Stoney Lake Cottage: Kitchen Progress

Cottage Kitchen - In Progress

This cottage kitchen is nearing the end of an extensive transformation.  When my clients purchased this new to them cottage late last summer, my first impression when I saw the photos was that it had great bones, and when I visited in person I especially loved its tall vaulted and cathedral wood ceilings.  It had several bathrooms and a large kitchen which were looking dated and more suburban in flavour perhaps than lakeside cottage. Without undergoing a complete gut of the interior, my challenge was to give the entire interior a complete update that would inject it with classic cottage charm that reflected this young family's modern lifestyle. The cottage would not be used in the winter so light, relaxed and summery vibe was in order.

Carpeting and narrow strip maple flooring (installed on a diagonal) would be the first to go.  Next up; new wide plank pine flooring, fresh wall paint, all new light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, hardware, countertops and appliances would complete the to do list.  But before we concentrated on all the new finishes and fittings for the kitchen, I recommended we rethink the layout.  The cabinetry was solid wood, great quality and in excellent condition but I saw a lot of potential for improvement and was convinced I could rework the layout using the existing cabinets but make it more functional for cooking and gathering.

Before - Kitchen Plan View

This cottage has no shortage of angles, while I do love the slopes of its dramatic cathedral and vaulted ceilings I wasn't crazy for the multi-angled kitchen island so this became my first target.  The island consisted of a cooktop, a prep sink, 3 different counter heights and despite its size, had seating for only 3, maybe 4.  There's nothing I dislike more in a kitchen than a cooktop in an island, especially where there's seating so my first goal was to find a new place for the range.  As you can see on the plan above, there wasn't a lot of wall space to work with.

After - Kitchen Plan View Here's a view of the new kitchen floor plan I proposed.  The entire layout was created using all of the existing cabinets plus a new open section for the microwave.  Although there's still a few angled cabinets in the island I straightened out the island's orientation. The range now sits against a wall complete with a range hood. The fridge moved to the opposite wall, so now the fridge, sink and range are in a nice efficient configuration.  The island becomes a great pre-dinner gathering place (out of the way of the cooks) with lots of room for snacks, beverages, buffets, and seating for 6.  The family of 4 can also enjoy meals here dining style around the open end of the island. The new undercounted microwave frees up counter space in the work area.  There was much debate over the microwave vs second dishwasher vs wine fridge here. : ) Once the layout was nailed down, I selected an entirely new palette of finish materials and fixtures.    Before - Kitchen Left Side  I also did some editing by deleting the heavy wooden light valance above the kitchen windows, as well as the ruffled fabric valance.  This immediately brightened and simplified the space.  Next, the solid knotty pine wood cabinets would all get painted. Before - Kitchen window and light valances. Kitchen Left Side - In Progress Fresh white walls and deep navy painted cabinets would compliment all the amber wood tones in the cottage and set the tone for a classic navy and white scheme throughout.  A new farm style sink and articulating antique nickel wall lights above the windows add vintage character.  The tall cabinet on the left will house the new stainless steel fridge.  The new counters and industrial pull-down faucet will be installed shortly.... Before - Right Side of Kitchen   The old panelled fridge with black trim and counter top microwave were permanently removed as was the diagonally laid narrow strip maple flooring. Moving the fridge to the opposite wall and shifting some base cabinets around made room for a new 36"wide range and exhaust hood.  A relocated glass door wall cabinet will work well beside the range for plates and bowls.  The existing solar shades, previously hidden behind the ruffled fabric valance now look perfectly simple and crisp set in the wood framed windows and provide light control from the afternoon sun.  See, I didn't get rid of everything. ; )

A pro style 6 burner range will be perfect for large family gatherings.  The entire cooking area gets a new full height stainless steel backsplash. New satin nickel cup pulls on the drawers complete the old cabinetry facelift.  New white and grey 'marble' quartz counter tops will wrap up to the underside of the window sill.

