Affecting Spaces Design Studio

I loved working with Affecting Spaces. Gillian and Michelle listened to me and provided excellent design solutions in the complete renovation of my house. We are so happy with the results. I highly recommend them.

We are so grateful to the team at Affecting Spaces for transforming our home into our forever home. Gillian, Michelle and Bill were amazing to work with throughout our home renovation. Gillian listened to what we wanted and we were absolutely floored with her design presentation. We could not have envisioned what she did for our space and she has made our home more functional for us. We absolutely LOVE our forever home and would not hesitate to recommend the team at Affecting Spaces to our friends who need a designer. Thank you Affecting Spaces!

We worked with Affecting Spaces to do a full condominium renovation, in a heritage building which is unique, but comes with challenges (e.g. strange footprint). Further complicating matters, we did the planning and renovation during the Covid pandemic, which meant mainly working remotely on the design. The Affecting Spaces team listened to our wish list and was able to reimagine the space in a way that we were not able to articulate. The design process itself was easy and incredibly professional: the overall design was comprehensive and detail oriented, options were presented clearly and the few times there was a construction challenge, the Affecting Spaces team worked with the contractor to develop viable options and recommendations. There were no surprises in terms of design budget and the process was explained very clearly at the outset. The Affecting Spaces team helped us receive bids from reputable construction companies and also worked to help us gauge/understand where we SHOULD spend our money versus where we shouldn’t. What I was not expecting in the process was that the Affecting Spaces worked so closely with the construction company. Each detail was meticulously overseen and the construction team knew when, exactly, they needed to get Affecting Spaces to weigh in on something (eg the height to hang a coatrack!) We couldn’t be more pleased and would work with this company again in a heartbeat.

From start to finish, Gillian and her team were absolutely amazing to work with during our recently completed rebuild project. After taking the time to understand the style we wished for our house, they came up with conceptual designs for the entire house that were nearly exactly what we wanted, on the first try! The drawings they provide are amazing, and allow you to really understand what the future house will look like. Throughout the project, they were incredibly organized, detail oriented, and communicated very well. They were able to work very well with our builder and architect, despite having no previous relationship with them, and they really helped to keep everyone on track and organized. Throughout the project, we had many trades in the house commenting on the amazing design Gillian and her team had come up with. As with any building project, issues arise from time to time, and whenever an issue was tied to Gillian and her team, they always took ownership and worked hard to come up with the best solution - which earned them a ton of respect from us. The level of time and attention they devoted to our project made it feel like we were their only client, despite being incredibly busy with a dozen other ongoing projects. Lastly, their pricing was very competitive and they were quite mindful of our own building budget when coming up with the design for the house. I would highly recommend using Gillian and her team for any building/reno project, small or large!

Gillian and the Affecting Spaces team were amazing from beginning to end. They really "got" us and nailed the design plan. Not only does our new space solve our issues, it's also beautiful and functional and a pleasure to be in. The team was super supportive throughout the process, answering our million questions. They even supported us in finding the right pros to help with finishing touches (like blinds and cushions) when the job was complete. I would highly recommend them!

We can't say enough about Affecting Spaces! Gillian and her staff (Michelle and Bill) are very professional, knowledgeable, and skilled!! We were working on a budget and they stretched our money so far using the computer program that Gillian developed. They were very accessible and went above and beyond in helping us design a space we would love. We just moved into our house and it looks even better than we thought it would! Affecting Spaces gets our highest recommendation :)

We are just coming to the end of our second and third floor renovation including new bathroom, living area and updated bedrooms. Working with Gillian and her team has been, without a doubt, the best decision we made. From our first contact with Gillian to the final phases of furniture choices, window coverings, carpets etc Gillian has been wonderful to work with. Not only did she advise us about what we should do, she steered us away from ill advised choices. She is exacting in her attention to detail. She has transformed our old High Park/Roncesvalles house into a beautiful as well as practical living space. Her choices of design, colour palette, materials, fixtures, all transform this space from what was a busy home (where we raised three kids) to a peaceful retreat-like space as we are now empty nesters looking forward to retirement. Throughout this process many people would ask about our stress level and I have to say that this was the most stress-free renovation I have ever experienced or heard about from others. Gillian's estimates of cost and completion date were right on. We communicated regularly and she always responded in a very timely manner to any questions or concerns. She put the job out to tender to contractors that she knew from previous experience. They too were very professional. I can recommend Gillian and her team without any hesitation and hope to use her in the future with any other renovation projects. Thank you Gillian!!

