Page 11 – Claire Jefford

Sherwin Williams Whites & Neutrals

If you’re like me, when a delivery person arrives at your door with a parcel it’s a good day! Not every package is exciting, but today’s was definitely well worth the wait.

Of course, I’m talking about the arrival of my large painted colour boards of Sherwin Williams’ Neutrals and Whites from my dear friend and original True Colour Expert, Maria Killam.

Maria has curated her top 50 whites, beiges and grays from Sherwin Williams.

I don’t often specify Sherwin Williams paint colours, but now that I am armed with their most popular neutrals, I can’t wait to start using them more!

Before we go any further, if you haven’t already done so, you’ll want to grab my 3 FREE downloads for confidently Choosing Paint Colours.

Get my 3 FREE Downloads here.

You will receive instant access to my paint colour tip sheets when you sign up, plus we can stay connected. I publish new vlogs every other week to bring you Design and Colour Claire-ity. 🙂

What’s inside?

Alright, let’s do this!!

Today I am sharing with you my unboxing video of Maria’s new Sherwin Williams Foundation Collection, a fantastic set of 50 large 11″ x 14″ painted boards.

Inside each of her colour board collections, Maria includes clear and easy to follow instructions on how to use your new colour boards. Plus, as a Bonus, Maria’s new colour wheel is also included!

These are both extremely helpful tools that will guide you in understanding how to use your large painted boards and identify the undertones of each colour.

Unboxing of The Sherwin Williams Foundation Collection

Unboxing Video

All is revealed here in my unboxing video below. Eeek, it was just like Christmas tearing open this box!

It’s a good day when something arrives on my doorstep that ticks off two of my favourite things; colour and organization!

Can you tell how happy I am with my new Sherwin Williams Colour boards? LOL

I never leave home without them!

I bring my boards with me almost everywhere I go when I’m working. Whether I’m meeting with clients for a colour and design consultation or sourcing furniture, accessories or fabrics and finishes.

If I have an appointment related to interior design or decorating, my boards are by my side.

Sherwin Williams 11″ x 14″ painted colour boards

These large painted boards are easily my most used resource. Maria’s Benjamin Moore collections have been amazing tools for my business that have helped make colour consultations effortless.

It’s also not uncommon for me to pull out my boards and use them to make a quick video, responding to a colour question that I receive from my blog, YouTube channel, or via a direct message on Instagram.

My large colour boards can also be seen in all of my colour review vlogs. So, when I say they are a bit like a VISA, I mean it: Don’t leave home without them!

Get your own set of Sherwin Williams Large Painted Colour Boards here.

True story, but I’m not sorry!

Once I had someone comment to complain about a previous unboxing video, saying that they felt it was like an infomercial.

Well, I don’t let that sort of stuff bother me and here’s why:

We all have the choice to read/watch what we want. I’m not forcing anyone to view my content.
I know that I’m sharing something of great value, an extremely helpful resource that I believe in and use EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Maria and I from 2012, the first time I attended her True Colour Expert Colour class in Toronto

Over the years Maria and I have become very close, we’ve formed a lovely friendship and I respect her immensely as a businesswoman. My vast knowledge of colour would not be what it is today, had I not found Maria’s blog, her colour course and boards.

My bedroom with walls painted in Sherwin Williams Poetry Plum

Long before we started working together to support each other in our businesses, I was already openly sharing details of Maria’s course and colour boards. I shared these on social media and with many of the interior designers, I have had the pleasure of meeting over the years.

So, if this sounds like a promotional blog post for Maria’s amazingly helpful products, I guess you could say that it is and I’ll tell you, I’m not sorry.

On my YouTube channel for colour and design, I see how choosing colour is daunting for most people, including so many interior design professionals. Selecting paint colours isn’t stressful when you understand how to view colour and identify undertones.

Now that my new colour boards have arrived I can start adding to my Perfect Colour Palettes collection for Sherwin Williams.

I currently have Perfect Colour Palettes for 10 of Sherwin Williams most popular neutrals including Agreeable Gray and Sea Salt.

Agreeable Gray Perfect Colour Palette

Sea Salt Perfect Colour Palette

Our Sherwin Williams Neutrals Collection includes all 10 of these colours in one convenient place.

I’ve mentioned the courses that Maria offers. These are live colour workshops held throughout North America. I attended my first in 2012 and then went again in 2018.

