Incredibly it’s that time of year again. Benjamin Moore’s Colour of the Year 2024 has been revealed!
Blue Nova 825/CC-860
A moody blue with a strong lean towards purple, like a deep, periwinkle tone.
Benjamin Moore Colour of the Year 2024 Blue Nova
And guess what? Blue Nova is a similar tone to colours that I’ve used recently for custom cabinetry on two different interior design projects.
Yes, I am the interior design colour trendsetter. 🙂
First up is my own kitchen design where I selected the cabinet colour Kensington Blue.
Kitchen cabinets Kensington Blue by Benjamin Moore. Design by Claire Jefford Inc.
Kitchen Island colour is Stratton Blue by Benjamin Moore
While Blue Nova is slightly less intense than Benjamin Moore’s Kensington Blue, take a look below at just how similar these two Benjamin Moore colours really are.
Now check out a basement laundry room we designed in 2022. We used the colour Indigogo by Benjamin Moore for the custom cabinetry.
Although not every colour of the year becomes the next big thing, it will be interesting to see if people will embrace (and really commit to!) Blue Nova in a similar way that I did in these Burlington interior design projects.
Flat-panelled cabinets are Indigogo by Benjamin Moore.
But it’s not easy to pull off this colour successfully in design as it is to do with the neutral look of a style such as ‘farmhouse’.
That is why many tend to play it safe when decorating, by using popular white paint colours. But I find safe and neutral to often equal boring or uninspiring.
I say – Give me colour!
In addition to the Colour of the Year announcement, Benjamin Moore has also released their entire Colour Trends palette for 2024.
Benjamin Moore Colour Trends Palette 2024
Look at the Colour Trends 2024 palette and then this image showing the different finishes used in my kitchen.
The paint chips I matched from my Spode wall plates with brass rims create a very similar colour palette. These plates from my mother-in-law were the jumping-off point for our entire kitchen design.
Finding inspiration in meaningful decorative items such as these is a great way to determine how to choose the best paint colour for a project.
Botanical Spode Wall plates on a backdrop of Collingwood Paint by Benjamin Moore
This is proof that you can create an entire room or even a full home colour palette from the helpful downloads I’ve personally created, my Perfect Colour Palettes.
Beautiful rooms showcasing the 2024 Colour Trends:
More images from the Colour Trends palette for 2024 can be seen below. Photos are courtesy of Benjamin Moore.
Blue Nova 825/CC-860
Benjamin Moore Blue Nova backdrop
Blue and orange are opposite on the colour wheel. You can see how these similar colour tones when combined together in a space can create a striking pairing.
Painted ceilings can add incredible drama to a room. Here you can see the dark Regent Green ceilings and trim contrasting with White Dove on the walls.
Below is one of our dining room designs where we used the contrasting colour combination of Hale Navy on the ceiling and in the niche while painting the wall the soft, beautiful neutral that is White Dove.
Dining Room Design by Claire Jefford Inc.
When Benjamin Moore announced Aegean Teal as the Colour of the Year for 2021, I already had that colour painted on the ceiling of my outdoor interior design studio.
My studio office design, Agean Teal painted ceiling
See, I am the interior design colour trend-setter 🙂
What do you think of these Colour Trend colours for 2024?
Have you used any of these paint colours by Benjamin Moore?
Comment below, I want to hear from you!
Choosing Paint Colours
If you struggle with choosing paint colours, be sure to check out my Perfect Colour Palettes.
I have over 50 colour palettes to help inspire you.
I also offer collections that showcase a group of 10 similar colours from Benjamin Moore, Farrow & Ball and my newest addition, Sherwin Williams.
In addition, there’s my ultimate collection which includes all 20 of my Benjamin Moore Guides.
Although it’s often the final room to be decorated, the bedroom is an essential space in a home as it provides a private and comfortable area for rest and relaxation.
It is where we spend a significant amount of our time sleeping, which is crucial for our physical and mental well-being.
Additionally, a well-designed bedroom can enhance the overall ambiance and aesthetic appeal of a home.
You CANNOT afford to mess up this type of decorating project!
For this reason, I want to share with you my ‘6 Bedroom Design Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make’.
1. Placement of your bed.
Your bed should be the focal point, a real feature since it’s the largest piece of furniture in the room. Design the space so that the bed fits nicely on a main wall with side tables.
The placement of your bed can have an impact on your overall well-being.
It’s generally recommended to place your bed in a position where you can see the door, but not be directly in line with it, which was the case in our Burlington client’s bedroom when we first met with them to discuss this specific project.
Before: Placement of bed under the windows
Additionally, it’s important to avoid placing your bed under a window or in a location with a lot of clutter or chaos. Overall, the goal is to create a peaceful and comfortable sleeping environment.
Here is my own bedroom where the bed is placed opposite the closet
If you place your bed on a wall with windows, be sure the window treatments aren’t covered up by the bed or covering a heat vent.
Sometimes you’ll want to consider roman blinds as opposed to drapery, which is exactly what we did here in our Burlington client’s principal bedroom.
3D rendering showing roman blinds and possible purple ceiling
2. Inappropriate scale
Scale and proportion are crucial elements in furnishing a space.
Scale refers to the size of individual pieces of furniture, while proportion refers to how those pieces relate to each other and the overall space.
Properly scaled furnishings create a balanced and harmonious environment, while mismatched proportions can make a room feel awkward and uncomfortable.
It’s important to consider the scale and proportion of each piece when selecting and arranging furniture to ensure a cohesive and pleasing aesthetic. This is a common oversight that many people make when decorating.
The image below is a perfect example. The upholstered bed frame is quite grand, but the lamp on the side table next to it is too small in proportion.
This acrylic lamp is too small in scale for the upholstered bed
When planning the decor of our clients’ principal bedroom, we specified a beautiful, king-sized upholstered headboard. We took careful consideration in selecting other furnishings that were similar not only in style but also in scale.
From the installation day of our client’s bedroom, not professionally photographed yet!
The antique mirrored nightstands are a good size at 24″ x 24″.
