The height of luxury is a healthy, happy home.

   

How does your home make you feel?

 

This might sound like a strange question, but there’s a proven, essential connection between our living spaces, state of mind, and quality of life.

The better-designed your home is for you, your life, and our inherent, human longing to connect with nature, the healthier and happier you’ll be. And the best part? You can see big changes with little shifts.

Let’s get your home working for you! Click here to schedule a free and relaxed 20-minute phone conversation with me and let’s talk about what’s possible. Looking forward to speaking with you!

– Michelle

   

The way we live has changed.

Over the past 30 years, we’ve spent more and more time at home, indoors, putting our living spaces on triple duty…….they’re not only where we live…… they may be where we work and sometimes where the kids go to school.  Our living spaces need to keep up with their ever-changing roles and responsibilities.  Many of them aren’t designed for it.

Bedside table

   

That’s where I come in.

Myself and my top-shelf team of experts love uniting design with wellness – wellness in the home and wellness where we work and play.  Working on biophilic principles – which is a fancy way of saying that our work feeds our innate human need to connect with nature and each other – we create spaces that feel just as amazing as they look.  

We meet you where you’re at, we’re non-judgemental, and we work with you to create a space that feels like a sanctuary and looks like a dream.

 — Biophilia —

a human tendency to interact or be closely associated with other forms of life in nature

I’m Michelle

and I’d love to help you feel happy and healthy in your home.

I’m a WELL-accredited designer and creator of environments that support mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. I believe in celebrating nature through biophilic design, and place an emphasis on designs that connect clients and homes to their natural environment. 

As an advocate for inclusivity, compassion, and staying up to date with the science of wellbeing, I’ve studied through the International Well Building Institute, Oliver Heath Design School, and the Rick Hansen Foundation.  

Born on the west coast, hardly a week went by when I didn’t dip my toes in the salty surf.  As a teenager I spent my high school years in Southern Ontario on Lake Simcoe, summers in Muskoka, and later, University on the shores of Ramsey Lake in Sudbury.  This led me to an innate desire to be near water, and at 18 years old I learned to row.  This became “my sport”, which then became my obsession, and I found myself rowing on City, Varsity, and Provincial teams for many years, until my early 30’s.  Being outside on the water for hours a day, year after year, fostered a need to feel connected to nature when I was indoors too.  These life experiences have impacted my contemplation and influenced my design ethos.   

Inspiration comes to me by way of clients, travel, continued education and global wellness initiatives.  My love for the natural world and a B.Sc. from the University of Calgary work together to inform my wellness-centered, biology-driven approach toward the benefits of remarkable interior design. 

How we can work together

Do you like the idea of improving the health of your home as well as the look?  Do you wonder if color or texture has an effect on behavior?  Are you intrigued by the principles of Biophilic Design?  Are you wondering how to improve the quality of your sleep?

Whether your focus is better lighting, nicer furniture, new floor plans, improved flow in your home, choosing environmentally friendly responsible products for your family, or all of the above, I’ll help you bring wellness to your home. 

Services

RESIDENTIAL DECOR AND FURNISHING SERVICE

Do you feel like your home decor doesn’t match your personality?  Can’t figure out your style?  I’ll carefully select furniture and decor that suits you and your home.   You’ll be presented with a design plan that includes everything needed to make the magic happen: paint colors, custom upholstered furniture, ready-made sofas and occasional chairs, tables, art, wallpaper, rugs, window coverings, linens, storage solutions, and more.

This service is ideal for a single room or a whole home.  Full Service Design available.

RESIDENTIAL REMODELS AND RENOVATIONS

The best homes are the high performers – the ones that fulfill all your functional needs and meet your aesthetic style. We love tearing out old bathtubs and ugly kitchens, giving new life to home offices, bedrooms and playrooms, living rooms, and more.

If a complete remodel isn’t your thing, we can help you give your room a subtle facelift.

For remodels and renovations, we partner up with top-shelf contractors and skilled tradespeople to give you a team that can tackle whatever you’re envisioning.  From providing architectural drawings to floor plans to material selections and project management, we’ll see your project through to a beautiful finished product.