The course is brilliant and well worth the investment. You can see this post from my trip to New York when I took the True Colour Expert course the second time in 2018.

In the video, you’ll see Maria and I discuss details of her workshop and how it transforms the way you see colour.

Do you use Sherwin Williams paint colours? Which is your favourite? Comment below to let me know!

// DISCLOSURE: Thank you for trusting me with my truthful and reliable opinion on any future purchase you may make. I always disclose affiliate or sponsored information when it is the case. If you purchase Maria's boards, I will earn a small commission from the sale. This doesn’t affect you in any way, the price remains the same regardless.  Thank you for supporting me and entrusting me to be your go-to for all things Colour and Interior Design!

Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!

Take my Colour Quiz to discover your Perfect Colour Palette.

A Client’s Perspective: My client’s experience working with me.

TNT PODCAST: Episode #11

I am continuing my Client’s Perspective series today with the 2nd part of my conversation with my former client Tara Vernest.

Click on the video below to watch the podcast where Tara and I resume our discussion on what it’s like to work with an interior design professional.

Prefer to listen on the go? Click here to download this episode.

Tara and I carry on from where we left off last the last time we sat down to chat.

If you recall from our initial conversation, Tara did not hire me at the very beginning of her reno project. As things became more complicated she realized ‘I need a bit of help here’. So now fast forward a bit, she’s hired me and in this episode, we discuss how she found working with me. Were her expectations met?

We also talk about having contractors and designers on-site together and who a homeowner should turn to when looking at different aspects of a project and making specific design decisions.

Tara talks about the worth of a professional’s experience and lessons learned. She details how designers should use this knowledge to demonstrate to clients the incredible value they will bring to the project so that the homeowner is asking themselves ‘How Can I Live Without A Designer?” And really, isn’t that what we as designers all want to hear? And of course, there is mention of what she would have done differently – ahhh, that good old thing we call hindsight!

It’s so refreshing to hear the client’s side of a renovation so please sit back and enjoy listening to another candid and informative conversation with my client Tara.

Guest Bio

Tara Vernest

Tara grew up in Kitchener-Waterloo. She attended the University of Guelph where she fell in love with the city and her future husband, Cameron. She’s the mother of two beautiful children, Avery, her 6-year-old sporty daughter and her gorgeous son Noah who is just about to turn 1!

She trained as a Brand Marketer, but her eye can’t help being drawn to home and design—a passion that she attributes to her late mom’s keen eye.

Tara and her husband lived in Singapore for five years. After welcoming Avery, they relocated back to Canada, where they faced a new set of desires for their home that they had been renting out while overseas. This is where our working relationship began.

Tara is joining the Insta – world in a big way. You can find her @whitelinenlifestyle sharing what she loves, favourite designs and advice.

We started off with many laughs and I’m so pleased that we’ve stayed close through social media. I am thrilled that Tara has agreed to be on my podcast. She is the first client to be on my show and I couldn’t be more pleased!

See all my podcast episodes here. New episodes are published every other Friday!

Free Resources

A fabulous FREE resource to help excel your interior design business.

Small Bathroom Makeover

It’s time to finally reveal my own bathroom makeover that we renovated earlier this year!

This bathroom was pretty much untouched since our Burlington bungalow was originally built in the late 1960’s. We had only done some very minor updates- basically lipstick on a pig – over the past 16 years of living here. So this bathroom project was well overdue to say the least!

After you see the transformation and all my before and after photos, comment below to tell me what you love best about my updated bathroom.

For all my ‘Behind the Design’ secrets, watch the video below.

Incredible Transformation

Now, there is no judging and no saying that I didn’t warn you that some of the ‘before’ photos may be disturbing. You may laugh, but I’m not joking! This was one of the last rooms in my home to get renovated and boy let me tell ya, it was well overdue!

Everyone loves seeing before and after photos of interior design projects and I promise that this transformation will not disappoint you. I love my new bathroom so much now and am so appreciative of everyone who helped make this dream come true.

If you missed my earlier blog post about my new small bathroom redesign, including a live unboxing video that I did on Facebook, you can see that post here.

The Vanity Before

The Problem:

Our previous vanity had a jut out to accommodate the round sink. This style is traditionally an older look, normally implemented when space is limited.