The sconces are hung at nearly the same height as the top of the headboard and fit nicely between the wall and the bed. Look at all those BIG pillows, plus the large custom storage ottoman!
To achieve good design, always consider how furnishings will relate to one another in both style, as well as scale.
3. Overlooking Storage
Smart storage solutions are important because they can help maximize space utilization and increase efficiency.
By utilizing innovative storage options, we can better organize our resources, reduce clutter, and increase access to important items.
Yes, we love ‘pretty’ but practicality is important too. In this client’s bedroom, we designed the niche area to include a new, beautiful custom dresser built-in.
Before image showing a stand-alone pine dresser
Not only does it look AMAZING, but it also provides a ton of practical storage, including organized jewelry drawers with felt inserts. And functionally, the location of the TV is now opposite the new placement of the king bed.
Our clients absolutely love their new built-in cabinet with the stunning hardware
The design of the unit also has open shelving, which allows for items like perfume to be on display and easy to hand as needed.
Now that the room is complete, it’s like it was always meant to be there!
We designed this stunning custom piece to be finished in Collingwood by Benjamin Moore and the walls are painted Portland Gray. These gray paint colours both have a Violet undertone.
Lighting is important for a variety of reasons. It can affect our mood, productivity, and overall well-being.
Proper lighting can make a space feel more inviting and comfortable, while poor lighting can cause eye strain and headaches.
In this client’s bedroom, we added four pot lights, two sconces, and a ceiling fan light.
Another key to good lighting design is not to overlook how fabulous dimmers can be. We ALWAYS specify dimmer switches!
Consider layering your lighting to create the perfect, versatile ambiance in your space.
This same lighting strategy can also be implemented using table lamps or pendants over your bedside tables as we did in these other bedroom decorating projects for clients.
Bedroom with a lamp on the side table, designed by Claire Jefford Inc.
This is a huge mistake homeowners often make, and it’s such a costly one too! Buying one item at a time and not looking at the big picture.
How many times have you seen something in a store, purchased it thinking ‘it will go perfectly in my home’ and then it actually doesn’t look so hot?
To achieve great design, we pull all samples of potential fabrics, finishes, wallpaper, and paint colours so that we can view them all together.
Here you can easily see how well all of our fabrics go together
We do the same with furnishings, placing images of items on a mood board, and laying them out to ensure everything looks fabulous and works perfectly.
Finishes shown here from our original client presentation
Mixing different textures and patterns is a goal of ours when designing for clients and ensuring undertones don’t fight with one another but rather complement each other.
6. Overthinking
Do not overthink simple solutions. Instead of fussing around too much with our clients’ bedroom closet, we simply updated the doors.
They had an IKEA Pax closet insert with doors that opened outwards.
With the new room design, we needed sliders and the white shaker-style IKEA Pax doors were perfect!
We also used the IKEA Pax wardrobe system when we redesigned our own bedroom for the first time about 10 years ago. They still work wonderfully to this day.
PAX IKEA Wardrobe
When looking at your overall budget, consider where you may be able to mix high and low, without compromising look or function.
Tell me, are you making of these design mistakes in your bedroom? Comment below to share with us. It’s okay, we won’t judge. 🙂
Follow me for more helpful design and colour tips, I’m just getting warmed up.
If you are planning a bedroom renovation and happen to be near our local area of Burlington, Ontario, reach out to us here, and let’s discuss your project.
You deserve to Live Beautifully in your home. Until next time, Cheers!
Today I’m sharing 7 ways to increase client conversion to set you up for success with more projects.
Getting your foot in the door for a consultation meeting is one thing, but what strategies can you implement to convert more of those consultations into interior design projects?
Let’s get right to it!
1. Staying ‘Top Of Mind’
Email is not dead.
Stay in touch with regular updates to leads and past clients, so that you are the one who comes to mind as the expert to turn to when it’s time for their next home project.
We like to stay in touch with past clients and leads who have previously inquired with us (but may have never hired us) at least once a month.
These emails are not ‘salesy’, nor should they be.
For example, share helpful tips and advice about recent projects you’ve worked on or industry events you have attended – like KBIS, the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show or Highpoint Furniture Market in North Carolina.
This content needs to provide value, something of interest to a homeowner.
Laundry room design by Claire Jefford Inc. All professional photos by Stephani Buchman.
When you share project images, whether it’s behind-the-scenes or a final reveal of a new project in your portfolio, explain a bit of the backstory. Touch on why the client hired you and how your interior design services benefited their renovation or decorating project.
In my Booked Solid with a Waitlist digital business marketing resource for interior designers, I share 3 examples of actual emails we have sent to clients, advise on how often to send these emails, and so many more of my proven strategies for keeping your pipeline full.
2. Discovery Call Follow-Up
After a discovery call with a potential interior design client, make sure you have a streamlined process for how you follow up with these leads. Don’t just hang up the phone and leave it at that.
We have a standard email template that we tweak slightly to personalize for each potential new client.
In addition, we often send a comprehensive, pretty, and easy-to-read Welcome Pack that lists further details of our services, and the benefits of working with our award-winning Interior Design firm.
As part of our process and lead up to our paid Interior Design Consultation, we ask clients for photos of their home, and if applicable, sometimes we will set up a shared board on Pinterest.
This not only shows we like to be prepared and that we care, but it also helps us better understand what we are walking into.
With more than 15 years of experience in running my own successful interior design business, now I’m confident and quick off the cuff with design ideas so I’m fine if I walk into a new client’s home without having seen it ahead of time.
But this wasn’t always the case, especially when I was first starting out. Asking for this information has always been part of my process, and it still works for us, even today.
Being prepared for a new client consultation takes more than dressing up and putting on some perfume. 😉
For a recent consultation, clients sent me rough drawings with a layout of their proposed new design plans.
It was very insightful to see what they had come up with on their own. Although, as I’m sure you can appreciate as a fellow professional in this field, I could see the potential for a much more functional and well-thought-out design.
My own kitchen design with plenty of personality and a ton of function
Being armed with this information ahead of time provides me with the opportunity to show up prepared and express my expertise.