EARLY CHILDHOOD FACILITIES & MONTESSORI CENTERS

“…the design of a center can either promote or discourage contact between child and caregiver. It can create a pleasant work environment that eases the task of caregiving and makes caregivers want to stay on, or it can add to staff burdens, burnout, and turnover.” Quoted from Anita Olds

Whether you’re constructing a brand new child care center or renovating your existing site, I’ll bring my human-centered, biophilic approach and aesthetic to the design.

Happy, healthy spaces that are inspired by nature with natural light, soothing color schemes, and clean, dust-free air can greatly increase a child’s sense of wellbeing, and improve their capacity to take in and learn from new experiences.  Think simple and uncluttered, natural light and warm materials, close connections between indoor and outdoor environments, and common-use spaces for communal learning and reflection.

Classrooms are purposely structured to invite interest and encourage young learners to explore and engage in learning. The result is a natural, beautiful, and inviting learning space, ready for all activities the day holds.

DESIGN for ASD and DISABILITIES - RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL

Design for autism-friendly & barrier-free environments at home or away, click here.

Portfolio

 A SNIPPET OF OUR

PROJECTS

Modern Mountain Custom Home

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Sundance Home Renovation

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Altadore Infill

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How I’ve helped my clients

Testimonials

What did I appreciate most about working with Michelle?

 

Number one: her remarkable patience! We have started and stopped our project too many times to count. Michelle keeps saying this is our family’s project and therefore our timeline.

Number two: her incredible vision. I don’t have much talent in this department. My husband and I talked a little bit about colors, style, etc. We had a loose vision about our end product that I was only lukewarm on. During our first visit, Michelle walked through our house asking me what I liked and didn’t like in our house, looked at colours, styles, etc. that we currently have. Then she went to work and sent me a series of vision boards. Wow! Quite a bit different from our original not-so-inspired vision and much much much better. We LOVE it. She heard us when we said we wanted storage and seating, but a warm, inviting, uncluttered, updated environment as well. Thanks Michelle.

Number three: Michelle’s attention to budget. Like many folks (I suspect), budget was top of mind for us. Michelle was able to source really beautiful products for us at a reasonable price. We really appreciated her awareness of our budget constraints.

― Marla H.

Now that we've been in our house for eight months...

…we can really appreciate how well it was designed to meet our needs. There is everything we need, and nothing we don’t need.  It’s great! 

In particular, the double vanities in the bathrooms are fantastic in the mornings when kids are brushing their teeth to get off to school.  So many fewer fights!  We finally got the backyard sorted out and put in sod on the labour day weekend, so have been able to fully appreciate the mudroom too.  That extra space just makes it so much easier when the kids are coming and going!  And the kitchen is simply a joy to use and to be in.  Thanks for all of your work and insights! It really made our home just the way we wanted it.  

– Jennifer S.

Michelle came recommended by my realtor after working with her on some projects. Michelle then came for a consultation and she was able to understand my desired style very quickly. I most appreciated that she was able to find items at multiple different retailers to fit my space and style and form a cohesive vision.

–  Ryan B.

Working with Michelle on the building process of our new, energy-efficient house was a great experience as she has a fabulous personality, listened to my ideas, and was quickly available if there were any problems.

– Marion H.

After we wrapped up the build of our new custom home, we knew that our next task was to furnish and decorate our family home, and that came with dozens of decisions.   Michelle worked with our vision and presented beautifully curated ideas .  With Michelle’s guidance we were able to get the look and feel we wanted in each space.   Now we have a home filled with furniture and decor that feels like what we hoped it would.  Her patience, commitment, and eye for style and function were a lifesaver in our post-build state of overwhelm.   She’s a Well Certified designer, which meant a lot to us because we were focused on wellness and a healthy home interior.  We have and will continue to recommend Michelle to both family and friends. 

-Lance and Shari

Michelle took the time to help us get to know what kind of design fit our family. She is professional, efficient and fun to work with. 

-Pam

Michelle and her team were the best.  They really took the time to understand our needs and captured our vision for functionality and beauty.  They were very conscious when selecting materials, recommending vendors, considering pricing, and negotiating on our behalf.  We are so happy we worked with Studio YYC because  their professionalism and design skills are exceptional.  We give them our highest recommendation!

– Tara 

CONTACT

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