Interior designers get a lot of emails from our wonderful suppliers. I look at each and everyone of them as I need to know the latest trends in kitchens, bathrooms, exterior home finishes. The email today from Marathon Hardware didn't disappoint! The Eurocucina 2022 Design Show was held in Milan, Italy from June 7-12/22. The show featured many of the latest design trends and innovations for kitchens, bathrooms, and every other room in the house. Watch this quick kitchen video above showing the latest and greatest in kitchen design for 2022. Did you know countertops are moveable? Well yes they are! Let me know if you need help with your kitchen or new build, I'd be happy to help!
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When this time of year rolls around, designers anxiously await the Pantone's colour of the year. Most designers I know focus on classic timeless design and don't rely on the trends, but it's always great to hear what the color experts state as their color of the year. This year it's a beautiful blue, not too purple/blue or green/blue. 19-4052 Classic Blue Such a beautiful colour! It works well with white, cream, light grays, taupes, beige and more. I used a similar colour, but more muted dark blue in this media room. Gentleman's Gray by Benjamin Moore. The beautiful dark blue worked so well with the pink beige sectional. Choosing a paint colour can be challenging, just a slight difference in colour can completely change the look of the room. We are colour specialists and can help you the nail the perfect colour that works for YOU, the first time! Let us know how we can help. Happy Decorating! I just had to share a great experience we had with a paint company last week with regards to one of our new built homes we are designing and decorating for a client with a young family. Our firm was furnishing a newly built home and enjoying preparing two rooms for our client’s young girls. As the client was in Toronto and the new home is outside of Vancouver, we did the design choices, paint colour selection, furniture selections, etc. all online. This project involved painting a feature wall that would be behind each child’s beds in their respective rooms. Each color was individually chosen to match their style. I selected every piece of furniture and accessories, art, etc. before selecting the perfect colour. This paint color would also be focal to the decor selections for that room. It was important to get the colour choice just perfect. I've got to say I'm the pickiest designer I know of when it comes to colour selection! One girl wanted a light soft pink that was not too strong in its intensity, while the other wanted a lovely bold blue. We decided to use Sherwin Williams paint. Our painters were familiar with Sherwin Williams and this is their ‘go to’ supplier. For the blue colour I had already selected an existing Sherwin-Williams colour called Georgian Revival Blue SW7609. But the baby pink colour I had originally selected, was from Benjamin Moore called Strawberry Yogurt BM 2104-70. I had been told that colour matching (selecting one paint colour from one brand and having it made up in another brand), cannot be done, so I decided to see for myself! I ordered a drawdown from Sherwin-Williams which shows the paint colour match sample. A drawdown is when the paint supplier mixes up a gallon of paint, then uses a machine to equally and concisely spread out an amount of paint onto a coated piece of white paper. If the colour match was not absolutely perfect, then they would tweak it to ensure a perfect match. This was indeed perfect! This paint called Quali-Kote, by Sherwin Williams. It spread with ease and set up very quickly; with a remarkable exact replication of the sample we had chosen for each room. What a huge relief to confirm that this colour matched paint matches the exact representation of its fan deck color. In this case it also matched perfectly the “draw down” freshly painted sample that our Sherwin Williams clerk so graciously gave us. Within a day our new feature walls were aglow with color that exactly represented our young client’s choices. If you need help with selecting the perfect paint colour, we'd love to help!
Feel free to contact us here. Thank you for allowing me to share a little designer insight with you. Happy Decorating!
With the advent of the new LED light bulbs, there is much confusion.
It used to be just select the correct wattage for your lights and away you go, but now there are so many things to think about. Rather than writing article outlining the 'do's and 'don't's of LED light bulbs, I thought I'd post links to great articles here. All links are from Waveform Lighting and are excellent articles. What is the dreaded blue light hazard? Are LED light bulbs safe? Should I choose a 2,700K or 3,000K LED light bulb? What's the difference? What is the difference between CCT and CRI and do I need to know? Why is my LED bulb flickering? How do I stop it? What is the difference between Lux and Lumens? What is Colour Rendering Index or CRI? Here's an article I posted several years ago. It's been very helpful to others! How many recessed lights do I need? How far apart do I place them? If you need help with lighting, we'd love to assist you! Well, can you imagine my surprise and utter joy to receive an email from HGTV yesterday? I'm honoured and absolutely thrilled to be featured as one of their Interior Design Professionals. I'd love to have you check out two of the rooms I recently completed for a fabulous client of mine in Surrey, BC.
Just click either of the Room photos above, and join the fun! Jil Sonia McDonald is an interior designer working in the Lower Mainland, and Fraser Valley, BC. Please contact her at info@jilsoniainteriors.com Hi, I'm thrilled to announce I won the best interior designer by Houzz for 2019.