At the consultation meeting, I tactfully educated the lovely couple on some crucial flaws in the design and professional recommendations on how I would redesign the space to make it way more aesthetically pleasing and far more functional.
4. Don’t Hold Back
Although this can depend on your interior design business model, I personally like to give as much value as I can at the consultation meeting.
Some designers don’t do consultation-only appointments, and that’s totally fine. For me, I love them!
At a recent colour consultation for another lovely couple, I shared a lot of helpful advice for updating their main bedroom and ensuite.
I also provided ideas of how they could easily update their other full bathroom without doing a full reno, just like we did in a client’s basement bathroom shown here.
Updated vanity, new hardware, artwork & custom roman blind for this bathroom refresh by CJI
They asked about window treatment ideas and appropriate sizing for a chandelier in their dining room. I showed up as the expert, easily proving that I knew my stuff and wasn’t holding back.
A recent story was shared by one of my long-time coaching clients who has invested in all of my Interior Design BOSS Academy On-Demand resources. She told me that she invested in me as her Interior Design Business Coach because she sees how much I share online for free and thought, ‘Wow, if she gives all of this advice for free, how incredible will her paid courses and coaching be?’
Some designers worry that if they give too much away, the clients won’t hire them for further services, but I believe the opposite is true.
There will always be people who see the value in what we do and are willing to invest in our services.
Conversely, there will always be those who feel it’s too expensive to hire an interior design professional, especially for full custom design and project management services, but they may be happy to invest in a paid consultation-only appointment for ideas and guidance to lead them on the right path.
Either way, my goal is to help homeowners in any way that I can. Holding back is not in my nature.
5. Bring Visuals
Never underestimate how exciting it is for a homeowner looking to renovate or decorate to see examples of what’s involved in the design process.
A tablet is great for showing past projects you’ve worked on – before images, 3D renderings, and the final results. Discuss any challenges you faced and how you came up with fantastic solutions for the project.
We may also bring an example of our Project Site Binder. This includes our Materials and Selections sheet, showing details of all paint colours used in a project, as well as any tiles or hardwood selections, and more.
We also have an end-of-client-project folder that includes actual fabrics, wallpaper, and paint colours of physical samples that we give to clients so that they have everything together in one place.
There is so much that happens in the backend of what we do that clients don’t see, so sharing this sort of detailed information helps them to better understand what you bring to a project and how you help to keep everything organized for them.
Samples shown here of items used in my own kitchen renovation
6. Create a Design Proposal
If you feel it’s worthwhile, and depending on your business model, take time to draw up an interior design proposal for their consideration.
Whenever I share an example of my design proposal template with other designers, they always tell me that they love how professional it looks and how comprehensive it is.
7. Frequently Share on Social
If you ever get stuck wondering what to share on social media, be sure to frequently post to different platforms to show people what you do.
In a story or an Instagram Reel, talk about the process of how you work. Tell a story about how you helped a client and the different ways you benefitted an interior design project.
A client who we initially thought was hiring us for an interior design consultation-only appointment, ended up telling me at this first meeting that she changed her mind after seeing my Instagram feed and stories.
She decided she wanted to hire us for full services and wanted to be ‘hands-off’ to leave everything to the professionals.
You never know when you are going to strike a nerve or hit on that ‘sweet’ spot with someone watching you on social media.
For more helpful resources to push your business to the next level, see my shop page here. Get organized and gain more confidence!
What a week it was at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas!
With the highest number of attendees in many years, the show was definitely buzzing.
Seeing the vast, stunning displays in two different buildings at the Las Vegas convention centre and receiving an invitation to tour the $13 million dollar ‘All New American Home’ in the hills overlooking the Strip in the far distance, was just what I needed to refuel my inspiration for upcoming interior design projects.
In case you missed my live webinar event where I shared some of the latest trends in Kitchen & Bath design from the show, in this post I’m sharing the replay for you.
Here you’ll see me sharing my insights on some of the new products in kitchen and bath design, as well as colourful displays from the show. Plus, stick around to the end of the video where I show you some of THE MOST RIDICULOUS DESIGN IDEAS that I saw.
Remember, new and different doesn’t always mean better!
Highlights from the show
Bathroom vanities with off-centred, uniquely shaped sinks
Ann Saks bathroom featured in the Kohler booth
Kohler colourful toilets – a blast from the past!
Laundry room solutions including a doggy shower
A new way to freshen up stinky shoes, by LG
Bold appliance and cabinetry colours from Cafe
Wallpaper in kitchens is on trend, just like in my kitchen 🙂
Monogram-marvel showcasing stunning designs by Richard Anuszkiewicz
Smeg makes you smile with Snoopy and fun hues for refrigeration
The exquisite ensuite in the All New American Home
Disappointing Designs
The faucet hanging from the ceiling -WTH?
White Brizo faucets that look plastic and cheap
Cambria’s display, striking but not at all functional
What specifically stood out for you from what I shared in my videos?
Do you have a most / least favourite design idea? Share your thoughts below.
Speaking of hot topics…have you taken my colour quiz yet?
Take my Quiz and find your perfect colour palette with décor inspiration for your next interior design or decorating project.
Perfect Colour Palettes
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!
Convenience at your fingertips
I have created Paint Colour Palettes for some of the most popular colours from three of the leading paint companies, Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams and Farrow & Ball.
Our Perfect Colour Palettes help you confidently select the best colour for your home, and see which trim, ceiling, and accent colours pair well with your selected colour.
Kitchens are the place where everyone often gathers in your home and where you make the most memories.
While kitchens may be the most expensive area in your home to renovate, they are also where you will generally see the biggest return on your investment.
You CANNOT afford to mess up these costly renovations.
For this reason, I want to share with you my ‘9 Kitchen Design Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make’.
This was a series of short videos that I shared on Instagram as Reels with lots of engagement. This series was also hugely popular on my TikTok account.
1. Looking to Big Box Stores for Inspo
Yup, I’m talking about those hideous kitchen displays at the Big Box Stores and what a huge mistake it is to make them your ‘go-to’ for design inspiration.
I don’t know who designs them or how these design train-wrecks get approved, as the majority I have seen over the years are beyond terrible.