Also, the configuration with a drawer under the sink wasn’t the best for storage. In a tiny bathroom like ours, we needed to be smart about maximizing every bit of space in the best way possible.

Bathroom before

The Solution: Use a wall-mounted faucet to save some room needed on top of the counter, as well as install a more narrow sink.

Sleek bathroom vanity

Let’s take a closer look at the sleek faucet and black sink.

Drawers are a more practical way to get the most storage, especially when you go custom!

To solve our concerns around storage within the vanity, we did all drawers and my cabinet maker even did a cut-out for the plumbing, as you can see in the above photo.

Similar to kitchens, more people are opting for drawers as opposed to doors these days.

The hardware I purposely kept ‘quiet’ with a black handle that matched the Farrow & Ball Pitch Black finish. There’s a little bit of a chrome finish at each end of the handle which gives a nice separation between the two beautiful black finishes.

The Shower Before

The Problem: So many issues with the previous bathroom, where do I start?!

First, the tile itself is just gross. The dated pattern and the two different tones of purple were not doing it for me, but let’s be fair, this was initially designed in 1967.

Despite purple being my favourite colour, this is not my idea of ‘colour love’ when I see these violet and lilac tones together in this way. The tiles do not go to the ceiling either, they don’t even go as far as where the shower head that is fixed to the wall!

Also, it wasn’t enjoyable to take a shower here because the shower head itself was cheap and flimsy. You know how it is, we put off investing in something decent because we knew the bathroom renovation was upcoming.

The bigger issue here though was the mold that we had by the tub faucet and controls. More on that in a minute.

Another downside to an older bathroom design is the limited space for shampoo bottles, shower gel, razors, etc. This is why we had one of those unsightly shower caddy’s that you can see hooked precariously over the shower head.

The Solution for the gross tile: New beautiful white picket fence wall tiles that go all the way to the ceiling. Much more fresh, clean and bright, don’t you agree? Seriously, there isn’t anyone on this earth that could argue that with me!

The Solution for the dissatisfying and cheap shower head: My new Grohe Power&Soul handheld shower with sleek shower rail.

I love how easy it is to slide up and down, especially since everyone else in my family is taller than me (not difficult when I’m 5′ tall!) and I need to readjust it almost daily.

I like that it has four settings for the spray itself because who doesn’t like to have options? Now I have five choices for how I want to enjoy my shower, if you include our new rainfall shower head.

Below is the Rainshower Cosmopolitan 310 model. At 12″ in diameter, I don’t have to move around anymore to get wet.

Do you have a rainfall shower head? I now wonder how we lived without it. Isn’t it funny how that happens? I could get used to being spoiled in this way!

Having a rainfall shower head is HEAVENLY! My husband only uses the rainfall.

Now remember when I said there was no judging and warned you that there may be some ‘before’ shots that you might find disturbing?

Look away now if you can’t handle the truth. No getting mad at me if you bring up your last meal…

Mold and more grossness. Sorry. At least it’s one million percent better now!

The Solution for the mold around the tiles and the faucet controls: The Grohe Smartcontrol. This was something that I had my eye on for a while. When I partnered with this fabulous brand, I knew that this would be top of my list!

Grohe Grohtherm Smartcontrol Triple Function Thermostatic Trim

That’s a breath of fresh air, isn’t it?! I can’t tell you how much I love this, and not just because what I had before was unbearable to look at. It’s so great to now have an all in one solution for the controls.

I also like the simplicity of the touch button features and easy to turn knob for getting the temperature just right for either a shower or a bath. Not to mention, how bloody wonderful it looks too!

The Solution for limited storage: A custom shower niche in the wall. We purposely kept it low in order to easily access items needed for when we take a bath. The size is perfect.

TOP DESIGN TIP: Always make sure you measure your shampoo and shower gel bottles before you finalize the size of a custom shower niche to make sure everything you use regularly will fit.

A shower niche is always on trend!

In the image above, you can see the linear steam head of my Mr Steam unit between the Smartcontrol and the tub spout. I’m getting to that goodness next.

A sanctuary to call our own

The Problem: The shower curtain.

Now don’t get me wrong, I know that they have their place in some bathroom designs and with the options these days being plentiful, you can get some really lovely ones.

