Design By 5: Housewears Interviews City TV's Ramsin Khachi

We've come to the fifth and final designer of our 'Design By 5' series of interviews! I had the pleasure of attending an interior design seminar led by Ramsin Khachi of Cityline fame, and spent time chatting about interiors with him. Ramsin was charming and friendly, and was kind enough to contact me after our chat with additional information for the interview.


First, some background - Ramsin's endeavour in television began when his daughter's "princess" bedroom, which he designed and built in 1999, was featured on Cityline. Since then, he's made regular appearances on City TV's Cityline and Breakfast Television, dispensing common-sense advice on home improvement projects, and also bringing the hottest in home products and gadgets to viewers.

Ramsin's daughter Brianna's 'princess' bedroom.

Ramsin is principal of Khachi Design Group and its sister company Khachi Interiors Inc. located in Oakville, Ontario, specializing in both residential and commercial projects. Known for unparalleled integrity for quality and extensive knowledge for construction, Ramsin has grown a one-man construction company into a full service design/build firm, and he's recognized as a leader in his field. He is a frequent lecturer at public forums and to professional organizations such as 'IDS' and The Ontario Home Builders Association, where he also judges annual award entries for all of its members.

Find out more about Ramsin in a great article from West of the City Magazine by clicking here. As a devoted husband and father, family is a huge priority for Ramsin. He shares his design talents with other families for charity, creating room makeovers for children with life-threatening illnesses through the 'Make-A-Wish' organization.

And now, the interview:

Housewears: The HRTC (Home Renovation Tax Credit) allows Canadians to save money on home renovations until February of 2010, so what renovations would you suggest a homeowner do for $10, 000 to create a 'wow' factor?

Ramsin: There are all kinds of amazing wallpapers out right now, and that's a great way to create a statement! Here are 3 wall coverings I like from the Maya Romanoff Collection.





Housewears: What are some of your favourite materials to utilize in a bathroom renovation?

Ramsin: I love many of the latest natural stones as well as the porcelain tiles. The high polished look in both is very hot right now. Two of my favourite stones are Calacatta marble and Eramosa limestone.


Vein cut Eramosa limestone from Stone Source.

A photo of a recent bathroom project by Khachi Design Group, with a stunning Calacatta marble floor.

Housewears: Ramsin, you're known for enlightening people about the latest and greatest gadgets and technology for the home- what's hot in bathrooms?


Ramsin: I just returned from the Hans Grohe Aquademie in Atlanta, and had the chance to personally try all of the new Hans Grohe products. One of the new amazing products in the Raindance E shower head.


There's also some fantastic electronic thermostatic systems for showers such as the Ondus by Grohe,

And the Hansgrohe Rainbrain. Keep your eyes open for some great new innovations and designs.

I'm also really excited about two other technology systems for the home, Sonos, and Schlage's Link. Sonos is a multi-room, multi-source audio system for the home, an amazing wireless system at a very affordable price. Go to http://www.sonos.com/ for more information.

Schlage's Link is an interactive keypad lock using z-wave technology to provide secure remote access and control of the lock....you can lock your doors from your cell phone! This is a great way to provide a simple means of creating an automated home. For more information on this product, visit http://www.schlage.com/.

Housewears: These products sound incredible! In terms of colour, what are your favourites in paint colours right now?

Ramsin: I like neutrals, specifically grays, and some of my newest favourites are Benjamin Moore Thunder (AF685) - a soft gray, Edgecomb Gray (HC-173), Natural Linen (CC-90), and on the bold side, Black Beauty (2128-10), Black Bean Soup (2130-10), and Metropolis (CC-546). All are from Benjamin Moore.

Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray, HC-173

Housewears: What exciting projects are you currently working on?

Ramsin: As you know, Jill, we're working on the Dove Spa project, and we've just completed the second location at Yonge and St. Clair in Toronto. A third location is being considered for Bloor West Village, and there are plans for building 50 Dove Spa locations across Canada. We've also completed a state of the art 'medical office of tomorrow', with paperless office technology and HP touchsmart touchscreen computers. We're also looking into adding to our own office with a retail furniture and accessory showroom and a retail innovative product website.

Thanks so much, Ramsin, for sharing your ideas with us! Here are more photos of Ramsin's wonderful work to enjoy!

A photo of a lounge inside Dove Spa.

Dove Spa photos above and below.

Click here and type in a name under the new"Search Housewears Blog" icon on the right to find Housewears' interviews with the other 4 Canadian designers - Sarah Richardson, Tommy Smythe, Emmanuel Belliveau, and William MacDonald.

Today we're hooked on Ramsin Khachi's design! Check out what others are hooked on at http://www.hookedonhouses.net/.

'DESIGN BY 5'- Housewears chats with HGTV's Sarah Richardson

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing 5 well-known designers in Toronto from Canadian media: HGTV, Canadian House & Home Magazine, and CityLine. I had a couple of burning questions for each of them, and I'm happy to be able to share their comments with you. I'll be featuring a new designer each week for the next 5 weeks.