They are usually a mix of various patterns and cabinetry styles, perhaps with the intention of showing you what is available for finishes. But when you know good design, it really leaves one scratching their head.
Look at this first one below, for example.
The busy quartz counter with the tiny square mosaic backsplash in various green tones is way too busy. Not to mention, those mosaics are so dated. We actually ripped out a similar backsplash from when we first renovated our kitchen in 2006.
In the big box kitchen display below there is a similar busy backsplash pattern paired with a quartz countertop that has quite a bit of movement to it as well.
But my biggest question was – what the heck is the point of the half cabinet on this peninsula with massive legs? It looks incredibly awkward, is in no way functional, and is just an eyesore in general.
So, please do not look at these big box store kitchen displays for design inspiration.
2. Doors vs Drawers
When redesigning your kitchen, skip doing mainly doors on the base cabinets and design your new kitchen with plenty of drawers instead.
It’s way easier to access everything as opposed to crouching down in a cupboard with fixed shelving and it’s much better for your back too. Hey, I don’t know about you, but I ain’t getting any younger over here!
We house our main dishes, cooking utensils, and pots & pans in 36″ wide x 12″ deep drawers.
Deep and wide kitchen drawers, photo by Stephani Buchman Photography
And for a deep pantry, opt for pullout drawers like these if you are designing a custom kitchen. It’s so much easier to see and access everything.
These are key design principles that start with optimizing function, plus, they look super sleek too.
3. Overlooking Smart Storage Solutions
I had the pleasure of working with Häfele Canada which has the most AMAZING kitchen storage solutions to make the most of every inch of precious space.
In the awkward corner area on the base cabinets, we installed the Flex Corner Unit. It has 2 pull-outs each with 2 levels of shelving.
Corner kitchen cabinets can be awkward, get as much storage there as you can
In our kitchen we have two sets of 36″ drawers. In the top drawer of our island we store our main cutlery. And the other bank of drawers, the top one next to the oven, holds our larger cooking utensils.
For both of these, we used Häfeles Fineline Cutlery Trays in Walnut. How they keep everything organized is exquisite!
Utensil organizers in walnut by Häfele
In our 27″ wide spice drawer next to the oven, we installed 3 Häfele Stepped Spice Inserts that make it easy to see and organize all our spices. (Sorry, no professional photo to share with you of the inside of that drawer).
Don’t forget about storing your oils. We had 7″ remaining on our main kitchen wall which we utilized for a pull-out cupboard with double oil baskets from Häfele.
Out of all of these mentioned, which of these solutions would be a ‘must’ for you? Comment below and tell us why.
There are so many fabulous options for lighting. In kitchens especially, it’s imperative to have various light sources, depending on what tasks you are doing.
You’ll need to watch my video to see the 4 different types of lighting we used in my kitchen, as we didn’t get photos of each of them. The last one is really unexpected and I think you’ll love it!
Potlights
Pendants over the island
Under cabinetry lighting
Strip lighting on top of my floating walnut shelf
Pot lights in the ceiling, as well as pendants over the kitchen island
And for more colourful fun, I added in these pretty pendants that hang in our stairwell leading down to the basement which is open to our main floor hallway as well.
When doing a kitchen design, electrical needs to be discussed at the very early stages. Think about where you will need light sources and where best to place electrical switches and outlets.
5. Ignoring Architectural Features
I was only really excited about my kitchen design when I decided to swap the location of my kitchen for my living room. The possibilities were so much more thrilling and less limiting due to the bigger space.
Fisher & Paykel 36″ Gas Oven
Plus, the angled ceiling where the main cabinetry was to reside on the back wall of my new kitchen design, meant that we would be highlighting this very cool architectural detail which was going to be quite the focal point. It did not disappoint! My cabinet maker is very talented and his attention to detail is impeccable.
6. Don’t Follow the Trends!
What I love about my kitchen is that you can’t pinpoint a date as to when it was renovated. It could have been designed last month or anytime in the past few decades.
Am I right?! Kitchens are an investment that is meant to last 15 years or more. When you follow the trends, you run the risk of not loving your renovation for years to come.
I selected a purple hue for my custom cabinets. Kensington Blue by Benjamin Moore is a Purpley-blue that we used for the perimeter cabinetry in my kitchen.
Below you can see Kensington Blue in my large painted board on the far left and again on the far right in the paint chips next to my fun wallpaper.
But for my initial design ideas I was considering the now very popular black for the cabinetry colour, just like my bathroom cabinet design. I’m so glad I decided not to do black as Kensington Blue makes me smile every time I enter the room, plus it’s timeless!
Feel free to argue with me on this, but I just saw this same colour tone in Mad Men which is a TV show set in the 60’s. They had the exact same kitchen cabinet colour, but accented with red tones, which was cool, but not my vibe.
7. Going With Basic Appliances
Kitchen appliances have come a very long way over the years, so if it’s been a while since you last renovated, make sure you do your research to find the best ones for the way you live – or for how you want to live in your new kitchen.
We worked with Best Brand Appliance in Oakville and chose Fisher & Paykel for our range and double drawer dishwasher. The 84″ tall x 36″ wide paneled fridge is from Dacor, it’s next to the pantry which is on the end in the far left of this photo.
Our microwave is a Sharp microwave drawer that I designed to be housed within our kitchen island. This is a great option if you are either short like me and have a hard time reaching a microwave above an oven. Or if you have a bad back or problems bending, this is also a great solution.
Although it is about 4-5 times the cost of a normal microwave, for me the convenience and ease on my body of using it makes it worthwhile, especially since we use the microwave daily.
Yes, these appliances were a splurge and I don’t regret one penny of the investment. We love them all! And remember, you don’t need to splurge on every appliance if it’s not in the budget. Pick one or two that are most important to you.
The Microwave Sharp drawer is 24″ wide
Shown open and with the control panel popped down
8. Not Creating Flow
Creating flow is all part of good design. You achieve this through color, finishes, texture, and patterns, for example.
In the short video, I explain how we did this in my new kitchen design with my Thompson Traders sink and walnut accents, as well as with colorful decor and accessories such as my wallpaper and decorative wall plates.
