RHODA'S RANTS & RAVES
At Aristocrat Floors, we don’t think of ourselves as yet another “flooring store”. We are a full service fashion house, dedicated to making your home as great as possible! The articles below are written by our beloved Rhoda, Showroom Manager & Design Consultant, and contain everything you need to know about flooring & design, with a cheeky twist.
A Note from Rhoda
Staff here at Aristocrat have come to name my lively debates on design, home décor trends and all things bad and beautiful (including clients) as “Rhoda’s Rants & Raves”. In no way are they with any cruel intention, but rather an opportunity to put the record…well…straight…or at least, how I see it. Enjoy…
SPRING REFRESH: FLOORS
Are you considering renovating your floors this spring? One of the biggest decisions you’ll have to make is choosing between engineered hardwood and solid hardwood flooring. Both options have their advantages, so it’s important to review them carefully to determine which one is best for your home and lifestyle […]
ROLLING OUT THE LATEST CARPET STYLES
Carpet is a popular flooring choice for many Ontario homeowners due to its warmth, comfort, and versatility. Explore styles & options!
Engineered wood is not laminate!
Ok folks…I’m sure this has been a rant of past but in my day to day selections with new home builders the same comment comes up “I don’t want engineered floors because I don’t like laminate”. WHAT?? I know part of our job is to educate, so in this spirit here it goes….again. Solid hardwood […]
Rhoda’s Rant: Herringbone Pattern
Something’s fishy!! The herringbone pattern has been making a large appearance in renovation shows and décor magazines. Some of these products can run hundreds of dollars but you can also achieve the look without much cost. The resemblance of a fish skeleton (herringbone) has been used for hundreds of years…think old world pavers laid on […]
To Wood or Not to Wood. That is the Question.
Yes, you can use hardwood flooring in a kitchen! I get asked all the time, “would you use wood in a kitchen?” Absolutely I would! (/wood… hehe.) So many floor plans that cross my desk have hardwood or engineered hardwood in the great room, but not in the kitchen. Sometimes a switch of flooring tile […]
Grey Anatomy
I just finished up with an early morning appointment on this, a dull dismal rainy grey day… and it occurred to me that I’m really not a fan of grey. Well not all grey ….just that dull dismal rainy grey day, gray. That made me ponder about all of those clients in the last five […]
TIS Tis tis….. THE SEASON
The funny thing about the holidays is that it comes at the same time every year and somehow we feel that it just snuck up on us. All of a sudden we realize the house will be decorated in all its Christmas finery and still the bathroom is need of a renovation. Come on folks…. […]
I did… Re-discover brick
I’ve been known to do the occasional reno when my husband is out of town for a few days. It’s not that he isn’t helpful…he just doesn’t like change…when’s he’s involved. Recently I was given a 10 day window to do absolutely nothing but hold the remote in my hand but noooooooo….i couldn’t resist a […]
Now that’s a full body!
It’s a regular occurrence to be asked if I’m showing a full body porcelain when making a selection. I will often ask a client what they mean so I can get a sense of what they know. Most people assume that all porcelain is full bodied. I hear “I need the tile that when it […]
WE’VE BEEN RENOVATING!
Although most of our time is spent renovating your homes, we’ve also been busy renovating ours! Of course our reno started just like yours. You start with a paint colour and the next thing you know you are tearing down walls and pulling out floors. In our “builders” area, we decided to prove a point […]
60 Years in Business!!
As much as this area is used for my Thoughts …I’ve decided today to do a little horn blowing. Matt and I recently met with “our Home Magazine” to go over some advertising details. This is a bit of a big deal for us because this business has been built on word of mouth and […]
Beating the Winter Blahs
We Say So Long
It is ironic, that as we celebrate our 60th year, we say goodbye to the man that made this business the great success it is. Steve Gaida was our friend, mentor and visionary. He was hip before his time. With his strong sense of style and his belief in customer service he put interior design […]
Rhoda’s Rant: A stone by any other name…
A stone by any other name…. Today a sales rep came in with a few pieces of polished Italian travertine with a gorgeous vein cut. The reason he came in was to show us the variation in the stone. This happened because we had placed 2 orders for clients and when the current lot came […]
Wood. n’t you?
There is a strong movement towards the urban rustic. Its gone mainstream ! Taking vintage finds, reclaimed woods, typography and mixing in sleek contemporary design and strong architectural shapes and it just seems right. Still modern and relaxed with lots of personality, it’s a trend we see staying. We love the mix of textures. Combining […]
Gray is not just Grey
Colour, it’s a personal thing. I’d say 9 out of 10 of you are asking for grey….grey what?….grey blue, grey brown, greige…do you know how many greys are in the colour spectrum? When clients come in , I often ask them to close their eyes and envision their completed renovation. What colour do you see? […]
Rhoda’s Rant 4
As you might have noticed it’s been a while since I’ve written….not for lack of rants but rather lack of time! We at aristocrat have the pleasure of being too darn busy. We are thankful and appreciate that it is a great problem to have. For those of you who haven’t been in the shop […]
Add some personality to a room!
It has come to our attention lately that a lot of you renovating and building new homes like the idea of making the fireplace a focal point. We agree that this is a perfect area to add some personality to a room. Most of us have seen a lot of linear stacked stones that have […]
New shapes for 2014
Recently Matt and I were in Toronto looking at new product to bring into the shop. Being on top of new trends in tile, wood and broadloom is a big part of what we do here at Aristocrat. We have been noticing a real trend toward the Moroccan inspired motifs in not only natural stone […]
Design HELP !!!
Returning home from a restful vacation, my husband and I walked into our home to find a broken water line had destroyed our kitchen and entire lower level. All of a sudden, I was the client. It’s easy to advise people every day what would look best in their home…a little different when it’s me […]
Don’t Shoot the Messenger
Although aristocrat has some of the best installers around, we understand that sometimes you like working with your own contractor…and that’s ok. We assume that your installer is a professional…or if it is a” Do It Yourself project” we assume you have a good grasp on what all of this entails. We are here to […]
Starting from scratch
I understand how daunting the idea of starting a design project from scratch is. What if I make a mistake? What if I hate it when it’s complete? Where do I start? We know who you are when you walk in the door. You usually have that deer in the headlights look. This doesn’t have […]
Rhoda’s Rant 3
What’s your style?? When deciding to start a renovation, it might be helpful to identify what your style is. The easiest way to achieve this is to spend an afternoon at Chapters browsing through the home décor magazines. We often suggest that pulling a series of photos […]
To granite, or not to granite.
At least once a day we must say to clients…pick your counter tops first! Regardless of whether you are doing a kitchen Reno or a bathroom Reno, the counter top is one of the most important and expensive selections you will make. If choosing granite, the grain and movement (swirls of colour) in the […]
Niagara Home Builders Association
Every year the Niagara Home Builders Association holds their annual Awards of Distinction. These awards are in celebration of all the great work being done around the Niagara Peninsula in the housing/building industry. If you are in it…you want one. For the past few years I have been given the task of going through […]
Client Testimonials
We now have some client testimonials on our “About” page. Visit the page to see what our clients have to say about us.
Business hours
Showroom Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.
Sunday: Closed
Design Consultant Appointments start at 9:00 A.M.
WAREHOUSE Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.
Saturday: 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M.
Sunday: Closed
Warehouse pickup
When picking up an order, please call us ahead so we have adequate time to prepare your order.
