Staging this condo was quite the experience. You walk up a narrow flight of stairs and you arrive on the first floor where there is a dining room, kitchen and a living room. Next floor up is a mezzanine where we created an office which overlooked the living room and there was a powder room on the floor. Up another flight of stairs and you arrive at the hallway which goes off to two bedrooms and a full bathroom as well as the laundry area. Up one more flight of stairs and you are on the rooftop, overlooking Montreal. We staged this entire gem because there were so many floors and we wanted to continue the cozy, inviting look throughout the condo. If you are thinking about selling your property or would like a consultation, give us a call. We work with great realtors and would love to help you get your home ready for the market. We have been staging for over 16 years and own all our furniture and accessories. Call 514-222-5553 and ask for Joanne

Arrival Court
This is an example of a contemporary partial sun driveway in Nashville.

Staging this condo was quite the experience. You walk up a narrow flight of stairs and you arrive on the first floor where there is a dining room, kitchen and a living room. Next floor up is a mezzanine where we created an office which overlooked the living room and there was a powder room on the floor. Up another flight of stairs and you arrive at the hallway which goes off to two bedrooms and a full bathroom as well as the laundry area. Up one more flight of stairs and you are on the rooftop, overlooking Montreal. We staged this entire gem because there were so many floors and we wanted to continue the cozy, inviting look throughout the condo. If you are thinking about selling your property or would like a consultation, give us a call. We work with great realtors and would love to help you get your home ready for the market. We have been staging for over 16 years and own all our furniture and accessories. Call 514-222-5553 and ask for Joanne

Request Free QuoteWhat could be more welcoming than arriving home to a warm embrace? Balancing interior and exterior lighting can produce a memorable greeting; your home becomes a softly glowing sanctuary in the night. Highlighted entry columns greet arrivals, and accent points announce the front entry. Linda Oyama

This two-story transitional home with French country accents featured a mixture of stone and stucco with a beautiful charcoal colored metal roof and black metal-framed windows and door. Upon arrival, visitors cross a creek via a reclaimed wood bridge before arriving at the double glass doors framed in black metal. Through the foyer and past a wine room exposed on two sides lies the great room with a wall of windows that perfectly showcase the Texas Hill Country views. Pet and kid-friendly features, a design that accommodates entertaining friends and family, and a selection of materials that allowed modern and rustic to blend together make this home memorable.

Staging this condo was quite the experience. You walk up a narrow flight of stairs and you arrive on the first floor where there is a dining room, kitchen and a living room. Next floor up is a mezzanine where we created an office which overlooked the living room and there was a powder room on the floor. Up another flight of stairs and you arrive at the hallway which goes off to two bedrooms and a full bathroom as well as the laundry area. Up one more flight of stairs and you are on the rooftop, overlooking Montreal. We staged this entire gem because there were so many floors and we wanted to continue the cozy, inviting look throughout the condo. If you are thinking about selling your property or would like a consultation, give us a call. We work with great realtors and would love to help you get your home ready for the market. We have been staging for over 16 years and own all our furniture and accessories. Call 514-222-5553 and ask for Joanne

This wonderful client was keeping their New Hampshire home, but was relocating for 2 years to Texas for work. Before the family arrived, I was tasked with furnishing the whole house so the children feel "at home" when they arrived. Using a unified color scheme, I procured and coordinated the essentials for an on time, and on budget, and on trend delivery! Photo Credit: Boldly Beige

Rat Island, it's a 2.5-acre land mass off the coast of City Island in the Bronx. This eco-boutique resort is part of the greater Long Island Sound only 30 minutes away from Central Park. The project consists of a group of floating cabins / house-boats along the outer edge of the island.. Large windows offer water or inland views. The design intends the island to be carbon-neutral and sustainable. The island also includes a small marina with a 2-arm floating pier system for 12 boats and a potential arrival for the NYC water taxi. There is an old existing canal that cuts through the South side of the island which will be used for access of small boats and canoes arriving directly into the island and under the main building.

