Custom Upholstery is a Better Value over Ready-Made

Purchasing new furniture for your home is a considerable investment and a decision that requires some thought. Most people gravitate to ready-made furniture because it seems easiest and reasonable prices can be found. The fact is, people shy away from custom upholstery thinking its price point is out of reach, but it is actually a far better value over ready-made and not as expensive as you might think.

Longevity

Commercial furniture-makers do not produce furniture that is built to last; it would work against their best interest because they rely on repeat sales to make profits. Custom-built furniture is entirely different, with skilled craftspeople putting extra care into the materials and fabrication of the skeleton. With a foundation that is built for longevity, you can count on your investment to stand the test of time.

Custom Upholstery is Uniquely yours

With custom upholstery, you are not selecting the best of a handful of available fabric choices or colours. There are countless fabric types, styles and colours to choose from when you go with custom. Your lifestyle is also taken into account so you can select an appropriate durability in fabric that can handle your family size and style, as well as easy-clean fabrics if you have young children or pets.

Ready-made furniture is designed to be “one-size-fits-all” and may not be comfortable for you if you are taller or shorter than the “average” person. With custom furniture, you can choose to have it sized so that it perfectly suits you for comfort. Another bonus is you can choose not only the depth of the cushions for a sofa or chair, but also how they are filled. You have a wide variety of choices including feather, down, foam and more.

The Finer Details

If you have a particular shape in mind for a piece of furniture, you can opt to have it made in any style that suits your home best. For example, you may love a particular shape of a sofa, but want a sectional instead. Aside from the perfect shape, you can also add details that make your custom upholstery unique to your sense of style, such as piping, nailheads and other beautiful choices.

Before you choose ready-made furniture and try to design around it, contact Katie Campbell Interiors & Design so you can see that custom upholstery is a far better value and designed exclusively for you.

Space Planning is Essential When Creating a Functional Bathroom – Here Are My Top 5 Tips

Despite the fact that every home has at least one and we all make use of them for many different functions, bathrooms are often poorly designed with very little space planning consideration. A bathroom should be an inviting space that is organized, easy to clean and accessible by the whole family. Due to the high volume of questions I get about redesigning bathrooms, I thought I would share my top five tips for creating a functional bathroom for your lifestyle.

1. Storage: This is one of the most important aspects when creating a bathroom plan that works for your family and lifestyle. At the beginning, I consider who will be using it and what items they need to be able to store in their bathroom. Once this is determined, we can decide if a custom vanity is required, or if open shelving should be incorporated for easy access.

2. Finishes: Although natural stone might be a gorgeous finish, the maintenance involved in keeping it that way may not be realistic for your lifestyle. I assist my clients in choosing finishes that are practical, yet beautiful. There are many products today designed for high-end looks but are lower maintenance for busy families.

3. Lighting: Different levels of light in the form of wall sconces, pot lights or a ceiling fixture can all be combined to create great lighting that can be adjusted to suit any task from precisely applying make-up and getting your children ready for school to relaxing in a soothing bath at the end of a long day.

4. Fixtures: While a bathtub is essential for bathing kids and for keeping your resale value high, if space warrants, a standalone shower can be an excellent way to add value and function to your bathroom. Similarly, choosing a slide bar shower head is great for washing kids and pets, while making cleaning a breeze. Fixtures can make a big difference in efficiency for your bathroom.

5. Space: Space planning is an important consideration when creating a functional bathroom. There has to be ample space at the vanity for personal grooming, around the tub if you’re kneeling to bathe your children and a transition area where there is room to dry off with a fluffy towel after your bath or shower without worrying about bumping into anything.

For what is typically a small space in a home, your bathroom has a lot of functionality that has to be carefully thought out for it to be a space that works for you. If this has inspired you to revisit the layout of your bathroom and you want to improve its usability, space planning is where we should start!

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 Space Planning

Interior Design of Custom Burlington Home Almost Complete

“The details are not the details. They make the design.” – Charles Eames

I say it all the time, but I will say it again: good interior design is made up of many (well-thought out) details, but when the design is implemented, it just feels right and people don’t always know why. A great example of this is my ongoing new build project in Burlington.

As the project winds down and the design has almost been fully implemented inside and outside, it is great to reflect back on all of the details that were thoughtfully selected over the past year. No interior design detail was specified or sourced without keeping the entire home in mind.

