Check Out This Stunning Bathroom Makeover: One Couple's Elegant Everyday Escape

As busy parents of two young children, our clients yearned for a contemporary ensuite that would meet their needs for functionality and relaxation. Inspired by an elegant hotel room ensuite they admired while vacationing in Chicago, Monarch designer Melissa Foley aimed to recreate the way they felt while in that harmonious space.

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

To achieve this vision, a design was created that met all of their requests, including the top three items on their wish list: a larger shower, a double-sink vanity and a soaker tub.

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

A portion of the wall between the bathroom and bedroom was removed to allow for a bigger shower. A two-sink vanity with ample drawer space was designed, providing the much-needed practical storage space that ensures a clutter-free countertop.

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Although the limited space available for a full-size freestanding soaker tub posed a challenge, Melissa was able to source a smaller model. This allowed the design to maintain the refined look of a luxury hotel bathroom, while still giving our clients the soothing deep soaker experience they desired.

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Several design details enhance both the feel and aesthetics of this stylish ensuite. The floor-to-ceiling glass shower enclosure opens the space with a simple elegance; the accent tile on the wet wall and the back of the niche provides interesting contrast, with the chrome insets creating a sparkle that catches your eye. The regal chrome fixtures add sophistication and highlight the hints of chrome in the accent tile. Both the cabinetry and countertop were kept in tones of white, with the warmth of the countertop flowing seamlessly into the tile selections. The darker floor tile ensures all elements of the design pop, and helps create a timeless look and feel for the ensuite.

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Bath Design by Melissa Foley, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Now at Monarch: Concierge Services Customized to Your Design and Renovation Needs

As a full-service design and renovation company, Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre understands the complexities involved when updating the spaces in your home.

With so many steps and stages involved in a renovation, it's no wonder busy homeowners get overwhelmed as they try to manage their work and home schedules while living in a home under renovation. 

At Monarch, our team is happy to go above and beyond to ensure the happiness of our clients. 

Often, this requires us to exceed the normal scope of a renovation project. For those times, we offer a concierge service, designed to make your renovation seamless, worry-free and customized to your needs.

Our Concierge Services include:

• Pack-up service
• Professional unpacking
• Professional organization
• Appliance moving
• Professional cleaning services
• Duct and filter cleaning
• Daily progress reports including daily pictures or video
• Specialized sourcing of all products for your renovation
• Interior design and interior decorating services

If you do not see a service listed here, just ask. We will do our best to accommodate your specific requirements.

Services already provided by Monarch with every renovation include:

• Customized design services tailored to your needs
• Detailed project description
• Detailed plans and designs of your space
• Product selections to suit your specific needs
• A large range of samples to choose from in-house
• Licenced, insured and bonded trades
• Complete project management
• Several lines of cabinetry to cover a range of budget options

Luxury Meets Relaxation in this Black and White Bath Design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Black and white bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre.

Black and white bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre.

Black and white bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre.

Black and white bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre.

Black and white bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre.

Beautiful Bath Design is All in the Details

Whether you’re choosing a kitchen countertop surface or picking tile for a backsplash or shower, it can be difficult to determine how the finished product will look from the small sample you pick out in a showroom.

It’s similar to how different the paint colour you chose with such care from a small swatch can be a disappointment once it’s applied to the walls of your home. Except when it comes to tile, there are a few more factors at play.

At Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre, we understand that beautiful bath designs don’t just “happen.” They are the result of careful planning and execution.

Design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

“Recently, my clients selected a tile for their new shower based on a sample we had in the showroom,” explains Monarch designer Janet Dawson. “As with most of the marble and granite samples we have on hand, there is a warning from the manufacturer explaining that each tile may have a slightly different shading.”

Making a major design decision based on the appearance of a small sample tile can be difficult. When you book your kitchen or bath design with Monarch, we offer you the ability to pre-order a box of tile to see if it lives up to your expectations -- before placing an order for the entire amount. It might take a little longer in your design process, but it's the best way to see what you're getting before installation.