We started with a blank slate. An empty box. We ended up with all aspects. Form. Function. HVac Sound. Stone. Kitchen. Lighting. Plugs. Esthetic and concepts being discussed. Sourced and made real. A dialogue that led to our house becoming our home. Gillian and her team brought us home inside and out.

Affecting Spaces is the best thing that could ever happen to your renovation! Gillian is very professional and resourceful. She kept our interest in mind and proposed solution that's cost efficient yet pleasing aesthetically. When there is surprise with the project (and we had tons), she proposed alternative solutions responsively and efficiently. She really takes ownership of the project and follows through until the last minute even after we have paid for her service fully. Needless to say she knows the best people in the industry and we also benefit from her designer discount. We now enjoy the renovated house so much that we don't want to step out of it. LoL

We feel very lucky to have hired Gillian and Affecting Spaces to help us redesign our kitchen, fireplace, master bedroom, and fireplace in the living room. We got her name off a neighbourhood FB group and interviewed a few people and liked Gillian's aesthetic best. Little did we know how knowledgeable, exacting, and detailed she and her team would be. Our contractor (she also put together the specs and put our job out for tender to three of her vetted contractors) said she was one of the best designers he'd ever worked with since she also really understood construction and what it took to make her vision a reality. She has totally transformed our house through good design, good paint choices, and good furniture advice. It feels so big and light and airy now, though we did nothing to the footprint or walls (in terms of moving anything). Plus we feel that although we had to pay her (reasonable) fees, it was worth every penny and saved us money in the long run. We recommend Gillian without hesitation for any project in Toronto.

Gillian and her team has provided a design that has suited our needs. She is very responsive when design challenges arise and has gone above and beyond to attend to our project needs.

We would highly recommend Affecting Spaces - we are incredibly pleased with the work Gillian and her team did for us! Gillian's process ensured that her designs met our needs, tastes, and budget perfectly. She is very knowledgeable about all aspects of the construction process too. Gillian has very high standards, and her attention to detail ensured that the finished product was everything we had hoped for. She helped us find a great contractor, and shepherded the whole project from start to finish (we actually left the country during most of the work, with no worries thanks to great communication and Gillian's tendency to solve problems before we even heard about them). If you want a more detailed review, just ask Gillian for our contact information - we would be happy to talk.

It's impossible to put into words the incredible amount of expertise, creativity, and support that Gillian brought to our home renovation project. I'll try to do her work justice by describing our project, and the role Affecting Spaces played in its design and execution. We purchased our midcentury home and hired Gillian for a first floor gut prior to moving in. The scope of our project involved a completely new open floor design (including new electrical layout and HVAC), new millwork design, design for a new mudroom, new fireplace, new stairwell, and full selection of finishings throughout (hardwood floors, tile, paint colours, lighting fixtures, millwork materials, etc). We also used Gillian to assist us through the contractor tendering process, and Gillian served as a project manager and liaison with our contractor throughout the construction process. We interviewed multiple different designers, design-build firms, and contractors before we met Gillian. During our interview, she showed an amazing empathy and ability to understand our goals for the project. Combined with her beautiful portfolio of previous work, as well as her expert ability to provide services for every scope of our project, we knew immediately we had found the right firm for our reno. Gillian was extremely responsive to our ideas throughout the design process, and helped to create a cohesive vision for our project that suited our both our budget and taste. We communicated constantly by phone, email, and by using ideabooks to help crystallize our final design. Not only did she take our ideas and turn them into reality, she carefully guided us through the design process to help us fill in the gaps in our own ideas, and showed us how to describe using words and pictures the final product we were looking for. Gillian completed the entire design phase, including the preliminary concept, selection of finishes, and final construction drawings and spec books exactly within our agreed-upon timeframe. There was no delay, and we never had to chase her down at any time throughout our agreement. Although I'm aware the firm was handling multiple projects at once, some much larger than ours, it always felt as though we were her only clients, due to her responsiveness and attention to detail. The construction drawings and spec book she provided were nearly flawless. This allowed us to get 'apples-to-apples' quotes from multiple contractors in order to secure the best deal and pricing. It also ensured that we didn't face any issues or unexpected hiccups during the construction phase, since Gillian had planned for every last detail in her drawings. Thanks to her meticulous work, our construction team completed our project exactly on time and exactly on budget due to the lack of unforeseen circumstances. And although there were no major issues during our renovation, if a tiny or minor detail arose during construction, Gillian tended to each one as though it was a major issue, giving it her full attention and ensuring it was completely resolved to our satisfaction. Whether it was with our architect, contractor, or sub-trades, Gillian was able to speak everyone's language and never seemed to be out of her element regardless of the issue at hand. Her calm demeanor as project lead saved us countless headaches and hassles we could have never managed as well by ourselves. She really held our hand from start to finish. To summarize, she did everything she said she would, and she did it on time, and for exactly the amount we agreed upon in our contract, despite putting in hours and hours of extra work by the time our project was complete. All in all, we cannot recommend Affecting Spaces enough. We receive so many compliments on our new space, but more importantly, each day we enjoy being in a home that so perfectly matches what we originally dreamed of. We can't thank Gillian enough, and look forward to working with her again when we decide to tackle our next project. No matter when or what that is, we know we'll have the right person for the job.

