Total Home

For my new bathroom design I used the services of Cindy Lutes at Total Home in Kemptville. Cindy was amazing and a huge help in pulling together my ideas and planning the space. I was quite overwhelmed with the idea of designing an ensuite bathroom from an adjoining bedroom. I had many ideas that I had collected over a 6 month period but had no idea where to start. Cindy was patient and checked in during the construction phase. She caught a few issues before they became a problem because she was so conscientious. Her attention to details that I would never have thought of meant we had a beautiful, functional, bathroom. Cindy spent the time going over my ideas and then putting together a couple of design boards. This was so helpful as I could visualize the space that way. If I was underwhelmed by an item she would go back to the design board and provide me with a few other options. I was happy that she really worked with me rather than taking over the whole process. She is the professional but kept in mind that I was going to use the bathroom and needed to feel comfortable in the space.

We downsized from a 5 bedroom to a 3 bedroom home and along with this, the principal rooms are much smaller. Cindy has designed our main living space beautifully maximizing on the space available and creating a modern yet warm feel to the room. She made an otherwise very challenging and burdensome project for me very enjoyable. She listened to my needs; very patient with change; full of ideas and visions; punctual and flexible in her services allowing me to save on her costs by doing some of the shopping. All of her recommended trades people were equally as professional and provided top quality work. Her services were invaluable to me at this time of starting over. I highly recommend her services to anyone requiring advice on interior design.

Cindy of Total Home consulted with me to pick paint colours for my living room, dining room, kitchen and loft. Cindy was extremely professional, friendly, very knowledgable and very time efficient. She really listened to what I liked and didn't like and how I envisioned the space. She is an excellent communicator and it is obvious that she loves her work. I have a timber frame home with big pine posts and beams and I wanted colours that would bring out the beauty of the wood but give me a bright, relaxing atmosphere particularly in my living room/dining room area. Cindy was able to very quickly pick out shades that worked really well with the furniture I had just purchased and the wood in the house. Even though they were colours I would not have chosen on my own at the paint store, they worked beautifully in my space. I am extremely pleased with the final result. Cindy is extremely good at what she does! Cindy also coordinated the painter and the whole process was seamless. The painter was extremely good and I was very pleased with the quality of his work. I look forward to working with Cindy for my kitchen reno.

I'm so happy I contacted Total Home for a design consultation. It really helped having a professional come to my home and help me narrow down the multitude of design ideas I'd gathered from Houzz and Pinterest. Would definitely recommend :)

Working with Cindy was a great experience. At first I thought hiring an interior designer meant leaving all the complex decisions to her and just waiting for the big reveal. While that was one way to go, we opted to work with Cindy to re-vamp or boring living room. Cindy helped with paint color selection (had to paint the entire house first) before we could get to the main event. She patiently, very patiently, worked with my wife and I (and son) to narrow the near infinite choices for high end furniture, artwork, lighting choices and accessories to a few well coordinated design ideas that our minds could encompass. Without Cindy to guide us and help us make our choices from her hand picked options we would never have arrived at the end of the road to enjoy our new, lovely, comfortable and, most importantly, inviting living room. We went from using the basement TV room exclusively to now spending most of our family time in the living room. Because of Cindy's professionalism, and artistic design flair, and patience with indecisive clients, we finally get to use the space that, until now, was very under utilized. Thank you Cindy!

We hired Gilbert and Cindy to update our 35 year old main bathroom and create an ensuite from a powder room and walk in closet. With Gilbert’s expert carpentry skills an Cindy’s amazing designer skills they created two beautiful rooms in our home that we are really proud of. Looking forward to working with them on our next project.

We were so pleased with the decorating Total home did for us this spring. Cindy knew what we wanted better than we did ourselves! Our new house finally feels like the home we always dreamed of. Thank you so much Total Home!!

