IIDEX Conference

What is IIDEX you ask???

It is Canada's National Design & Architecture Conference...and it is taking place this week in Toronto. It is running from Thursday Sept 20 to Friday Sept 21 from 9:00am - 6:00pm daily.

It is being hosted at the CNE's Direct Energy Center.

Here is the link to their registration page...

http://www.iidexcanada.com/2012/attendee/registration/

This is their seminars page

http://www.iidexcanada.com/2012/conference/seminars/

Enjoy the show...

 

Small Bathroom Vanities

When looking to upgrade your bathroom vanity for a smaller, tighter space, there are a few tips you may want to keep in mind to make a small bathroom seem bigger than it is....

-install white/lighter coloured vanity countertops
-consider purchasing a non-standard sink shape to better fit in tighter spaces (rectangles, long ovals, squares etc...)
-use lighter cabinet drawer shades
-leverage under the countertop space to hide supplies etc...

Here is a picture of one we completed recently...it is only 18" deep, but a more than wide enough sink for the space...Take Care...

Shoe Storage Systems

Shoe Storage Systems are the latest craze for the world of organized closets.
They are GREAT for managing your everyday shoes from your dressy shoes.  You can incorporate longer ones for storaging your boots or smaller ones for the kids shoes instead.

Here are a couple of recent shoe fences that we completed over the past couple of weeks.

Enjoy!

2012 Toronto Fall Home Show

Folks....It is just around the corner, the Fall Home Show in Toronto.

 

Taking place September 20-23, 2012 at the Better Living Centre, Exhibition Place

Here is a link to the website

http://www.fallhomeshow.com/FHS/EventsHome.aspx

See you there!

Closet Wire Basket Accessory

For those of you looking for easy access to your belongings within your builtin closet, consider the following useful closet accessory....the sliding wire basket!

Here is recent install from last week that we did that incorporated five of them.
They are functional and have a stylist finish to them to accent any closet.
 
Enjoy!

Toronto Custom Concepts and NKBA.org

For those of you not familiar with NKBA (National Kitchen and Bath Association)
The NKBA.org has been around for over 50 years and has over 50,000 members.

 

The mission of the NKBA is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry worldwide.  They are a leading force in green design within the industry.   They also offer education and courses within Kitchen and Bath design.

Toronto Custom Concepts is proud to be listed within NKBA.org directory.

Toronto Bookcases

When considering a bookcase, there are always a few things you should consider before engaging a contractor to custom build your bookcase.  Lets start off with the following:

1) Booksize - determine the size of your largest book and the average of your existing books collection.  Believe it or not but we have seen some customers with a fully installed custom bookcase and yet some books are sitting on the floor beside the bookcase, as the books are unable to fit or they are awkwardly positioned sitting sideways on a shelf

2) Book Weight - it doesnt appear to seem like a big thing, but the weight of dozens of thick books jammed together, it can have a warping effect on thinner shelves that have wide distances between vertical gables

3) Book Accessibility - for those folks who want higher shelving, make sure you do a high reach test.  If you can't reach the top shelf easily, maybe consider incorporating a sliding rail ladder into your design.  They often come in 3, 5, and 7 step combinations and have a wide range of price points.  They are not only functional, but they also add an element of class to your custom bookcase.

Take care

Kitchen Faucet Trends for 2012

One of the hottest kitchen faucet trends is the gooseneck faucet.   The gooseneck faucet easily extends to your necessary length in seconds and retracts smoothly due to its solid construction.

We recommend the Richilieu line of gooseneck faucets to our clients due to their reliability and solid state brass construction.  The spray option also offers a controlled spray environment without unnecessary random spraying messes to clean-up afterwards. 