We hired Gillian Lazanik (Affecting Spaces) to help us with our home reno. Gillian was extremely easy to work with, knowledgeable and professional every step of the way. She took the time to get to know us and what we were looking to achieve with our project. Gillian had amazing design ideas for totally renovating certain parts of our house and amazing ideas of how to incorporate what we couldn't/didn't want to change into our new style/"look". She was conscious of our budget and had many ideas and options for every aspect of our project. Gillian was always available when we needed her, and helped us to navigate a somewhat complicated project. She was a pleasure to deal with and made the process as painless as possible! I would completely recommend Gillian/Affecting Spaces to anyone contemplating a smaller or larger project.

I purchased my very dated, almost entirely original, 1950's home intending to renovate within the first few years. Fast forward 12+ years – the house was even more dated and I still had no idea where to begin. Thankfully Gillian and the Affecting Spaces team were there to help me focus my ideas and bring my vision to life. From the very first meeting Gillian listened to my ideas and was thoughtful of how I wanted my home to look and function. Her expertise was crucial in ensuring my often scattered requests came together in a realistic, functional, and beautiful design. When I started overthinking the possibilities and obsessing over the smallest of details, Gillian's knowledge and calm, professional demeanor provided the perspective I desperately needed. I'm in love with the final result and look forward to many more years in my beautiful home.

We hired Gillian of Affecting Spaces to renovate our kitchen and mudroom. We could not be happier with the results, working with her was terrific. Gillian was quick to respond to any issues and answered any questions thoroughly. Her contractors were outstanding and the entire process was stress-free. Her design ideas were both functional and aesthetically beautiful. Friends and family who have seen our kitchen are so impressed. We would highly recommend Gillian to anyone considering a renovation.

We would highly recommend Gillian of Affecting Spaces. We hired Gillian to redesign our basement, living room-dining room and master bathroom and to help us select furniture and art. She did a phenomenal job. Everyone who sees the results is incredibly impressed. She has great design ideas and and transformed all of these spaces to make them both functional and beautiful. She is extremely budget conscious and we were very impressed with the quality of materials that she found that were within our budget. She is very professional and makes sure that everything is done to high standards. We also found her easy to talk to and she really understood what we wanted. It was a pleasure to work with her.

Working with Gillian is a delgiht. The process was painless from start to finish and Gillian told me step by step how she would design, bill and execute our work. Her choices and decisions showed taste, thoughtfulness and consideration of how our space is used, as well as our budget.

Gillian is very professional, organized and focuses on details that make all the difference while managing the whole project and keeping the budget in check. She very quickly was able to understand our personal tastes and family needs to come up with a design and solution for us that we hadn't thought of before. Her process made a large renovation project stress free! Knowing our lifestyle and tastes, she provided us with samples that each already reflected this and made our choices much simpler. Her connections to contractors and suppliers is also a huge benefit and having her manage the project from start to finish took the weight completely off our shoulders and instead we could focus on watching and enjoying the transformation of our home. I would recommend Gillian to anyone looking to re-design a space.