We have had the pleasure of working with Total Home for several projects. The first was kitchen renovation which included Installation of a tray ceiling, and redesigning the entire kitchen, including flooring, cabinetry, lighting and more. Gilbert is meticulous with his work and we know we can trust him to do a great job. Cindy helped with all of it. Choosing backsplash, flooring, paint colours etc. We also had her help with choosing paint colours for the rest of our home. The entire experience was seamless. Colours and samples were brought to us to choose which made it easy, and saved us time. After all of our redecorating, we decided to sell our condominium and buy a bungalow. We used Cindy’s services yet again to stage our home. She is a complete professional who is focused, works quickly and efficiently, and is mindful of budget. The whole thing came together quickly, and really helped with the sale of our condo. Units in our building sometime take a year to sell. We listed on a Wednesday and received two offers on Saturday, both for over listing price. The one we accepted was for 12,000 over listing. Thanks to both Cindy and Gilbert for everything. We will certainly use both of their services again in our new home. I would highly recommend these consummate professionals to anyone.

We used Cindy of Total Home to stage our house for sale. At the time we did so, our house which had been expected by us and our Real Estate agent to sell quickly, was not generating a great deal of interest. We had been sceptical of the need for staging a house that was set up by us already for viewing. Cindy re-imagined the purpose of several of the rooms of our large house, making much better sense of how several of the rooms could be used. She brought in furniture and accessories and used our own furnishings to excellent purpose. She arranged all of this in a very tight time frame. Although the house had been taking time to sell, we received a successful offer from the first potential buyer who saw it post staging. We recommend her highly.

Cindy was recommended to us by our real estate agent. Through staging, she transformed our house into a more contemporary look which I believe contributed greatly to an offer of full asking price the day after the house went on the market. Once we settled in our new space we contacted Cindy again to help with the art work. She is a delight to work with, has a good eye for colour and was able to make most of our art work in our new place. The colours blend well and our apartment is an inviting space as a result.

Very valuable and directive consultation prior to listing our home. Cindy was very professional and gave honest and practical feedback.

Cindy did a beautiful job staging my client's home for sale. The home sold in 7 days for over the asking price! Cindy is very knowledgeable and was a pleasure to deal with throughout the process.

Cindy's advice and staging was key part of a quick home sale with multiple offers over the asking price. When she first walked through our home it was in a mess of being packed and required some fixing up. She was able to see through the mess to envision a final product. She worked to our tight schedule to ensure the house went to market in a timely manner. Cindy is very professional.

Working with Cindy was an absolute pleasure. She arrived at our home during the initial consultation full of energy and ideas. After a thorough run-through of our home I knew she was the person he simply had to use to stage our home! She made the process seamless and effortless! In addition, when we walked into our home after the initial staging - WOW was exactly what we said! Cindy did an amazing job staging our home and as a result we ended up with multiple offers - she is a true professional and certainly was an asset for us!!!!

We have been absolutely thrilled with the service provided by Total Home. They created a warm and welcoming environment through a thoughtful and skillful selection of furniture artwork and accessories, so much so that we felt we wanted to move right in rather than selling our condo. Cindy left no detail unattended. She fully furnished the space, while still creating an open, airy and inviting environment. We congratulate Total Home for the excellent job they did staging our condo.

Cindy at Total Home staged our house beautifully when we were selling this past spring. Cindy has an incredible eye for design, colours and space. She really made our home pop! (Our house sold in 1 week!) Cindy was also such a pleasure to work with. She was punctual, organized, tidy, professional and above all, very kind. I would recommend Cindy to anyone looking to stage their home for sale.

Cindy recently staged a new house we had for sale, and the result was both beautiful and very effective. We had previously tried to sell the house empty, but the online photos of the empty house didn't do it justice, and without furniture in place, it was difficult for people to picture how they would set up the house, and how much furniture would fit. By staging the house with modern/attractive furniture/art/accessories, Cindy created the "wow factor" first impression we were looking for, and she set up the main floor in a way that showed just how big the open concept space was. Cindy's staging increased the number of people who viewed the house (from the great online photos) and her staging resulted in a faster sale. I am now convinced that staging a new house is the way to go if you want to sell it fast, and would recommend Cindy to anyone who is looking for help.

