Hey! I am back with Part 2
of my Design Studio Blog! If you haven’t had a chance to read Part 1 or any of
the blogs in my First Time Home Buyer Blog Series here are the links:
In Part 1 of my Design
Studio blog I really wanted to give you some insight on what the Design Studio
is and provide some tips for making the Design Studio Selections process
easier. In Part Two (this blog), I want to talk to you about my experience once
I got into the Design Studio with Susan (Design Studio Manager and Interior
Designer).
Like I said before I had
LOTS of time between when I purchase my new townhome and actually having to do
my Design Studio Selections. With a closing date in October of this year I got
lots of time! Typically you only have about a week from going firm on your
agreement to get your Design Studio Selections done.
For my home I spent a lot
of time researching, looking at pictures and contemplating what finishes I
wanted in my new home. I wanted a very fresh and modern look, nothing crazy and
nothing I couldn’t match accessories to. But I also wanted to keep on budget
with the Design Dollars I was given as a bonus when I purchased and I wanted to
try to not spend too much more. For a girl with expensive taste this got
challenging ;)
When I got to the Design
Studio, Susan started with the kitchen cabinets. This was a pretty easy
decision for me because I had already decided on what style of door I was
looking for and the stain colour. I want my kitchen to have a transitional
design so I went with a door with clean simple lines in a colour called Java. I
love dark kitchens; they show less of the mess I create ;). After selecting my cabinet style it was onto
countertops, I wasn’t 100% sure on what colour I wanted for my countertop,
light or dark. The Design Studio has a fantastic selection and I decided on a
pattern/colour called Perlato Granite. It is a beautiful mid range colour
between light and dark and has awesome tones of greys and an almost purple in
it. I just love it! (The countertop is laminate, because well real granite was
not in the budget, but it’s going to look awesome regardless!)
After selecting my kitchen
cabinetry and countertops I moved onto selecting my bathroom cabinetry and
countertops. I have this thing where I think it’s weird when the bathroom and
kitchen have the exact same cabinets and countertops – like my powder room was
going to be an extension of my kitchen. Weird! So I wanted to look into options
of having white cabinets in my main floor powder room. With this in mind, I
booked an appointment with our Kitchen Designer. When you are looking to
upgrade your kitchen and/or bathroom cabinetry or countertops we offer the
fantastic opportunity to meet with our Kitchen Designer – I will give you more
insight on experience with her later. So back to my bathrooms… I knew I
definitely wanted them to have a different colour countertop than my kitchen
and thought a light colour would be best. I picked White Tigris, from the many
options! It’s a nice light grey with a subtle pattern, which I am sure will
help hide any bathroom mishaps that I am sure are on their way in my
homeownership adventure! For my second floor bathrooms I picked the same dark
java cabinets as my kitchen. With the light countertops I am convinced no one
will get confused on whether they are in the kitchen or the bathroom :).
After the cabinetry for my
home was picked, it was time for floor tile. I knew one of the upgrades that I
wanted to do for my home was upgrading from vinyl to tile; one because I have a
tendency to drop knives in the kitchen and I didn’t want to somehow slice my
flooring and two because I wanted the look and durability of tile. Going with
my overall theme of modern and fresh I found an awesome 13x13 grey tile amongst
the many floor tile samples. It has an awesome texture, variation of tones and
overall fits me and my style perfectly. Oh and it matches my cabinets and both
countertops I have selected perfectly!
I will keep you in my
bathroom just for a moment longer, to tell you about the wall tile that I
selected for both my showers. I went through the wall tile samples multiple
times, I wanted something that went with the floor tile and countertops I had
already selected, but also wanted to make sure I picked a pattern with
longevity, no cream undertones and that it wasn’t to white or to dark. The
Design Studio offers many wall tile samples to choose from. After pulling MANY
different options, I was able to find a light tile with beautiful grey
undertones that matched my floor tile and countertop nicely with NO hint of
cream. Can you tell I don’t like cream? ;)
The last selection I
needed to make at the Design Studio was my trim and door package. I wanted
something modern, something that was different from normal trim packages, clean
lines and I didn’t want traditional details. I chose an upgraded package that I
think is just beautiful! It is called Modern 1, so I think it was meant to be :). I have
attached a picture of it in one of our homes to show you, because it is
difficult to describe its beauty!
That pretty much sums up
my Design Studio Selection Process. There were some items that I stayed
standard on because they worked for me – such as faucets, plumbing fixtures,
interior and exterior door hardware, railings and spindles, etc. Also, with
choosing to buy a townhome, my exterior colours and finishes were pre-selected
for me. If you buy a single detached home you get the excitement of picking
your exterior colour package as well. All Parkview Home Buyers have the
opportunity to upgrade almost everything in their home, should their budget
allow for it. If not there are so many awesome standard options, your home will
looks fantastic no matter what!
You might be thinking I
forget to go back and talk about my visit with our Kitchen Designer… I haven’t
it was just such an awesome experience I want to give it it’s own blog so
nothing is missed.
So until next time I hope
this was helpful and I look forward to talking to you soon!
- Alyssa
Click here for more information
about the Parkview Homes Design Studio!
(Also, there are fantastic videos on this page that
will show you the Design Studio and explain the Design Studio (Colour)
Selection process!)
