Year in Review: A Look Back at Some of Monarch's Most Popular Posts of 2016

As another year comes to a close, we thought we'd look back at some of our most-popular blog posts of 2016.

We kicked off the year with "Home Sweet Condo," a three-part series detailing the stunning redesign of two baths and a kitchen.

White condo kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Condo bath design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

In February, we helped homeowners make the most of their small space with a functional white kitchen design.

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

In March, BILD awarded Monarch with the Best Renovation Under $75,000.

Award-winning kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Award-winning kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

In April, Monarch designer Kevin Samson showed us how he helped homeowners "keep the party in the kitchen."

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

White kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

In May, we helped add some luxury to a homeowner's laundry room.

Laundry room design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Laundry room design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

 In June, we shared the transformation of a 1950s kitchen nightmare into an entertainer's dream.

Kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

Kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre

In July, we took a look at the three layers involved in lighting your kitchen.

Lighting your new kitchen design

In August, we examined seven bold and innovative tile products that could change the way you decorate your home.

Slide from irisceramic.com - floor and wall coverings inspired by glass
Photo courtesy of residentialproductsonline.com

Luminescence from marazziusa.com - highly reflective poured glass tiles available in eight colours
Photo courtesy of residentialproductsonline.com

In September, we showed you seven new products we love for your new kitchen or bath design.

PAREO - the telescoping island hood from faberonline.com
Photo courtesy of residentialproductsonline.com

This handle-free wine storage cabinet from liebherr-appliances.com opens with a tap and features beechwood telescoping shelves, a LCD control screen and storage for up to 18 bottles.
Photo courtesy of residentialproductsonline.com

In October, we revealed Poised Taupe as Sherwin-Williams 2017 Colour of the Year.

And then in November, we introduced you to Benjamin Moore's 2017 Colour of the Year, Shadow.

What a year! As fun as it is to look back, our job as designers is to continually look forward to find new and innovative ways to serve our clients best.

Is 2017 your year to renovate?

Call Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre today at 905-686-2001 or drop by our showroom, located just 15 minutes east of the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto, off the 401.

5 Reasons We Use Schluter Products for Kitchen & Bath Renovations

Seeing the ceramic or porcelain tile installed in your new kitchen or bath design is an exciting part of the renovation process. Tile puts the finishing touch on a room's design and ties in all of the design elements you've spent months choosing with care.

To ensure your tile work stays beautiful for years to come, Monarch uses a variety of tried and trusted products from Schluter Systems.

Schluter®-DITRA and DITRA-XL is the new standard to prevent cracked tile and grout
You can't turn on HGTV without seeing DITRA's eye-catching orange waterproof layer being used on many of the home renovation shows. In addition to being a waterproofing layer, DITRA works to prevent large-scale tiles -- 12" x 24" for example -- from moving and cracking. Monarch uses DITRA on almost every tile project.  

Keep it linear and unique with Schluter®-KERDI-LINE
This low-profile linear floor drain creates a barrier-free, open-concept space and is specifically designed for bonded waterproofing assemblies. 
 

Schluter®-JOLLY profile pieces stay watertight and prevent tile edges from chipping
This finishing and edge-protection profile is designed for the outside corners of tiled surfaces on walls. It's ideal for creating decorative transitions on walls and using as trim for the top edge of a tile wall, back splash and bathtub surround.

Schluter®-KERDI-DRAIN provides a large contact area for a secure connection
The KERDI-DRAIN allows us to use popular square tiles on the base of your shower without having any tiny chips and pieces around the drain.

Schluter®-KERDI and KERDI-DS waterproofing membranes provide peace-of-mind 
We use various pieces from the KERDI line to customize your shower into unique and different shapes. These pliable, bonded waterproof membranes and vapour retarders have limited crack-bridging capabilities and ensure your shower or bath surround is well-protected against mould and mildew.

To learn more about how Monarch uses Schluter products in our clients' home renovations, drop by our showroom or call us at 905-686-2001.

7 Bold and Innovative Products That Will Make You Rethink How You Use Tile in Your Home

Slide from irisceramic.com - floor and wall coverings inspired by glass

Basole geometric mosaic tiles from interceramicusa.com - available in three colours

Up! from saloni.com - 6- x 6-inch dimensional ceramic wall tiles available four shapes and four colours

Magical3 from equipeceramicas.com - 3-D relief decorative wall tiles in hexagon and square patterns

Luminescence from marazziusa.com - highly reflective poured glass tiles available in eight colours

Paper from ornamenta.com -available in white, gray and black - special surface glaze gives tiles the characteristics of a chalkboard

The Fashion Lab project from peronda.com - tiles give off an encaustic-cement-effect look

Photos courtesy of residentialproductsonline.com

Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre Uses Schluter-Ditra for Beautiful Floors that Last

Seeing your ceramic or stone floor installed in your new kitchen or bath design is an exciting part of the renovation process. Flooring often puts the finishing touch on a room’s design and ties in all of the design elements you’ve spent months choosing with care.

Proper installation is key to keeping your floor beautiful and protecting the integrity of the tile assembly. At Monarch, we use Schluter-DITRA.

From Schluter.com: 

Ceramic and stone tiles are durable, easy to maintain, and hygienic, representing the ideal surface coverings. However, today's lightweight construction methods can make the installation of hard surface coverings particularly challenging. In order to protect the integrity of the tile assembly, an underlayment that performs multiple functions is required. 

Schluter-DITRA is a polyethylene membrane with a grid structure of square cavities, each cut back in a dovetail configuration, and an anchoring fleece laminated to its underside. Schluter-DITRA is bonded to the substrate using thin-set mortar. The anchoring fleece on the underside of Schluter-DITRA is fully engaged in the mortar to provide a mechanical bond to the substrate. Tile is installed over Schluter-DITRA using the thin-bed method in such a way that the mortar becomes mechanically anchored in the square, cutback cavities of the Schluter-DITRA matting.  

Designed specifically for ceramic tile and dimension stone installations, Schluter-DITRA serves as an uncoupling layer, waterproofing membrane, and vapor management layer that accommodates moisture from beneath the tile covering. Further, DITRA performs all these functions while still providing adequate support/load distribution for the tile covering.

“Monarch uses Schluter-DITRA when tiling because it ensures that the tile will stand the test of time and look spectacular for many years to come,” says Monarch president Neil Samson.

Introducing Fitch from Sarana Tile -- The Tile of Choice for Mudrooms, Laundry Rooms, Kitchens and More

Monarch Kitchen and Bath designers are still drooling over the hundreds of gorgeous tile samples Sarana Tile dropped off over the summer.

Sarana Tile imports a large selection of natural stone, porcelain, glass, and mosaic products from their suppliers in Europe and around the world. Perfect for your kitchen back splash or any flooring project, Sarana tiles are available in a variety of price ranges and their selection will blow you away,

The newest Sarana Tile sample in Monarch's showroom is Fitch, a porcelain tile which is similar in colour and texture to slate but comes without the high cost and added maintenance. And because it's not as likely to chip, this beautiful textured tile makes an ideal flooring choice for mudrooms, entryways, laundry rooms and kitchens. 

Are you looking for the perfect tile for your kitchen or bath renovation? Drop by our showroom at 1020 Brock Road, Unit 6, Pickering. For more information, contact our office at 905-686-2001.