This wonderful client was keeping their New Hampshire home, but was relocating for 2 years to Texas for work. Before the family arrived, I was tasked with furnishing the whole house so the children feel "at home" when they arrived. Using a unified color scheme, I procured and coordinated the essentials for an on time, and on budget, and on trend delivery! Photo Credit: Boldly Beige

This wonderful client was keeping their New Hampshire home, but was relocating for 2 years to Texas for work. Before the family arrived, I was tasked with furnishing the whole house so the children feel "at home" when they arrived. Using a unified color scheme, I procured and coordinated the essentials for an on time, and on budget, and on trend delivery! Photo Credit: Boldly Beige

In hospitality design, no space carries as much weight or expectation as the hotel lobby. It is the handshake, the welcome note, the first frame of the guest experience. Within seconds of entering, guests form opinions not just about the space, but about the brand, the service, and the story. At its best, the hotel lobby isn’t just a transitional space; it’s a destination. A well-designed lobby invites, orients, calms, and excites, all at once. It acts as a stage where luxury is not merely seen, but sensed. In this article, Ar. Anil Badan, Founder and Principal Architect at Studio B Architects, shares how hotel lobbies go beyond functionality, becoming emotive spaces that leave a lasting impression from the very first step inside. Designing for Emotion, Not Just Function Every guest arrives with a subconscious expectation. Whether stepping into a serene resort or an urban boutique hotel, the lobby must immediately align with the tone of their stay. Lighting, for instance, isn’t just about visibility; it’s about setting mood. A warm, ambient glow suggests calm sophistication, while bold, sculptural fixtures can convey modern opulence. Seating arrangements must strike a balance between social energy and quiet retreat. Natural materials, wood, stone, and linen evoke authenticity and calm. These elements work collectively to influence how a guest feels within the first few moments. Branding Through Architecture A hotel lobby is also a silent storyteller. Every finish, curve, and fixture communicates something about the brand's identity. For us, design isn’t about imitation, it’s about interpretation. We interpret the soul of the property and translate it into spatial language. For instance, a curved wall might reference local landscapes. A palette of coastal hues might evoke a regional narrative. In doing so, the lobby becomes more than a threshold; it becomes an anchor of place and memory. Fluidity, Function, and Flow In luxury hospitality, the lobby is often a hybrid zone, part reception, part lounge, part co-working, part café. Designing for this fluidity means considering flow and flexibility. Wayfinding should be intuitive. Transitions between zones must be seamless, often achieved through changes in flooring, ceiling heights, or lighting zones. Materials must withstand footfall yet retain elegance. Every element must serve both beauty and purpose. Ultimately, a successful hotel lobby lingers in memory long after check-out. It is not just a space, it is a statement! One that says: you’ve arrived. And in a world where hospitality is no longer just about service, but about feeling seen, understood, and inspired, the lobby is where that promise begins!

The smallest room in this home was originally planned as an office – and then, good news arrived. Inspired by a favorite childhood storybook, this sweet nursery was designed for the new arrival in a soft and neutral palette and detailed with a subtle feather motif. The crib is constructed in natural, ecofriendly materials and is versatile enough to transition from crib to a child bed to an full-sized bed, as years go by – making this nursery room a relevant design to enjoy for many years to come.

This wonderful client was keeping their New Hampshire home, but was relocating for 2 years to Texas for work. Before the family arrived, I was tasked with furnishing the whole house so the children feel "at home" when they arrived. Using a unified color scheme, I procured and coordinated the essentials for an on time, and on budget, and on trend delivery! Photo Credit: Boldly Beige

The client was looking to incorporate the rich bathing traditions of their native home of Japan. We took an underutilized area of their basement and brought the vision to life. We designed and built a sauna, bathing, and showering area to complete this suite. The clean, simple lines and finishes mask the owner’s deep love for technological innovation. The tub filler, temperature control and sauna can be controlled remotely. One arrives in the space with a steaming tub and hot sauna waiting. The client was looking to incorporate the rich bathing traditions of their native home of Japan. We took an underutilized area of their basement and brought the vision to life. We designed and built a sauna, bathing, and showering area to complete this suite. The clean, simple lines and finishes mask the owner’s deep love for technological innovation. The tub filler, temperature control and sauna can be controlled remotely. One arrives in the space with a steaming tub and hot sauna waiting.