Sarah Richardson and I at IDS09 Opening Night

First up, HGTV's Design Darling, the Gemini award-winning Sarah Richardson, star of the popular television series 'Sarah's House' and 'Design Inc.'


Both shows air back to back on HGTV Tuesdays at 9pm ET, and on Fine Living in the U.S.. Sarah's House is currently ranked the #1 television show on HGTV Canada. Sarah is a very busy girl- she also runs her own design business, writes a weekly column for The Globe & Mail, designs signature indoor and outdoor furniture lines, is featured in Canadian, U.S. and U.K. design magazines, and is a wife and mother of two. Her television shows are seen in 50 countries! She received the Caldwell Partners Award for the Top 40 Under 40, and was named the youngest Stylemaker in Canada by Canadian House & Home Magazine. Sarah is known for an elegant, modern, yet classic style aesthetic. Here are a few stunning photos of her work (photos courtesy Sarah Richardson Design):

The Carlu, Toronto's historic event venue was remodeled by Design Inc.

Oceanfront home, featuring a piece from Sarah's upholstered furniture line, the Quinn daybed.

Park Hyatt Toronto suite done in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness .....book the room to spend the night!

A designer, in my view, should look the part. On Opening Night at IDS09, I met a friendly and chic-looking Sarah in black, wearing a slim black mini-skirt and tights, punctuated by gold jewelry and a pair of stunning chunky calfhair pumps in magenta. This lean, fit Sarah was just coming off maternity leave for her second daughter, Fiona, and she looked fabulous!
Calfhair magenta pumps from Eileen Shields.

The Interview:

Housewears:As you know, Revenue Canada has introduced the HRTC (Home Renovation Tax Credit) to save homeowners up to $1350 on a $10K renovation this year. What do you see as the most impacting changes a homeowner can make to give their home some 'wow' factor?

Sarah:I don't think it's any one thing that can create the 'wow' factor. I would rather see everything done in a room as opposed to just one thing; you can actually do alot on a budget of $10,000. I just did an entire kitchen renovation for $11,000 in the most recent house we did for this season's Sarah's House. (Photos of this $11,000 kitchen are below).

Housewears: That's amazing. Can you elaborate -how did you do that?

Sarah: We went with in-stock cabinets rather than custom, they were from Ikea, which was huge savings, so we were still able to do everything else. We sprayed some of the cabinets for a custom look and added hardware, the appliances were stainless, but well-priced, not restaurant quality high-end. (See below, photos of another kitchen by Design Inc. using Ikea's Abstrakt and Rubrik cabinets.)

Housewears: So you would recommend shopping at Ikea?

Sarah: Not necessarily, it really depends on the home. I think you need to stay true to the house. If your home is high end, then you need to do a high end renovation. If it's a moderate home, then in-stock cabinetry from places like Ikea is a great option because it allows your budget to stretch so you can afford to get everything you want, the complete look.

Housewears: If someone is in a high end home, what can you recommend they do on the 10K budget?

Sarah: Paint is always a cost effective option and a great way to make a huge impact, and definitely things can be made more dramatic by painting cabinets and changing a backsplash for a kitchen. (Sarah is known for creating interesting backsplashes and tile configurations.)

A lottery home done by Sarah Richardson Design -note the drama created with rich purple paint. Photo courtesy Sarah Richardson Design.

Two types of tile are used to create a striped pattern on this backsplash. Photo courtesy of Sarah Richardson Design.

Housewears: Speaking of paint, can you give me a current paint colour or paint chip you love right now?

Sarah: I'd have to say I really like green. We just painted our office a gorgeous green from Farrow and Ball (Pea Green 33) that is rich and intense and fresh.

Photo courtesy Farrow and Ball.

Another favourite colour right now would be apricot.... I really like apricot.

Design Inc.'s renovation of a dining room, using apricot hues (Farrow and Ball #232 Loggia). Photo courtesy Design Inc.

Sarah's use of green makes this child's bathroom look fun and fresh. Photo courtesy Sarah Richardson Design.

Another hit of green adds drama and freshness. Photo courtesy of Sarah Richardson Design.

Hits of apricot add drama to this bedroom. Photo courtesy Sarah Richardson Design.

Thanks so much, Sarah, for your answers!

Be sure to tune into 'Sarah's Cottage', which premieres Tuesday, March 31st at 9pm ET on HGTV for more great ideas and inspiration, as Sarah gives us a look at the renovation process of her own cottage.

Enjoy some more fabulous photos from the talented Sarah Richardson: (all photos courtesy Sarah Richardson Design).

Be sure to check in to find out what next week's featured Designer had to say in my 'Design by 5' series, or better yet, subscribe to Housewears blog via email so you won't miss out!

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