Strathmore Residence

This was a large project in the sense that the entire home was gutted and renovated.

We were asked to help the client not only design the kitchen and bathrooms, but to create a colour / material palette suitable for the entire home. The clients provided much useful input as to the materials and products they wished to be included in the project.

We began with the small, cramped kitchen that was unsuitable for the home as a whole. It was obvious that it needed to be relocated to the centre of the main floor. This presented a challenge as a stairwell ate up a great deal of real estate, resulting in a very narrow layout. We wanted to accomodate an island so we pushed the range into an existing bay window, affording adequate clearance. Delivering on the clients’ wish for an eclectic style, we introduced open wooden shelving, basket niches, blue shaker-style cabinetry, marble-veined quartz, subway tiles and scoop handles.  The clients did not want a formal dining area so we opted to have a beautiful wood table butt up to the island;this allowed for a great eating and entertaining area.

Adjacent to the kitchen area, we wanted to dress up the existing fireplace. We installed white shiplap surround highlighted by a chunky wood mantel. The wood not only ties into the decor in the area but also with the wood elements in the kitchen.

We added a powder room on the main floor. The clients wanted a bold statement so we used contrasting black and white material elements.

The next area of focus was the addition of an ensuite bathroom.  A third bedroom was transformed into a four-piece master bathroom with a touch of luxury.  We started by placing a freestanding tub in the bay window and created storage space and a makeup desk at one end. A knee wall provides privacy for the toilet area.  A beautiful custom shower clad in porcelain tile creates a luxurious shower experience. We had some fun with the vanity area by incorporating polished fish scale tile. Geometric hex mirrors add to the eclectic yet transitional bathroom. Mixed metals were utilized for the fixtures, reinforcing the idea of non-traditional.

The kids’ bathroom was kept minimal and clean. We did inject a little kid personality into the space in the form of contrasting stripes.

The second floor also features a stacked washer and dryer tucked into a closet. Instead of a traditional hinged door, we opted to install a sliding door in a dramatic black shaker.

The last bathroom to address was a small guest bath. We used black hex tiles on the floor and shower wall with white subway tiles on the wall. To reinforce the contrasting material palette, a dark walnut vanity and black fixtures complete the space.

As you can see, we didn’t use the same tiles or fixtures for every space. We felt that every bathroom should have its own identity; however, there should be an overlying concept that ties all the spaces together.