Even my Smeg toaster matches the leaves in my wallpaper and the island colour
The copper tone is repeated in the hardware and our custom walnut floating shelf
The colourful hues in my wall plates can be found all throughout the main floor of my home
To achieve this in your own home, if you used a colour for your island or on your stools for example, repeat that color in a window treatment, placemats, or a small rug. These are just some ideas for you to incorporate similar colours into the design of your kitchen to create flow.
9. Not Protecting Your Investment
Last, but certainly not least, please protect your investment.
For instance, to protect the bottom of our custom drawers we used non-slip mats from Häfele Canada. We cut them to size to fit perfectly in each drawer.
These mats stop items from moving around when you open and close your drawers too – plus they look super sharp!
The bottom of this cupboard doesn’t mark when sliding cutting boards in and out
In our previous kitchen, we had some leaks under the sink which made the inside of our cabinet finish peel away and in some areas even turned green. Ew!
In our new kitchen, we protect the sink cabinet by using the Under-Sink Mat from Häfele. This mat has unique dimples that can collect up to 1 gallon of water per 6 square feet, should you have a minor leak.
Be sure to consider smart products like these from Häfele to protect your investment, your kitchen is worth it!!
Remodeling your kitchen can be a very daunting task, and there are so many moving parts to think about.
If you are planning a kitchen renovation and happen to be near our local area of Burlington, Ontario, reach out to us here, and let’s discuss your project.
You deserve to Live Beautifully. Until next time, Cheers!
My Perfect Colour Palette also includes 10 colours that go beautifully with Accessible Beige, plus a 2-page step by step How-To for choosing a cohesive colour palette in your own home.
A must-have for any colour enthusiast or interior design professional!
No way is Accessible Beige a boring beige. With its slightly green/gray undertone, we’d call it more of a greige. It’s a fantastic neutral to combine with so many different colours.
Colour Comparisons
As you can see below, it’s when we start to look at comparisons to other colours, that things become very interesting.
Silverpointe SW 7653 and Worldly Gray SW 7043
Colour Comparisons with similar colours from Sherwin Williams
Looking at the colour comparison above, it’s easier to see the true colour of Accessible Beige. Silverpointe, another great neutral is more of a gray with blue and green undertones and Worldly Gray although similar has a violet undertone.
When I do Colour Consultations in a client’s home, I am always comparing colours so they too can easily see the differences between the paint colours.
When I hold my large paint boards up to a decorative element such as fabrics, wallpaper or subway tile and then swap out one board with another board, it becomes clear as to which colour will work best.
Best Whites To Pair With Accessible Beige
Pure White SW 7005 by Sherwin Williams
Creamy SW 7012 by Sherwin Williams
Pearly White SW 7009 by Sherwin Williams
Now look at all three whites together and you get a better idea of the different looks each would give when used for trim or ceilings with Accessible Beige.
Creating a Beautiful Colour Palette for Accessible Beige
A fabulous fabric used to create this beautiful palette for Accessible Beige.
Remember when using my Perfect Colour Palette that we have put together 10 colours that look amazing with Accessible Beige although it’s not suggesting you use all 10 as paints when designing your interior space.
The palette is a guide on how to create a space using a combination of the 10 colours in paint, flooring, fabrics, artwork, and other decorative elements.
10 of the most popular Sherwin Williams’ Neutrals in one collection
If you are a fan of the beautiful rich paints by Farrow & Ball I’ve also created a collection of 10 classic colours from this popular British paint company. Check them out here.
Farrow & Ball’s Collection of 10 Classic paint colours
Who doesn’t want to make their current home their forever home and never have to think about moving again?
Years ago my sister and brother-in-law were thinking about moving. With the design layout as it was, the functionality of their 1950’s Burlington bungalow did not meet their needs.
As an Interior Design Professional with over 11 years of experience helping homeowners live beautifully, I could definitely see the potential.
They loved the Burlington area where we all live and I knew that they could have what they desired if only they were aware of the fabulous possibilities.
Karen and Jason hired us for our interior design services and together with our team here at Claire Jefford Inc., we created an inspiring design with a completely new layout.
3D design of their new kitchen pantry wall with a built-in tea station
Follow along with this post to see the BIG reveal for this 1950s bungalow that we took from outdated to upscale!
Let’s look at the details of this incredible main floor transformation. This includes the before images, 3D drawings and our professionally photographed ‘after’ shots.
Project Location:
This was an older home in a beautiful mature neighbourhood known as Mountainside in my home town of Burlington, Ontario.
Client Wishlist
My sister Karen and her husband Jason were looking to update their bungalow so that the design would work for them to indeed become their forever home.
As they both love to cook, on their wishlist was a more functional and open kitchen layout, as well as a more spacious bathroom.
Below was their kitchen before and this space actually turned into their new bathroom. Keep up with me now!
Here is their old kitchen where the large bathroom is now
My sister is obsessed with fashion and on her wishlist was a stunning dressing room with ample storage for all of her clothes and smart organization solutions for shoes, jewellery and make up.
We gutted the entire main floor, turning this 3 bedroom bungalow into a 2 bedroom home. By eliminating one of the bedrooms and the living room, we were able to design the home in a way that made it way more spacious and with plenty of storage.
The living room below was mainly an unused space and the first room you see as you entered the home in the previous layout. We decided to remove the wall from the entry that you see below which enabled us to create a much larger and more functional kitchen.
Now this beautiful big window is a bright part of the new kitchen
Taking out a living room from the main floor bungalow may sound crazy, but because I knew my clients so well and completely understood their lifestyle, this design made perfect sense.
They have no children and don’t really have guests stay over, so having a third bedroom was not needed.
This rendering really helped them to see the potential of their space
The main focus was to design a large, open kitchen that incorporated all of our client’s needs, especially taking into consideration that they are both avid cooks.
Now in their new kitchen, the natural light really lights up this beautiful open space. And the custom drapery is lovely too, eh?!
Hale Navy island and banquette which also houses some secret storage in the bench seating!
