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June 28, 2013

Happy Canada Day from Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre






































The team at Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Canada Day long weekend.

We proudly support our country and do our best to buy Canadian whenever possible. In fact, all the cabinetry manufacturers Monarch uses are Canadian companies. If you’re planning a renovation in the coming months, we hope you consider buying Canadian, too.

Our showroom hours over the Canada Day long weekend are as follows:

Saturday, June 29 – 9am to 5pm
Sunday, June 30 – Closed
Monday, July 1st – Closed
Tuesday, July 2nd – regular business hours resume

Feel free to drop by -- our designers would be happy to discuss your upcoming renovation plans and answer any questions you may have. 

June 25, 2013

Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre Uses Schluter-Ditra for Beautiful Floors that Last

Seeing your ceramic or stone floor installed in your new kitchen or bath design is an exciting part of the renovation process. Flooring often puts the finishing touch on a room’s design and ties in all of the design elements you’ve spent months choosing with care.

Proper installation is key to keeping your floor beautiful and protecting the integrity of the tile assembly. At Monarch, we use Schluter-DITRA.
From Schluter.com: 
Ceramic and stone tiles are durable, easy to maintain, and hygienic, representing the ideal surface coverings. However, today's lightweight construction methods can make the installation of hard surface coverings particularly challenging. In order to protect the integrity of the tile assembly, an underlayment that performs multiple functions is required. 
Schluter-DITRA is a polyethylene membrane with a grid structure of square cavities, each cut back in a dovetail configuration, and an anchoring fleece laminated to its underside. Schluter-DITRA is bonded to the substrate using thin-set mortar. The anchoring fleece on the underside of Schluter-DITRA is fully engaged in the mortar to provide a mechanical bond to the substrate. Tile is installed over Schluter-DITRA using the thin-bed method in such a way that the mortar becomes mechanically anchored in the square, cutback cavities of the Schluter-DITRA matting.  
Designed specifically for ceramic tile and dimension stone installations, Schluter-DITRA serves as an uncoupling layer, waterproofing membrane, and vapor management layer that accommodates moisture from beneath the tile covering. Further, DITRA performs all these functions while still providing adequate support/load distribution for the tile covering.

“Monarch uses Schluter-DITRA when tiling because it ensures that the tile will stand the test of time and look spectacular for many years to come,” says Monarch president Neil Samson.

June 19, 2013

Choosing the Drawer Style that Fits Your New Kitchen Design and Your Budget

Kitchen design by Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre
If a new kitchen design is in your future, you’re probably balancing a desire to have a beautiful kitchen with your basic need to have a more functional workspace.

This is where your choice of kitchen cabinetry comes in. Sure, you want your cabinetry to look great on the outside, but don’t underestimate the importance of making the time you spend in your kitchen more convenient.

Today, an increasing number of homeowners are choosing to include more drawers in their kitchen cabinetry design. Stronger glide technology has allowed manufacturers to create bigger drawers that can handle heavier items like pots, pans, dishware, large serving dishes and chopping blocks. With drawers, items are in full view and no longer become lost at the back of the cupboard!

Like most design elements, there are a variety of styles and sizes to choose from. “When you are looking at what type of drawer to get in your kitchen, generally budget does come into play. If you’re on a tight budget, then a drawer without the slow close features, and without full extension is what you might consider,” says Monarch designer Amanda Willson-Suppa. “If you’ve got some room in your budget, drawers that provide full extension and slow-close technology are preferred.”

Double-wall steel drawers have the slow close and full extension glides on them, but the bottom of the drawer is melamine to match the interior of your kitchen. “The wood dovetail drawers are generally made out of birch, but can have an extra style feature of being constructed out of walnut,” says Amanda. “These drawers are more traditional, and often we find that people chose the wood dovetail when they are constructing a more transitional or traditional kitchen.”

Dovetail Drawers by Cuisines Laurier
These traditional wooden dovetail drawers are assembled by hand; one by one; to make sure that every joint is perfect. Dovetail drawers are made of birch wood and mounted on premium quality soft closing full extension slides.

Tandembox Drawers by Cuisines Laurier
These contemporary drawers are available in gray aluminum or stainless steel. Light and strong, Tamdembox drawers are a modern alternative to the traditional dovetail drawers. The drawers are mounted on premium quality soft closing full extension slides. Gallery, double gallery and double walled sides options are available. 