But, when this is your ONLY bathroom on the main floor of a bungalow, shared with 3 other people, having a place to escape that feels more of a retreat for your precious alone time isn’t too much for a girl to ask for, is it?

Look at that lilac tub and a slight peak at the shower curtain on the far left.

The Solution: I decided to up the anti and when I partnered with Mr. Steam, not only did I get my glass shower, but I also splurged on a steam unit!

I still have to pinch myself sometimes to believe that this is really my bathroom!

Mr. Steam control. Tells the time and you can turn it on/off here and adjust the temperature settings.

Did you know that there are so many benefits to using steam? I have enjoyed using this feature more than I ever thought possible.

I hadn’t really been in many steam rooms before, at least not for years that I can remember, and so I didn’t really know what I was missing. But now, I’m not sure that I would ever design a bathroom for myself that didn’t have one. Yes, I am a changed woman!

Here is a list of just some of the benefits of using steam regularly:

Helps to relieve stress
Promotes deep, restful sleep
Cleanses skin (think of all the money you spend on those face creams over the years!)
Improves circulation
Burns calories (BONUS!)

See the full list of benefits with more details on the Mr. Steam website.

You can never have enough Storage

We are nearly at the end of reviewing all of the details of my stunning bathroom makeover, but first you need to see the ‘peek a boo’ surprise in my tall cabinet that sits between the window and the shower wall.

Boring! Not very functional either.

This was my uninspiring wall unit that we used for toiletries and towels. It sits just opposite the toilet.

Within that wall at the back and on the right hand side, there is a pipe that runs into the basement which is why you see the door is more towards the left side. And this is why I talk a lot about investing in custom cabinetry…

Peek a boo surprise with my wallpaper inside the cabinet on the back wall.

My brilliant cabinet maker designed the inside to allow for shelving to be built around that pipe that is hidden on the far right at the back.

Doing this meant that we could eliminate the ugly medicine cabinet that we used to have above the toilet, as these new shelves are the same depth and on each shelf within the unit.

Below you will see how freakin awesome it also looks when it’s closed.

Black finish is Farrow & Ball Pitch Black No. 256

That, my friends, nearly brings me to the end of my bathroom reveal! Almost, but not quite yet.

My penultimate mention has to be about the Aria vent. This is a Canadian company and we are using their products almost exclusively on most projects now. I absolutely adore how they integrate into pretty much any floor type.

I can’t do a post about this bathroom design without mentioning the brilliant, playful and colourful wallpaper. I am thrilled with my new bathroom design and this bold backdrop really brings it all to life. It also has an organic feel that I was drawn to and did you notice those carefree purple pigs? Look carefully!

We colour matched the hues in the wallpaper to coordinating hand and bath towels, with everything else being neutral, mainly black and white.

I couldn’t be happier with the final result and am proud to show off my bathroom! Comment below to let me know what design element is your favourite.

A final thank you to my brand sponsors for collaborating with me on my small bathroom makeover. I appreciate you all very much!

What homeowners want when hiring a designer

TNT PODCAST: Episode #10

Wow! The 10th episode of my TNT podcast. It’s amazing that we are here already. I am having an absolute blast making them. Hope that you are loving listening to them and finding dynamite Claire-ity in each episode!

Click on the video below to watch the podcast where I have an open conversation with a client whom I worked with in 2016.

Prefer to listen on the go? Click here to download this episode.

This is the first episode in my new series called ‘A client’s perspective’. I am starting the series with a one-on-one discussion with my past client, Tara Vernest.

We worked together in 2016 when I provided my ‘Designer on Call’ service at her home in Guelph, Ontario. We keep in touch through social media, but we haven’t seen each other in over three years.

It was so great to see Tara and catch up on what’s been happening in her life. We talked about her interior design project and more specifically, why she looked for help from a professional to guide her through her renovation.

The discussion led to how she found me, why she hired me (hint: it might have had something to do with my processes and my upfront conversations!) and what her expectations were of working with a design professional.

My lovely client Tara Vernest and I ‘cheers’ to my 10th TNT episode

It’s nice to hear a different point of view from the other side of the fence. As always, the discussion is open and honest. It is wonderful to dig a bit deeper to really understand the clients’ thinking process when it came to bringing an interior designer on board with a home renovation project.

Sit back and enjoy as Tara and I have a frank conversation of what it’s like to find and hire an interior design professional.

