Did you know that

Cambria is a maintenance-free product that is naturally safe for the home; unlike some other natural stone products, it does not require sealing. Cambria is Greenguard certified, as well as certified by National Sanitation Foundation International for food preparation. The company also utilizes environmentally sound practices, such as recycling and recovering 98 per cent of water used in the polishing process.”

by Canadian Interiors Magazine

A cork tree lasts for over 200 years. In the cork tree’s life time the outer bark of the tree is harvested every 9 years. The bark regenerates itself. It’s a truly sustainable product.

Cork is a versatile, eco friendly, stylish alternative to wood and tile flooring. It is a good insulator; it can reduce the energy required for heating. Cork has benefits like no other product, from green performance to style.

One of the other great benefits of cork flooring is that it can be treated with a waxy coat to make it fire resistant.

Cork flooring can be used in almost every interior place such as, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, bedrooms, basements, and commercial flooring.

Cork has been used over the centuries for commercial flooring, like in the Library of Congress. Frank Lloyd Wright used cork flooring in his famous residential building, the Falling Water in Pennsylvania.

There are several types of cork flooring like tiles, cork mosaics, and cork panels. A cork floor can be floating or glued down.

The floating cork floor is composed of natural cork panels. The panels are joined together with tongue and groove without being glued down to the sub-floor. It is a popular choice among do-it-yourselfer’s and professional installers.

Some of the many benefits of the floating floors are, easy installation, easily dismantled in case of damage, or just the desire to redecorate.

The cork mosaic floor installation is similar to a classic ceramic mosaic tile installation.

The cost of cork floor tiles start at $ 4 per square foot in natural colours. The stained designer floating floor panels are up to or over $ 10 a square foot, plus the installation.

Vacuuming cork floors regularly is recommended. A damp cloth may be used to wipe floors, but no harsh detergents should be used.

Just a few cork flooring pros and cons. Cork flooring is an eco friendly, natural flooring option, durable, absorbs heat and sound, water resistant, light weight, very comfortable to stand and walk on it. Damaged tiles are easy to replace.

However, if cork is your flooring option in the kitchen the heavy appliances will need padding. That will help reduce denting of the floor. Dents in cork floors caused by heavy furniture will usually recover up to 90% over time once the furniture has been removed.

Besides giving great flooring option for designers and home owners, there is also cork fabric, cork wall paper, and ceiling tiles just to mention just a few.  Some of the unique properties of the cork fabrics are distinctive texture, natural, hypoallergenic, waterproof, dust and dirt repellent.

Set up a nice comforting outdoor living area where we can end the day with a relaxing evening in our backyard. Or get together with our friends and family for a backyard BBQ and a good conversation.

We can create an outdoor living room. It can be the extension of the indoor living space. There is no need to set up an outdoor kitchen if we can build a patio which opens from the indoor kitchen with easy access to the fridge and the kitchen sink. However, a good BBQ grill is a must to make those delicious veggies, burgers and stakes.

There is an endless selection of comfortable, durable, and very attractive outdoor living furniture. There is one for every taste, size, and budget from the small balcony to the whole outdoor living room and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen.

If there is enough space, the daybed is a must with comfortable cushions. Have it in a sleek contemporary pattern with bright colours to cheer you up. Or use earthy colours to create a more relaxed environment.

Everyone loves to sit and relax on a swing. What is better than chatting with a friend over a nice refreshing drink on a swing? Swings can be small enough to fit on a balcony or large enough to sit 4-5 people. Those are the ones that can be used as a daybed also.

We need a table as well. It can be a coffee table, a dining table and/or a couple of end table. It is a good idea to have drawers in the outdoor tables. On a windy day it can be very useful to hide napkins, magazines or anything the wind can blow away.

Besides the comfortable daybed, and swing set we need chairs. Good outdoor folding chairs are not just practical to bring out for extra guests, but can be taken with us to an outdoor concert, or sports event.