From roof shingles and siding colour, tiles and paint colours to millwork profiles and lighting fixtures, drapery fabrics and grout colours, every single item matters.

Three of the many Interior Design details explained at the Burlington new build:

1. Black: There is a very clear repetition of black on the main floor, specifically black lines. We designed the windows to have a fairly simple lite design but the black finish is so sharp. The drapery in the great room has a thin black ribbon banding on the leading edge. The sconces on the fireplace surround have a thin black line around the shade. An all white kitchen is stunning, but a black servery between the kitchen and dining room carries the eye through the transition space. The bookend is bold black linen wallpaper in the dining room as an accent panel.

2. Shaker Profile: The Burlington homeowners wanted beautiful millwork in their home and I selected very simple and contemporary shaker-style moldings that really add a level of sophistication without being over the top. There is a wainscoting with a simple shaker profile and a very subtle step bevel panel mould. The doorways and openings have the same profile. Cabinets in the kitchen are a slightly more stylized shaker profile with a bevel. Baseboards are an 8” tall step bevel and even the stairs and newel posts kept the same panel mould profile.

3. Flooring: The main floor has three different types of flooring, but is a completely open concept home so it was integral to make sure they flowed from one space to another. The main living area is a hickory hardwood floor in a grey/brown tone that is contemporary and fresh but definitely not trendy. It is timeless! The foyer is a simple 12” x 24” porcelain tile, but has a sort of grain to it that mimics a wood look without matching the wood. I had this installed in a herringbone pattern and the very front at the entrance is bordered with a slightly darker brown mosaic. The powder room off of the foyer is a hexagon mosaic escarpment marble tile, pulling taupe from the foyer tile and the hickory floors. In the foyer, I had the ceilings painted a very dark brown/charcoal and this really tied in the main floor concept. You never want an open concept home to feel busy and choppy, and these details were selected with that in mind.

These examples are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the interior design from the ground up of this Burlington home. Homeowners don’t always even know the time spent on these details or what details are even required to get a house built, and in my opinion, why should you have to know? That is why you hire a designer…let me figure out the details and you can continue to live life beautifully!

The Challenges of Integrating Custom Upholstery in Your Home without an Interior Decorator

Custom upholstery can bring a room together. It can encapsulate a homeowner’s design tastes and provide a welcoming appeal to the broader home environment. Although, homeowners across Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, and the GTA often struggle in selecting their ideal custom upholstery without design experts by their side. Together, we’ll analyze the challenges you might face if you choose to take on custom upholstery integration without an experienced interior decorator acting as the guide.

The Challenges in Fitting the Design Process within Your Schedule

The leading problem faced by many homeowners across Mississauga, Burlington, Oakville and the GTA face when selecting custom upholstery is in fitting the design and selection process within their schedules. It can take time to source the right product within your budget, and this time can detract from working commitments and hours better spent with family. By choosing and experienced interior decorator, homeowners will have an expert who can take on the product sourcing, spatial planning and project management work for them. This ensures they can simply communicate directly with the designer to ensure their needs are met and that the project is moving forward.

Costs May Change at a Moment’s Notice When Going it Alone

Homeowners without experience in the interior design marketplace have limited understanding on the materials and the product options available. This lack of experience can often cause you to go over budget. You may believe that a certain fabric has a set price, but then find out it requires an additional attachment that adds further expenditure to the project. Working with an interior designer can ensure that all the costs are itemized and considered as part of the wider project budget. Experienced interior designers will be able to tell you when an item might be beyond your current budgetary means, and may be able to present with you with similar, more cost-effective alternatives. This experience within our marketplace means that expert designers can often save you a significant amount of money throughout your custom upholstery design project.

Your Installation Teams Have Not been Independently Verified

Working alone on your custom upholstery project increases the risk of experiencing unforeseen difficulties with your installation team. Entrusting your needs to an interior design company will ensure the ideal installer is chosen for the work. The company will have verified the installer’s credentials and can ensure they’re exceptionally qualified for the process ahead.

If you’re about to begin a custom upholstery installation within your home, it’s important to plan the process carefully alongside an experienced interior decorator. Expert guidance from Katie Campbell Interiors and Design can help ensure the perfect final project result. To learn more, contact our design team directly at 416.988.3428 or visit our website.