Last month, CityTV premiered the second season of My RONA Home. In case you missed season one, the premise of thew show is to take two families, give each of them a designer, a contractor, money from RONA for building materials and money from The Brick to furnish their spaces. Each team is given 30 hours to design, install and build, then Canada decides who has done the best job. In the end, the family that has the most votes gets to keep the house and everything in it.

Sounds straightforward, right? Well, not so much. I was asked to be the designer for the Blue Team this year and was in the thick of it. I had to leave my Gucci bag and fancy shoes at home, instead sport my team’s blue golf shirt and steel-toed boots. Not only did I help the family design their dream home but also put in hours of work into helping them construct it.

CityTV began airing the new season in April; this time it takes place in Hopewell Residential Communities’ stunning new lake community of Mahogany in the southeast, with homes by Sabal Homes.

The first three episodes of the season takes viewers through the process of installing the drywall, and designing the bedrooms, and bathrooms. I would never bore my readers with the fine points on drywall so let’s move right on to the bedrooms and bathrooms; rooms I put my heart and soul into the design and the Ausmus family loved (not without a little coaxing of course!).

Master Bedroom
A modern retreat for a fabulous young couple. Being a huge fan of wallpaper, I had to incorporate it for a wow element in the space. The gorgeous floral paper adds drama to the space and makes it inviting. The sheer white curtains bring softness but still let in natural light. The space is large and filled with natural light so we could get away with buying darker, over-scaled furniture. These pieces feel grand and make the space feel opulent and high end. To keep the room from going overboard we opted for simple bedding and luxe table lamps.

Allie’s Bedroom
The perfect little girl’s room is one that will grow with her. The pink colour keeps things pretty and feminine but we’ve toned it down with an injection of warm neutrals in the drapes and bedding. We created a do-it-yourself art installation with ceiling medallions and introduced pattern into the space with a custom upholstered headboard. The white furniture contrasted the colour palette and added a sense of whimsy to the room. The whole thing is finished off with a chandelier, adding the sparkle that every little girl loves.  

Jacob’s Bedroom
Normally I wouldn’t go pink for girls and blue for boys but we did Jacob’s little man retreat in deep blue with a white horizontal feature stripe painted on all four walls. The room is fresh and has a nautical feel. A lover of animals, we decided to have his dad draw three cartoon animals and put them in simple frames for a personal touch. We chose to have only one side table, as this accommodated for a larger bed and a dresser for storage. The look was kept simple and without an obvious theme so that the room will grow with Jacob’s interests.  

Main Bath
Like with most residential bathrooms, people want to create a feeling of calm. To start, we used a modern grey and accented it with white. The custom vanities ate up a healthy portion of the budget so the rest of the ‘loo’ had to be done a little more thoughtfully. We chose a simple grey 12-inch-by-24-inch tile for the floor and a smaller rectangular stacked tile for the tub surround to keep the look simple and clean. A sleek laminate counter top was used with a white rounded over mount sink to break up the angular lines used in the space. 

Ensuite Bath
We wanted to create a luxury spa experience in the ensuite. Following the same colour scheme from the master bedroom so that the spaces would relate. The shower’s feature wall was done with a tranquil mix of glass and marble tiles in the light blues and greens, and then repeated in the tub surround. A custom white vanity contrasted with the grey laminate counter top and 12x24 tile grounded the space. The inclusion of a large mirror above the bathtub visually expands the space and the accessories keep the space modern and fresh.

Next month, I will showcase the rest of the home but in the meantime be sure to check out My RONA Home on CityTV, Sundays at 10 p.m. And VOTE BLUE!

Alykhan Velji 
Having a successful design career for the last several years, Alykhan Velji has definitely made a name for himself on the Alberta design scene. Coming in as one of the top three finalists for HGTV’s Designer Superstar Challenge in 2006 and then landing a role as a Stylist/Design Assistant on The Style Dept. also was a great boost to his career.

As well as having his own design business, Alykhan Velji Design, Alykhan has been featured in many local and national publications, offering his expertise on design and trends. Finding inspiration in his travels and keeping abreast with the design industry’s new and innovative trends ensures his design esthetic is always fresh, all the while remaining original and timeless. In its fourth year as a design firm, Alykhan Velji Design specializes in both residential and commercial projects. www.alyveljidesigns.com