Gillian is amazing to work with. We hired Gillian for an entryway/kitchen/dining/living room remodel and are glad we did. Always professional, trustworthy, easy to communicate with, prompt with answering inquiries and especially helpful with managing all the details of our project. One thing I really liked was how she quickly understood our design style and then gave us a handful of suggestions to pick from. It made the selection process quick and easy. We started in November and our project is very close to being completed. We’ve had delays and challenges from the start (as with all renos) and Gillian has been continually on top of it – she is extremely dedicated to her work and clients. We wouldn't hesitate to hire her again.

Hiring Affecting Spaces was no doubt the best decision our family could have made when faced with our home renovation! Gillian and her team designed a beautiful new home for our 35 year old house that desperately needed a face lift. Our home has been transformed into a beautiful space that offers both comfort and efficiency and now has a beautiful natural flow.. There is a warmth that Gillian has created in her design that one feels immediately when walking thru the front door. The Affecting Spaces' team worked diligently on design, SPEC and engineer drawings as well as working with the City of Mississauga for permits. Each member of the team offered expertise in their field and all were professional and courteous. From the elaborate sixteen foot sliding door to the tiniest of details such as lighted stairs, Affecting Spaces has truly brought our dream home to fruition. Our family is so thankful!

After 20 years of dreaming and saving, we decided to convert our 102-year-old house into a multi-functional, universally designed home so that we could enjoy our Zoomer years in comfort and style. Gillian gracefully accepted the challenge of creating a modern and sophisticated design on a modest budget. Guided by her impeccable customer service standards, Gillian responded to every question promptly with the appropriate level of detail. Drawing from her extensive knowledge, she offered customized solutions to address our unique circumstance. She brought our vision to life by first assessing our style preferences and then by providing a fantastical conceptual plan. Gillian was a patient and respectful listener who quickly responded to our requests and offered the best options to match our wishes. She effectively collaborated with a team of professionals to ensure the conformity of our design. Gillian met all the scheduled deadlines while maintaining a calm and professional demeanour. We are so proud of our home and we are very grateful to Gillian for sharing her many talents with us to make our dream a reality!

I had been struggling with how to create a new 'look' for the exterior of my 1960's bungalow. I had lots of ideas for a more modern updated home but no idea how to put it all together. What should be an exciting project had become such a challenge. With all the choices and all the decisions to be made, it became overwhelming. Mistakes are just too costly so I wasn't prepared to move forward until I had well thought out plans in place. Enter Gillian...all of the stress went away, and all of the excitement emerged again. It was an absolutely wonderful experience and so simple! We chatted initially and she just seemed to know exactly what I wanted from the get go. Then she was off and running. The process was excellent. We did it all electronically...no time spent coordinating schedules or travelling to meetings. I found her to be very customer focused with a goal of creating what I wanted. She explained all the important aspects so I understood how to make the design become a reality. All this on a tight deadline. Check out the before and after pictures I've posted on Houzz (jm04). Although the project is not completed yet, I couldnt be more pleased with the tranformation!! The results so far are amazing...a simple, modern update with clean lines..exactly what I wanted. If you can relate to my initial struggles with the design, do yourself a huge favor and hire a professional. Gillian would get my vote hands down; money well spent.

I hired Gillian at Affecting Spaces to provide plans for remodelling our bathroom. We were on a tight budget but i can say that her service was very reasonably priced and that it was worth every penny! Her designs were clear, very well done, and easy to follow. They saved us tons of time agonizing over paint colours, hardware, ect. I am using them again for my daughther's room as we speak.

In the spring of 2014, I hired Affecting Spaces to redesign pretty much my entire living space. While that project was style and design focused, I was exposed to lead designer Gillian Lazanik's vast architectural design skills. For that project, she probed to gain a thorough understanding of both my needs and desired aesthetic, and then we leveraged houzz to zero on themes and finishes that would resonate with me. I was so pleased with the outcome of that renewal project, that when I purchased a heritage house, I knew Gillian would be instrumental in helping me to plan renovations while keeping my restoration goals in mind. This heritage home is a labour of love, and while so far we are only one project in, I know I will be able to count on Affecting Spaces to guide me towards the design and execution that I am looking for. One point I would like to make is about something that I think sets Gillian apart and keeps me coming back to Affecting Spaces. Her confidence in handling issues and challenges that arise (as they always do) makes her my rock in the renovation/restoration process. It is very reassuring to be able to count on her point of view and expertise, and then see the result turn out beautifully.

