The comfort of one-stop shopping
BRIAN MCCULLOUGH
Postmedia Content Works
When Mike and Debbie Lafontaine bought their ‘newish’ Stittsville home eight years ago it was obvious even then that the ensuite bathroom was in serious need of a makeover. The oversized corner bathtub, tiny one-person shower unit, and drab colour scheme were curiously at odds with the fresh design of the rest of the home.
“The builders did a lot of high-end finishes in the house,” said Mike, “but when it came to the ensuite it seemed like they didn’t follow through. The house was only four years old, but the ensuite bathroom looked like it was from the ’80s.”
Everything about the ensuite was outdated, Debbie said. “We never used the tub, so it was a waste of space, and we couldn’t even clean the floor of the shower anymore. The material was cheap and it was worn out.”
After putting a renovation off for years, the Lafontaines finally paid a visit to the Ottawa Fall Home Show where they met Westend Bath & Kitchen designer Rebecca Neale. Mike was familiar with the business through some of his commercial banking clients who had nothing but positive things to say about Westend. “We knew they would be good to deal with,” he said.
A trip to Westend Bath & Kitchen a few weeks later put them back in touch with Rebecca, who immediately captured their trust as they discussed ideas for the ensuite upgrade. “We gave Rebecca an outline of the room and left it to her to give us ideas on how to lay out a new ensuite in that space,” said Mike. “We wanted a two-sink vanity, a bigger shower and a bit more storage space, and from there she pieced it together and came up with a plan.”
Debbie said she found it easy to make choices because Rebecca was able to show them everything at the Westend showroom. “Door handles, faucets, tiles — they had everything there, even down to the grout.”
“What I liked about that,” said Mike, “was that it was one-stop shopping. I didn’t have time to be going to different places across town to pick out tiles and paint, or to find a contractor to do the job. It was a big time-saver.”
“Mike and Debbie were a pleasure to work with,” said Rebecca. “They were open to suggestions and allowed me to design a much more functional space for them. Once I had the room measurements and got the go-ahead from contractor Rick Cleroux that we could move the toilet, I got busy and designed a massive shower that includes a handy bench, a shampoo shelf built into the opposite half-wall, and both a rain head shower on a slide bar and a hand-held faucet.”
Rebecca also designed a beautiful decorative mosaic for inside the shower to tie everything together for maximum visual impact, and installed a smaller window unit to create more wall space for the new double vanity. Everything is clean and bright.
“This was our first big renovation,” said Mike, “and the onestop shopping gave us assurance that the job would get done right, that Westend Bath and Kitchen would stand behind the work.”
“Rebecca helped us with everything,” Debbie said. “She was excellent. We were very confident in her and Rick, and the result is exactly what we wanted. The whole crew was amazing. The quality of the work is A-1.”
The Westend Bath & Kitchen Showroom, located at 1660 Woodward Dr., is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can also visit www.westendbk.ca, or call 613- 226-7701 to schedule a free estimate.
