Elegant And Organized

Story Lauren Long | Photography Sandy MacKay

The drama of the double-height ceiling in the living room is accented by the Acroma Modern Farmhouse chandelier installed by Amp Champ. The oak stairs to the second level have oak Contempra railings with black Jane balusters. The coffee table is from Restoration Hardware, the sofa from Urban Barn, and the armchairs from Crate & Barrel.

Once upon a time, there was a home that was clean and tidy. The house looked picture-perfect with the family coexisting together surrounded by a backdrop of uncluttered dressers, empty countertops and sofas adorned with decorative cushions.

Vinnie and Ashley Vancardo.

For Ashley Vancardo and her family, this fairy-tale home is their daily reality.

Our homes are a sanctuary, where we relax, unwind and escape the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. But years of collecting trinkets, treasures and stuff, and not enough time to edit and declutter, can create chaos at home. Many of us have no idea how to implement a system for organizing a home that’s practical, efficient, and most important, sustainable.

That’s where professional organizers like Ashley Vancardo come in, helping us achieve our goals to save time and money while creating an environment aligned with the lifestyle we want to live.

The home sits on a corner lot, minutes from downtown Collingwood and was built in 2020. A console table in the bright front foyer exemplifies organization at the home of professional organizer Ashley Vancardo. A basket corrals dog leashes, hats and gloves. On the tabletop, a tray holds sunglasses and keys while a graphic box keeps smaller items secure.

After starting her interior design career in 2016, Ashley decided to enhance her skills and completed the Trained Professional Organizer Program through Professional Organizers in Canada in 2020. Professional organizing is a niche industry that Ashley felt aligned with her own personality and goals. When she learned about the KonMari Method for tidying a home to make it beautiful and functional, she completed the KonMari Consultant Program, learning the “six basic rules of tidying.”

The gas fireplace provides a welcoming glow, and the mantel gives this feature a substantial presence. The area rug was sourced from Pottery Barn. Sculptural vases display dried grasses.

Ashley’s home is a testament to her skills and the services offered to clients through her business, Homemate. The house, shared with her husband Vinnie, their daughter Alessia and son Kane, is a warm and welcoming space that is both attractive and functional with their lifestyles.

The island is rustic Alder that has been finished with a light stain called Winter. The pendant lighting is Alden from Lighthouse Co. The pot filler, from Delta, helps get dinner ready quickly for this busy family and follows the metal tones used in this space.

The family moved into the custom build by Devonleigh Homes in Collingwood in August 2020. Starting with a blank slate gave Ashley the perfect opportunity to implement an organizational system that was efficient and easy for her family to follow. Every item has its own “home,” based on category, rather than location: books, clothes, paper, miscellaneous items and sentimental belongings.

“Make your system simple for your family to follow,” says Ashley. “Things fall apart when you try to over-categorize.”

Kitchen Craft cabinets are maple, and the door style is Elan, with brushed gold hardware. The cabinet colour is Drizzle. Counters and backsplash are HanStone quartz in Strato. Flowers are from Collingwood Flowers and Home Décor. Ashley recommends putting food staples into transparent labelled containers that keep cupboards neat and streamlined, but also show at a glance what items are running low.

Ashley’s interior design talents are apparent in the kitchen. Her family wanted the interior to be welcoming and practical, so they selected a colour scheme with shark grey paint complemented by painted maple cabinetry and rustic alder wood on the island. The Hanstone Strato quartz countertops and matching backsplash weave timeless elegance into an English-inspired modern-classic theme.

The Vancardos kept the spacious layout of the original Devonleigh model, and most of the kitchen features, such as a separate stovetop with a pot filler, and a wall-mounted oven and convection microwave.

A linear light from Light House Co. in the dining room doesn’t interfere with the frame television. Flooring for the home is engineered oak, Hula Hoop from Mirage.