Click here for more information on Richilieu Faucets

Top 10 Bathroom Upgrade Ideas

We get asked about the top bathroom renovation ideas, so here is our latest top 10 list of the most popular bathroom upgrades for your renovation project:

10 Custom Mirrors & Framing
9 Decorative Columns
8 Seamless Showers
7 Jacuzzi Tubs
6 Rain Shower Heads
5 Upgraded Toilets
4 Upgraded Marble Floors and Tiles
3 Upgraded Cabinets
2 Faucets
1 Marble Countertops

Let us know your thoughts about our Top 10 lists.
Dennis

Closet Pant Racks

One of the most common feature recently that many of our clients are asking for is closet pant racks.

Some of the reasons folks like these are:
-easy organization of pants
-quick access to 12 or more pants at a time
-colour options including chrome, copper, bronze to name a few
-space savers compared to traditional pant organization systems

Here is a picture of one we completed this week...

These closet pant racks pull out for easy access and putaway and they also are available with soft close hinches as well.  Enjoy!

Wood vs. Steel Studs Debate

Wood vs. Steel Studs has been almost a religous debate among contractors and homeowners alike for years now.  Instead of taking one side or another, we believe both wood and steel studs are appropriate in the certain situations.

Consider the following:
-Steel studs are lighter than their wood counterparts
-Steel studs are much cleaner than wood studs considering the sawdust factor alone
-Steel studs are cheaper than the wood studs option
-Opinions vary on ease of use between the two...We have built with both depending on the situation...Wood is easier to cut with your mitre saw, but using tin snips on steel studs is also pretty straight forward once you get used to it (albeit the potential to cut your skin on steel studs is more likely when using snips for the first time)
-Also, look ahead to what you plan to hang on the walls after the studs and drywall are up.  For example, if you are planning on buying and hanging an 80" flat screen TV, go wood studs as many of the TV bracketing systems do not support TV hook-ups into steel stud walls.

Send us a message if you have any additional questions about the pros and cons of both steel and wood studs.

Take care!

Cabinet Wood Types

When considering what type of wood to select for your cabinets, here is a list of common wood types that you should think about:

Pine - a softer wood that it usually considered for a more rustic/cottage look and feel due to the knots within the wood.  Prone to dent easier than other woods due to its soft density. Typically on the lower cost than other woods as well.

Oak - a much harder and denser wood with open grains running through out it.  Typically much more durable and seen in a variety of different colours and shades.

Maple - another hardwood with less grain variation than Oak. 

Hickory - also another option to be considered when looking for a more rustic appearance.

Mahogony - provides more of a richer deep wood appearance, typically highlighted in accents of brownish/redish colour tones. 

Poplar - a common, more plentiful wood commonly used in cabinets.  A more cost effective wood used for many wood construction projects.

Top 10 Accents

Our clients are always ask us to spice up their custom built-in designs with some decorative accents.  So here is our top 10 list:

10-Columns
9-Capitals
8-Pilasters
7-Medallions
6-Corbels
5-Mouldings
4-Chair rails
3-Ornamentals
2-Upgraded Baseboards
1-Crown Moulding

Enjoy!

Wall Unit Designs

When designing a wall unit, there are different considerations that one must take into account before ordering one.

Let's start with dimensions...when measuring out your future wall unit, one must not only take into account the physical size of the wall unit cabinets, but also the additional real estate consumed by any decorative accents that sit on top and around the actual wall unit, such as crown moulding, as it can add a few additional inches to all sides of the structure.   Don't forget to also consider the size of additional furniture moulding, wood trim, decorative accents as well that you plan to add to your dimension drawings.

Next, remember to account for utilities and accessibility.  For example, if you would like a wall unit with potlights/accent lighting, you then need to ensure that you budget for the incremental costs of having your contractor/electrican prepare the area for your electric needs beforehand.  You also need to consider your power outlet needs and accessibility to these locations as well.

Now, depending on your TV, stereo and electronics needs, you will also need to consider how to implement hidden cabling for your TV, electronics, cable box, satellite box, speakers, Bluray/DVD players.

Permenant shelving vs adjustable shelving is also somethere to consider as your needs may change over time, and the flexibility of adjustable shelves allows you to modify as necessary so that you can ensure you enjoy your custom wall unit for a very long time!