You can never have enough storage
The new kitchen includes a large island with a corner banquette at their eat-in kitchen table, as well as two additional counter-height stools at the far end near the window.
We had many discussions with both the clients and our custom cabinet maker regarding the various custom cabinetry designs throughout the home.
From the kitchen to the bathroom, including the large walk-in closet known as the ‘Girly Room’, no detail was overlooked.
The main double doors here house small appliances like a crock pot, blender, etc.
We customized a narrow side cabinet to make room for taller items such as brooms and mops
Custom kitchen cabinets and pantry – Simply White Benjamin Moore
The nice thing about investing in custom millwork is that you can get exactly what you want.
‘The Girly Room’
The fully customized dressing room for my sister was a lot of fun to design, although not without it’s challenges, to make sure we got everything perfectly perfect.
We wanted the look to be soft and feminine which is why we selected pink wallpaper, white and blush drapery fabric, and a bright white for the custom cabinetry.
This rendering shows a sneak peek of the big reveal for this beautiful dressing room
We designed this ‘Girly Room’ to include plenty of open hanging storage for dresses, dress shirts and formal suit jackets. Good size drawers house undergarments and open shelving allowed us to display stylish accessories such as handbags, some jewellery and perfumes.
The custom-designed spinning shoe rack in the corner is definitely a show-stopper and conversation piece. This beauty houses over 70 pairs of my sisters’ shoes!
The crystal chandelier and soft, pink glass swirly hardware on the drawers add additional hits of ‘bling’ to the room.
What girl doesn’t want or need a shoe rack like this?!
This custom full-length wall mirror doubles as a home for all my sisters’ jewellery and was designed in a way where she can easily see every necklace and each set of earrings to allow her to easily and carefully select the best pieces to coordinate with her outfits.
A jewellery case that doubles as a full-length mirror-yes please!
This new and improved ‘Girly Room’ was more than just a step up from what the room my sister was using previously for all her fashion needs. Check out the before image below.
It definitely needed to be upgraded and is now more aesthetically pleasing and super organized!
Wowzas! It’s incredible when you consider the possibilities of thoughtful, interior design.
In my opinion, the creative process is one of the best parts of being an interior design professional, and making dreams come true too, of course. 🙂
A Bigger Bathroom
This tiny bathroom was previously shared by my sister and brother-in-law
In the new design, we moved the new bathroom to where the old kitchen was. If you scroll back up to the first ‘before’ photo in this blog, the one of their kitchen, you will see the same window that is now shown here on the right and in the reflection of the mirror.
Brand new spacious bathroom with double sinks and custom vanity
This renovated bathroom is quite a change from what my sister and brother-in-law were used to. Double sinks, a larger window, loads of counter space and great storage with all those drawers!
White-tiled shower with black plumbing fixtures
My sister and her husband love the clean look of this new bathroom design. A tub wasn’t required, so a nice big shower with a built-in bench worked very well.
Glass shower design with bench seat and wall niche
The large wall tiles make for easy cleaning and the small penny tile is so charming on the shower floor which we repeated in the niche on the wall.
Adding a glass shelf to the shower niche allows for extra storage to house shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and razors…except for in the professional photo where we styled it with scented sticks. 🙂
Designer Secret
Want to know one way that you can make a room more stunning? Paint the ceiling a dramatic colour!
My sister and brother-in-law were very open to this idea, and they loved the result. Painted ceilings are a nice, unexpected touch to an area that is often overlooked for its possibilities and usually done in white.
We wanted to create a bedroom space with a feeling that was moody yet serene, with some playful accents. The hits of teal and raspberry tones work beautifully to achieve the desired look.
We used Benjamin Moore’s Revere Pewter on the walls with Wrought Iron on the ceiling
I really enjoyed working with my sister and brother-in-law, they were very open to all of my ideas and were great to work with.
Now we all look forward to their next renovation coming this fall which will see a complete gut and new design in their basement! Stay tuned for that project.
Our job is most meaningful when clients trust us to create stunning and functioning spaces for gathering and making memories.
Moving is a daunting task, not to mention expensive. Plus, it’s rare that you will find a house that you don’t need to decorate or renovate in any way. Don’t limit the possibilities of what you might be able to do in your current home versus moving houses.
My sister exceeded our expectations. We never thought our home could be this spacious or beautiful. It finally fits all of our needs and is now our forever home!
What design element did you like best?
Have a favourite part of this Bungalow Makeover? Comment below to tell me what it is!
There’s nothing quite like the feeling of being organized.
I mean, super organized.
Like, everything has a place.
Being a professional in the industry and having offered interior design services since 2011, I know what a fabulous feeling it is when a home looks great, but the function is just as important.
Since renovating, I’ve never felt so comfortable and happy in my own home. It’s not just because of the beautiful colour palette that perfectly suits our style and not only down to the sensible floor plan layout that works flawlessly for the way we live.
It’s because everything now has a place.
Our new living room, which used to be our kitchen. All professional photos of my home by Stephani Buchman.
In my previous blog post you saw the unbeatable storage solutions from Häfele that we integrated into our new kitchen design.
In addition to the smart organization for kitchens, Häfele also has a fabulous and stylish solution for organizing other areas of your home. Let me introduce you to their Symphony Wall Organizer and give thanks to Häfele for sponsoring this post.
Just one configuration for the Häfele Symphony Wall Organizer
Designed to add greater flexibility and elegance to open storage, the Symphony Organizer features a sleek, low-profile frame which makes it an ideal solution for blank walls, tight spaces or other areas where shelving and drawers just can’t go.
For even more versatility, there are a few different types of hooks styles to choose from, depending on what you wish to hang. And they can easily slide along the horizontal rail if you want to move them, then be clipped firmly back into place once you’ve selected the ideal positioning for your needs.
These are the triple hooks for keys.
Here is the style you can use for coats, hats and purses.
Shoes can also be hung here and kept off the floor. Perfect for small entries like mine!
This sure beats our old pine wall shelf with 5 pegs that used to hang on the wall in our previous front foyer! Take a look at where we have this ingenious organizational art-like piece housed in our new living room by the front door of our home.
For the photo, we staged this area. It’s not always this pretty, but it’s always functional!