Thank you Cindy for the fantastic job in staging our home in Ottawa. All the rooms looked so well put together. Modern, warm and very appealing for our showings. I truly believe with your staging, we were successful in closing our home in only a week. I would certainly call on you for our next home flip.

We were shopping around to hire a professional interior designer to decorate the main level, stairs area and the upper hallway of our home. After meeting and taking estimates from four different firms, we finally settled on Total Home. It was the ideas that were presented by Cindy at our first meeting as well as the friendly and courteous service and advice that attracted us to Total Home. There was never any pressure of any kind, so we felt at ease and involved. As part of this project with Total Home, we got the following done: - Paint selection and painting - Crown Molding on the main floor - Furniture shopping and selection (dining table, buffet, accent chairs, coffee and end tables) - Rugs, Art work, Paintings, Plants, lighting and numerous other accessories to liven up the whole place. - Family pictures gallery wall in the stairs - Wall TV mount and electronics shelf (fully hidden wires) The following is why we enjoyed working with and recommend Total Home (Cindy and Gilbert). Punctuality: They were always on time for appointments and also finished the work as promised, on the agreed-upon day. Courteousness: It’s very pleasant to work with them. They are professional in all their communication, written or in-person. They are pleasant and we didn't feel like we were dealing with contractors. Communication: All the work was clearly explained in the estimates and if needed, we were always informed ahead of time of any changes and the reasons behind them. There were no surprises. This is a big plus. Staying within budget: All the work was always done within budget, what was on the estimate. Again, no surprises. Detail Orientated: All the work, such as; crown molding, furniture, accessories and painting really work together very well. The colours, the art and the whole look fits together amazingly. Professionalism of the work (service and work performed): All the work done by Total Home was excellent in terms of workmanship and cleanliness. Gilbert did an amazing job doing the TV shelf and molding and always cleaned up nicely (inside and in the garage) after the job was complete. Cindy always remembered every little detail of the projects, kept all aspects under control and us you up-to-date with communication. We felt that Cindy was in-charge and we didn’t have to worry about anything. We are very happy with the way our home looks now. It's great and we had many compliments from neighbors and friends alike. Most important of all, everything went great and we never had any headaches that can so easily come up in such projects. We will deal with Total Home again when we are doing the pot lights and the upper level bedrooms.

Fantastic work! Our house is looks like pages out of a magazine. Such great taste. I can't believe this is our house. It's ready to sell.

Our experience with Total Home has been very positive. From initial contact to completion, Cindy's expertise and professionalism guided us through the process of decorating our new home. Her art and furniture placements were creative...combinations that I never could have imagined. Choices of drapery and other window treatments added to the "look". I am definitely pleased.

I am very satisfied with the service and work I received from Gilbert (Total Home). He responded quickly to all my concerns and any questions I had prior to picking a date for the installation. The quote for the installation was fair, and we proceeded to book a day and time. On installation day, Gilbert was up and running very quickly. Gilbert is an experienced and knowledgeable carpenter and worked his way around the small condo quickly and efficiently. I am very happy with the results, and highly recommend his services!

We hired Total Home, Cindy Lutes (Interior Design and Property Stylist) for assistance with staging our home for sale. Her unbelievable attention to detail and timelines, listening skills, professional service, exceptional staging, communication, prompt responses to concerns and overall wonderful experience made us realize immediately we selected the right person for our project. Her willingness to work with strict deadlines, with our realtor, assist with photos and advertising was exceptional. We would recommend Total Home to anyone searching for interior design assistance or with staging a home for sale. We will hire Cindy when we build our new home to assist with interior design and colour consult. Thank you Cindy for all you have done!!!!! Karen and Mark

