family.
To help get you started I’ve compiled all the items used in my house, PLUS a fun PDF on how to survive a renovation with kids.
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