Taps Toronto - Custom Showroom Fireplace

Anyone who's ever considered designing, renovating, or upgrading a kitchen, washroom or powder room - and lives in the Toronto (Ontario) area - has surely visited Taps on Lawrence Avenue West for their design decisions and purchases. This stunning two-sided feature wall in their main showroom and window adds a high-end warmth and sophistication, making it easier for designers and homeowners to visualize transforming their own unique spaces. Rick worked with the owners to design and erect this cultured stone showstopper. Take a look at the following photos, and prepare to be inspired! Better yet, head to Taps to have your own in person 'look and feel' of the wall - I'll be happy to help you customize a similar look in your home!

Sneak Peek - Cultured Stone in Kitchen, Powder Room of a Century Home

Here's a sneak peek at a huge renovation currently in progress. This century home located in Barrie is being updated with a modern kitchen, complete with a feature wall in cultured stone, as well as a powder room off the kitchen with a cultured stone wainscoting design. When the renovation is completed, I'll post another set of pictures - I'm told this home renovation will also be featured in a magazine and the complete story will appear once completed and published. Stay tuned.....

Cultured Stone feature wall in kitchen

Another view of the kitchen feature wall

Cultured stone wainscoting in the main-floor powder room

Finally, a view of the cultured stone work in the kitchen and powder room. Photos of the finished project coming soon.

Another beautiful cultured stone exterior

Are you trying to sell your home? Or maybe you're just wanting to add some curb appeal? A cultured stone exterior is a great way to give your home a memorable first impression.

Check out this beautiful home. My clients wanted their house to stand out, so I added just enough cultured stone to highlight the architectural details of the home.

Added Elegance with a Double Sided Fireplace

Do you have a large open concept room in your home? Consider adding a double sided fireplace. Not only will it effectively heat a large room, these fireplaces can add definition to the space. One side can be the living area and the other side could be for dining or even an office space. Double sided fireplaces can also be installed in existing walls. Contact me for a quote!

Here is an example of a double sided fireplace I did in Muskoka.

Side One:



Side Two:

Cultured Stone for your Commercial Building

I transformed this existing commercial building - facing Hwy 400 in Barrie -  with a cultured stone facelift. Previously, the building had an unwelcoming cement block exterior and little, if any, curb appeal. Now, it is welcoming and attractive for customers and clients.

Cultured stone can be used to improve the esthetic of your business or storefront and requires little to no prep work. It is durable and can withstand the elements (even Ontario winters).

Email me a photo of your business or home and I can give you a free quote and design ideas: rwminnings [at] sympatico . ca

Another fireplace feature in Our Homes magazine

The above fireplace I did in Midhurst was featured in the Spring 2011 issue of Our Homes (Barrie Orillia). Click here to download the full issue for free.

I blogged this fireplace back in January. You can see that since then the fireplace has become the central focus of this beautifully designed living room. All of my fireplaces are custom designed to go with the decor of the room and the tastes of the homeowners - cultured stone comes in many different colours and shapes allowing for complete customization. Also, this cultured stone fireplace adds a lot of warmth to the large room - which I'm sure my clients will appreciate in the winter months!

Contact me for a free estimate. A fireplace can be added to any room, all that is needed is an outlet! It is a quick and inexpensive way to boost the value and "livability" of your home.

Creating a Feature Wall in Your Home

Cultured stone is not just for exteriors or fireplaces. Make your house unique by adding a cultured stone feature wall. A feature wall can anchor any room and add a professionally designed feel. This technique can be installed in any room, and looks great in bathrooms, bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. In the above photos, the cultured stone wall put the finishing touch on my client's billiard room. The possibilities are endless!

Cultured stone can be installed over any type of wall with very little prep work. Cultured stone is non-load bearing - nothing structural needs to be added or changed to install a beautiful cultured stone wall! Contact me for a free quote.

Our own project - Built in flat screen tv and cultured stone fireplace

We love our home, especially the main floor - but, we found that we weren't spending as much time as we liked in our living room. The reason? Our television and fireplace were in the family room on the lower level (basement). We decided that we wanted to bring our tv and fireplace upstairs, and chose to transform an interior wall in our living room. No tearing down of walls! No costly chimney's required! No venting! No damage or changes needed to our existing hardwood floors! Read on to find out how we did it...and how you can add luxury to any wall or room in your home too!

What you will notice from this picture is that we decided to add the feature wall to an interior wall in our house. This is possible because the fireplace we chose is an electric model - complete with 3 heat settings, 3 flame settings, a fan to throw the heat into the room, and (always a bonus) remote control! This unit simply plugs into a regular outlet. Plug in. Instant ambiance! The new technology out there makes it hard to distinguish between a gas fireplace and an electric fireplace.

Before photo:



During construction photo:



The final product:

Refacing brick fireplaces with CULTURED STONE

BEFORE and AFTER



Many fireplaces in homes that were built in the past decades are brick. Getting rid of your dated brick fireplace (and I don't mean painting it!)  is not a difficult upgrade - regardless of whether your fireplace is wood-burning, gas, or electric....refresh your room and add comfort and value to your home with CULTURED STONE.

For this project, the main priorities of the homeowner was to cover up a large brick wall in a main floor family room - that is open to the kitchen - with a similar stone that they loved in their previous home in Quebec.

I met with the homeowner and explained how we could achieve her vision. I accompanied her on visits to a number of stone manufacturers, where she could see first-hand - on full size display panels - over 30+ cultured stone styles and colours available.

There was no 'tear down' involved - the old brick fireplace is still behind the stone - which keeps the price much lower!

Creating Curb Appeal

Combining Cultured Stone and Stucco gives great high end curb appeal


Whether you are planning a new build, or a face lift to your existing home or office consider using CULTURED STONE.

For those who have a home with brick exterior, consider adding cultured stone to give it an updated look with a huge curb appeal without structural worries - i.e. no extra cost or need to tear down your old brick, or install footings - in most instances, cultured stone is applied directly to the face of the brick!

For those who have a home with siding exterior, the installation is still relatively simple. Old siding comes down, and very little prep work is required to begin refacing with cultured stone.

For this project I installed cultured stone to the exterior of this home - using a style and colour pallette that is warm, inviting and provides fabulous curb appeal.

Feature Fireplace in Our Homes Magazine

These are some images from a fireplace that I did which was featured in the Spring 2009 issue of Our Homes magazine. To see a full online version of the issue click here (starts on page 37).

This fireplace is approximately 18 feet high and 8 feet wide. It provides a nice focal point for the great room, and is visible from the entry point and the kitchen. The homeowner also decided on a small cultured-stone wall which provided a nice transition between rooms.

 

Contact me for pricing and availability:
(705) 726 9506
rwminnings[at]gmail.ca

Custom fireplace with "Country Ledge Stone"

This fireplace was perfect to add some warmth to a large, bright room. The Country Ledge stone blends traditional colours with a few modern toned pieces. This colour palate is perfect for any decor. The wooden mantle was also custom made. Cultured stone fireplaces always allow for easy TV mounting. A gas or electric fireplace will be a welcome addition to any Canadian living room, and they are easy to install. 

Custom fireplace with Muskoka Granite Stone

This 2009 project was designed by the homeowners to suit the great room in their custom-built country estate. The fireplace became the showpiece of the main level of the home, and the design of it complements the beautiful rustic scenery outdoors. The homeowner had specific tastes and decided on a different cut of stone below the mantle. Think outside the box when choosing your mantle - an unfinished piece of oak from their property was the finishing touch for this couple's dream fireplace.