Before photos of the island, front view and back view.  A sea of wood.

The proposed new re-design of the island.

Initially the plans called for a second dishwasher in the island but later the homeowners opted to add a microwave here instead.  Amore recent change was the deletion of the raised countertop behind the sink, the island counter will now be all one level.

I completed all the design plans in December and the deconstruction started right away.  The contractor has been working non-stop all winter in effort to get the cottage ready for use starting May long weekend.  While all this reno work has been going on I've been working with the homeowners selecting all the new furnishings - no small task for this 7 bedroom, 4 bathroom cottage, plus boathouse!  Its been exciting to see it all coming together this past week, the rest of the fixtures and countertops will be arriving soon.  I'll be posting more updates and after photos in the coming weeks and months - I can't wait to share the dramatic bathroom transformations that have taken place not to mention the newly painted, all white (stunning!) boathouse.



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

The Big World of Interior Design

A recent meeting at an office in downtown Toronto had me reminiscing about the earlier half of my career when I designed corporate interiors.  On this trip to Toronto I had the pleasure of attending a meeting in one of the most well designed spaces I've ever been in with stunning city views, perfectly appointed furnishings and impeccably planned details.  I could write volumes about the infinite design details that played out just in the lobby and boardrooms alone.

The commercial sector of the interior design industry employs the largest number of designers and makes up the highest volume of projects dollar wise and square footage wise encompassing hospitality, retail, personal services and business spaces. When you think about it, outside of your home almost every space you experience is designed by interior designers - from your corner starbucks to the movie theatre to the airport lounge, to shoe boutiques and all of those 9-5 office facilities both urban and sub-urban - large teams of interior designers and technicians design and plan these spaces.  In comparison, the residential sector of this industry is a tiny drop in the bucket yet it dominates the media and the public's perception of what interior design is.

For Interior Designers who have experienced working in commercial design you'll understand when I say that the residential market of interiors its an entirely different world, one that leaves us staring at HGTV with tilted heads and raised eyebrows wondering what the heck any of that has to do with interior design (!?), at least the world of interior design as we know it.

I've always felt that what we see happening in the commercial side of the design industry leads the way for what we'll see translating into residential spaces.  Fashion certainly has a large influence too but what we see in public environments makes a big impression on our aesthetics for our own homes.  Its common for clients to send me photos of things they've seen in hotels or restaurants that they want to incorporate at home.  Stainless steel appliances and countertops, back painted glass, floating shelves, recycling centres, giant screen monitors, halogen pendants, engineered flooring, green products.....all of these things were common place in commercial spaces a decade before they were mainstream for the home.  Same goes for mid-century modern furniture.  Fifteen years ago the only people you'd ever find with a barcelona chair in their living room would be an architect or designer, who've been using them in commercial spaces for half a century.  I remember just starting out in my career how much I idolized Barbara Barry but I only knew of her from the commercial spaces she had designed.  

I think my experience with commercial projects has been invaluable in understanding the technical side of built environments, in understanding the construction process and in learning how to work with contractors, trades and craftsmen.  For Interior Design students who may be graduating this year, I would suggest that even if your hope is to work on residential interiors that you don't completely disregard opportunities to work in other sectors and become as diversified as possible, if not soley for the chance to develop and hone your aptitude for details.

Some of my favorite things about working in commercial design and some of the most important things I learned are also many of the aspects I see lacking in the residential field so take advantage of work experience you can acquire elsewhere in the industry, the more diverse your design experience the better.  Either way if you are passionate about design then travel as much as possible, never stop studying art history and always keep your eyes open to soak in the details.

I've always wished there was a TV show that showcased interior design projects other than just private residential spaces. There is a big big world of interior design happening out there that is rarely showcased or celebrated outside of its own industry but yet it influences our lives on a daily basis making our experiences positive or negative, memorable or forgettable.  Personally I can never stop admiring great design in any type of venue and nothing stops me in my tracks like perfectly planned details.