Unique to the Vancardo kitchen are meticulously labelled cupboards, and a clean, methodized fridge. Ashley recommends “decanting” if you appreciate a visually appealing cabinet. Take food, condiments and spices out of their original packaging and store them in transparent, labelled containers so that cupboards appear streamlined and neat.

“Lead by example,” says Ashley. You can’t force people to be organized, but when they see the benefits of a system, they will follow. “The key is always putting things back in their designated place.”

A charming wallpaper, Chesapeake Spinney Toile in gray, lines the walls of the main-floor powder room. Black accent items are a graphic punch. The vanity was sourced at Collingwood Home Hardware Building Centre.

When designing a new build, or renovating a kitchen, Ashley suggests installing pullout drawers in a reach-in pantry to make organizing and access easy.

Seventeen-foot ceilings in the living room give a sense of elegant grandeur, while a cosy fireplace offers a place for the family to gather in the cooler months and celebrate their holiday traditions.

Ashley and Vinnie chose features that were functional and visually appealing, such as white oak engineered wood flooring, and a simple picket-style stair railing. They also tweaked the layout to be more practical, such as changing the upstairs double-door entry and walk-in closet door to swing outwards to allow more space.

The style of the double doors that lead to the primary suite is called Madison. The upholstered bed is dressed in white linen. The primary closet is enviably organized, using the same hangers with all clothing categorized.

Their basement was customized to include a fourth bedroom, bathroom, media room and office, with walk-out access to a concrete pad and composite deck backing onto nature.

Beautiful bedrooms and bathrooms are easy to keep tidy when you have an organizational system in place. The cubbies inside the bathroom vanities assign every item its own designated place. Clothes are folded and put away using the KonMari folding style to appear uniform and allow more space.

The vessel tub sits under windows with floor-to-ceiling drapes that add a soft, romantic vibe to this serene space. Vinnie and Ashley picked the Executive Trim Package from the builder.

Another trick is allowing items like children’s toys to have a designated home where they are often used, outside their bedrooms. For example, Ashley’s son loves to play with his toy dinosaurs while watching television in the kitchen, so she created a space under the kitchen island with washable bins so he can easily clean up and put them away himself.

Oftentimes, people find it challenging to start the process of purging unnecessary belongings and deciding which ones truly bring them joy.

Kane shares his bed with a few of his stuffed friends. Throw blankets are layered for cooler nights and add a pop of colour. Alessia’s bedroom has soft blush walls and pink accents. The chandelier is a luxe addition.

“After identifying their ideal lifestyle and gathering all like items together in one place, clients can determine what brings them joy by physically holding each item in their hands to see if they feel an uplifting energy. If they do, it’s a keeper!” explains Ashley.

When it comes to children’s artwork, gifts from family and souvenirs, Ashley recommends dedicating a certain place and a specific amount of time to display these items.

Alessia and Kane enjoy some screen time in the finished lower level.

“Once such items have been appreciated for a while, they have served their purpose, making them a little easier to let go,” adds Ashley.

Ashley offers advice for the holiday season. She suggests giving an experience rather than an item. You don’t always know what a person will use or find practical, plus memories are gifts that don’t take up space. She also recommends implementing an organization strategy well before the holidays, and assigning everything a designated home before there are decorations and gifts to deal with.

A nook on the second level is a spot for the children to watch television. The woven wood blinds throughout the home were purchased at Salnek’s Custom Window Treatments.

Vinnie, Ashley and their children look forward to celebrating the holidays in Collingwood’s festive winter wonderland. The Vancardos know that the post-holiday cleanup will be a breeze thanks to their systematically organized home! OH

In the “laoffice,” the laundry sits on one side of the room and Ashley’s office is opposite. Uniting the space is the same custom cabinetry, made from rustic alder, with a stain finish called Winter. The walls are painted Blank Canvas. The wall treatment behind the custom desk was installed by Ashley and Vinnie. A white board keeps the family organized.