Barrel Of Monkeys Design

Cole Residence – Woodlands

Not trying to boast, but our family lives in a pretty much “picture perfect” setting with a forest in the back yard and with some remarkable unobstructed water views. That’s why; we could not move! We considered it as our home was in need of a number improvements but we decided to renovate instead and hired Stephen Sutch to help us with all of the Design specifications.
All three of us have a variety of tastes and opinions in this house and they are sometimes very different from where some of our friends would like them to be when it comes to our taste in home décor. We had a challenge in front of us and Stephen from Barrel of Monkeys Design helped us conquer this. His job was to not only understand our family dynamics but find a way to give us all the “must haves” to make sense of our new home renovation project.
Our home had to be not only beautiful, but completely functional plus withstand incredible indoor/outdoor traffic with the family and pets. It also needed to reflect three very distinct and different personalities; myself, my husband and our son. This project was not just a renovation, but a full re-build. This home was the only home we plan to live, in and we want it to make sense.
We hired an architect and a contractor as well as Stephen with Barrel of Monkeys Design for all of the design specifications. Budget was always on the top of the list as this is such a huge project and we did not want this to go sideways like many other projects we have heard of in the past.
We had no idea where to even start and Stephen pulled the project together so quickly and efficiently and it was totally in sync with all of our needs, wants and quirks. We don’t know how he did it, but it was amazing……we could never have done this project without him.
Stephen listens and actually hears all of your requests. He thinks about the practical things, he’s detailed and he is always very punctual and on budget. Stephen totally kept us grounded in this department.
Stephen sourced all of the interior product for our home. I.e.: flooring, tiles, cabinets, all the bath and kitchen plumbing, fixtures and hardware, counter tops, lighting and carpets. All of his product quotes were firm quotes and he had everything ready on time. Wow!
We all enjoy waking up daily in our newly renovated home. It actually feels like a new home was just dropped on our old property, but then we realize that the old staircase is still there in the same location. Just freshened up!
We now live in a Beautiful and functional space with the same great views outside but now we have them inside too.
Stephen Sutch and Barrel of Monkeys Design were incredible and have added true value to our home. We would totally recommend him for any upcoming project.
Kathy, Terry and Sam

I have hired Barrel of Monkeys to renovate and re-design my Vancouver Penthouse 5 years ago. I loved Stephen’s work so much that I knew he was the perfect Designer to bring new life to my Whistler residence.
Budget was a factor on this project as this Condo is a second home weekend retreat. Stephen was bang on! I couldn’t believe it……amazing!
Stephen sourced all of the product for my Whistler condo from a full bathroom renovation, new plumbing and hardware, the tile, the paint, the carpet, the custom wallpaper to the furniture and light fixtures.
I “love” colour and Stephen excels in this area and also has an amazing eye for textures, detail and the perfect product mix. Art included.
My penthouse and my Whistler condo are both so different in style; Whistler is more of a gentleman’s retreat and the penthouse if full on city living. Stephen was able to capture both lifestyles so perfectly.
If I should ever happen to re-locate, I would not hesitate to call Stephen again for more of his magic touch. Stephen has been successful at infusing my personality and my lifestyle flawlessly in my homes through design process.
It has been a fantastic experience working with Stephen and I would highly recommend him for any design or decorating project.
Thank you Stephen for your incredible flair……………..you are that golden monkey in the barrel.
Joss

I have known Stephen for many years and greatly admired his interior decoration skills, but we had never worked together until recently when he redecorated my entire home including selection of paint, furniture, art, and decorative accents. I could not be more thrillled with the outcome! I was on both a tight budget and timeframe and Stephen met and exceeded both of these challenges. He is a joy to work with -- he has amazing listening skills and a fabulous sense of humour. He met with me and my children (11 and 14) initially to understand our vision for the new home, and then flawlessly brought that vision to life. My home is now beautiful and bright (the paint colours are fabulous) , a melding of both modern and traditional, with excellent use of my existing pieces. It is a joy to come home, thanks to Stephen's hard work.

I am absolutely thrilled with the transformation of our home. Thanks to Stephen our home has an entirely new feel. I can't say enough positive comments about Stephen. Stephen created a vision for our home. The paint colours and light fixtures created a new feel in our home. He is an excellent listener and really wants to understand what the client is after. I was very impressed that Stephen could move current pieces into new locations in our home where they took on an entirely new feel and very updated look. Stephen is able to work with any price point.

Stephen is incredibly creative but also very realistic in steering one away from trends which will soon be outdated. He is very reliable, organized and detail oriented. I can honestly say that everyday I think to myself how much I enjoy my "new" home. It is a pleasure to sit back and experience how wonderful this space "feels". Thank you Stephen for transforming our home.
I would absolutely hire Stephen again for design and renovating.

My husband and I had been debating (for years!) what colour/colours to use for our new kitchen cabinets and the walls of our main floor. We finally decided that we should call in a pro, so we called Stephen. Within two minutes of looking at our existing colours and style, Stephen nailed it. He picked out the colours so quickly it was amazing. We truly had an “aha!” moment when he showed us. What he suggested was perfect. We never would have thought to use the colours that way. Stephen was absolutely right and those are the colours we chose. He also provided advice on door knobs and pulls, and once again, suggested options we’d never even thought of – and wouldn’t have thought of – on our own.

Mission accomplished! We are thrilled to have had Stephen as our designer. His patience, positive attitude and quick smile made the whole process so much easier. We’ve dealt with other designers and never had a comfortable or productive experience, so working with Stephen was such a pleasant surprise. He knew how to take our style and taste into consideration and didn’t try to talk us into something that wasn’t “us”. We don’t hesitate to recommend him to anyone who’s looking for an excellent, innovative and creative interior designer. We couldn’t be happier with his work. He far exceeded our expectations (and I’m picky!).

Top qualities: Creative, innovative, experienced, open-minded, resourceful
L&P, Leslieville (Toronto), April 19, 2013

Stephen intuitively understands space, shape, colour and design. Everytime I've worked with him and his team since 2000, he has expertly combined design fundamentals with his unique creative vision to produce incredibly fresh and impactful rooms that work and have resonance. Stephen designed my condo in Miami Beach as well as houses in Seattle and Toronto. He is a great listener, an inspiring leader who manages to get the best out whomever he works with - designers, craftspeople or contractors. Every project we've worked on together has come in on time, on budget and has meet our needs. After more than 10 years working together I trust Stephen's design recommendations and would recommend his work without hesitation.