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Luxuriating Bathroom Design on a Budget - Part 1: The Crucial Steps



• Bathrooms often are among the smallest rooms in a home. Along with kitchens, they also tend to be the most...

Luxuriating Bathroom Design on a Budget - Part 2: Simple Solutions



• Out with the old and in with the new? That depends…...

How Pets Influence Design



• It used to be enough to ask clients a few simple questions about whether or not they had pets… What...

Will 2011 be the Year of the Comeback for Linen?



• Linen showed up prominently in all of the trend forecasts for 2011 — it is highly textural, it has great...

2011 Colour of the Year



• You may have noticed the return of bright colours over the past few months. Perhaps most prominent among them is...

Bathroom Faucet Trends



• Faucets are becoming much more than a functional means of turning water on and off. There is the aesthetic and...

Design Trends: London Design Week



• For those of you who like to know what’s going on in the world of Interior Design and Décor trends,...

Making Room for Shoes



• There are some who have an entire closet devoted to their shoe collection. But most of us are not so...

Organic Furniture Accents



• Far too many people discard things that are considered “dead” within their natural environment. But reclaimed wood and off-cuts or...

Unique Glass Mosaics



• Glass tiles are nothing new. Before they became more mainstream and readily available at every home store, they were a...

Transition Baby Furniture



• Nursery furniture has come a long way in recent years, with most suites offering long-term growth and functionality. Cribs become...

Green-Roofed Homes for your Pet(s)



• Some cities are now mandating that new commercial and multi-residential structures must have green space on their roofs. But green...

Hardwood Flooring with an Eco-Twist



• Most hardwood floors that are labelled “green” come from sustainably managed forests and/or feature local wood species, thus saving on...

Wood Concrete



• An interesting new product was presented at IIDEX / NeoCon Canada: Mountain Pine Beetle Wood Concrete, or MPBWC. The concrete-like...

PET and Crushed Stone Solid Surfaces



• To answer the ongoing question of what to do with all those discarded PET water bottles, Shell created a company...

Organic Furnishings by Andrianna Shamaris



• For those of you who love unique, inspired pieces derived from petrified, reclaimed, and/or organic wood, take a look at...

Waiting To Schedule A Fall Tune-Up? Why You Shouldn’t Wait Until Winter Sets In

• Did you know that fall is the best time to schedule your furnace’s preventive maintenance? There are several reasons that...

Reclaimed Wood Flooring and Products



• After a brief hiatus to focus on this year’s Oceana Ball (more to come on that in the future), we’re...

Furnishings & Buying Canadian



• For those interested in eco-design, one of the first rules is to buy locally. Though there are a plethora of...

Repurposing Ancient Trees



• Have you ever noticed that some of the most spectacular, exotic things are also some of the simplest? South African-born,...

Eco-Disposal Helps the Environment and your Community



• Occasionally, we tire of furniture and want to replace it even though there it still has plenty of life left....

Modular Home with a Creative Turn



• Modular housing has been elevated to an entirely new level in recent years. If you think “modular” is synonymous with...

IFDA’s Residential Trend Forecast for 2020



• Based on a new report from the International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA), houses are getting smaller, living rooms are...

Trend Alert: What’s Coming in 2012



• If you’re a trend watcher and can’t wait to know what’s on the design horizon for 2012, here are a...

Uniting the TV and the Fireplace



• A common design battle... One partner wants the fireplace to stand alone or to feature artwork. The other wants to...

NewspaperWood: Prolonging the Life of Newsprint



• In an ironic twist, a Dutch design firm, design label, Vij5, has introduced lumber made from recycled newspaper: NewspaperWood....

TVs in Bathrooms



• Do you feel the need to watch the news, or anything else on television, while you’re in the bathroom? Many...

CMG Names 2012 Colour of the Year



• If you’re planning ahead for 2012 and want to know what is happening in terms of colours, the Color Marketing...

The Voice of Colour: PPG’s 2012 / 2013 Colour Trends



• PPG’s 2012 / 2013 colour trend forecast calls for an awakening of the senses, a new positiveness, a search for...

Pantone’s Fall 2011 Fashion Colours



• Are you looking to enliven your home or office with a fresh new colour palette this fall? Pantone recently released...

Toronto Waterfront Development



• After countless years of talking about waterfront revitalization, the city of Toronto has been announcing a steady flow of both...

Are Separate Bedrooms the Wave of the Future?



• A recent report from the United States suggests that an increasing number of North American couples who live together are...

Coke Bottles with a Purpose



• For those of you who still question the value of recycling things like pop bottles, be assured there is yet...

Carpet Recycling: Cradle to Cradle



• For the past several years, all of the primary North American carpet manufacturers have been developing green practices and technologies...

Caring for your Outdoor Fabrics



• Perhaps more so in Canada than other areas of the world, we cherish the summer months and the opportunity to...

Virtual Windows



• Have you ever wished you had a window somewhere in your home or office where one does not currently exist?...

Toronto’s Green Roofs



• Planting grasses, plants, or even trees on rooftops is a great aesthetic element. It helps to soften the skyline and...

