The team at Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre would like to wish fellow designer Sarah Holmstrom the very best as she embarks on a new adventure with her
family.
Very soon, Sarah will be leaving Ontario and
heading off to Calgary, Alberta. There, she'll be spending time with her new family
and helping her husband to achieve his career aspirations.
Sarah will remain in touch with her Monarch family while away, and keep our team up-to-date on differing design
trends in the prairie region.
Thankfully for us, the move is a temporary one and Sarah will be back and part of the Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre design team soon.
Please join us in wishing Sarah and her family all the best in this new adventure.
“The arrival of twins this year meant our clients’ busy farmhouse required a major transformation,” explains Monarch designer Sarah Holmstrom. “Their living space needed to accommodate a home office space, an expanding household, and stay true to the overall character of the home that had been in the family for generations.”
Farmhouse Transformed: Design by Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre
This new open concept design created five beautiful spaces
that flow into each other seamlessly:
a large working kitchen with island to serve the day to day
family needs;
convenient, but hidden office storage space;
a large welcoming dining area to entertain family and
friends;
a central living area that adds a relaxed comfort to the
space and keeps mom and the family connected;
the added convenience of a powder room at the back entrance.
Cleverly incorporating the required support post
into a creative divider resulted in a second island that acts as a hutch for
the dining room. Design by Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre.
“By removing all of the main walls within the renovation
space, we created an open area to work within,” says Sarah. “The relocation of the
powder room created more area for the kitchen. The new larger kitchen area and
island eliminated the need for an everyday dining table while creating added
living space.”
Cleverly incorporating the required support post into a
creative divider resulted in a second island that acts as a hutch for the
dining room and an office space with file drawers in the kitchen. “This acts as
a soft division between the work and entertaining areas of the great room,”
says Sarah.
To maintain the “farmhouse feel,’ the muted white and cream
tone cabinetry has a distressed look, and the main island’s wiped green
textured finish provides a rustic accent. The cabinetry’s multi-levels and
depths provide visual contrast, and the use of a tile that imitates weathered
hardwood provides a durable, easy care floor while adding to the inviting
warmth of the room.
The farmhouse feel remains thanks to muted white and cream
tone cabinetry with a distressed look. The main island’s wiped green
textured finish provides a rustic accent. Design by Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre.
In the past few decades, kitchens have transformed from just a place to prepare meals to the social hub of the home. The small closed-off food preparation zones of yesterday have become kitchens that are warm, welcoming spaces that open up into other rooms. Families use their kitchen as project spaces, entertaining centres, dining rooms, and much more. At the centre of it all? The kitchen island.
If a kitchen island is on your redesign wish list, you’ll want to fully consider what your family’s needs before incorporating it into your new design. Will you be primarily using it to prepare food or will you also need a place for your kids to spread out their homework while you work? If you entertain, do you mind if the guests see what you’re doing? If not, a dual-height island may be for you: it can shield the kitchen mess from an open living area. Perhaps you’ll want to include a dining bar, or make one end of the island a dining table. Since the island can take up a fair amount of kitchen real estate, it makes sense to take advantage most of every inch. In fact, designers regularly incorporate cooktops, prep sinks, storage and appliances into kitchen island designs.
“You can make your island the focal point of your kitchen by adding legs or turnings to give the warmth of furniture,” says Monarch designer Sarah Holmstrom. “Or choose a different colour for the island cabinetry and countertop, and hanging unique artful lights above.” To learn more about incorporating an island into your new kitchen design, call Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre at 905-686-2001, or drop by our showroom and speak with one of our designers.
When it comes to choosing the right paint for your bathroom,
colour is not the only consideration that counts.
While attending the Interior Design Show in Toronto
recently, Monarch designer Sarah Holmstrom stopped by the Benjamin Moore booth
and learned more about their Aura line of paints. Her interest was piqued by
the benefits of Aura Bath & Spa.
Specifically designed for use in bathrooms and spas, Aura
Bath & Spa Waterborne Interior Paint combines a paint and primer in one.
Its easy-to-apply finish is mildew resistant and never requires more than two
coats in any colour. Benjamin Moore’s trademark Colour Lock technology
guarantees exceptional colour that won’t rub off but allows for stains to wash
off easily.
Aura Bath & Spa, Matte Finish is a premium-quality
interior paint for humid areas such as bathrooms and spas. With the added
benefits of Colour Lock™ technology and mildew resistance, it delivers
remarkable durability and exceptional colour.
Aura is quite simply the finest paint we've ever made,
offering the most advanced way to bring colour to life. Using our exclusive
Colour Lock™ technology, Aura paint brings you discernibly richer, truer
colour. Aura paint covers like no other—even the deepest shades never require
more than two coats.
In addition, Aura Paints carry Benjamin Moore’s “Green
Promise.”
Green Promise® Paints are some of the finest paints you
can find on the market today. But how did they get to be so green? The reason
is the combination of both the base paint and the colorant.
The Green Promise® designation is Benjamin Moore's assurance
that its eco-friendly paint and environmentally friendly coatings meet and
exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the premium
levels of performance you expect from Benjamin Moore.
Are you considering a bathroom renovation this spring? Drop
by the Monarch showroom and speak with a member of our design team. We'd be happy to help.
Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre visit Cambria's Toronto showroom.
Last week, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre designers drove into Toronto for amemorable evening at Cambria's downtown showroom. Cambria's hospitality was outstanding and Monarch designers left inspired and impressed by what they saw. Monarch designers use Cambria surfaces in many of their kitchen designs. Cambria surfaces are durable, stronger than granite and non-porous (NSF 51 Certified), making it as safe as stainless steel for food preparation.
What were our designers most fascinated to learn?
"Cambria has the most high-end tools for creating the newest trends and designs," says designer Sarah Holmstrom. "And they always start from a base of pure white quartz and add pigments to achieve the desired colour."
Monarch designers were also impressed with the variety of surfaces on display. "Not only did they have large slabs to see, they also had tile and design concepts, as well as shelving and fireplace mantles and different ways to use them," adds Sarah. To read more about matching your paint colour with your Cambria surface, click here. For more Cambria design inspiration, visit cambriastyle.com.
"One of the most exciting design trends that is beginning to surface for the 2013 design year is the marrying of two styles," says Monarch designer Sarah Holmstrom."The juxtaposition of Modern with rustic elements makes for some very exciting designs, and has some gorgeous results."
"Think of a white shaker door, and add a kitchen table made of barn board," explains Sarah. "Or think of stainless steel being married with a kitchen that has board and batten moldings. It can make for a warm and inviting space that has interest." Sarah also suggests using any exposed brick in your home -- or the slab doors in your new kitchen design -- to add interest to the space. Thinking about redesigning your kitchen this spring? Call Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre at 905-686-2001 to speak with one of our designers or drop by our showroom at 1020 Brock Rd., Unit 6, Pickering.