Staging this condo was quite the experience. You walk up a narrow flight of stairs and you arrive on the first floor where there is a dining room, kitchen and a living room. Next floor up is a mezzanine where we created an office which overlooked the living room and there was a powder room on the floor. Up another flight of stairs and you arrive at the hallway which goes off to two bedrooms and a full bathroom as well as the laundry area. Up one more flight of stairs and you are on the rooftop, overlooking Montreal. We staged this entire gem because there were so many floors and we wanted to continue the cozy, inviting look throughout the condo. If you are thinking about selling your property or would like a consultation, give us a call. We work with great realtors and would love to help you get your home ready for the market. We have been staging for over 16 years and own all our furniture and accessories. Call 514-222-5553 and ask for Joanne

Jennifer and Dan have lived in their Deer Park Illinois home for 15 years, slowly making minor fixes like painting and decorating; but they had a new plan for their kitchen the entire time. An awkwardly placed garage door, and an island cooktop with a terrible downdraft made a full-scale kitchen remodel an absolute must. Jennifer had many ideas in mind and wanted to work with a company that could provide high-end work, while partnering with a designer that would tailor the kitchen to her ideas. She was intrigued by the phrase “Common Sense Remodeling” in Advance Design’s feature she discovered while perusing an issue of the community’s Quintessential Barrington Magazine. Doing further research on the company’s website, as she looked through project profiles and read about Advance Design’s “Common Sense Remodeling” philosophy, she promptly scheduled an appointment to see if the people and ideas she read about were truly who they said they were. The more she read, the more she knew that the “Common Sense” approach to remodeling they described was exactly the type of company she was looking for. The partnership was sealed after an initial consultation with Owner Todd Jurs and Project Designer Michelle Lecinski. They displayed a combination of friendliness, professionalism and respect that was unmatched by any of the other companies Jennifer talked to. She knew that with Advance Design, she would be able to retain the vision that she had in mind with high-quality craftsmanship. “I reached out to Advance Design because of the ‘Common Sense Remodeling’ tagline,” Jennifer said. “That’s what lingered for me”. “Advance Design was the most respectful- of the house and of my design ideas, and the most professional of the handful of companies that looked at my project”. Soon after the meeting Jennifer began working with Michelle on the project design. They quickly developed chemistry. Jennifer loved how Michelle researched and located every detail that Jennifer wanted for the kitchen. Between the two of them, every concept and idea was worked through and perfected. “Jennifer had definite ideas about what she wanted the new kitchen to look like, she just didn’t know how to bring it all together. We worked together really well to make her ideas into the practical reality necessary for a well-functioning kitchen, with the look and feel that she had envisioned”, says Michelle. “Michelle was wonderful in using the CAD system she would show me new drawings every time we changed the layout while working through the design,” Jennifer said. “She was a really wonderful partner in execution, she made sure everything happened quickly and easily.” The finished design drew out elements of Jennifer’s style and personality. The pair call the look “sophisticated farmhouse” to describe the kitchen renovation to family and friends. The result was a beautifully crafted, authentic-feeling space that satisfied Jennifer’s dreams 15 years in the making. The whole project consisted of a kitchen remodel, mudroom upgrade with powder room, and garage entry relocation. “The projects I personally like the best, are the ones that put the client’s dreams on display,” Project Designer Michelle said. “And this is one of those projects.” The main focal point of the kitchen is custom zinc and brass ventilation hood with a vintage sheen, which was hand made to order by a small company in Indiana named Vogler Metalworking. “It’s like sculpture, a true work of art”, says Jennifer. Your eye is immediately drawn towards this elegant yet practical hood that eliminated the home’s downdraft problem and added a striking conversation piece at the same time. The carpenters had to use special gloves when transporting and installing it, so they didn’t smudge it with fingerprints. The beautiful hood centers proudly over the stunning black enamel and brass LaCornue Range. “I had a friend who had a LaCornue range and after learning how easy it was to cook perfect meals, I was convinced I wanted to have one”, says Jennifer. This unique, breathtaking combination anchors the entire kitchen and is apparent immediately as you walk into the great room the surrounds the space. DuraSupreme Crestwood cabinets with a Kendall Panel add function and sophistication. A custom gray paint color paired with a storm blue was developed so that the new kitchen looked like it belonged to the existing space. Unlacquered brass faucets and hardware were important to Jennifer because she wanted the living finishes to age over time. Remarkable brass diamond mesh cabinet door inserts imported from the UK continue to add this one-of-a-kind kitchen renovation; giving it a “you won’t see this everywhere” quality. The use of old railcar flooring for the coffee bar countertop and reclaimed oak for the open shelving gives an authenticity to the space uncommon in kitchens today. Jennifer and Michelle fell in love with the Limestone Grey Stone while they were investigating unique island countertop ideas. They liked the fact that the limestone as a living finish will age and change over time. Calcutta Miel Quartz countertops made for an excellent pairing around the perimeter, as it’s durable and perfect for cooking preparations. A textured white subway tile backsplash that runs to the ceiling keeps your eye moving towards the open shelving, and to the main focal point of the stunning range hood combination. “The kitchen functions beautifully, and it’s gorgeous,” beams Jennifer as she gestures with both hands while smiling ear to ear. “The most important thing was I wanted a kitchen that had a wonderful flow, cooked beautiful meals and was a great gathering place for family and friends, and this space does that perfectly! Beauty wise, it turned out exactly how I had envisioned. I felt the function part was the hardest part, and that was nailed”! Relocating the garage entry to the new mudroom was a huge priority and has finally separated the family’s arriving home functions from their kitchen. Now coats and shoes and bags have their own area for dropping once members arrive home. Matching gray DuraSupreme cabinetry helped create gorgeous, purposeful lockers for the family. A reclaimed vintage sink and custom wall paper were added to the tiny powder room to beautify the once previously only functional space. Advance Design was even able to create a custom space for their dog to sleep while the family is away. “It was unbelievable that a project of this size was completed in such a short time, and I think that’s because of the large amount of planning and preparation that went into it,” Jennifer marveled, “When we started, we were ready, and everything was prepared”. When it came to execution, Project Manager Justin Davis and his crew were quick, accessible, and organized. Projects like this kitchen are typically completed in as little as 8-10 weeks. Jennifer’s kitchen however despite the relocation of some challenging HVAC in a soffit and moving of an exterior door was completed remarkably fast in part because the team was working with an existing tile floor that ran throughout the first floor that the client really loved. “You get to know these people really well because they’re living in your house while you’re living in your house. They were so fast and really good, it didn’t take as long as even planned” reported Jennifer. “I would text Justin and he always responded almost immediately. I got to know all the guys who were working in our house and they were all wonderful people”. Details in a customized kitchen like this one require skill and care from the people who install it. “All the guys on the job were skilled at what the did. I wanted small details like little feet to look like furniture, that is where their carpentry skill came in to make these all perfect”, said Jennifer. “The tile guys were wonderful. They even let me determine how I wanted the texture with the grout to appear for a salt and pepper look; now that is a very skilled trade person making it custom”. In Jennifer’s interview, she continued to reference Advance Design’s “Common Sense Remodeling”, so I took a minute to ask her exactly what that phrase meant to her and how it played out in her experience with her project and the Advance Design team. Here is what she said: “I was intrigued about Common Sense Remodeling and in my head that there would be clear costs and prices, great communication between the design team, the execution team and me”, said Jennifer. They did deliver on that, it was so clear about the cost breakdown, what I could expect from everyone who came to my house, and everything that we had ordered. That to me is the Common Sense”! It’s great to see a client take literally our assertion that a well-planned remodeling project is simply “Common Sense”! She anticipated each step of the way would be clear, concise, and predictable, all the while protecting the outcome due to the careful upfront planning. “Advance Design delivered on their ‘Common Sense Remodeling’ promise,” Jennifer said. “From the design team, to the execution team - everything was straight forward like I imagined. The project turned out exactly how I envisioned, I enjoyed this process and absolutely would recommend Advance Design Studio to anyone.”