Guest Bio

Tara Vernest

She trained as a Brand Marketer, but her eye can’t help being drawn to home and design—a passion that she attributes to her late mom’s keen eye.

Tara is joining the Insta – world in a big way. You can find her @whitelinenlifestyle sharing what she loves, favourite designs and advice.

See all my podcast episodes here. New episodes are published every other Friday!

Free Resources

A fabulous FREE resource to help excel your interior design business.

Front Door Paint Colours

Painting your front door a bold colour is a wonderful way to inject some personality into your home and enhance it’s curb appeal. With so many colours to choose from, it can be overwhelming to decide which paint colour to choose.

FREE PAINT COLOUR DOWNLOADS

I totally appreciate that choosing paint colours can be a daunting task! Let me make it easier for you and go grab my 3 FREE tips sheets for choosing paint colours here

FREE GUIDES FOR CHOOSING PAINT COLOURS – CLICK HEREhttps://clairejefford.com/ccd-freebies/

In today’s post, I’m sharing some inspiration from a recent weekend getaway I took with my husband to the quaint little town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. If you haven’t been and you ever plan on going to Niagara Falls, you MUST take a day trip there.

We go every year to do a bit of shopping on the main street and enjoy a nice dinner out. This year we decided to mix business with pleasure and take some time to tour the mature neighbourhoods where the homes are so charming and often colourful.

10 Bold Front Door Paint Colours

In no particular order, let’s take a look at the top 10 front door paint colours that I came across. I have even matched them to Benjamin Moore or Farrow and Ball paints, so you can see similar colours if you want to use them for your own home.

1. Mosaic CC-874 Benjamin Moore

Okay, so when I said these were in no particular order, they really aren’t. However, this is my favourite image…at least, I think it is. There are many more pretty doors to come, don’t you worry about that.

I am a sucker for purple and this front door colour is like a deep periwinkle. So fun and unexpected, I just love it!

Mosaic CC 874 Benjamin Moore

2. Sun Kissed Yellow 2022-20 Benjamin Moore

Black, white and yellow are a classic colour combination and this house is the sweetest, isn’t it!? The yellow front door pops so beautifully and is like a ray of sunshine among a white neutral backdrop.

Sun Kissed Yellow 2022-20 Benjamin Moore

3. Very Green 2040-30 Benjamin Moore

The colour green has been extremely popular this year, especially for cabinetry. You may remember where I shared a bold green kitchen in this post from the Kitchen and Bath Industry show last year.

Take a look at the full image further below and note how it looks so fresh here, framed in a creamy trim tone and with a burgundy backdrop. Red and green are opposites on the colour wheel which means that they are complimentary colours and always look nice together. In this case, the duo doesn’t remind me of Christmas either!

Very Green 2040-30 Benjamin Moore

4. Eating Room Red No.43 Farrow & Ball

478

This pretty colour from Farrow and Ball is more of an intense burgundy than a red. The image unfortunately shows some shadows, but I’m not going to complain about it being a sunny day, so hopefully you will forgive me!

Eating Room Red No. 43 Farrow and Ball

A look from the road, great curb appeal!

5. Strawberry Red 2003-20 Benjamin Moore

Strawberry Red by Benjamin Moore

Now this colour will wake you up in the morning! This bright red is much brighter than the previous red toned door which also makes it stand out more against the white trim. I’m not a huge fan of red, so while it looks lovely here, it would not be a colour that I could ever see myself choosing for my own front door. What about you?

Strawberry Red Benjamin Moore

6. Lucerne AF-530 Benjamin Moore

Blue front door colour and on a charming white house

You can never go wrong with the colour blue in my opinion. Blue and white are especially popular and classic combinations in interior design. Lucerne from the Affinity Line by Benjamin Moore seemed like the best colour match to this cute front door.

Lucerne AF 530 Benjamin Moore

7. Golden Nugget 2019-20 Benjamin Moore

Bold yellow front door with blue gray siding

In terms of contrasting colour combinations, this house was my favourite. I’m not a fan of bright yellows, but on this house, I love how it jumps out at you in relation to the blue-gray siding.

Here you can see the charming little house in its entirety. The garden is lovely too and it had an outdoor patio area to the side with a wooden pergola that looked very inviting.

