What does your dream home look like? I imagine that for many of us that’s a fairly easy question to answer. For Joe McLaughlin and his fiancé Jen, their dream home, the one that they carefully built to begin their lives together, is less of a dream and more of a reality.
Purchasing the lot in February 2020, a chance opening in a prime location after two months of looking, their almost complete home now exists in Mildmay, and they couldn’t be happier. Homey and spacious, they consider it to be better than anything they had previously dreamed of.
With a lot of connections through his work, Joe enlisted the help of several different contractors, drawing on their years of experience and expertise to make this project truly a team effort. Among this throng of tradesmen, Cover-Ups Flooring, located in Arthur & Fergus, took the reigns when it came to, well, the tiling and the flooring for the majority of the house.
While the blends of rich woods and clean white marble that weave through the home are a striking combination, we are going to concentrate on three rooms in particular: the kitchen and two bathrooms.
First up to bat is the kitchen, a stunning room made of crisp and bright porcelain tile in a white marble, with rich brown accents, that combine to create an airy, spacious area that understandably has become one of The McLaughlins’ favourite rooms. The true focal point of this space is the eye-catching backsplash of grey and white marble chevron. While this feature draws the eye, creating with the beautiful cabinets a sense of grandeur and elegance, it doesn’t overpower it, which is perfect for the classic look of the room.
In what is being called the “Children’s bathroom”, a touch of personality has been added by the splash of fun scalloped tiles in white and ocean green that surround the tub. This is one of the areas that Cover-Ups had to do some digging in order to come up with tiles that suited the image the McLaughlins’ had in mind.
With the modern world as it is, people often come to Cover-Ups armed with inspiration pieces already pulled out. However, sometimes it is not a product that they carry, resulting in their team working hard to find something local, practical and within their budget to stand in its place. With the subtle nod towards a playful sea creature being the theme in this room, it seems like their hard work paid off.
Finally, the ensuite, another favourite of the McLaughlins’, was one of the larger endeavours with a large steam shower, flooring and a unique backsplash for the vanity all of which required tile and flooring. In the shower, glossy light gray tiles are combined with a warm mixed pebble on the floor to create a soothing natural energy. The faux wood tile of the floor, stretching to the back wall for the tub bring a touch of warmth to the room, as well as tying in the themes seen in the rest of the house. Finally, as we’ve seen in the last two rooms a touch of personality has been added by the intricate yet modest floral pattern engraved into the tile choice for the backsplash. A subtle but powerful addition.
Thankfully, the McLaughlins started talking to Cover-Ups early, which is always recommended with a new build, so that specific adjustments that may be needed (such as flooring elevations necessary for a walk-in shower, or trim heights) can be communicated to the builders from the start. However, as anyone who has endeavoured a build or a renovation knows, nothing ever goes completely smoothly.
Although there were a few small surprises and changes made on site, with this creative build the biggest was probably the necessity of putting an extra board under all the main floor hardwood so that it would be flush with the kitchen tiles. Something that Cover-Ups is not unfamiliar with, as difference in flooring height can often happen. It is part of the reason they usually recommend carrying the same or similar flooring through most rooms in your house.
However, even with the small surprise adjustments, Joe and Jen have nothing but praise for the team at Cover-Ups flooring. They went above and beyond that which the McLaughlins had expected, putting in the extra time to take what they brought them and find similar products that would really carry their vision throughout their home, making it their dream home.
For anyone taking on a similar project, Joe had this to say: talk to as many people as you can, learn from their mistakes. It won’t stop you from making your own, but at least that way you know you’ll be making new ones. And when it comes to flooring, Cover-Ups seems like an excellent place to start!
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT
