Sarah 101 - Episode Guide

The renovation of their one and only bathroom unveiled for this couple a series of perplexing mistakes made by the previous homeowner. Now Sarah and Tommy step in, first addressing the structural issues before moving onto the pretty. It’s a lesson in scheduling a renovation when it’s the only bathroom you have, choosing classic, quality fixtures and finishing with accessories that speak to you.

Though a rental this young bachelor wants a place that speaks to his hip downtown style. Sarah and Tommy take on the industrial loft, bringing to it a cool, loungey vibe to entertain friends in casual style. The trick is how to spend your money in a bare bones rental in ways that create atmosphere yet focus on finding pieces you love and can take to your next place.

This born entertainer’s kitchen is ready for the hook. Sarah and Tommy pull it back to the basics: assessing needs before demolition and creating a flexible and workable layout that caters to the bottom line. A fresh new colour palette, lighting and tons of storage help place this kitchen centre-stage in the client’s culinary repertoire.

A lesson in optimizing a small, awkward space to serve multiple needs. Sarah and Tommy carve a den and home office using every inch of a forgotten room. They showcase the character features of the space with paint and wallpaper placement and carve ship-like storage from an unused closet. Almost every piece of furniture must also do double duty in making this den a relaxing place to get work done!

A first time homeowner’s maturing taste pushes the finishes and furniture in her tiny condo well past their due date. Sarah and Tommy find furnishings that reflect the client’s new attitude and that can eventually move with her into a larger home.  In the meantime they inject a ton of style and flexibility into this tiny kitchen, living and dining space.

A coveted large bedroom is an embarrassment of riches for one couple.  Sarah and Tommy create separate functional areas within the large, traditional space while keeping the overall mood relaxed and welcoming. New paint, lighting and window coverings further enhance this room’s mandate to be a serene place in which to escape and relax.

This dining room is an unappetizing feast of bad colour, dated features and weird layout. Sarah and Tommy jumpstart the stuffy space with fresh, bright twists totally in tune with this young family’s outlook. Period features go bold and modern. Vintage furniture transforms into a riotous medley of punchy, practical colour and fabrics. It’s new, it’s cool and true to a young, hip family’s dining needs!

Just when the bathroom was next on this couple’s reno hit list, they discovered they were pregnant. Sarah and Tommy re-purpose a storage room into a nursery, using a unique tribal theme reflected in colour, fabrics and furnishings. They also squeeze every inch of space from this teeny room in making it a draw to the baby and parents who’ll be spending a lot of time there.

After five years of renovating by themselves this couple lost steam right outside their master bedroom door. Sarah and Tommy devise a calm, serene scheme that plays into the homeowners’ desire to relax and enjoy their achievement. They shoehorn in badly needed clothes storage and layout solutions that maximize this pint-sized master. That is, once they clear out the tools and discarded reno supplies!

Designing a young boy’s bedroom to evolve with his change on a dime taste. Sarah and Tommy add in practical, timeless solutions that will grow with the room’s occupant. They devise a privacy solution for a wall of windows and carve storage everywhere they can. Accessories and accents are where they spend last, knowing that these items are most likely to change on a whim.

This mid-century home looks more like a contents sale than the slick, functional abode it could be. Sarah and Tommy make this adjoining living and dining room flow seamlessly into one another using paint, furniture and flooring solutions, and by tweaking the layout to capture the bucolic view. The end goal – a modern home that works for today’s living yet doesn’t look like a mid-century theme park.

Two rooms for three little girls become fun, personality-packed retreats. Tea towels capture Sarah and Tommy’s eye, leading us to greens and blues in one room, where Sarah’s platform bed solution banishes bunk beds forever. Meanwhile the nursery pops in cheery reds and corals. Everything sits on new, low gas carpeting in a neutral stripe that ties into flooring in the rest of the home. Both rooms receive a ton of storage and ideas for accessories and the girly fun stuff! 

If you’re living in a brand new condo there’s no need to go without style and substance in the creation of a space that it is a personal expression of you. Sarah and Tommy pump up the classic appeal of this blank canvas by mixing old with new to give this condo instant soul. Their masculine palette leans to black, grey and white throughout. Keeping it all simple helps to frame a sublime skyline view. 

The lesson: transitioning an 80’s master bathroom into a child-free respite by not moving an inch of plumbing. Sarah shoehorns major style and comfort into this space, replacing a built in jetted tub with a sculptural one, replacing vanity and sink plus all finishes and accessories. The eclectic mix of splurge and save appointments results in a master bath worthy of its name yet neutral enough to be ageless!

This basement has become a dumping ground of subterranean splendor. Sarah and Tommy start by delineating and organizing spaces to meet the daily functional demands of the family. It becomes an exercise of where to spend and save and how to make the most of the lack of height. In the end they find a way to put everything in its place and have this sophisticated basement look more like it belongs above ground then below!

This basement laundry space is typical to many homes, hidden in a damp, dark basement corner. Sarah freshens and makes this task much more attractive by creating new storage, hanging and folding space, and by reviving an old favorite, the fold out ironing board.  The mood is further lifted with bright color, artwork and other personal touches that make this into a chore with so much more!

Adding warmth and comfort to a large bedroom in an industrial-type space Sarah and Tommy soften with furnishings, a splurge Oriental rug and high-style low-cost drapery for expansive windows. Unique dragon fabric sparks the eclectic scheme, artfully mixed with plaids and pseudo ethnic patterns. Keepsake artwork adds soul, and helps to convey masculine and feminine appeal.

Creating a warm and welcoming space for entertaining. Sarah lands on dramatic gold leaf wallpaper that inspires this blank space. Vintage shield back chairs offset a splurge dining table and sideboard. A light jewel-tone palette informs paint, drapes, upholstery and accents. A plate rail and molding add interest, as does a painted border to the hardwood floor. Colour, pattern and texture make this once empty space ready to celebrate.

Long ago this master bedroom was decorated in florals, fuchsia and frilly lace, as was the style at the time. Sarah and Tommy trade the 80’s for neutral shades that will look good now and forever more. Insider info on layering of fabrics, textures and wallpaper amp up the style. Repurposed vintage furniture gives this bedroom the appeal of a chic hotel suite. No longer trendy, this master bedroom is now classic and timeless! 

Creating a welcoming nursery that will grow with your child. Sarah’s inspiration springs from blue paisley wallpaper she and Tommy install on the ceiling. Fabric and furniture take deep, rich blues until complementary orange spices up the mix. Sarah’s flash card art idea creates original pieces for mere pennies. Contrary to its elegant undertones the nursery is a warm and happy place for now and the future. 

Brightening a dark, narrow living/dining room to bring its family back. As a crumbled ceiling and worn floors are replaced Sarah spots a new attitude in punchy floral fabric that ends up on vintage side chairs.  Painted side tables flank the room’s statement, a pink sofa. A daybed separates living from dining and shoehorns even more seating in for both. A painted wood table, comfortable new chairs, storage and a feature wall in vintage dinnerware tie directly to the upbeat design scheme.