Toronto’s Underpass Park



• Urban renewal of derelict lands is extremely underrated and rarely pursued. The development of Underpass Park by Waterfront Toronto, in...

The World of Wallcoverings



• There are still many that have terrifying flashbacks from years long past of walls plastered with horrendous wallpaper(s); visions which...

The Chair Statement



• For some, a chair is nothing more than a place to sit. With any luck, it will be at least...

Purposeful Restoration



• Green furnishing options are becoming more and more common — everything from water-based stains and finishes, to low- and no-VOC...

Storage Beds



• Given the abundance of small condos that are flooding the market, it is not surprising that people are perpetually wondering...

The Psychology of Colour in the Home



• Given the bold hues chosen by the likes of Pantone (Tangerine Tango) and the Color Marketing Group (Boyz-N-Berry) as the...

LA Transformer House



• Certain areas seem to be more conducive to creative architecture than others, in part due to climate. Los Angeles is...

5 Kitchen Design Trends for 2012



• The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), a non-profit trade association that has educated and led the kitchen and bath...

Will Ontario’s Stringent Energy Code Negatively Impact Indoor Air Quality?



• As of January 1, 2012, applying for a building permit for a new structure in Ontario means complying with increasingly...

LEED Canada Streamlined



• As it has done elsewhere, the impact of LEED on the Canadian building industry has been transformative, leading not only...

Elevator Beds



• You have likely heard of both adjustable beds and Murphy beds, both of which are still readily available. But there...

Universal Design Trends in the Kitchen and Bathroom



• The demand for products that are both accessible and functional continues to rise as knowledge increases and the product range...

Clean Air Circulation Accelerated with Plant-Based Home Purifier



• It is no secret that plants help to recycle the air and keep it clean. Scientists have now combined the...

Wasting Water is Weird



• There is a new campaign entitled “Wasting Water is Weird,” sponsored by big industry players Kohler, Bosch, Lowes, and P&G,...

LED Lighting for the Kitchen



• If you’re updating or completely renovating your kitchen, and you would like to incorporate some energy-efficient, LED lighting into the...

Is this the Lightbulb of the Future?



• The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently held a competition which challenged lighting manufacturers to produce an ultra efficient replacement...

Discreet Coded Door Handle



• Keyless entry systems are becoming increasingly popular for home use, eliminating the need to carry around multiple keys. Historically, many...

Illuminating the Junk Drawer



• Do you have a junk drawer? Or any drawer in which you find yourself constantly searching for something? Or perhaps...

Staging your Home



• The housing market seems to heat up every spring as a flood of re-sale homes become available for purchase. If...

Outdoor Living Features from the Builder’s Perspective



• Further to my post about getting ready live in and use your outdoor spaces in the coming warmer months, I...

How Fast is Too Fast?



• When it comes to design and the construction and/or renovation of buildings, is there such a thing as too fast?...

Stools Designers Love



• From the pages of Interior Design‘s Fall Market Tabloid issue come the following designer-loved stools, including one made from re-purposed...

Bathroom Safety Checklist



• If you happen to have someone in your home with accessibility needs, here are several things to consider within the...

Beware of Glass Boxes in the Sky



• Tall condominiums on the horizon are not a new site. In Toronto, they are everywhere. In fact, Toronto has more...

Getting Ready for the Outdoors!



• After an unseasonably warm and snow-free winter, and with record-setting temperatures in the mid-20s and beyond already occurring in March,...

Green Building Trends



• Earth Advantage Institute (EAI), a non-profit based in the US that promotes “the responsible use of energy and natural resources...

Tips for Working with a Design Professional



• If you’re thinking about investing in improving your home but have never before worked with a contractor, here are some...

Will Underground Parks become Common in the Future?



• Everyone enjoys “green” space, whether to walk or play in or simply to observe or admire. But as cities become...

The Making of the Aeron Chair



• Have you ever wondered how a chair is made? Though many North American manufacturers have opted to off-shore their production,...

Jonathan Adler’s 10 Commandments for a Happy Chic Home



• With spring and the renewed focus it tends to bring to lighten up our interiors, here are Jonathan Adler‘s 10...

Aberdeen City Garden



• According to the original call to submissions overview, the six hectares of Scotland’s Aberdeen Gardens Project “will radically transform a...

The Stacked Bathroom



• Design Odyssey Co., a UK-based manufacturer, has introduced the Vertebrae®, a stacked, vertical bathroom which features seven (7) rotating components...

The Rolling Fire



• If you want to have a “fireplace” in your home but also want to make a statement and be able...

A Taste of Paris: Bistro Style



• The first sign of warm weather and Canadians immediately don lighter clothing and neighbourhoods come alive...patio season has sprung! And...

Scrap Wood Wallpaper



• Inspired when restoring an older piece of furniture for his sister, Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek created wallpaper made from...

Office Chairs with Style



• If you’re looking to treat yourself to a new office experience in 2011, perhaps it’s time to consider a new...

Swarovski Elements for your Windows



• I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m definitely not a fan of fussy window treatments with lots...

Space Planning 101



• Most design professionals have certain guidelines or rules of thumb they use when planning spaces for clients. The NKBA (National...

