#calgary design

[wucrnos]

Calgary Transitional Laundry Room

Utility room - mid-sized transitional l-shaped porcelain tile and gray floor utility room idea with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite countertops, white walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer and white countertops

[lightformcanada]

New corporate office in Calgary feels like a home away from home thanks to thoughtful design by Elena Del Bucchia Design. Photos courtesy Lori Andrews Photography. 

[thadsoyka-blog-blog-blog]

Hitting the Design Target

Aesthetics and floor plan layout make all the difference in how you will enjoy the space you live in. When looking at the great designs in our industry, thought on design and its improvement is the driving factor in a project which brings satisfaction and appeal. When considering this initial stage, one should take into account that design does not start and stop at the aesthetic aspects of your home. These are important, and crucial attributes to the functionality of your space, but design starts at the viability assessment of the vision. That means: will the proposed idea work structurally, be functional, within City of Calgary bylaw and Provincial Codes. This is not meant to sound like a damper on one’s project, this is more of an important check list that the project will be as much functional and safe as it will be stunning and one of a kind. 

In order to hit your design target, the original draft requires at least a few reviews and revisions to become ready for construction. When I was still in school, we went through the design process as a drawing activity. We were to come up with a logo to represent a fictional product line. I was handed a large sheet of paper with a grid numbered from 1 to 20, and we were to start at the first grid block with the initial idea of the logo concept. Every day for twenty days we were to draw a revised and improved version of our design, and the end result was to be the polished and fine tuned version of the original idea. The outcome was amazing, and it was much more refined. This was a simple yet eye opening exercise, and it rings true to this day in my industry.

Design is a process, and is as important as the actual construction of your renovation or new build. It may seem at times that this process may be cut down in time, but in all the years I have worked on custom homes and custom renovations in Calgary, I can confidently say that anytime a project design was cut short or delayed until the last minute, costly revisions followed. Additional time was needed and expenses mounted. On the flip side, whenever ample time was taken to work on the design, architectural, and engineer details, not only was the end result visually and practically on target with expectations, but the costs stayed in line. The reason is logical: the better and more defined the plans and project scope, the more accurately your General Contractor can build your project budget, and avoid cost overruns and schedule delays. Besides, taking out the red pen brings a lot of fun to the design process.