Just a little note, I've won this for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and now 2019. Feel free to click on the link above for more info! If you'd love to get professional, interior design advice, please email us. Have a great day! It is no secret that apart from all the other luxuries, the level of comfort in your home is affected by the air quality. The level of humidity and temperature are just some of the few variables that your health and comfort while indoors hinge on. For instance, when the humidity is too high, you quickly go from a perfect hair day to a ruined one, and when it is too low, you try to pet your furred best friend's head, and you end up zapping them with bouts of static electricity. Fortunately, you don't need a sixth sense to gauge the level of humidity in your home because we have shared tips on how to do so below.
How humidity levels affect your home: The optimum humidity level as recommended by the EPA is between 40-60%. When it goes lower or higher than the optimum, the effects are often different as highlighted below What happens when it is too low?
When humidity is too high: It affects your health negatively: Studies show that most bacteria, allergens, dust mites, mildew, and mold flourish in the presence of excess moisture and when your indoor atmosphere has high humidity, they thrive. When breathed in, these allergens result in health problems. For instance, molds trigger asthma attacks, constant allergies, and many other respiratory problems. Also, high humidity means that your body's cooling system must work two times harder to maintain the internal temperature. This results to dehydration, fatigue, headaches, and excessive sweating which easily triggers other skin conditions such as heat rash. It causes structural damage to property: Apart from affecting your health, excess humidity also brings you additional repair and maintenance costs as a result of the damage it causes to your home. This occurs in different ways as shown here; Causes the growth of mold on furniture, walls, ceilings, and even attics thereby lowering the value of the house.
Monitor indoor humidity levels The first step to countering humidity problems is by getting accurate measurements of its level. You cannot employ other tactics when you don't know if it's higher or lower than relative. In respect to that, strategically install a hygrometer to help you monitor the levels, so you can figure out what your next step should be. Open windows and use fans when moisture is high When there is excessive moisture, opening windows and using fans are the cheapest and easiest ways to dehumidify your house. This is because doing so allows cold, dry air to circulate. However, opening a window may not be as effective, as the level of humidity outdoors is often higher or like moisture indoors. Purchase a dehumidifier and a humidifier: It's essential to note that the aspect of high or low humidity is something that you'll always have to deal with regardless of your climatic zone. This is because, during winter, the levels of humidity tend to drop and during summer they skyrocket. In respect to that, you have to find ways to cope during these different seasons. Fortunately, humidity levels can be maintained with the help of humidifier and dehumidifier in your home. So, having these two appliances gives you the option of switching one on depending on the level of moisture. For instance, when it is too high, you switch on the dehumidifier which sucks in the moisture, causing the levels to return to optimum and when it is too low, the humidifier does the trick. This combined with the tips listed above will help you keep moisture problems at bay, enabling you to live your best life when indoors. Get your air ducts checked Besides a dehumidifier or a humidifier, your HVAC system also helps in regulating humidity levels. However, no matter how expensive your HVAC system is, it is of no use if your air ducts have leaks. For instance, if it generates cool, dry air when humidity is high during summer, then this air escapes through the leak spots on your ducts. The same case applies during seasons of low humidity, thus rendering it ineffective. Therefore, get your ductwork checked to ensure that all leakages are sealed. Other tips:
Author: Eric Langstaff References https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-course-chapter-2 http://blog.cubesensors.com/2013/07/reduce-high-humidity-levels-in-your-home-breathe-more-easily/ http://www.level.org.nz/passive-design/controlling-indoor-air-quality/humidity-and-condensation/ Ready for the last post outlining the 15 Essential Steps to Design your Dream Home? Here we go! First, let’s review, we’ve looked at steps 1-12 so far: 15 Essential Steps to design your dream home Part 1 of 5 1. Selecting your perfect structure 2. Floor plans and elevations 3. Function 15 Essential Steps to design your dream home Part 2 of 5 4. Budget 5. Mood and Style 6. Overall design 15 Essential Steps to design your dream home Part 3 of 5 7. Bathroom and Kitchen design 8. Furniture Plan 9. Lighting plan 15 Essential Steps to design your dream home Part 4 of 5 10. Window covering 11. Fabric 12. Wall colour Now... we move on to the last 3 steps Part 5/5 Steps 13, 14 and 15 ! 13. Styling: Now that you have a complete plan, exterior colours, roofing, windows etc, you can shop! Now it's time for accessories. For rhythm, you need objects that repeat. Instead of one candlestick on your sideboard in your dining room, what about 3 of the same? This way our accessories have more of an impact. Ask yourself repeatedly through this process -- are my choices consistent with my commitment to the desired ambience? If not go back through a few steps. You cannot compromise here and get the room of your dreams. Continuously keep the mood of your room in mind. Try to do all your accessorizing and styling within a short period of time in order to keep to one style. Note: 80 percent of the design of a room should be in one focused style and 20 percent can vary. This 20 percent will certainly stand out. Every room needs some bling unless it's a Farm home pictured below. Fully complete one room, before moving onto the next. 14. Edit your choices: Keep the concepts of harmony and balance in mind when editing your ideas. I find this stage often takes the most time. Your final choices should please your eye, feel balanced, and create your desired mood. Our eyes need to rest so don't be afraid to have a little bare space, that helps make everything else pop. Line the items up along a wall to see what you are working with. What works, what doesn't? 15. Finally - Relax: Designing a home is not easy. There are important choices to be made and made quickly. Having a game plan and following it does ease the stress. Now we're all done, kick back, relax and enjoy your beautiful new home! OK, are we ready? Questions? I'd love to help!