“When the tile they ordered arrived, we noticed that the veining in the tiles was going in different directions…each tile had either vertical veining or horizontal veining,” says Janet. “Although the tiles had a somewhat different pattern, they were all variations of the same colour palate. Understandably, my clients were not happy with what may have turned out to be a haphazard design and wanted all of the tile veining to be displayed in the same direction.”

“By ordering a box of tiles before the renovation was in full swing, I was able to meet with my clients and lay out the tile so they could better envision the finished product and get exactly what they wanted,” says Janet. (Finished shower pictured above.)

Are you planning a new kitchen or bath design this year? Drop by the Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre showroom today and speak with a member of our design team. We’d love to help make your design dreams a reality.

Which Home Renovations Yield the Best Return on Investment?

Whether you’re renovating to meet your changing needs or trying to improve the overall look of your home, it never hurts to consider what the return on your design investment will be.

According to yearly surveys done by the Appraisal Institute of Canada (AIC), refurbished kitchen and bathrooms continually yield the best return on investment, with 75 to 100 per cent of spending for these renovations recovered at resale. Interior painting, a new roof or heating system and a finished basement also ranked high (see full list below).

Of course, a high return on investment is only possible if the renovation is done tastefully, adheres to local building codes, and is in line with current trends.

Avoid projects that set your home apart from other houses in your neighbourhood. The AIC advises: “If the value of your house exceeds the average market value in your neighbourhood, your renovations will not yield much return. But if your house value is below the average, you can recover a larger part of the renovation costs.”

Whatever your reason for updating your home, Monarch designers can help. Working with you from conception to completion, our customized design services include complete project management and the use of licensed, insured and bonded tradespeople. In addition, we offer three lines of custom cabinetry covering a range of budget options perfect for your house, condominium or cottage.

Percentage of investment recovered upon resale:

Kitchen upgrade: 75% to 100%
Bathroom upgrade: 75% to 100%
Interior painting: 50% to 100%
Roof replacement: 50% to 80%
Replacement of furnace or heating system: 50% to 80%
Expansion (addition of family room): 50% to 75%
Doors and windows: 50% to 75%
Deck: 50% to 75%
Installation of hardwood floor: 50% to 75%
Construction of a garage: 50% to 75%
Fireplace (wood or gas) 50% to 75%
Central air conditioning: 50% to 75%
Finished basement: 50% to 75%
Wood fence: 25% to 50%
Interlocking paving stones on driveway: 25% to 50%
Landscaping: 25% to 50%
Asphalt driveway: 20% to 50%
Pool: 10% to 40%
Skylights: 0% to 25%

From Drab to Fab: Follow this Master Suite Makeover!

Are you guilty of spoiling friends and loved ones before treating yourself to something special?

  

If you don't think you are -- think again -- but this time, consider how you decorate your own home.

Often we overlook the areas of our home that only we see, choosing to spend our decorating and design dollars on updating the rooms where we entertain our guests.

Does this make sense?

We spend more than eight hours each day in our bedrooms and master bathrooms, and yet they are usually the most overlooked and under-decorated rooms in a home.

This was the case in our client's 4,500 sq.ft. Pickering home. The tired and out-of-date master suite was just that, and it was time for a makeover.

Their current bathroom features a tiny 30x30-inch closed-in box-style shower; a huge vanity with only one sink; tired wallpaper; and an outdated Jacuzzi-style tub that is lacking in the energy-efficiency department. To top it all off, the stairs into the tub are carpeted.

The team at Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre has undertaken this master suite renovation, and no dream is being overlooked.

The new bath design will include:

• a 4x4-foot glass shower enclosure with GROHE flow-wise fixtures;
• a luxury MAAX soaker tub;
• an updated vanity which will include two sinks and functional storage;
• more energy efficient and stylish lighting fixtures.

Make sure you check back soon to see the stunning results of this master suite makeover.