Interior designers and interior decorators will often tell you that they've had an eye for design for most of their life. I certainly feel that way, and I've had a passion for decorating and design for as long as I can remember.
After many years of designing as a hobby and sideline, I started to envision it as a profession and decided to get some formal training.
I went to Edmonton, for education to become a kitchen designer. There I learned how to measure and design layouts for cabinets using different cad programs. I became familiar with the different styles of cabinets and how they’re made. Classes included tours of the woodworking shops, extensive knowledge on different species of wood, and the features and benefits of the different species.
I designed kitchens and baths for over five years for clients and builders. I continued taking numerous accredited interior design/decorating courses, which included education on colour, lighting, scale and different design styles, including traditional, modern and contemporary.
I couldn’t spend as much time as I would like helping clients with their questions regarding colours, paint, flooring, lighting and all the other decisions one has to consider when doing a new house or a reno. That’s when I opened up the business part time and continued working fulltime as a kitchen designer.
Since then I have been able to take FunKtional Space full time and help thousands of clients with many different decisions. Always with the philosophy that everyone’s space is unique, personal and should be both attractive and functional, because at the end of the day, “I’m not the one that gets to live there, so I want it to reflect you and those who share your home.”
A couple of other philosophies I try to design with are “you’re only limited by imagination and budget” and “try to make the most of what you have” I like to decorate with what you already have, as it helps keep the cost down, is more personal and with a few new choices, like paint, flooring, window treatments, pillows and /or a brand new piece of furniture it feels like a new space.
My husband David, our son Mason and I have been ripping out walls, dry walling and painting. We have redone the lighting, flooring, basement and of course a new kitchen! I’m telling you this, not just so you know what I’ve been up to, but so you know that I’ve been there and know what it’s like to renovate and make all those decisions.
I believe there is no time like the present with the boom in our great city to improve on our home’s function and increase our house pride.
Sincerely,
Chantelle