We have a full closet at the opposite end of this room which is where we keep the majority of our coats, boots and shoes.
This main closet is 4’5″ by 8’5″ with a full-length mirror one side
Custom walnut closet doors in the living room of our newly renovated Burlington bungalow.
Now you have a better idea of how the room is set up and the situation with our closet space. The items we hang on the Symphony Organizer are what we use most regularly, like a couple of hats, a few scarves, a purse or two and coats we wear daily.
Looking at the quick photo below that I snapped just a few days ago, I can confess that it’s mostly all of my stuff. 🙂
This is real life. LOL
Available in a variety of sizes, configurations and colour combinations, Symphony is one of the most stylish and customizable open storage options available for the closet, entryway, home office, craft room, vanity and more.
And don’t limit your thinking to believing that this gem can only be used by the front door. Due to its flexibility with many design options, the possibilities are plentiful!
Here it can be seen for hanging belts and ties on the end of a closet.
Here’s how it first started to come together.
Organize Your Precious Jewels
“Best believe I’m still bejeweled, when I walk in the room I can still make the whole place shimmer”
Taylor Swift, Bejeweled from her new album Midnights
If your necklaces and bracelets get tangled like mine do because of a small cluttered (useless) box like this one, you may want to consider the Symphony for all your sparkling jewels.
Confession time: Currently, my jewellery storage is a mess! No judging.
I’ve got my jewellery scattered between this traditional, cherry stained jewellery box, while some other necklaces of mine are in our guest room on the side table. Then I have some other pieces that rarely make it out of my travelling case because I have no decent place for them to live.
But, that’s about to change because the smaller version of the Symphony Organizer is on my wishlist for my bedroom.
It’s not uncommon for me to give up on wearing a specific necklace or pair of earrings that I actually want to wear with an outfit because it takes me too long to find it. And if I do find the one I want, I may need to spend another 15 minutes untangling it from other chains.
Does this happen to you too, where you find yourself wearing the same jewellery because it’s easier?
It all comes down to being well organized. When everything has its place, you know exactly where to find what you need.
I hope you’ve found this refreshing, functioning wall art from Häfele inspiring ideas for your next home organization project. Think outside the box and remember that function doesn’t have to mean fugly. We’ve come a long way baby!
Häfele is the leading international manufacturer and supplier of furniture fittings and architectural hardware. To see all of their products and learn more, check out the Häfele Canada website here.
The renovation of my main floor, especially my kitchen, has been a long time coming and I can tell you, it was well worth the wait.
Finally, I can reveal to you my newly renovated and completely redesigned kitchen!
I’m just gonna put it out there and say, it’s unlikely that you have seen such a bold, colourful kitchen that has been designed with so much smart organization and thoughtful storage ideas.
There, I said it. I’m tooting my own horn. 🙂
I am so proud of what we have accomplished here with my exceptional team of trades and by partnering with wonderful sponsors like the fabulous people at Häfele Canada. At the end of this post, I will be sharing codes and links to all these fabulous products, so you too can enjoy them in your kitchen too.
My new kitchen revealed! All professional photos by Stephani Buchman
Because I’m a sucker for acronyms and I adore structure, let me give you CLAIRE-ITY as I walk you through the details of my kitchen design project.
CLAIRE-ITY
Clients – Who hired us for the project?
Location – The city and areas of the home we redesigned.
Assignment – The motivation behind updating the space.
Inspiration – How we derived inspiration for the design.
Exposed – Challenges we faced and how we overcame them.
Investment – Estimated costs & design service fees.
Top Takeaways – Lessons learned and designer tips.
Your say – Tell us what you think!
Clients
My husband and I are nearly empty-nesters. I can’t believe it myself, where has the time gone?
Our son Adley is in his first year of university and will be spending holidays and summers here at home.
Elise is our 16-year-old daughter who is very active in musical theatre and has a busy social life.
My Beautiful family.
Chris and I work full time, often entertaining friends here at the house and this year I’ve been playing more golf, which I quite enjoy!
Location
We live in Burlington, Ontario which is between Toronto and Niagara Falls. Our 1967 three-bedroom bungalow has been our home for over 18 years since we moved from the UK where I met Chris, who is originally from England – as is my Mom and her entire side of the family.
My old tired kitchen which we first renovated in 2005
When we first moved to this home, it was nearly 7 years before I started my interior design business in Burlington. I was pregnant with Elise and was a stay-at-home mom, so our budget was very limited.
Dark espresso cabinets were trending – this was in 2005. We installed IKEA cabinets and linoleum flooring which was pretty much the extent of our renovation upgrade at that time. It was time for a much-needed update. My interior design team and I were up for the challenge!
Assignment
We have no intentions of moving any time soon. This is our forever home, at least that is the plan at this point in time.
Previous to the renovation, with the original design being a galley-styled kitchen, it was super tight in terms of space. The lack of storage and inadequate counter space were issues we had to deal with on a daily basis.
In addition, the layout was lousy for entertaining and the kitchen was dark.
The space needed to be opened up, as the divide between the kitchen and the living room was really affecting any possibility of creating a functioning design plan.
It wasn’t until I came up with the idea to swap my kitchen and my living room around that I really started to get excited about my main floor renovation project! This is something we’ve done for other clients before, like in this project here. It opens up so many more possibilities for layout and interesting design concepts.
This is now where my kitchen is.
Inspiration
As soon as I decided to make this change, my kitchen design started to come to life beautifully. I could have all the storage space I dreamed of, a large kitchen island and play with the architectural feature of an angled ceiling!
Having done so many grey and white kitchen designs over the past 10 years, I knew that I yearned for something different.
Oh yes, there was going to be lots of COLOUR!
Bold colour choices were initially inspired by a set of six antique Spode Wall Plates that my mother-in-law from England gave to us nearly 20 years ago. I adored all the bright, fun colours and embraced them all.
From there I found this fabulous wallpaper (see below) and used my large colour boards to select the colours for my kitchen cabinets, kitchen island and wall colour.
Here’s how it first started to come together.
