When people find out I’m a designer, the first thing they usually say is, “That sounds like fun – you pick out colors and furniture all day, right?”

Well, the answer to that is yes, it’s fun, and NO, it also takes a lot of planning, hard work, and careful consideration to make your space into a beautiful and functional home.

You see, I LOVE the challenge of improving a space. Sure, it might be through the simple addition of aesthetic elements like drapery or mixing patterns or choosing furniture that fits the space perfectly. Not everyone has the budget to relocate doors or walls and sometimes simple changes create big impacts.

Many times, though, improving your space involves MUCH more. I am a problem solver. I solve problems that you usually don’t realize you have until I am done and your home functions and FEELS the way that it should.

Here’s what I mean –

Recently, we had a realtor go through our home for an appraisal. He had me walk him through room by room, explaining what we have done to the place, etc. He stopped me halfway through and said, “I have to ask, are you an engineer?” I was taken aback, said no, “I’m a designer.” He then explained that he assumed I was an engineer because I’ve meticulously redesigned each room to work with how we live and improved the efficiency of each room – just like an engineer would tackle a problem.

I thought, “That’s me! HE GETS ME!!”

I like to take a problem solving approach to design. For example, our laundry room had no wash sink & the cupboards the original owner installed were dated and didn’t provide enough storage.

I removed them and added 2 washers & 2 dryers because as a mom (especially a sports mom!), more washing and drying capacity makes my life way more efficient.

To make this happen in such a small space, we stacked the dryers on top of the washers, designed a built-in around them with a small access door to allow maintenance behind the machines, added a laundry sink and new, fresh cabinetry above.

On the other side, I doubled the cabinet depth to allow for folding counter top space, added a bank of double depth drawers and 2 double sorting carts so the kids can sort their laundry on their own. When a basket is full, a load goes in. VOILA! Efficiency achieved! It’s a super small space but it works really well!

I could go on and on room by room – and I probably will in the future!  

This sort of thoughtful design is why I’m not just about the pretty paint colours and pretty light fixtures. My designs encompass so much more!

Want to get this kind of elegant solution to your own home’s biggest design problems? Go here to learn more about my services. (LINK to services page)