Why a Designer is Key to the Success of Your Kitchen Renovation

If you’re planning to redesign your kitchen, you may be contemplating the do-it-yourself route. Before you hop in the car and head to your local big box store, consider the benefits of working with a kitchen designer.

Professional kitchen designers are able to translate their client's requirements into a functional kitchen design that reflects both their needs and wants. As trained professionals -- and great listeners -- they are able to get to the heart of the matter and create solutions to problems you may not have even been able to articulate.

Professional designers have comprehensive knowledge in kitchen design, along with construction, plumbing, mechanical and electrical systems. They're trained to see the problems before they occur and plan strategically to not only enhance the beauty of the space but the client experience, as well.

With little or no technical knowledge to base their decisions on, homeowners can quickly become overwhelmed and frustrated. A professional kitchen designer has years of design training and experience and can offer you their professional perspective, sharing the tricks of the trade to maximize your space and get the kitchen you want.

From cabinetry, countertops and storage space to sinks, plumbing and appliances, there are an incredible number of decisions involved in a kitchen renovation. Kitchen designers are trained professionals with extensive knowledge about a variety of products and know how to properly construct and install the materials in your home.

To learn more about how easy it is to work with a Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre designer, visit our FAQ page, or drop by our showroom.

Designing a Kitchen that Works for Your Family All Year Long

Here at Monarch, we often talk about preparing your home for the next big holiday get-together. Providing a comfortable working and entertainment space is a popular topic when clients walk into our showroom. However, homeowners initially looking for the “wow” factor during holiday season can often lose site of how the space is used the rest of the year.

“So often when we begin the process of designing spaces, we focus on the large events in our lives…the holidays and special occasions…but what we neglect to focus on are the routine comings and goings in our home,” says Monarch designer Jackie Schagen. “Our goal is to help you plan a space so that it best suits your everyday needs, as well as accommodate your special occasion needs.” 

Kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

The kitchen and dining areas are perfect examples of this. “Having your kitchen space work for you and your immediate family is very important,” explains Jackie.

Here are just a few of the factors to consider:

1. Do you have more than one cook, or more than one task being performed in your kitchen at any one time? Perhaps a designated homework area should be given priority, and not worry quite so much about accommodating 14 people for a meal.

2. Will homework be an everyday occurrence in your kitchen? You might want to incorporate a designated storage space for school items.

3. Are you an animal lover? If so, it may make more sense for your kitchen design to include an area designated for pet food storage instead of adding a fifth seat at the island.

When you work with a designer at Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre, we can help you streamline the needs and goals for your space, and refine it to be the most functional space it can be.

Drop by our showroom or call 905-686-2001 to speak with a member of our design team.

Related posts:

Hoping to Celebrate Christmas in a Newly Designed Kitchen?

Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre Designers Discover New and Amazing Things from Blum

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

Unwanted Visitors: The Dangers of Having a Mouse in Your House

“Sometimes when we do a home renovation, we come across some unexpected visitors during the tear down process,” says Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre president Neil Samson.

On this renovation site (see below), it appears this little guy wasn’t the only one making the house their home,” explains Neil. “There appears to have been quite the party happening in the ceiling for quite some time.”

Mouse droppings discovered during the tear down process of a Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre renovation.

At Monarch, we pride ourselves in putting our client’s needs first, and this includes being mindful about any possible health hazards. After making this discovery, we decided to do an investigation into the implications of mice infestation and how if impacts our health.

What we found shocked us.

Aside from the obvious nuisance of having mice in your home, there are also serious health risks involved. Mice and their droppings can cause many health problems for humans. The most serious is Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), a rare yet severe lung infection spread by contaminated dust from mice droppings, urine and saliva. HPS symptoms (fever, chills, muscle aches, nausea and vomiting) can take up to five weeks to appear and are often mistaken for the flu. Early detection and early medical attention are the key to avoiding respiratory failure and saving your life.

In less extreme cases, prolonged exposure to mouse urine and their dander can cause asthma, asthma attacks and allergic reactions.

You don’t have to wait for a major renovation to find out if you have any unwanted visitors. Be on the lookout for mouse droppings in your garage, basement and shed. And if you find some, follow the clean-up tips in this video by the Government of Alberta ― they offer a rather humorous take on a serious subject.

5 Reasons Why Summer is the Best Time to Renovate Your Kitchen

Chances are you're planning on spending a little extra time in your kitchen over the long Easter weekend. If your kitchen is well-designed and meets your family's needs, you're probably comfortable with this idea. Perhaps you're even looking forward to the opportunity to cook for family and friends.

If, however, your kitchen is a constant source of frustration, this weekend just might be your tipping point―the point at which you realize something really needs to be done to improve the beauty and functionality of this pivotal room in your home.

At Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre, our designers are familiar with the onset of "spring fever" that seems to come over homeowners at this time of year. After a winter spent indoors, many of you are ready to say goodbye to your drab, outdated kitchen and ready to embrace a brighter, more efficient living space.

If spring is a great time to plan, then summer is an even better time to renovate! No matter how well you plan for the disruption of a major kitchen renovation, there's nothing that quite prepares you for the inconvenience of preparing meals and doing dishes in a temporary kitchen. As the heart of the home, your kitchen is more than a place prepare and eat meals, it's the central gathering point for most families.

Renovating your kitchen during the summer months has its advantages. Here are Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre's top five:

You can go on vacation.

With the kids out of school, it's often easier to leave for a week at the cottage or an extended road trip. You may not be able to avoid living at home during the entire period of upheaval, but you can reduce the amount of stress your family feels by planning to be away during some of the "messier" periods of your renovation.

Weather permitting...you can eat outside!

Polish up the patio set, turn on the portable CD player, set the table and VOILA! You've got yourself a temporary kitchen away from the dust and mess of your kitchen renovation.

You can spend more time barbecuing and less time in the drive-thru line.

Eating at restaurants and bringing take-out food home is not only expensive, it can be tiresome as well. With the Internet at your disposal, you can discover numerous creative ways to use your barbecue to grill meat, poultry, seafood and vegetables.

You can breathe easier!

With any renovation, there will be dust. Sure, you can close off rooms, shut all the doors...but the dust will follow you everywhere―except outside. Grab a book, your laptop or a deck of cards and head outside for a breath of fresh air.

No sleet and snow means less mess!

From the time tear down begins to the moment you sit back and enjoy your new kitchen, there is an enormous amount of traffic in and out of your home. It only makes sense that by renovating during the summer months, you reduce the amount of dirt tracked through your house.

Are you considering a kitchen renovation? Monarch has been making homeowner's kitchen renovation dreams become a reality for over 30 years. Drop by our Pickering showroom or call us at 905-686-2001 to book a consultation with one of our kitchen designers.