How do you gain space in your home without building an extension? With imagination and planning, a wasted or awkward space can be transformed into an efficient and functional one. Here, a tiny room off of the kitchen was used primarily for random storage of kitchen items and toys. By designing new and purposeful built-ins, I gave the homeowner significantly more storage- a pull-out pantry for food, storage for dishes, trays and toys, a bookshelf, a pull-out recycling bin, desk, and file cabinet! The happy homeowner declared “It’s like having a kitchen extension without renovating the kitchen!”

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Transformation: From cluttered country to global chic

You don’t have to get rid of all your existing furniture to create an entirely different look for your tired or outdated rooms; a good design plan can work wonders. This design, inspired by the homeowners’ collection of native masks and art, included new paint colours and upholstery fabrics, new draperies, and a new streamlined glass coffee table. Adding a new fireplace mantel and bookshelves provided much-needed storage and created a dazzling focal point. “MaryLynne kept our treasured pieces,” noted one of the homeowners,” so that while we now have a totally transformed and beautiful space, it still feels like us!”

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Transformation: Bigger (in this case) is better!

The only way to give the owner of this 1930s-era home the larger bathroom and separate shower of her dreams was to take down the wall to an adjoining bedroom and annex part of it for the new bathroom. To retain the vintage style the homeowner wanted, I used traditional black and white tiles for floors and walls, along with classic fixtures and a fresh paint colour. The added bonus - the remaining part of the old bedroom was transformed into a generous walk-in closet. “MaryLynne did a wonderful job of understanding my vision,” the homeowner enthused, “transforming the old while providing some great ideas like the vanity table. And the new closet gives me storage I never dreamed of!”

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Transformation: Family room revival

Sometimes you don’t have to do a total overhaul to give a room new life- a few well-chosen changes can have dramatic impact. Here, the homeowner asked me to refresh her tired 1970s family room, but not to touch the dark wood panelling or large leather sofa.  Working with an inspiration theme of "English Country Library" I rearranged furniture and artwork, and added only two new elements: custom floral linen draperies and new velvet-look upholstery for the tattered sofa-bed.  The homeowner "absolutely loves" her now-coherent and welcoming sanctuary.

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Transformation: Country cabin chic

The new owners of this lovely log cabin vacation home inherited a poorly-built kitchen complete with randomly-placed, dysfunctional cherry red cabinets. With budget and functionality as priorities and nature as the inspiration, I designed a new kitchen that included custom maple cabinetry, a tumbled slate backsplash, granite tile countertops, and a custom stain colour that picked up the hues of the massive stone fireplace in this open-concept main floor. "It’s absolutely perfect", exclaimed the homeowner, "I wouldn’t change a single thing!"

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Transformation: From outdated to outstanding

This tiny, windowless 1950s bathroom was screaming for a total renovation; the homeowners wanted to trade in the black tub and outdated wallpaper for a bright, functional space. Without moving walls I increased the sense of light and space by introducing a horizontal glass block window and replacing the tub with a large shower and frameless glass door.  Oversized tiles set horizontally and a sparkling glass tile border draw the eye in and around the room. "It’s  spectacular" pronounced the homeowner, "I can’t believe it’s the same room!"

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