To get a closer look at the cabinetry and drawer options available, drop by
Monarch’s showroom today.

June 13, 2013

Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre Staff Proudly Support Kevin & Wendy Samson and the 2013 Gutsy Walk


On Sunday, June 9th, thousands of Canadians at close to 60 locations across Canada walked together to raise money to find a cure for inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis).

CCFC-funded IBD research has confirmed what we have suspected for years – Canada has one of the highest rates for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in the world and those rates are increasing. In fact, one in 150 Canadians is living with IBD. The Gutsy Walk is a great way to spread awareness of IBD and raise much-needed funds to support essential research. ~ GutsyWalk.ca
Among those participating were Monarch designer Kevin Samson and his wife Wendy. "Many thanks to my co-workers who, as a group, raised $700," says Kevin. The annual event is sponsored by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada. "Wendy and I raised $2,580 and our group, Team Sinai, raised over $75,000."

Monarch Kitchen and Bath Centre is proud to donate to this worthy cause. For more information on how you can donate or volunteer your time, visit www.gutsywalk.ca.

June 9, 2013

Let the Timeless Elegance of GROHE's Grandera Collection Welcome You Home



Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre designer Melissa Foley discovered the beauty and versatility of GROHE’s new Grandera™ collection while helping a homeowner put the finishing touches on a recent bath design.

The GROHE Grandera™ collection is both a homage to an age of grandeur long past and an affirmation of a modern sensibility, combining the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship with a love of detail and comfort. 
Stylistically, the Grandera™ collection can be combined with a wide range of bathroom furnishings, with the added flexibility of two colours – chrome and chrome/gold. Thanks to GROHE StarLight® technology, not only will the fittings retain their shine in the long term but they are also extremely resistant to dirt and scratches. 
The GROHE Grandera™ collection stands for perfection, right down to the smallest detail. And that is why the entire range, from the head shower to the thermostat and from the washbasin fitting to the soap dispenser, is perfectly coordinated. 
The GROHE Grandera™ collection provides a wide range of distinctive products for designing your home spa so that you can tailor each individual zone in your bathroom to your exact wishes and requirements. High-quality workmanship and exceptional craftsmanship, reflected also in the many decorative elements, create clean and precise shapes 
The impressively broad range is complemented by numerous accessories in white porcelain, each one perfectly coordinated with the design. It‘s the ideal way to create stylish accents in the bathroom.

Are you considering a bath renovation this summer? Drop by the Monarch Kitchen & Bath Centre showroom for design inspiration. While you’re there, speak with a member of our design team – we’d be happy to help.

June 3, 2013

Purging is the First Step to a Streamlined Kitchen

Recently, an article on theglobeandmail.com caught the attention of our kitchen designers. In 5 ways to streamline your kitchen, writer Dave McGinn offers some practical advice on how to make your kitchen more functional without sacrificing style.

While homeowners often remodel their kitchens to improve the overall look of the space, increasing a kitchen’s functionality can be just as rewarding.

McGinn suggests purging the items you don’t use very often and removing them from the countertop or kitchen cupboard so you can make room for the items you do use every day.

“Even before renovating my own kitchen, the ‘great purge’ began,” says Monarch designer Marion Cuddie. “It amazed me how much space was freed up simply by discarding or storing items that were
not used on a regular basis.”

Look to all areas of the kitchen when purging. This includes stripping magnets, to-do lists, school calendars and pictures off your fridge door. Instead, try setting up a separate area for your messaging. A cluttered fridge door makes the space look untidy.

Once you’re done purging, consider how you can organize the space better. If you’re tearing down your existing kitchen, your kitchen designer will help you plan your “work triangle.” The work triangle operates on the theory that the majority of the work we do in a kitchen takes place between the stove/cook top, sink and refrigerator. The imaginary lines between these three points make up the work triangle. A carefully designed, efficient kitchen plan will ensure these three elements are close (but not too close) to each other.

Finally, the key to working – and enjoying – your new kitchen design is finding the tools you need quickly and with little effort. McGinn points to the Pinterest-trending use of pegboards in kitchens for smaller items like measuring cups and commonly used tools such as scrapers, ladles and spatulas. For bigger items like mixing bowls, pots, storage containers and food, large pull-out drawers ensure nothing gets forgotten at the back of the cupboard.


“Whether you are planning to renovate or not, these tips are useful and a great starting point to getting a kitchen that works for you,” says Marion.