Bathroom brilliance

Bathrooms take centre stage in this issue, as we look into all its facets from design, to shopping for fixtures and ways to save water in this most-used utility in the household.

Our Design and Décor expert, Alykhan Velji, dispenses some brilliant tips how to make today’s bathroom a sparkling, luxurious retreat and and give it a relaxing spa-like ambiance. My shopping article gives readers useful information on what bathroom fixtures are available out there. While resident environmental expert, L. Sara Bysterveld, tells us ways to help save the earth one drop of water at a time.

Our show home tour this month takes us all the way from Calgary’s southern end in McKenzie Towne and New Brighton to see Homes by Avi’s amazing array of rear-drive and front-drive homes in our cover feature; to the northern part of the city in Evanston to take a peek in what may be the next level of success for Broadview Homes (you’ll understand my choice of words when you read the story on page 24). And we go all the way east to The Ranch in Strathmore to sample what life at Lifestyle Homes’ The Traviston can be like — small town charm at its finest, indeed.

We also check out the wonderful new lifestyle communities that have sprung up in and around Calgary, particularly the southeast beauties — Mahogany and Auburn Bay. We ask the question: What makes a real lifestyle community?  The answer may surprise you. We also have some fun checking out bar stools in our Focus On photo feature by Don Molyneaux, and our Gadgets page features — you guessed it — gadgets to create your own spa bath.

So despite the seemingly wet summer we’re having, there really is no excuse not to go outside and enjoy every bit of it. If not, well, you can always try your hand fixing up the bathroom with the numerous tips offered here as your guide.