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Normandy Designer Leslie (Marzec) Lee has been on cloud nine the past couple weeks after receiving regional and national awards for the two projects she submitted to the 2013 Chrysalis Awards. To make things even better, she was featured in this week’s issue of The Hinsdalean.
Modern bathrooms are all about clean, sleek lines. One of the trends falling into that category are curbless showers, because they can be designed to make the floor look continuous throughout the bathroom. “This type of shower falls perfectly into the “modern” category,” says Normandy Designer Kathryn O’Donovan. “One of the newer appeals to this shower is incorporating linear drains, which effectively drains the water and reinforces the clean lines you’ll find in the rest of the space.” Another pro is that because the shower is curbless, there’s zero tripping hazard; this benefit makes the shower fit for a universal design aspect as well.
Things to consider for a curbless shower are that ideally the entire bathroom has to be pitched, or just the shower if it’s big enough, to adequately drain the water. It’s also important to still incorporate a screen or curtain to prevent water from getting all over the rest of the bathroom. If you’re foregoing the screen or curtain, make sure the surrounding materials are all waterpoof or you’re going to run into trouble quickly.
Often times homeowners are surprised what a difference adding a front porch to their home can make. “It can really take a house from looking like everyone else’s on the block to looking like a custom home,” says Normandy Designer Stephanie Bryant. Front porches are an ideal way to add architectural detail to a home’s exterior and really boost its overall curb appeal.
“First you need to determine what you want out of the porch and that will determine its size; start thinking if you want it for seating, entertaining or strictly curb appeal,” commented Stephanie. From there, you can start working on the style of the porch. “It’s always good to 
go with a style that not only complements your home, but contributes to your home’s existing style,” says Stephanie. “For example, a Victorian style home would have a porch that’s more detailed, possibly with wrought iron in the mix. A Craftsmen style home would work well with flared columns and stone.”
Before jumping into a front porch addition, make sure you aren’t violating any village codes, such as front yard set backs. It’s also key in a successful porch addition, as with any home addition, to be mindful of the existing rooflines, you’ll want the porch to complement those lines.
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f you’d like Stephanie to work with you on boosting your home’s curb appeal, schedule a complimentary, in-home consultation with her today.
We are excited to announce a fantastic achievement for one of the Normandy Designers; Leslie (Marzec) Lee recently entered two of her projects into the Chrysalis Awards, and both of them won! Better yet, one was a regional winner and the other brought in a national title. “Normandy Remodeling has been recognized for years on a national level through awards and publications, but for me to be recognized individually is a true honor,” says Leslie. “Both of the homeowners for these projects 
were fantastic to work with, and really let my creative intuition play a big role in the projects.” The entries were judged on overall design, the creative use of space and materials, and the degree to which the project enhanced the original structure.
Leslie completed an entire interior renovation of one home that won the regional award; she was able to tailor the space to incorporate not only the homeowners’ style, but also bits and pieces that the husband had made in his woodworking shop or that the couple had collected while traveling. ”The home has a rustic feel to it, and it 
was important to the homeowners to work off that,” commented Leslie. “I incorporated a beautiful terra cotta tile backsplash tile with unique metal glaze to add a soothing aesthetic and complement the rustic style. In the powder room, the soothing color palette continued, while utilizing an asymmetric design to create interest in a simple space.
The national award-winning project was a stunning porch addition where Lee was able to effectively increase the porch’s usability by incorporating infrared heaters. She also tied in a variety of materials and styles to make the porch an extension of the home’s interior, rather than an unrelated outdoor space.
If you’d like Leslie to help transform your home, schedule a complimentary, in-home consultation with her today.
Geberit offers a “tankless” toilet, where the tank is actually behind the wall as shown in the picture to the left. “The advantage of this type of toilet is that it takes up less space in your bathroom because there’s no tank protruding into the room. It’s also easier to clean because you don’t have to work around anything on the floor,” says Normandy Designer Laura Barber. “It also has the ability to be hung at custom heights to better accommdate someone very tall or short. Another benefit is that most of the Geberit toilets incorporate dual flushing technology, making them more water efficient.” 
Access to the tank can be found by easily removing the metal control plate, then you’ll find the tank right behind the wall.
“I would recommend this type of toilet for a more contemporary style bathroom,” commented Laura. “It has a sleek, clean design that doesn’t fit as well in a traditional bathroom as well as a more ornate, detailed toilet style.
