The remainder of December will be focused on Courtney Walker, Castle Building & Remodeling’s Interior Designer.
Courtney is very busy with many projects, what are you currently working on?
“I have two Kitchens and two Bathrooms in design. In production I have two Attics, three Bathrooms, two Kitchens & one Basement”
What type of design projects are they?
“Right now the two Kitchens I have in design are very different. One of them is a pretty classic design with shaker cabinets and wood floors. The idea is to tie the Kitchen in with the rest of the 1920’s home. The other Kitchen is in a 1950’s home and the homeowners love the Mid-century Modern style. Right now the home doesn’t reflect its 1950’s style because of the 1980’s remodel that occurred, so we are going to remodel the Kitchen as well as open up some of the walls and update the flooring thought the main level to help bring this style back into the home. The Bathrooms I have in design are both in older homes in Saint Paul. One of them is a makeover where we will be replacing tile and updating the counter tops. The other we are gutting to the studs and moving some things around to allow for a bigger bathtub. In the attic’s I have in production we are finishing the unfinished spaces with a bedroom and one of them is also adding a bathroom. The three bathrooms I have in production design are actually all going with very classic designs that include subway tile and hexagon floor tile. Each one has its one has its own twist: one has a custom very small vanity & handmade tile, another has Carrara marble counter tops and a large custom vanity, and the last one has recycled glass tile and a double niche. Both of the Kitchens I have in production are total gut projects. They both have some very unique features: one of them has white cabinets on the top and dark grey on the bottom and the other has recycled glass counter tops that feature a white background with tempered glass aggregate (tempered glass has soft blue color to it from the glass strengthening process it has been through). Finally the Basement, it was an unfinished space that we are finishing along with the homeowner. When the space is finished it will have a Bedroom, Family room, Bathroom with heated floors, Laundry room and a Bar area.
What are your current favorite design trends? It has been around for a while, but I love the rectangular floor tile. Another trend that I have noticed is that polished chrome is coming back. I like the look of it; it’s very classic and goes with almost any design. It is also the most common & least expensive finish for plumbing fixtures, which always helps if you are trying to replace just one fixture in your bathroom. Polished chrome is the one metal finish you don’t have to worry about color variation”
Let’s Talk Color, what is your opinion Courtney?
“I think in general my thought on color is less is more. There is a lot of research into how color affects people, but there is also a lot of research in how a lack of color affects you. What I have gathered from it is some color is good and improves your mood, while too much color is overwhelming and can make you anxious. So I tend to go neutral with major pieces and pop color in certain places”.
Stay tuned for more tips and trends. Do you have a remodeling question? Need a designers input?
Email your questions to meagan@castlebri.com and she’ll post your answers next week!
