Meredith Heron Design Inc.

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Meredith Heron Design Inc.

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Meredith Heron Design is a full-service, interior design firm that manages the design of residential

Meredith Heron Design is a full-service, interior design firm that manages the design of residential & commercial properties across North America.

10/29/2026

WHAT IF I TOLD YOU… your dream bathroom renovation could cost as much as a small fleet of cars?

Budget Renovations. Luxury Renovations. And the Great Expectations In Between.

A friend once asked me to help with her principal bathroom.

Suburban ensuites are either football fields of wasted space or so small they demand MIT-level math and creativity.

Then come the decisions.

Remove the parking-space-sized tub that nobody actually enjoys? Replace it with a glorious walk-in shower? Fabulous. Now we need glass, stone and perhaps bespoke metal framing. That's a car.

Custom mirrors? Another car.
Really good natural stone? Two cars.
That gorgeous tub filler? Half a car.

And since we're building a luxury dealership, shall we make the shower a car wash? Rain head, body sprays, handheld, steam? WHY NOT?

We haven't touched cabinetry, lighting, heated floors, waterproofing, plumbing, electrical, ventilation, labour or the surprises lurking behind the walls.

Not sexy. Just what makes the sexy parts work.

Back to my friend.

Based on her wish list and rough dimensions, we estimated $120,000–$150,000.

We're still friends, but I'm fairly sure she ghosted me after that. Or fainted and thought she'd hit SEND.

And I GET IT.

There's nothing wrong with a budget renovation. Constraints often produce brilliant design. But designing TO a budget is very different from designing your dream bathroom and hoping the numbers magically cooperate.

You don't need exotic marble everywhere or fixtures with their own fan club. You need smart planning, thoughtful finishes, excellent ex*****on and a clear idea of where the money matters.

In a home of considerable value, a well-considered principal bathroom can be a worthwhile investment. More importantly, it's something you live with every single day. Quality materials and good decisions can make it beautiful—and enjoyable—for years.

The trick isn't necessarily to spend less. It's to spend intelligently, BEFORE falling in love with an entire showroom of cars.

Planning a renovation? Bring your wish list AND your budget to us. Let's talk before the sledgehammers arrive. Inquiries via link in bio.

10/28/2026

Don’t make your bathroom look like everyone else’s boring bathroom.

This was a standard builder-sized ensuite: five by six feet. We kept the footprint and gave it the feeling of a chic boutique hotel.

We lost the shower curb and opted for custom shower doors and sidelights to open up the sightlines. Then we committed to pattern—one of my secrets for making a small space feel big and inviting.

A grid on the floor. Geometrics in the shower, bordered in solid marble to eliminate awkward stops and starts. Grasscloth walls in an Asian cloud motif, tied into the vanity hardware and the DXV faucet, which has always reminded me of a pagoda. I have it in my own powder room, too.

A silver-leaf bamboo mirror, because I commit fully. Polished nickel, a little modern mixed in, and orange poppies to round it out.

A smaller footprint can mean more bang for your buck: fewer square feet to cover, more opportunity to splurge on bespoke finishes.

Ready for a bathroom with some personality? Let’s talk about yours.

10/27/2026

LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT A PRINCIPAL BATHROOM ACTUALLY COSTS.

And how we kept our Unionville renovation in five figures.

I've worked with these clients for over 20 years. A shared vacation condo (four decision-makers—send help), a Muskoka cottage, its renovation, addition and bunkie, several Florida homes, and a “simple” pied-à-terre refresh that became a full gut.

I know their preferences down to the three-way bulbs in their lamps and the one thing paint must NEVER have: a green undertone.

So when they called as I was going through airport security on my way to Paris, I called right back. The security staff were less charmed.

They were preparing to sell their downsized home and finally wanted to tackle the principal bath. Out went the dated alcove tub. The ugly two-sided fireplace between bedroom and bathroom? That had to stay.

There was a contractor, a budget, and a list of non-negotiables.

Bespoke vanity cabinetry was mine. It isn’t necessarily much more expensive, and after designing so many bathrooms for these clients, I know exactly how their storage needs to function.

Then we got strategic.

