Finding the Right Materials for Your Home
Design is never just about how things look—it’s also about how they feel. When I meet with clients, I always encourage them to hold samples in their hands. Notice the smoothness of quartz, the rustic grain of aged wood, or the softness of natural textiles. Each of these materials can stir a different response, and those small tactile moments end up shaping how your home welcomes you every day.
For me, choosing materials has never been about what’s “in” or “out.” It’s about listening—really listening—to how you want to live, and then selecting materials that support that life beautifully, day after day.
As you start thinking about materials for your own home, here are a few things I encourage you to keep in mind.
Start with Your Values
Every household has its own priorities. I’ve worked with couples who wanted a crisp, clean kitchen that would never look worn, so I leaned toward quartz countertops for their durability and easy upkeep. For them, beauty meant consistency.
On the other hand, I’ve had clients who fell in love with marble, knowing it could etch and stain over time. For them, beauty lived in the imperfections—the slow patina that tells the story of family dinners, glasses of wine with friends, and all the little messes that make a house feel alive.
Neither choice was right or wrong. What mattered was that each client chose a material that reflected their values. So I want you to think: what do you value most in your home? Maybe you want everything to stay crisp, maybe you love the marks of a well-lived home, or maybe your vision falls somewhere in between. Wherever you land, that’s where we begin.
Materials for Little Ones (and the Four-Legged Ones Too)
When I’m choosing materials for a family home, I always think about the little ones—and yes, that can also mean the pups and kittens. The surfaces you live with every day need to stand up to curious hands, sticky fingers, muddy paws, and the occasional toppled glass of juice.
In kitchens and living spaces, that often means looking for flooring that’s forgiving and easy to clean, or fabrics that resist stains while still feeling soft to the touch. Rounded countertop edges can make a big difference with toddlers running around, and scratch-resistant finishes are a lifesaver if you share your home with pets.
The good news is, durability doesn’t have to mean sacrificing style. Wide-plank engineered hardwood with a matte finish will disguise wear while still looking beautiful, and performance fabrics can feel every bit as inviting as their delicate counterparts. The right materials let you enjoy your home without holding your breath every time the kids are playing, the dog comes charging in from outside, or the cat decides the sofa is its new favourite perch.
The Sound of Your Home
I want you to imagine the sound of your home. Yes, we’re still talking materials here, but they play a bigger role in acoustics than most people realize. I love considering sound early on, because it has such an impact on how comfortable a space feels.
Take open staircases, for example. Noise can travel straight up through the house, so I work with architects from day one to plan how sound will move and where it needs to be contained. That might mean insulating walls near a laundry room, or using different sound ratings between floors.
The finishes you choose matter too. Harder surfaces like stone or tile will bounce sound, while carpet will help soften it. Even simple additions—like an area rug under a dining table or floor-to-ceiling drapes—can make a dramatic difference in minimizing echoes.
It’s little choices like these that make a space feel easy to live in, without you even thinking about why.
Materials I Go Back to Time and Time Again
I’ll let you in on a little secret of mine: no matter how many projects I work on, there are a few materials I always return to. They’ve proven themselves time and again for their beauty, practicality, and timelessness.
Engineered Hardwood – A true workhorse. It’s durable, cost-effective, and with a low-sheen finish, it looks polished without feeling fussy.
Real Stone – To me, stone is art. No two pieces are ever the same, and that uniqueness brings such depth and beauty into a home.
Quartz, Dekton, and Silestone (by Cosentino) – These mineral-based, man-made surfaces are incredibly durable, environmentally conscious, and beautiful. They give you the look you want while standing up to daily life.
Polished Nickel Plumbing Fixtures – In bathrooms, polished nickel is my favourite. It has the warmth that chrome lacks, but with a more refined finish than brushed products—which can be harder to keep clean. Best of all, it never goes out of style.
Unlacquered Brass – For cabinet hardware. It’s not the bright, shiny gold that dates quickly. Instead, it develops a natural patina over time, growing more beautiful as it ages.
Remember, even my favourites depend on the home. The magic happens when we match the right material to the right space, so it feels like it was made just for you.
Bringing It All Together
The most rewarding part of design is seeing how the right materials change the way someone feels in their home. It’s the moment when a client runs their hand across a counter, sinks into a sofa, or simply notices how quiet and calm a room feels because the acoustics were planned well. That’s when I know the materials are doing their job—it’s exactly what they were hoping for, even if they didn’t have the words for it at the start.
If you’re starting to think about materials for your own home, I'd love to help guide you through the process. Let’s explore the options together and find the choices that feel just right for you.