All photos by:   Carol Reed

Riverdale Reno: Progress

On a recent site visit for this project I was so pleased to see how all of the details of this renovation have come together.  Creating two new luxe bathrooms out of one large outdated one has been part of an extensive transformation process for this Victorian semi in Toronto.  You can read an overview of the design brief and view before and after floor plans of this second floor reno project here.   As I mentioned in that first post the design vision for the master ensuite space took a dramatic turn in direction from the initial concept meetings.  I had come up with a floor plan solution that my client approved in no time but deciding on finish materials was a much slower process and one that really pushed me to embrace some details and finishes that I wasn't entirely confident about.

Bathroom concept design sketch by Carol Reed Interior Design.

From the beginning the homeowner had a very clear idea of all the features he wanted IN his bathroom however, he didn't have as clear a vision of what he wanted the space to *look* like when it came to colour of materials and finishes.  This sketch above was something I prepared for him to help him visualize the new space and this then really helped him pin point what he didn't want.  This was definitely the look he wanted in his Guest Bathroom, lots of white marble on the floors and walls with a walnut vanity.  But for the master,,,he immediately decided dark and and sexy was the direction he wanted to take, further to that, he wanted a dramatic ledgestone feature wall.  This is when as a designer,,,,you truly have to tune in to what your client wants and not be blinded by your personal preferences.  You need to always be open to new concepts and directions and then use your expertise to filter and edit, not dictate.  Clearly this room nudged me in a new direction but I thoroughly embraced the opportunity and I am completely thrilled with the results.  

As you can see from these photos, this is quite a departure from the initial sketch.  The dark stone on the floor and the dark ledgestone on the tub wall is a striking contrast with the white marble used for the counter and tub deck and on the shower walls.  This photo above was taken just after the custom tv-in-mirror was installed.  The warm tones of the custom walnut slab tub panel and vanity is stunning against the grey.  One of the great features we kept from the old space was a skylite which floods the room with lots of natural daylight.  I think all the white marble, the mirror and the daylight beautifully balance all the dark grey. The homeowner and I are still on the hunt for the 'perfect' light fixture.

Even though there was a lot of different materials going on, including 4 different stone materials, I used them in a very monolithic way - each one of them used singularly and in an uninterrupted pattern.  The floor is a large rectangular tile laid in an alternating offset, the wall tiles are long narrow rectangles laid in a brick pattern in rows of alternating heights, the ledgestone is very thin long pieces of horizontal split face stone panels installed from wall to wall.  In designing this bathroom , there was a lot of consideration paid to mixing various patterns, mixing smooth with rough, light with dark, large with small.  In building it, there was an incredible amount of skill required in order to seamlessly integrate all of these different materials and details together.  Not for the faint of heart.

The master bedroom got a mini reno too.  New carpet, new trim work, new paint and an entire new wall of closets now on the left side of the bay window.

The guest bathroom was not quite as far along as the master ensuite.  On this day the custom walnut wood frame for the mirror was about to be installed.  We are also awaiting a pair of tall french windows that will be outfitted with polished chrome cremone hardware. : )

Here's an older progress pic of the guest bathroom shower under way.  Again, a departure for me with so many different tiles being used.  The mini cararra 'chiclets' on the floor are my favourite!  Outside the shower the bathroom floor is finished with extra large, slab like, cararra marble tiles.

The guest bedroom has seen a lot of changes too.  Starting with a new pair of french doors and a juliette balcony,,,new carpeting, trim work, paint and hardware.  Its a small space but its jamb packed with luxe details.  A new upholstered bed was the first of the new furniture to arrive.  This will be flanked with mirrored night tables and a pair of antique alabaster lamps.  We've got some gorgeous graphic fabric picked out for the draperies and hits of bright coral coloured prints for the bed. 

Its been a long process but this house is almost ready to welcome its first overnight guest, but I've forewarned my client that they just might never want to leave! ; )  

All photos by:   Carol Reed