Instead of cladding the entire room in stone (my happy place), we put it where it mattered: a herringbone stone floor with more grout joints for traction, marble in the shower, and fluted natural stone to transform that unfortunate fireplace into an architectural feature.

A silk-look vinyl wallcovering delivered texture and softness without the cost of stone walls. Architectural trim at the ceiling gave the room more presence. We spent on plumbing fixtures, chose good, functional lighting and hardware, and added drapery to soften the window.

Because a forest view is lovely in daylight. At night, from the bathtub? I’ve seen too many 1980s serial-killer movies.

The result: a bathroom that looks far more expensive than it was, all within a five-figure renovation budget.

Design expertise is easy to claim. A portfolio of exceptional, completed projects and clients who keep coming back for decades? That's a little harder to replicate.

Nearly 30 years in, we still believe the work should speak for itself.

Planning a renovation? Let's talk!

10/26/2026

Every addiction has a beginning. Mine was a rug.

Meet Courtney, in Thistle. The very first rug I ever designed for a client. I had absolutely no idea at the time that I was about to become a full-blown rug-designing ju**ie, but here we are.

We designed this entire room from afar, across Canada. Our client did manage to pop into our studio during a layover, which made for a rather efficient (and fabulous) in-person fabric selection session.

But can we talk about the coffee table?

I fell madly in love with it at High Point. It was OBSCENELY expensive. The client loved it. We ordered it.

And then it arrived looking like it had been left on an airport runway while a plane taxied back and forth over it. Think *A Fish Called Wanda*. K-k-k-Ken. Steamroller. THAT flat.

I kid you not.

Naturally, we requested a replacement, only to be told that the manufacturer had DISCONTINUED THE TABLE because they'd had so many production problems.

Wonderful.

The one saving grace? The Lucite components had somehow survived completely unscathed.

And then it occurred to me. Why couldn't we just have the rest of the table remade and incorporate the original Lucite pieces?

So that's exactly what we did.

A year later, the company found a new manufacturer and put the table back into production. I've since purchased it for two other clients because, as much as I love a challenge, having a coffee table custom manufactured for the same price as buying one is not my idea of a good time.

But back to Courtney.

That rug started something. What began as a custom design for one client became a bit of an obsession with colour, fibre, texture and the possibilities of making something entirely our own.

And I've never really looked back.

Meredith Heron Collection | Courtney | Thistle

10/15/2026

A room makeover as a wedding anniversary present. The bar has been set.

This recent install brings together deep green, warm wood, a pretty slick record collection, and the flowing pattern of the Naoshima rug from the Meredith Heron Collection. The rug does two seemingly opposite things: it makes this generous room feel even more spacious, while bringing the seating together so it feels unified and cozy.

We had planned to replace the fireplace, until we discovered that the mantel, hearth, and firebox were one integrated assembly, built into the wall and floor. We decided to live with it for now, keeping the renovation’s time and cost in check. Naoshima’s limestone colouring harmonizes with the existing stone, tying it into the room.

A few surprises are still to come, including a round wood cocktail table with a soft, bullnosed profile. Its curves will welcome you into the space and play against the cabinetry’s crisp grid.

An anniversary present with plenty of room for records, cocktails, and evenings together.

10/14/2026

I have this rug in my own home in a different colourway, and I cannot recommend natural silk enough.

Yes, the sheen is gorgeous. But the durability? Mine has survived a cat rejecting the new food while also being a little pi**ed off I wasn’t home.

Silk has held up beautifully. The cat remains disappointed with management.

Trellis Gate. Pure silk.

10/12/2026

Facelift or rip it out and start again?

Before we touch a kitchen, we ask: how do you use it? And sometimes... DO you use it?

A passionate cook whose kitchen sabotages dinner needs a different intervention from someone whose island is a staging area for replating food delivery.

Are we replacing a joint, or will a cosmetic nip and tuck do?

Our clients had purchased a former spec house that had already been VERY well lived in. They believed they were buying a luxury home. Closer inspection told a different story: finishes that looked the part weren't necessarily the quality you'd expect. There was considerably more upgrading needed to make it genuinely luxurious.

Which made choosing where to spend even more important.

These clients were a hybrid: someone cooks, and we discussed adding a wok burner. But that required more surgery than they felt the return justified.