The Chivers family was rebuilding their home after it was was destroyed in the unprecedented Alberta flood of 2013. The busy, young family wanted their new home personalized to suit their lifestyle. Storage is an ever-present need for the family of four to keep up with a growing inventory of equipment for sports and activities. To meet these needs, the Chivers chose DIRTT to build their dream kitchen, closets, yoga studio, and efficient laundry room. ICE software helped the family visualize the space in 3D and understand how their space would look and feel. Using the technology, the Chivers could work with their designer to create the perfect reflection of their lives. As the DIRTT elements arrived for installation, one family member noted, "this is the first and only thing that's arrived on time on this whole project." Photo Credit: Nader Essa Photography

This two-story transitional home with French country accents featured a mixture of stone and stucco with a beautiful charcoal colored metal roof and black metal-framed windows and door. Upon arrival, visitors cross a creek via a reclaimed wood bridge before arriving at the double glass doors framed in black metal. Through the foyer and past a wine room exposed on two sides lies the great room with a wall of windows that perfectly showcase the Texas Hill Country views. Pet and kid-friendly features, a design that accommodates entertaining friends and family, and a selection of materials that allowed modern and rustic to blend together make this home memorable.

This wonderful client was keeping their New Hampshire home, but was relocating for 2 years to Texas for work. Before the family arrived, I was tasked with furnishing the whole house so the children feel "at home" when they arrived. Using a unified color scheme, I procured and coordinated the essentials for an on time, and on budget, and on trend delivery! Photo Credit: Boldly Beige