Golden Nugget by Benjamin Moore

8. Studio Green No. 93 Farrow & Ball

I love green tones, especially a dark khaki tone like the one used on this charming front door and shutters. The entire colour combination is so adorable that I colour matched all three hues with Farrow & Ball paints for you to see below.

Main front door colour: Studio Green

Front door trim: Cooking Apple Green No. 32

Siding Farrow’s Cream No. 67

9. Hale Navy HC 154 Benjamin Moore

Here we have a classic red brick building with a dark blue door, arched details above and bright white trim. I adore this and the little black signs to the left with the house name and the year it was built.

This front door colour is similar to one of my all time favourite blue colours, Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore.

Hale Navy HC 154

10. Jet Black 2121-10 Benjamin Moore

Black doors are always in style!

I couldn’t do a post about bold front door colours without including an all-time favourite and classic, pure black.

One thing I particularly love about a black door is adding a light coloured wreath as you see on the one shown here from my trip to Niagara on the Lake. Fresh greens are also nice for decorating a black front door on occasions such as Christmas.

Jet Black 2121-10

I’ve included a paint swatch of Pashmina by Benjamin Moore as it is a close match to the trim you see in the photograph of the jet black front door.

Pashmina AF 100

I couldn’t resist adding this second black door that pops off of the light turquoise painted character home with white pillars.

This is the cutest look overall in my opinion!

Pin this graphic for easy reference!

That’s my Top 10 bold front door paint colours from Niagara-on-the-Lake! It was a fabulous time away, I hope you get a chance to visit this charming town soon. Cheers!

Cheers from Niagara on the Lake!

Comment below to share which front door colour is your favourite!

Get Colour Confident

A great tool to have whether you are a homeowner or interior design professional are my Perfect Colour Palette Collections. Check out what’s inside each guide here.

Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!

Take my Colour Quiz to discover your Perfect Colour Palette.

TNT PODCAST: Episode #9

Nude pics, Setting Budget Expectations, Promo Posts, Strengths and Weaknesses & Summer Wardrobe

Click on the video below to watch the podcast where I talk about the Top 5 posts from my private Facebook Group – Interior Design Business Strategies – IDBS.

Prefer to listen on the go? Click here to download this episode.

In this solo episode, I review the Top 5 posts in my IDBS group from the past month. These are the hottest topics, the posts that received the most engagement from my group during this time.

Topics Include:

The Top 5 posts from my private Facebook group for interior designers, Interior Design Business Strategies. These are the hottest topics, these are the posts that received the most engagement from the group in one month.

A nude picture that a client sent a designer – call the police or just block them?

Setting budget expectations – being upfront about how much decorating projects actually cost.

Promo posts – connecting people within our network.

Recognizing your strengths and weaknesses – what you’re awesome at and where you might struggle.

Summer clothes – where to find a classy yet affordable wardrobe for the warmer months.

What I mentioned on the podcast:

When helping clients figure out what they can expect to spend on that beautiful new living room with custom built-ins and furniture or a full makeover of their master bedroom, my Pricing Guides can be a valuable resource.

Get both sets of Pricing Guides in my Pricing Guides Collection.

Suggested stores for making some great summer wardrobe purchases:

Ann Taylor

Banana Republic, Banana Republic Canada

Chico’s, Chico’s Canada

Nordstrom Canada, Nordstrom

Life 360 App mentioned in the podcast

Check out this app, Life360 brings your family closer with smart features designed to protect and connect the people who matter most.

Not in my Private Facebook group for Interior Designers? Click here to join now.

See all my podcast episodes here. New episodes are published every other Friday!

Free Resources

Here is a fabulous FREE resource to help excel your interior design business.

Bungalow Home Renovation Part 4

We are in the home stretch!

Welcome to part four in my Bungalow Home Renovation series where I’m giving you a ‘Behind the Design’ tour of my sister’s main floor renovation.

In this latest installment: The cabinetry is going in, the shower is nearly done and we have a check measure, reviewing all the details for the lovely custom treatments for window coverings and the island banquette seating.

Join me for the latest installment in my exciting series documenting my sister’s incredible Burlington bungalow renovation! Click on the image below to watch the video and see the updates.

Work in progress

In case you didn’t watch the video (why didn’t you watch the video?!!), below are some photos that I snapped throughout the renovation process.