The worn cabinetry needed repainting. We gave the island a French grey-blue identity, inspired by the wife's love of all things Parisian.

Out went the North Toronto pendants. In came sculptural lighting, artwork, and patterned counterstools that brought that Parisian sensibility together.

With more budget, I would have chosen a much bossier marble or quartzite for the island and repeated the slabs on the backsplash. I love a stone with something to say.

Here, lighting and stools were the better investment. The lighting becomes art. The stools swivel, wear well, and fit the space.

There's another run of cabinetry opposite the island, so clearance matters. Stools with backs?

An absolute NOPE. Not gonna happen.

Luxury isn't just how something photographs. It's how it's made, how it works, and knowing which changes will genuinely make a difference.

Know someone whose home could use our eye? We love a referral.

And if that someone is you, but you're feeling shy or worried about budget, slide into our DMs with “asking for a friend.”

We promise not to blow your cover. Let's chat about what your “friend” has in mind.

10/09/2026

We were in NYC for a rug show a couple of weekends ago and spent the Monday at the D&D Building, where this crewelwork wallpaper stopped me cold.

Yes, it would be a dusty little nightmare, but that is what compressed air canisters are for.

They paired it with a stone wallcovering, which I would not do. I’d take it fully in the opposite direction: matching bullion fringe, not braided, silkier in sheen and not too heavy, running around the room like a baseboard. Specifically in a dressing room, so the walls read less like wallpaper and more like an upholstered fabric installation.

And naturally, I’d use grosgrain ribbon or tape to create the illusion of covered fabric seams.

I am available to make this wildly luxe dressing room happen for the right person. Cashmere or alpaca/mulberry silk bespoke rug, fitted wall to wall?

We good, yeah?

10/08/2026

Once upon a time, this Queen Anne Revival house in Toronto’s Annex was an eleven-bedroom rooming house with real horror-movie energy. The basement genuinely felt like a set from *Silence of the Lambs*.

We were hired to gut it, and we did. Floors came out. Much of the roof came off. Standing at the front door, you could look down into the basement and up to the sky. It was dramatic, but it was also deliberate. We had a vision for how to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

We salvaged what we could. The exterior porch railing and stair railing had once been the main staircase of the house, landing in what would become the formal dining room. Those pieces mattered. They gave us a thread back to the original house while we reworked the plan for the way people actually live now.

Walking in the front door, you arrive in a proper foyer. The formal dining room is the front room. The kitchen sits across the hall to the right, off the foyer, because in a Toronto winter it made no sense to bury it at the back of the house and make everyone trudge through room after room with groceries.

And then, just off the kitchen, there is this: the hangout. Not the formal dining room, not a breakfast nook exactly, but the place everyone inevitably drifts toward. A banquette, an oval table, a little glamour, and enough pattern and comfort to make people stay.

There are arches with heavy plaster moulding, exactly the sort of detail you expect in a Queen Anne Revival home in the Annex. We repeated that arch on the back of the custom banquette so this kitchen hangout felt as though it belonged to the house from the beginning.

After the remodel, the house was named Toronto Life’s House of the Week. Our client, visiting from Abu Dhabi, insisted on seeing it in person and bought it that day before flying home. A few weeks later, they asked if we would be interested in finishing what we started.

HELL TO THE YA.

Years later, this house feels almost like my own. We have added layers upon layers: pattern, polish, color, antiques, custom pieces, and a healthy dose of drama. It is very much the life of the party, which feels only right. There are a lot of parties here.

10/07/2026

Sometimes the best shot in a room tells only part of the story.
This bay at our Bridle Path project was a puzzle: an awkward fireplace wall opposite, a coffee station we didn’t exactly champion, and a layout that needed to work around decisions we inherited. So we focused on what we could control—proportion, balance, and a custom table we designed with our millwright to make the space feel intentional, grounded, and quietly luxe. Sometimes good design is also good editing.

Our Meredith Heron Collection - Cumulus rug in Winter Smoke is in New Zealand Wool & Mulberry Silk.

Address

222 Bedford Road
Toronto, ON
M5R2K9

Telephone

+14166987627

Website

http://www.meredithheron.com/

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