Testimonials

One of the areas where Westend Bath & Kitchen excels is in the creative flexibility of their experienced design staff. Every renovation presents its own challenges, and Westend has the professionals who know how to use these opportunities to create attractive, functional design solutions that will satisfy a customer’s makeover vision.

Older houses from the 1950s and ’60s often fall short of modern-day standards for electrical and plumbing, but one Alta Vista couple who had recently bought a vintage home from that era had a different issue: Their ensuite bathroom was almost a foot narrower than the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association standard of 54 inches. Charles was able to at least tolerate it, but Melanie said she could only stand so much and refused to use the totally non-functional space. The home’s main bathroom had more space, but it too was in need of an update.

“We had a list of things we knew we needed to do when we bought the house,” Melanie said, “but the bathrooms weren’t our first priority. Once we were living in the home and using the bathrooms, though, we found that they really weren’t as functional as we had hoped. It became frustrating for me, and turned into a quality-of-life issue.”

The couple sat down with Westend Bath & Kitchen designer Sarah Stott to see what type of solutions were possible, and were impressed not only by what she was able to offer them, but also by her thoroughness in handling their concerns.

“We wanted someone who would understand our vision and our priorities, and Sarah and Westend certainly delivered,” Melanie said. “What set Westend apart from the other companies we looked at was their responsiveness. Sarah was easy to get hold of, and she really listened to what we were telling her. Right up front, it was great to see how much effort she was putting into our renovation before we had even signed a contract. I was floored by how much work she did just to present us with the initial estimate and initial concept. We felt like she was really invested in our renovation.”

Stott redesigned both bathrooms, completely gutting the spaces and relocating a new shared wall to give the ensuite the wider dimensions it desperately needed, and to gain extra space to fit a large walk-in shower and dual-basin vanity. This created a planned domino effect — the layout in the main bathroom would be changed, the adjacent third bedroom would become an office and the closet areas on the adjoining wall in the master bedroom would be reconfigured to allow a lovely new closet-and-drawer system to be built-in.

“Melanie and I worked together to find the perfect tile options for both bathrooms,” Stott said. “For the walls of the ensuite shower we chose beautiful planks of porcelain tile that contractor Rick Cleroux’s team installed in an attractive herringbone pattern. In the main bathroom shower and tub space, we installed vertical chevron tiles, topped by an arrangement of hexagonal tiles that give an artistic look to the walls.”

Stott fitted out both bathrooms with champagne bronze finish plumbing fixtures to complement the matte black framing and trim that is used throughout. In a wonderful creative touch, she also designed a custom glass transom for the top of the shared wall to allow light from the ensuite to spill into the windowless main bathroom. This is a great option, she said, for spaces that are surrounded by interior walls. The new bathrooms look amazing.

“It’s a very dramatic transformation,” Melanie said. “Westend did a great job, and we are really happy with the outcome. Everything came together beautifully, and we finished within budget, and on time. It exceeded my expectations.”

The Westend Bath and Kitchen showroom and renovation design centre at 1660 Woodward Dr. is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule a free home renovation estimate, call 613-226-7701, or visit the company’s website at www.westendbk.ca. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.