Our clients were delighted to find their condo in downtown Calgary, located within walking distance to the Stampede Grounds and with a great view of the Rockies. As regular event goers at the grounds they planned to use this condo for both pre-event cocktails with friends, and as a crash pad afterwards.

The brief was to create a hotel-like space, upgrade some of the finishes and provide a complete escape from regular life. We had a fair bit of creative licence with this client (woo hoo!) but we also didn’t want to overspend on the renovation and price the condo too far above the current market. So, we had to be smart about the changes we did make.

This 550 square foot space had to work as well for two as it did for a crowd, we needed to have a workspace, dining space, seats for as many as possible, and as much flexibility as we could squeeze in.

Here is what we started with:

550 SQUARE FOOT CONDO | BEFORE

Dealing with renovations in condo buildings always brings it’s fair share of challenges, so to minimize this and quickly secure permission from the board to do the work we opted not to move or remove any walls. This also helped with the budget.

This is the floor plan we were working with.

The main issues we had with the space was how dark the kitchen was, being set so far back from the windows, and the rather lack lustre finishes in the space – just the standard builder grade options were present.

The solution | here’s what we did

• We replaced the tired looking carpet in the bedroom and living room with luxury vinyl plank in a rich finish to complement the kitchen cabinetry.

• Created a bump out wall in the living room to place the electric fireplace within along with the components for the TV above, creating a second focal point, other than the view to the mountains!

• The living room also gained a full size sofa, a custom console/desk, metal cocktail tables, ottomans sized perfectly to fit alongside or under the cocktail tables and three additional chairs that can be moved around the space in different configurations. We used a mix of fabrics in neutral tones but with lots of texture, also echoed in the gorgeous area rug that we felt was reminiscent of the mountain ranges seen through the windows.

• A fresh marble like backsplash was added to the kitchen and does wonders for brightening up the space. We also added a cornice to the top of the cabinets, and in our opinion, this addition really elevates these cabinets to a custom look. Two generous bar stools were added, either for dining for two or as a comfortable spot to work at.

• Stunning feature lights were added to the kitchen peninsula and bedroom to add some personality to the rooms.

• Continuing with the luxe feel we wallpapered all four walls of the small bedroom in a gorgeous navy grasscloth, finished off with stunning drapes and an upholstered queen bed. It’s amazing how luxurious it feels in comparison to what we started with.

• The bathroom also received a few upgrades with a new mirror, backsplash and lighting. The scene stealer has to be the custom mural depicting a map of Calgary, and a sweet ‘you are here’ marker – in case a guest forgets or something!

• Our clients had requested artwork symbolic of the area, so we delved into several local archives. We were fortunate enough to find interesting maps, cartoons and photographs from years gone by and had these reproduced and framed. We love the connection to the local area that these pieces bring to the condo.

• We didn’t forget the entry either, adding a small cabinet as as drop zone for keys and phones.

The AFTER

We are totally thrilled with the final outcome of this project, as are our clients. If you can believe it they recently hosted 12 people in this space, and everyone had a seat to sit on!

You can see more photos of this project on our portfolio page.

Thanks so much for stopping in!

 

After photos by Lindsay Nichols Photography

Renovation by I Know A Guy Renovations