Ask Our Designer

One of the great things about buying a new build condo or townhouse is the opportunity to put your own personal stamp on it. Cedarglen Living provides a wonderful array of customizable options to really make your house a home. From floors to fixtures you can add a bit of your own distinct personality to your space. To help you with this task Cedarglen offers a dedicated design professional to lead you through the process and find the perfect solutions in their expansive design centre.

We’ve asked our designer Alex to share her expertise with us and have compiled some of the most frequently asked questions posed to her during the design process.

What is the most common question client’s ask you?

One of the most common’s questions is What’s trendy? This is an extremely tough question to answer as trends are fleeting. It really depends on your personality as to whether you go with trendy or classic. I generally counsel people not to focus on trends but instead on what they love. Styles come and go, but if you love something today chances are, you’ll still love it tomorrow.

What is your favourite design trend of the year?

Right now, Scandinavian and farmhouse themes are leading the charge. The way we’re mixing texture and tones is so appealing. Warmer tones are so much more welcoming in a small space. People are also moving away from traditional white kitchens and moving to more natural woods. Two tone kitchens are still very popular as well – mixing a lighter wood with a crisp darker tone or coloured island. It’s details like these that separate a space from every other cookie cutter kitchen.

What do you feel is always a classic and timeless addition/product for your home?

I like selecting a shaker door profile for cabinetry. Shaker has been around forever, and it’s such a classic look that’s always in style. Another winner is a white countertop and a stylish subway tile, however, I tell customers to feel free to play with the tile by adding colour or different install patterns like offset or herringbone.

What’s the best way to infuse personality into your space without dating it?

You can add some spice by mixing up cabinetry colours in kitchens and bathrooms, for example a navy-blue island or sage green lower deck of cabinets. I’m also a fan of different feature wall accents like adding wainscoting, framed wall pieces, or shiplap to a room.

Colour scares a lot of people. What’s the best way to use colour in your space?

There are two ways to accomplish this depending on personal preference. For example, if you’re a person who loves to accessorize in colour, I would make the home more neutral so the soft interiors (pillows, blankets, and other décor) can be the star of the space. Or you can choose some signature foundations pieces in colour such as a stunning tile backsplash, interesting countertop or eye-catching hardware and lighting fixtures and keep your furniture in black, white, grey and beige tones.

What’s your favourite product that Cedarglen Living uses?

That would definitely be our LVP flooring. In fact, I’m looking to bring into own home. It’s a tremendous product – waterproof and scratch resistant with the look of hardwood. It has great durability for pets and children. I now recommend even upgrading carpeted areas to LVP as well. It will transform your space and then you get to play around with area rugs to add warmth, texture and personality.

What is you best ‘go to’ tip for new clients?

I would say that before you come into the design centre, focus on where you’re living now and take an inventory of all the items that you absolutely love and the ones that you don’t want in your new space. People can agonize over decisions for hours but more often then not when asked what they currently have in their home they can’t remember. It’s easier if you can pick up what you love or have always wanted and focus on that when designing a new space.

What’s the best strategy to use if you’re overwhelmed by the options or don’t have a sense of your personal style?

Before someone comes to see me, I put together “homeowner homework” to get a feel for what their design sense is. I include inspirational pictures for kitchens and bathrooms to find out what they like about each and why. Then I can try and pair up options that match that type of style to make the selection process easier and more satisfying for them.

Why do you love working at Cedarglen Living?

What sets Cedarglen Living apart from everyone else in the industry, especially other multi-family builders, is the quality and quantity of their selections. With most of their competition there isn’t really a design process for customers, only a choice of package A, B or C. Cedarglen Living is different. We work with clients to put together selections based on principles like light or dark, warm or cool. This is a more tailored experience with options in flooring, cabinetry styles and colours, countertops, tiles and plumbing fixtures. At Cedarglen Living we are an active partner in building your home.

Alexandria McKinley is an accredited design professional who has been in the industry since 2015, after graduating from Bow Valley College in Calgary. Her design background consists of furniture, renovations, kitchen and bath, and of course the home building industry. Originally from a farm in Frobisher Sk (near Estevan), she came to the big city in 2013 and has truly found her calling in this industry. Her talents have always been creatively oriented (painting, photography, music), along with her love for meeting new people and building connections, Interior Design was a natural fit for all her skills.

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