The perimeter cabinetry is Kensington Blue which leans towards purple (my favourite colour) and the kitchen island is Stratton Blue, a green blue. Both colours are from Benjamin Moore.
Despite the image above that shows Pale Oak for my walls, I actually went with Collingwood by Benjamin Moore which we used for this client project a couple of years ago.
The renderings are so powerful for visualizing a space before starting a renovation.
Recommendations
The kitchen design layout was further inspired by my partnership with Häfele Canada.
Häfele is the leading international manufacturer and supplier of furniture fittings and architectural hardware. Their kitchen organization solutions are second to none.
Häfele gray mat liners keep items from shifting within the drawer.
Smart storage is always on trend and is especially needed for accomplishing a functional kitchen design.
When the opportunity came to work with Häfele, I was super excited. It’s not easy to keep a kitchen tidy and to always find everything in its place, but with their Fineline large cutlery trays, that’s exactly what happens now!
Häfele Fineline walnut cutlery drawer insert.
These fabulously functioning inserts come in different configurations for main cutlery, as well as for larger utensils used regularly when cooking. We house our Fineline trays in 36” wide drawers and even the kids know exactly where things go now. Yay!
I especially loved having the option of using a walnut finish because I designed the kitchen with other walnut accents, such as our custom floating shelf by the sink and our custom hood over the oven.
The Häfele walnut inserts were a wonderful way to complement those elements and assist with the overall flow of the design.
Häfele products are perfect for custom kitchens and for people who value investing in smart organization. It really does make all the difference in making your day-to-day experiences more pleasurable.
My cabinet maker also commented on how easy it was to install items such as the Häfele Flex Corner Unit, which we absolutely love.
Häfele flex corner kitchen unit organizer makes the most out of your corner storage.
Häfele flex corner kitchen unit organizer.
Start with a thoughtful design for your room layout. I carefully considered every inch of my new kitchen space, just as I do for clients. Think about where it will make the most sense to place everyday items based on how you and your family use your kitchen.
The more organized your home is, with items easy to see and easy to reach, the happier you will feel. I also keep my kitchen much tidier than I ever did before because it makes me so much happier now knowing everything has a place.
Exposed!
The nice thing about investing in custom millwork is that you can get exactly what you want. This can challenge a custom cabinet maker, but the professionals (like mine!) who care deeply about their craft and have incredible attention to detail, push through to make the magic happen and get results.
Our slanted ceiling was a challenge for sure, mainly because floors are rarely truly level.
Also, having such a contrast in terms of colour selection between the white-painted ceiling and dark, bold cabinetry, meant that there was no room for error. It had to be perfectly precise!
These drawings had to be very precise to fit on the angle.
The other design element that is often a challenge is that when using standard kitchen cabinets, you are limited to the sizes of doors/drawers, as well as utilizing every inch of available space.
We were able to include the design of the Häfele oil pull-out with the 7″ we had remaining next to my 36″ large pot drawers.
Häfele oil pull out conveniently located near the oven makes for easy access when cooking.
At one end of my island, we added a cupboard underneath the drawer which cleverly houses baking trays and cutting boards.
We used two of Häfeles baking rack dividers to add some separation and help organize these items thoughtfully.
Häfele kitchen storage organization baking racks in chrome.
Between the sink and the corner cabinet, we had the perfect amount of space for the 24″ Häfele waste / recycling pull-out unit. Placing your garbage and compost receptacle near the sink is perfect when clearing up after meals.
Häfele kitchen garbage recycling pull-out unit
Investment
Kitchens are definitely an investment. For our new kitchen design, and unlike the first kitchen renovation we did in 2005, we held nothing back this time.
The cost for the cabinetry, countertops, appliances, sink, faucet and smart organization inserts came to around $120,000, plus taxes.
This does not include items such as hardwood, lighting, window treatments, wallpaper, nor the cost to take down the wall that previously divided the 2 rooms.
My first kitchen makeover was less than $10k, so even though that was over 15 years ago, you can see the difference it makes when your wish list includes all the bells and whistles.
Every morning I wake up and smile as I walk into my new kitchen. The design, the multitude of colours, the smart organization solutions – I am thrilled with how it all came together.
Don’t get caught up in the trends and what you see everyone else doing. I happen to think my kitchen design is timeless, especially after watching Mad Men which is set in the 1960’s where they used so many fun and bold colour combinations.
Secondly, everyone knows that kitchens are easily the most frequently used space in a home. It’s where everyone inevitably ends up spending the most time together when gathering with friends and family. The memories made in this busy hub of our homes, are precious.
The kitchen is also the most costly of all renovations and when done right, you will see the biggest return on investment, should you ever go to sell your home.
For these reasons, it’s worth working with a designer.
I know what you’re thinking – of course I’m going to say that being an interior design professional myself. But it’s the truth!
There are so many decisions to be made and so many moving parts to this type of renovation project. One mistake can easily compromise the entire design, whether it comes to the layout or making selections.
If you can’t afford a designer to work with you throughout the entirety of the project, at least consider investing in an initial consultation.
At Claire Jefford Inc. we often have homeowners reaching out to us in order to gain thoughtful advice based on years of experience, regarding what they need to think about before starting on this design journey.
We even offer a Designer For a Day service to assist in choosing selections such as hardwood, countertops, backsplash, cabinetry colours, best paint options for walls, hardware and more.
It can become very overwhelming once your contractor needs you to start making design decisions. There are so many details involved that you likely haven’t even considered at all, but you don’t have to do it alone.
Over to you! What do you think about my new kitchen?
Are you loving all the smart organization solutions we incorporated into the design?
Are my colour choices too bold for your taste?
Comment below with your feedback, I love hearing from you.
More to come on my main floor renovation. I’ve only just touched the surface here and have so many other insider design secrets and tips to share with you.
A big shout out and THANK YOU to Häfele Canada who was a wonderful brand and sponsor to work with for our kitchen design project.
If you would like to learn more about these wonderful products and partner with Häfele for your own kitchen renovation, click here if you are in Canada.
Häfele Product Codes with links
As promised, below is a list of product codes and links to the Häfele items we used in my kitchen.
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