Check out the bathroom shown here with the shower niche, half wall and bench seat. I the love white penny round tile on the floor and in the niche, it’s super sweet! More importantly, my sister and her husband love it too.

White shower with shower niche and bench seat

Shower niche with white penny round tile

Here is the custom bathroom vanity painted Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore with black handles. Look at all that storage space! To think that previous to the renovation, all they had was a pedestal sink and medicine cabinet to store items in the bathroom.

Double bathroom vanity finished in Kendall Charcoal by BM with black hardware.

Below is the custom spinning shoe rack in the ‘Girly Room’ which will house 50 pairs of my sister’s shoes. Karen could have two of these with all of her shoes!

Finished in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore.

In the kitchen, the cabinetry is coming together nicely. This wall unit will house pantry items (far right), brooms (far left) and in the centre will be the tea/coffee drinks area.

Custom kitchen cabinetry

The upper cabinetry on this side of the kitchen is Simply White, while the lower cabinets and island with custom banquette is the lovely, rich blue that is Hale Navy. Do you notice the extra pull out drawer storage in the banquette?

Isn’t that backsplash fun?! My sister picked that out!

The final reveal is coming soon!

Thank you for following along with me on this exciting Bungalow renovation series. As we enter the final stages of the cabinetry installations I am excited to move on to more of the pretty with the custom drapery and decor. Stay tuned to see more of the progress coming soon!

Pin it for easy reference!

Remember, it only takes one mistake to take your home decorating project from divine to disaster. Don’t let the paint be what stresses you out!

Take my Colour Quiz to discover which colour palette suits you best.

Real Client Project – My Client Wanted to Cancel a 12K Order!

TNT PODCAST: Episode #8

Click on the video below to watch the podcast where I talk about a Real Client Project.

Prefer to listen on the go? Click here to download this episode.

Running an Interior Design Business isn’t easy, but nothing worth having ever is.

One of the best ways to learn how to run a successful interior design business is to learn from others’ experiences. I’m sharing Real Client Projects on The Naked Truth podcast to help you do just that.

My ‘Real Client Project’ Episodes are all about sharing the details of my past projects. In other words, I review how the client came to find me and what my fees were for the initial consultation as well as for the interior decorating services.

You will hear the specific details of the project including presenting design plans and what happened during the process with the trades. I also discuss purchasing products and the overall working relationship between everyone involved.

In this week’s episode…

In this Real Client Project episode, ‘My Client Wanted to Cancel a $12K Order!’, I share the details of some important lessons I learned while working for clients in my local area.

These Burlington clients were busy professionals with 2 young children. They were fabulous to work with and did not have the time or energy to take on a custom living room redesign project on their own.

As a result, they told me that they didn’t know where to start and the idea of doing this on their own was very overwhelming for them both.

The project went very well overall and it was beautiful to photograph for my portfolio. Still, there were some key takeaways that I learned. I am sharing them with you in this podcast episode.

For instance, offering reassurance and following up with clients after a project is completed, are two of the key lessons I learned. Hear about them and more in this week’s episode of my TNT podcast.

Plus…

Take a look at my new Pricing Guides that I mention on the show. These can help you to set realistic budgets for a project and easily manage your client’s expectations. A fantastic tool to have on hand that allows you to have open conversations with your client’s about money.

See all my podcast episodes here. New episodes published every other Friday!

Free Resources

Here is a fabulous FREE resource to help excel your interior design business.

TNT PODCAST: Episode #7

Pods, Controlling Clients, Indecisive Clients, Social Media Content & Important Takeaway from Covid

Click on the video below to watch the podcast where I talk about the Top 5 posts from my private Facebook Group – Interior Design Business Strategies.

Prefer to listen on the go? Click here to download this episode.

In this solo episode, I review the Top 5 posts in my IDBS group in the month of May. These are the hottest topics, the posts that received the most engagement from my group during this time.

Topics include:
Blog and Instagram Pods -why do they annoy me so much?
How to deal with clients who try to set the terms for the project and indecisive clients.
The best way to find content for your Social Media
My biggest takeaway from Covid.

Join me here and get Dynamite Claire-ity for your Interior Design Business.

Not in my Private Facebook group for Interior Designers? Click her to join now.

See all my podcast episodes here. New Episodes are published every other Friday!

Free Resources

Here is a fabulous FREE resource to help excel your interior design business.