We originally hired Total Home to redesign our fireplace wall in our family room and extended the design to entire main floor (kitchen, living room, dining room and front entrance). The focal point was the re-facing of our dated (orange-brick) fireplace wall which included custom bookshelves and sliding drawers on either side with a new gas fireplace insert as well as a custom-built mantle and new marble surround. Cindy helped us tremendously with the design and got us to think outside-the-box in terms of our color schemes and furniture. We hired Gilbert to do the custom cabinetry and fireplace mantle. Cindy managed the arrangements the other suppliers. She was really helpful identifying potential design issues and offer and explain solutions when they did occur. She is very professional and client-focused in all of her interactions with us. We really appreciated her flexibility and availability to make appointments that were convenient to our schedule. She has a real talent for colors and staging. When we met to discuss options with both Cindy and Gilbert, these were productive and helpful. They both really listen to their clients, rather than pushing their own agenda or preferences. Gilbert is a very experienced carpenter and delivers quality workmanship. He and Cindy really wanted us to be happy with the result. That was evident throughout the renovations. They arranged for an outstanding painter and upholstery company, who, like them, were pleasant to work with, flexible, delivered on their commitments and provided quality workmanship. When we did encounter some issues that occurred with other suppliers, they worked hard to problem-solve with us and ensure that our needs were being met. In terms of offering suggestions for improvement, I think it would be helpful (once concepts are agreed upon) to determine together the need for scale drawings as opposed to just the images from Houzz. I would also suggest that they provide the client with a detailed design document such as the one that I prepared which included the amendments to capture decisions that we made along the way. On a minor note it could have been nice to have a more detailed schedule of when things were going to be done to eliminate any confusion and manage expectations. Overall, we are extremely satisfied with Total Home and would highly recommend them and we have received rave reviews from family and friends who have been over to see the renovations.

Working with Cindy was a pleasure. She is warm yet professional, and the end result of her staging exceeded my expectations. The photos and video of our house were stunning as a result of her hard work on this project. Thank you Cindy.

Total Home staging has been able to provide great service to myself and my clients providing constructive, creative and timely service. Cindy is very professional and positive!

We have multiple renovation and repair projects happening with the exterior of our house. Cindy and Gilbert came out and provided very useful, practical advice about how to create a stylish and cohesive look. They are knowledgeable and personable, and a good team. Would definitely call them again.

Cindy came in for a 4 hour marathon consultation. It was wonderful. We had just moved in and I do not have a good eye for decor. We chose paint colours for 4 rooms, kitchen cabinet colours and options, furniture placement....we even moved the furniture around to try out the best option. We moved and chose lamps everywhere. I was very pleased and would highly recommend her.

Total Home staged my home to prepare it for sale. Thanks to their very professional and excellent service I was able to sell my home in five days and received above the asking price . The staging was done in such a way as to cause minimal delay or disturbance of a very tight prep schedule. I would recommend this company to anyone contemplating selling their home.

Working with Cindy and Gilbert was such a pleasure. Cindy helped us make our house a home! We found them via referral and so glad we did. They are efficient and timely and completely listen to what your looking for. We couldn't of done it without them. Pricing ,time served and over are service is outstanding ! We had a lot of space to cover in our home and we are left living in such a welcoming, warm, and elegant environment ! I would recommend their services to anyone and everyone :)

Our Real Estate Agent recommended Cindy from Total Home to help with staging our home for sale. It was an estate sale and we needed someone to show the home at its best. Light, airy, spacious and inviting. Cindy was prompt and professional and was able to meet me almost immediately. She listened to what we wanted to accomplish with our staging and her interior decorating experience showed with her suggestions and recommendations. She provided a quote that same day and we had furniture and decorating done within a week, just in time for pictures for the real estate ad and for an open house. We got a ton of positive comments about how good the house looked and people really liked the flow and feel of the house. The house sold in 3 weeks I feel in large part to how well Cindy did her work. I can't recommend Cindy and Total Home more highly. She was worth every cent.

