We are thrilled to be featured on the Modenus site. Posted on their site today is an article depicting the transformation of the Beachwood House. From shag to sleek. Check it out!

Two additional projects will be featured in the next while and we’ll be sure to highlight them here. In the meantime, a huge thank you to Veronika and Tim of Modenus for the feature!

I recently sat down for a brief interview with Sarah Vander Vloet of Leading London, a husband and wife realty team in London. Check out the video below for some insight into the benefits that a designer can offer to those purchasing a home or thinking of renovating their existing homes.

Thank you to the Leading London team for the invitation! No acting awards here but hopefully some helpful input for those who are considering the possibility of connecting with a design firm.

Do you remember Tony Montana’s house in Scarface? The one with all of the over the top 1980′s glam that gets thoroughly destroyed in the end? Well that house is exactly what came to mind (in it’s intact state) when we first entered the Markland House. We had often driven by, wishing for the chance to see the interior of the home based on the clean, crisp exterior. What a shock when we finally did have the opportunity to tour the home to find a dated interior awash in bad marble and a sea of ‘caucasian’ coloured walls.

To view the Markland House, simply click here to visit the portfolio page. Pre-ReDesign images can be viewed by clicking on the link on the portfolio page. Say hello to modernization!

We’ve just posted the pre-ReDesign images of the Jennifer House project and, oh my!

This project illustrates perfectly how a typical London ‘my-house-looks-just-like-my-neighbour’s-house’ home can be morphed into a unique, modern space. With a clean, classic modern interior this home will now stand the test of time, whereas before the textured walls and ceilings and the endless sea of oak screamed of the era that the house was built in.

Needless to say, we aren’t huge fans of the typical sub-division developer’s or builder’s approach to mass market housing. Obviously there are many drivers of this approach, not the least of which is the ability to churn out relatively economical homes due to blind repetition. Sadly though, many clients that we have spoken to have said that within a few years of having a new home built they began making major changes, nullifying original cost savings.

Regardless, the Jennifer House clearly demonstrates how a fully developed design plan and a combination of cosmetic and structural changes can validate and uniquely adapt a home to reflect and inspire the home owners.

To view the transition follow the link above to the Jennifer House portfolio page. Then follow the link to the pre-ReDesign images. Viva-la-transformation!

We’re excited to be designing the new office of London’s own Big Viking Games. Arghh?

As one would expect, the owners of Big Viking don’t take themselves too seriously. Or, perhaps more accurately, they play hard while they drive serious results. So, our task is to craft a brand-representing work/play space for the entire crew (and they’re growing quickly) to continue to inspire those Facebook games that we all know and love.

We have just returned from another great trip to the windy city of Chicago and as always, the architecture and design was inspiring. Even the new Lego store displayed an amazing array of famous Chicago landmarks in their front window with plenty of room for future infill.

We stayed at the Sax Hotel in the River North area, directly across the street from the amazing Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed IBM Building at 330 North Wabash. Very similar in appearance to the Toronto-Dominion Centre towers in Toronto, the IBM building is stunning in all of it’s ‘less is more’ glory. Clean lines, pattern repetition and the striking palette of black and white serve to create a timeless classic in the international style of design.

The design highlight of our trip was a visit to the Smart Home: Green + Wired exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The fully built modern prefabricated modular home designed by architect Michelle Kaufmann receives a fresh interior treatment each year along with energy-saving technology updates. We can’t recommend a visit and tour of the home highly enough.

Lisa Banman, ReDesign's Principal of Design at the Chicago Smart Home

We’re so thrilled to finally be launching our new website. We’ve been working for some time now on a site that would more accurately portray and represent our passion for modern design. A lot has changed in the almost three years that our company has existed and it was high time for our website to demonstrate that.

We feel that the new site better represents our minimalist aesthetic preference. We’ve also delineated our portfolio, making it easier to locate specific types of projects.

Please feel free to submit any suggestions or thoughts that you may have regarding the new site. We truly appreciate any and all feedback.

Special shout outs to Tony Enns, the master creator who designed the layout of the new website and to Marty Penner for his tireless hours spent implementing Tony’s design and fielding my questions and input. Props to both of you gentlemen!

Our vision – To passionately advocate and deliver sustainable modern design to the masses.

We believe that DESIGN INFORMS EXPERIENCE. Furthermore, particularly in the work space, DESIGN INFORMS EFFECTIVENESS. It is these beliefs that drive us to perpetuate innovative design, to live, eat and breathe the stuff. To make it accessible to first time home buyers and razor’s edge entrepreneurs as well as those with years of success tucked beneath their belts.

In addition to several new residential redesign projects we are thrilled to be working with OIART (Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology) to design a cohesive, brand representing space for their staff and students. A sprawling facility spread between two buildings and comprised of teaching studios, recording studios, a live performance studio, and student lounge areas, among others, we’re looking forward to crafting spaces that more effectively represent the strong industry reputation that OIART has developed over the past 28 years.

We are equally excited to have the opportunity to design the new Gainsborough Family Chiropractic clinic in the Hyde Park area of London. Fortunately for us, the husband and wife team at the helm of this clinic love raw, industrial space. So, yet again we have the opportunity to create a modern, pared back space that reflects the values and aesthetic preferences of the business owners. It just so happens that we love the look too!

We have been yearning for a down town office and as of late yesterday afternoon it is officially happening! The lease is signed, deposit provided, and now… all that’s left is to design our own new office space. Easy peasy! Okay, perhaps not so easy to settle on a design for our own space but we’re jonesing for the challenge. Stay tuned for details.

And, as if that’s not enough of a thrill ride, our virtual space (website) is in the process of realignment as well. With our recent shift to include more commercial design work, a split portfolio section will make navigation that much easier.

Ah, progress. We feel fortunate and more passionate about the pursuit of modern design than ever!