When remodeling any room, it’s usually recommended to stay aligned with the home’s original architectural style for the best results. “The problem that people run into with that theory, is when they want to incorporate newer products and materials into a project it can be difficult to keep the project looking like it belongs in the home,” says Normandy Designer Vince Weber. “In this bathroom, for example, the homeowners wanted high end fixtures and materials to give the space a spa-like aesthetic, but didn’t want it to stand out as a different style from the rest of the traditional style home. So as I started, I made sure to pull color palettes and layouts that would complement the rest of the home, but also had a soothing effect from the moment you walked in.”
“Another element to consider in any bathroom remodeling project is how to incorporate attractive storage,” commented Vince. “In this bathroom we included a shower niche that you can’t really see until you’re in the shower, as well as a cabinetry tower with mullions to give the space a more traditional feel.”
The homeowners were thrilled with their new master bathroom, and industry peers agree that Vince did a fantastic job accenting the home’s style, while achieving a spa-like atmosphere that’s as calming as it is functional. The bathroom received a Remodeling Excellence Award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, Chicagoland.
If you’d like Vince to apply his design expertise to your home, schedule a complimentary, in-home appointment with him today!
In 2000, the organization Designs4Dignity was founded to aid community and non-profit organizations across Midwest in providing a better enviroment for their programs. This involves everything from the donated time of design and architect professionals, to the donated products and materials from vendors and manufacturers.
Each year they hold a Spirit of Design Celebration to celebrate a year’s worth of renovations, donations and the people that were able to benefit from Designs4Dignity. We were so excited to be able to send a few of our own to support such a good cause and had to share a few of pictures they came back with. One of the highlights of their evening: meeting Mariel Hemingway!
In a home that already has a distinct style, it’s best to work with that style instead of making updates that look like they don’t belong. “This Spanish style home in Winnetka was a beautiful foundation but, as with all things, needed some restoring after time had taken a toll,” says Normandy Designer Vince Weber. “I loved that the homeowners were adamant about staying true to the home’s style, because it made the project so unique and interesting.” It’s best to become as familiar with the style as possible, so you can make 
appropriate updates that complement the existing features and meet your needs. “For this home renovation, the homeowners wanted the original, wearing stucco replaced with a yellow stucco,” says Vince, “From a design standpoint, it was a perfect idea to complement the home’s unique style.”
“Once the exterior was wrapping up, we moved to the kitchen, which needed a complete update,” commented Vince. “The homeowners wanted an open layout, which 
is a huge kitchen trend right now.” A light, fresh scheme was created for the kitchen, including a stucco hood to complement not only the home’s history, but also tie in the stucco exterior of the house. “After finishing the kitchen, powder room and other miscellaneous updates, we focused on the second floor to update the master bedroom and bath,” says Vince. “The whole house now functions to meet the homeowners’ daily needs, but still boasts the rich heritage of the home, which was the overall goal.”
Industry peers admire Vince’s ability to restore this Spanish home with a functional layout that incorporates beautiful colors and materials reflective of its roots. The home received a Remodeling Excellence Award from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, Chicagoland.
Juliet balconies are a great way to reap some of the benefits of a balcony with a more economic budget in mind. They increase your home’s curb appeal because they add more architectural interest to what otherwise might be an exterior that looks like every other home on the block. “Often times juliet balconies are incorporated into a home to reinforce an architectural style,” says Normandy Designer Manager Troy Pavelka. “They allow more natural light and fresh air into a room, which is half the reason homeowners want balconies to begin with. While juliet balconies aren’t functional like a normal balcony, there’s lot of parts of the country where people aren’t able to enjoy the functional aspect year round; combine that with 
the cost saving opportunity and that’s when people opt for a juliet balcony.”
“Something to consider with juliet balconies, is that you don’t want to put them over another room, such as a garage, because it creates a big opportunity for leaking and similar malfunctions to the roof,” commented Troy. For other ideas to increase your home’s curb appeal, take a look at other home exterior photos.
Although vintage decor may not be for everyone, it’s still a style that most people love to admire, even if it’s not something they would personally use. This Normandy bathroom was recently featured in Beautiful Kitchens & Baths (a Better Homes & Gardens publication), in addition to several other publications since its creation in 2009.
What’s the major appeal to this bathroom? It automatically sets a strong theme for the entire space. Everything from the jeweled chandeliers to the console sinks lets visitors know that this is an elegant, vintage bathroom. One problem that homeowners tend to run into when decorating their bathroom is incorporating too many themes, giving the space a 
cluttered or confused look instead of a smooth, defined aesthetic. This bathroom nails the details of a vintage style without going overboard, and that is why it’s such a big favorite.
For more pictures of this bathroom and details, read the full blog.