We contracted Cindy and Gilbert to design and renovate the main bathroom in our home. It had to use space quite efficiently, it had to be functional for our family with young children while also considering our needs as our family changes over the years. We wanted it to be modern while also 'fitting' with the current style of our home. And considering we plan to stay in this home long term, we wanted the design to be something classic over the years and the workmanship to be high quality. We wanted it done right - and it was. I really appreciated the husband/wife duo of Gilbert as the contractor and Cindy as the interior designer. The workmanship was excellent, the input and sense of style from both of them helped create what we have, and I can't get over how in-love I am with the style Cindy designed. I just feel good waking into this room - which I do multiple times a day. Gilbert stripped the whole thing down to the studs and took every decision with care as if it were his own house he was working on. He was clean and conscientious. Cindy brought creative design aspects to the conversation. They both thought of details we hadn't considered, worked with our input and ideas, adapted their work to the ideas that emerged over the project, and respected our decisions and needs. With both of them, I felt heard and we worked together well. All projects have hiccups and this was no exception. The way in which we handled those hiccups was through open communication, respect for one another, and keeping our eye to budget and doing the work 'right'. We would hire them again. And we definitely recommend to our friends.

We did not have a lot of time to prepare our house for market, but made the wise decision to stage and even wiser decision to hire Total Home on the advice of our trusted realtors. Total Home completely transformed our house. From the beginning to the end the process was smooth and we had every confidence in Total Home. There was only one hiccup throughout this entire project, but Cindy handled it with an impressive level of optimism, poise and professionalism. We planned to leave town for work before the staging was complete, something we were well aware of when we took on this project. We left our home in Cindy and Gilbert's very capable hands and they staged the house beautifully. We never did see the staging in person, only through pictures, because the house sold in its first week on the market!

I was extremely impressed when I walked in to the home, it made the biggest difference having the home staged. I really appreciate the care that Cindy put into staging my listing as well as the extras that she did to complete to look. The Service was amazing and her staging skills are top notch, I will certainly be using her again.

Cindy and Gilbert did an amazing job of transforming a well lived in home into an urban fresh show home! The challenge was huge as the current tenant had two dogs, young baby and were in the process of moving!! Cindy managed to de clutter and provide a storage solution that worked for everyone; recommended and executed repairs and improvements; then began the excellent job of staging and presenting the only the inside but also the outside of this home. End result was a big success- first offer came in on day one of showings which led to a multiple offer and the house selling for top dollar!

I hired Total Home to stage my home in preparation to putting it up for sale. The results were amazing. They utilized my own items within my home and just placed them in different positions which made each room more inviting. The company also brought into my home items to help coordinate a colour theme or to give my rooms the splash of colour needed to create interest. Note the additional items were rented based on a monthly rate but I also had the option to purchase them if I wanted them. I would have to say that I was so thrilled when I arrived home, I had a few of my friends over just to show them the results as I was so excited with what I saw. I wish I had the before pictures and if I can figure out how I will add some after pictures. One last thing...My house was sold in 3 days of being on the market.

Cindy of Total Home was referred to me by a High School friend of hers. I trusted the judgement of this person and I am very happy I did. I needed help in finding new furniture, art works, tables etc as I wanted to refurnish my living room and have limited space. Cindy always arrived on time, whether we met at my home or at a store. She was conscious of my tastes, never pushed her own preferences on me, but always suggesting and asking if I liked. I rarely did not like what she was suggesting. What was a daunting chore for me became a fun experience. Cindy is a warm and caring young woman and I will be happy to refer her to anyone who needs her services. I can't thank you enough Cindy; we both love the living room.

Total Home has done several jobs for us over the years. From crown moulding, to built in custom shelves to our most recent project - a total makeover of our ensuite - which now has WOW appeal. Cindy Charbonneau helped me pick colours and select tile. With her partner, Gilbert Lutes, they planned the layout and those small details that make the difference. Gilbert co-ordinate the work of a couple of trades and completed the construction and tiling himself. We highly recommend them for your next project!