Hi, my name is Jil Sonia McDonald of Jil Sonia Interiors I am thrilled to have been asked to guest post for Maria Killam while she is away vacationing in the land of the Tuscan sun. I've copied the post here. I have been a professional Interior Designer for the past 12 years, located in beautiful Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. I am absolutely passionate about Interior Design and it gives me great joy to create dream homes for my clients. I love what I do! Maria had a few questions for me. 1. What’s your favourite colour? Why? I have to say my favourite color is "Simply white" OC-117 by Benjamin Moore. It is the perfect white for walls. It is not too creamy, not too gray, not too "pinky". Being an Interior Designer, has me working with paint, furniture, fabrics, carpets and tiles, everyday. Simply White is the color that allows me to change up my accessories with clients, and even at home - whenever the mood hits me. And as other designers will tell you; we love updating our own home and work spaces. I have found that when using white walls, it is important to add texture to the room, such as this lovely coffee table in a distressed wood from Restoration Hardware shown below, or this rattan end table. I have seen that when we use all flat, smooth, finishes white paint can look like primer – definitely not what we want. 2. What was your biggest colour/design mistake? I work with a 15 step design system, which doesn’t leave room for mistakes, but sometimes it’s the little things that really ‘make’ a room. I once decorated a client’s home and it turned out beautifully, client was thrilled, but it didn’t have anything with ‘meaning’. Now, I always try to add something that is personal to a client, such this client’s great, great, grandmother’s silver cutlery. Our client had these beautiful pieces mounted in a shadow box, and now they are a wonderful conversation point – brilliant idea! 3. What is the most important colour lesson you’ve learned? When I started out as a designer I had no idea about undertones in colour selection. I thought a beige, was a beige. I discovered with the training and mentorship program from Maria Killam's course “Specifying Undertones”, that there are many undertones of beige – pink, yellow and green, to name just a few! She taught me to compare colours, so that we, as designers, can know exactly how to give our clients, or ourselves, the PERFECT colour. I cannot recommend this course highly enough. Such a great professional development experience that one can add to their role as an Interior Designer. 4. When it comes to colour, what’s hot? Grey is still hot – but I see white over taking more and more! Clients are all asking me for light and bright. White walls with pops of coloured pillows, throws, and accent trays, as pictured below. I just love it! 5. Which colour do you think is timeless? I think a grayed blue is timeless. I strongly recommend you use a very grayed blue — so grey looking that on the paint sample chip itself, it looks gray, not blue! Colour appears twice as bright on your walls as on the chip, so we always need to select muted gray blues unless we want in-your-face baby boy blue. One of my favourite grays with a slight blue undertone is Stonington Gray HC-170. 6. Which colour trend would you love to see disappear? If I had a magic wand I’d banish the world of pinky beige carpet. I’ve discussed this with carpet manufacturers – they were blissfully unaware! Pink beige can clash with so many other colours – especially yellow! It’s one of those non-descript, all pervasive, colours that look too much like skin tones and doesn’t give clients the fresh, bright colours that we’re all yearning for today. Often builders who don’t hire professional designers, think it’s a neutral colour, but it’s far from that! Here, client’s dog Bella, shows off her timeless medium brown flooring – isn’t that much lovelier than pinky beige carpet? 7. What do you think is one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make with colour? The biggest mistake homeowners make on their own is trying to select a paint colour first. Really, we should be first selecting our hard finishes, and in the following order: countertops and tiles, flooring, furniture, draperies, pillows. Paint comes last. We have thousands of paint colours to select from. It is absolutely vital that homeowners choose wisely, with the help of a great interior designer. Paint colours should be a beautiful backdrop for the other items we have selected, unless the paint finish is a beautiful metallic or lacquered finish. Here, we’ve added a darker, grayed blue table, which just pops against the Simply White walls. 8. Which part of participating in Specify Colour with Confidence™ created the biggest breakthrough/aha moment/insight for your business, and how did it help you move forward? I realized just how important it is to compare colours. It is almost impossible to determine the undertones unless you compare samples side by side, with a pure white background behind them. A simple piece of white poster board is such a great tool to have on hand when choosing colour. Now, I meet all my clients with absolute confidence. I know that I will help them choose the most amazing paint colours, fabrics, tiling, and more, making their home perfect! For more great tips, interior design insight, or to see more photos of my work, please check out this blog. I’d love to see you there!