Then there is the outdoor kitchen we are all dreaming of. It starts with a great BBQ. We can build an outdoor island with a sink and some storage beside the BBQ grill or we can have an L shape outdoor kitchen custom designed to suit our taste, available space, and budget.

Good lighting is just as important in outdoor living as it is in any interior space.

We can make the whole outdoor living experience complete with a sound system and an outdoor TV.

It is also a good idea to create an area for children.

One of the most convenient outdoor home accessories is the outdoor shower. Outdoor shower is ideal for a quick shower after gardening, bathe the dog or just cool down.

In a beautiful autumn evening when it is already a bit chilly you can still enjoy your outdoor living area with a good patio heater and extend the outdoor experience longer.

Nothing is more serene than a well maintained garden. It is even better if we created it, and nurtured it day after day. ENJOY THE OUTDOOR LIVING!

Like granite, soapstone is a quarried stone.  The majority of our architectural soapstone is quarried in Brazil.

Soapstone is a non-porous stone making it completely resistant to stains and bacteria. It is inert and will therefore withstand extreme temperature without harm to the stone makes it a perfect counter top for outdoor kitchens as well as indoor kitchen. There is no need to treat Soapstone with chemical sealants ever and you can use any cleaning product without fear of damaging your stone.

Soapstone is a very forgiving stone and requires minimal maintenance. Because it is softer than other stones, it will scratch. Light scratches are easily removed with a little mineral oil. Deeper scratches are also easily removed with a light sanding and a touch of mineral oil. Soapstone will not show finger prints!

Soapstone comes in shades of gray with various amounts of veining. If left alone, the stone will darken with age developing a natural patina. For those who prefer a consistent dark surface, mineral oil can be applied periodically to accelerate the darkening process.

Please stop by to see  our outdoor kitchen island with Soapstone countertop.

8 Things to Do Before Starting Your Kitchen renovation

1. Set a Time Frame

Undergoing a kitchen renovation will usually prevent you from being able to use the kitchen. Therefore, you need to determine a time frame for how long you think this project is going to take. You will have to make alternative arrangements for dinner and plan on living around a mess for a while.

2. Set a Budget.

One of the most important steps in this process is setting a budget. A kitchen renovation can become very expensive if you do not set a budget and stick with it. If you absolutely need to, you can alter the budget later. However, by setting an initial budget, you will be able to keep yourself from spending too much money on the project .

3. Research

You will need to spend some time looking at kitchen designs in order to choose the best one for your kitchen. There are many different possible ways that you could lay out your kitchen. Just because your kitchen is currently in a certain format does not necessarily mean that you will have to go back with the same format. Look at several kitchen designs and spend some time thinking about which one would best serve your needs.

4. Find a Designer

It is also a good idea to spend some time locating a quality kitchen designer. A good designer can take a lot of the pressure off of you and help you come up with a customized design on a budget for your kitchen

5. Choose a Design

Once you have looked at several kitchen designs, you will need to make a decision on one of them. Consult your spouse or anyone else that will play a role in making the decision. Narrow down your choices to 3 to 5 kitchen designs and then choose one out of that group.

6. Shop Around

After choosing a kitchen design, you will need to start shopping around for  appliances and accessories. Many times, by spending some extra time shopping at different stores, you can find great deals on the materials that you need.

7. Check Building Codes

Before undergoing any major kitchen renovation, you need to check with your local building codes to make sure that you are doing things by the book. The last thing that you want to do is go through renovation and then find out that your work was not up to code. This can be very costly and time-consuming.

8. Emotional Preparation

Before you go through a project as large as a kitchen renovation, you need to make sure that everyone is prepared emotionally. You need to sit down and discuss the project with the entire family. Typically, going through a kitchen renovation is going to cause a large mess in the kitchen as well as in the surrounding areas. Therefore, everyone in the family needs to be prepared for dealing with the process.

By using unusual combinations of common materials give character to any room.