Living in a Plane



• Many business travellers often say they live on an airplane given all the hours they log in the air. But...

The Ultimate Spring Chair



• Kenneth Cobonpue has designed the ultimate spring-like chair: the aptly named Bloom Chair....

The Enignum Canopy Bed



• Wow!! I’m really not a traditional kind of girl, nor one that would ever consider a canopy-style bed, but Irish-born...

Stylish and Stackable Outdoor Furniture



• If you’re short on outdoor space, or simply don’t like to leave your patio furniture set up all day, every...

Ultimate Venting Picture Windows



• It is the time of year when many of us want to let the outdoors in. The fresh air, anyway....

How Green is your City?



• The U.S. and Canada Green City Index, part of a research project conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, recently released...

How Green is your Home?



• According to a recent survey conducted on behalf of Whirlpool Corp. and Habitat for Humanity International by the National Association...

Seven Home Selling Preparation Tips



• For some crazy reason, thoughts of selling homes and moving elsewhere tend to go hand-in-hand with the warmer summer months....

Stone Facade and Fibre-Cement Alternatives for your Home



• If you’re looking for innovative options for exterior glazing and cladding to increase your curb appeal and alter the look...

Smart Home of the Future?



• Depending on your love of technology and your concept of what the future holds, this may be the coolest thing...

Smart Grid Home Energy Controls



• General Electric and Best Buyhave recently partnered to fast track energy-efficient products for the home – a device which can...

Office Spaces Continue to Shrink



• The average individual worker office space in North America was approximately 225 sq ft in 2010. According to a study...

Organic Shapes Bring a Fun Twist to the Bathroom



• Bright bursts of colour in unusual settings have been introduced by many manufacturers recently, particularly in the bathroom, as evidenced...

A TV in your Table



• Do not mistake a TV in your table for a table TV; it is quite literally a TV hidden within...

Seating Options from Design Days Dubai



• If you’re looking for some new seating ideas, the following were all presented at Design Days Dubai....

Mister T is made for Small Spaces



• France-based Oxyo recently introduced its first collection, Made In Design, which called upon five (5) rising design stars to “edit...

The Limbo Chair and Earth Day



• With thoughts of Earth Day intermingled with spring, I thought this was a great piece of furniture to share and...

Swing while you Dine



• Duffy London has a fun swing dining table to add a new twist to your mealtime....

Love Me Love Me Not Table



• Adaptive, multifunctional furnishings are always useful, especially when they also look great!...

Fish Tanks to Dress up your Interiors



• Most fish tanks are either boring glass bowls or larger rectangular tanks. The fish themselves add life and colour, but...

Mosaiko Brings Bling to the Bathroom



• If you’re looking to add some bling to your bathroom and aren’t afraid to show off your fixtures, how about...

The Mutation Series Seating



• Maarten De Ceulaer‘s Mutation Series brings a whole new meaning to tactile furnishings. Depending on your perspective, it may remind...

The Tetra Shed Expands your Usable Space



• Are you looking to add space to your home without actually building? A little oasis secluded from the regular madness...

The Chameleon Cupboard



• New from Italy’s Porro is the Chameleon Cupboard, a collaboration with the Sweden’s Front. Like any chameleon, this cupboard is...

Kohler’s Contemporary Valet



• Though it would seem that Kohler’s Margaux collection is not new, the first time I was introduced to the fabulous...

K|BIS 2012 – Kohler’s Bathroom Music



• Lots of updates and ideas from K|BIS over the next few days, some of which are new-to-market and some new-to-me....

The Retractable Towel Ring



• Lots of updates and ideas from K|BIS over the next few days, some of which are new-to-market and some new-to-me....

The Elevance Revolutionizes Universal Tub Design



• The Elevance rising wall tub is a fabulous alternative to the plethora of walk-in tubs currently on the market. Rather...

The U-Socket Outlet



• I love the idea of the U-Socket, which incorporates two (2) USB outlets into a standard AC receptacle! While you...

The Legs Have It!



• Lots of updates and ideas from K|BIS over the next few days, some of which are new-to-market and some new-to-me....

Universal Design Calls for Functional Illumination



• Universal Design (UD) is definitely something I’ve explored before on multiple occasions. Despite that, I think its important to begin...

Stunning Metal Solutions for the Kitchen and Bath from Oios



• The industrial look of stainless steel has been in kitchens for quite some time. But the look is rather consistent,...

Delta’s Showstopping Fuse



• Delta’s Fuse™ series of kitchen faucets introduces a burst of colour in an unexpected place. The split-finish pull-down faucet comes...

Highend Hardware to Finish the Job



• The introduction of jewels into the bathroom happened long ago. Many manufacturers now offer faucets that feature crystals and/or gems....

Vessel Sink Faucets for Non-Modern Spaces



• Though I love cleaner, more contemporary lines, many of my clients prefer something more transitional or traditional. In the past,...

Integrated Kitchen Sinks Expand Counter Space



• In some cases where it is not possible to enlarge the footprint of the kitchen, not much can be directly...

Smart Kitchen Storage Solutions



• Here are a couple of storage ideas that were included in multiple “Best of K|BIS” lists. If you’re in need...
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