Maria, thank you for this exciting and amazing opportunity to guest blog. I’m eternally grateful for all the colour instruction that I’ve received from you. I’ve just not found this instruction anywhere else! Now, I'd love to know... Which white is your favourite right now? It's always nice to be featured in different publications and magazines! Beckenstein Fabrics was kind enough to ask me to present my recent projects. I was happy to be featured with 2 other amazing interior designers.
Feel free to read more here https://www.beckensteinfabrics.com/3-talented-interior-designers-share-the-projects-they-completed-this-past-summer/ Thank you so much Beckenstein for your kind words and for featuring our designs! In the work of any Interior Designer you have clients all along the spectrum of available budgets. You have the young couples who may be newly married involved in a first purchase of a home with a limited budget, getting their proverbial feet wet in the real estate market and trying to better themselves. You may also have others who are at mid points in their real estate journey whom are looking to upgrade with family in mind, spaces to plan and a budget designed with a growing family. You may have empty nesters who are in a flux looking to downsize after previously owning a larger home who need a new workable space and are involved in budgeting based on a possible retirement funds. All these and more showcase the strong necessity to work within a defined client's budget. One might argue that the Interior Designer might also be strongly involved in assisting the client on setting a reasonable budget that does not strain a client's potential funds and allows for the design project to be be completed and successful. As a preface I would like to mention that in my life i have had the good fortune of a lovely father who raised me with the sincerest of business ideal, particularly that of being customer service oriented. As a former dental corps officer in the WWII he was responsible supplying many necessary things while stationed in England. Upon returning home to the west coast of Vancouver area he was immediately involved in sales, firstly in furniture retail then moved to real estate. This was where his strong integrity in working within the means of his clients. Later his work would bring him to starting his own Commercial Real Estate company. This is where I gleaned a strong customer service ethic and as well as taste for modernism, mid-century aesthetic and interior design while personally spending some 20 years in the Vancouver residential and commercial real estate field. It is very client budget based. Throughout the years and with that ethic I have found that client's budgets are a very personal thing. They are tied to various emotions depending upon their financial means. It is always a sensitive topic and needs to be dealt with in a very careful manner. For that reason, my business model does not use pressure to have clients overextend themselves in their design. If client - designer relationship is key to a good Interior Design business, then exerting financial pressures to achieve a particular design project is not what I would consider good "customer service". In fact some may argue that it would be rude.
That in mind it would be safe to say that in the long run clients, who may not be able to afford a more pricey design, and whom have had a good experience with you as a designer, more trusting of your capability and relationship style. After all being personable and reasonable within client budgets goes a long way into creating possible repeat clients and also great referrals and even repeat business. Here's to creating great happy design relationships one budget at a time! I have the greatest item to tell you about. It’s a Star Map! By Modern Map Art. A Map of the Stars for any particular night. We ordered one that was our wedding night and we were absolutely thrilled with it. You can pick the:
I'm over-the-moon happy with this and I'm thinking that other people could use this for their own wedding night or first date birth of a child, Engagement date, or even an anniversary date gift for your parents. People love personalized items and I'm sure I will be ordering many of these as gifts. The cost is really reasonable And there is even free shipping in the US and believe it or not in Canada as well. Check it out here (or click on any of the photos) and find out more of the details. I also hear they have a Street map available as well..... !!
Mother's day is fast approaching.
Wondering what to get her for a gift? She's got perfume and scarves galore. Judging from what my interior design clients say - most women want their home to look like THEY live there, not someone else! We can provide the perfect paint colour, select the furniture that is just right - or simply answer all her interior design questions! We're here to help! Click here to book now, and I can email you a beautiful gift certificate that you can slip into her Mother's Day card. Dear Interior Design friends and enthusiasts - Easter is upon us and we are celebrating by offering Interior Design Consultation vouchers for your loved ones. Show someone you care by purchasing a design consultation. We look forward to hearing from you. HAVE A HAPPY EASTER!
Contact us at info@jilsoniainteriors.com
Let me introduce you to my new e-Design platform! We provide interior decor services for all rooms of your home, including paint, furniture, tiles, flooring and more.
We'd love to help you, please click below! I am beyond thrilled to announce that I have won the coveted "Best of Houzz 2018" award!
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Author:Jil Sonia McDonald - Interior Designer of Jil Sonia Interior Designs. Archives
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