We had been trying to design a reno of our current kitchen ourselves and had received some input from another designer. Everything looked very ho-hum. We hired Gillian and Affecting Spaces through their Design On Line service. With a couple of weeks we had a completely original and thoroughly thought out kitchen design with a quote from a local cabinet maker to go with it. It definitely has the wow factor we were looking for. We're now searching for a contractor to make our dream kitchen a reality.

We hired Affecting Spaces through their "Design on Line" service to redesign the kitchen for our Victorian house in Toronto. We received our excellent design within a week of providing responses to Gillian's questions. We would never have thought of designing the space the way Gillian laid it out, and we were truly grateful to have a comprehensive and practical plan that reflected our style. Gillian was also able to refer an excellent contractor for us who we were very happy with. Thanks to Affecting Spaces, our renovation went smoothly, was cost effective (to the extent possible for a kitchen reno) and we actually enjoyed the design process.

Gillian helped me with the redesign of my bathroom and upstairs renovation. She worked closely with me and my contractor to make sure her design was followed, or altered as necessary to respond to unexpected site conditions. Gillian is a great designer and resource. She really understands space planning and maximizing small spaces to make them beautiful and functional. She is professional and responsive. This is the second time I've worked with her and I continue to recommend her. Note: the project cost includes construction

We would hire Gillian again without hesitation and highly recommend her services. She did a great job in managing the project and expectations in terms of budget and timing, which resulted in a smooth process overall for our family. In addition to her strong sense of professionalism and style, we also appreciated Gillian's flexibility and understanding of our needs. It's evident that she wants to design a space her clients will love and, in our case, she definitely delivered!

Intelligent, courteous, unflappable designer/architect with great taste. She zeroed in on our style and pushed us a little bit out of our traditional rut, and we couldn't be happier with our new, updated space. Although our condo reno provided some unexpected obstacles which extended the time frame and added to the expense, we felt the end product was worth it. This architect took great pains to make sure everything was done impeccably. Knowing we could not be there as much as we would have liked, she would come, even on weekends, to supervise the installation of custom blinds and other things that required someone to be on site. Our new space has tons of attractive storage, an ingenious medicine cabinet, a murphy bed, an absolutely gorgeous bathroom, and an open, functional kitchen. Terrific job and a real pleasure to work with.

There are two ways to show confidence in an individual or company. Referring them to others and giving them your business again! I am doing both with Affecting Design. Gillian and her team have done such outstanding work that we have hired them for a second project. Affecting Spaces provided us with a plan/design for our space that is both functional and beautiful. One of the aspects that I enjoyed most about working with Gillian is that she became an integral part of 'the team', eliminating the tension that can often develop between designer, contractor, trades etc. She is a master at sourcing materials, solutions and a pleasure to work with.

Great customer service, fantastic design, and strong relationships with contractors. We absolutely saved money by hiring her, and she was a joy to work with. Gillian helped us find our style and choose colours and layouts, and she created a wonderful design and construction drawings for the whole project. Not only that, she helped us hire and manage construction contractors who we had a great experience with. Home renovations can be big stressful projects, and Gillian helped us stay within our budget and to feel confident and informed throughout the project. Our condo fits us so much better now, and we have so much more room than we thought we did! Highly recommended.

When my wife and I decided to re-model our bathroom, we realized it was not a DIY job. Gillian at Affecting Spaces overcame the space limitation of our bathroom with a beautiful and functional design, maximizing the available space in a way that we could never have envisioned or done on our own. And yet, her attention to our tastes, preferences and needs, made the bathroom instantly feels like our own, not someone else idea of their ideal bathroom. Her service doesn't end with handing off the design either, from conception, through sourcing of material to supervising construction, she was there every step of the way, holding our hands as well as making sure the tradesman adhere to the plans and design specs. Lastly, the peace of mind that comes with having drawings and plans before construction begins is priceless. Having been through constructions with and without a design plan, I can say we will never take on any major remodeling without a plan. I can not recommend Gillian and Affecting Spaces enough, and will certainly hire her again for our next renovation.

It was a sincere pleasure to work with Gillian of Affecting Spaces. Not only was the experience highly professional (as well as enjoyable!), Gillian was extremely detail-oriented which helped to ensure that the final product was exactly as I had hoped! I had a great experience with Affecting Spaces and wouldn't hesitate to recommend Gillian to anybody looking for a person who can take the beginnings of a vague idea and transform it into a gorgeous reality.

My wife and I are retired school teachers. Gillian has the qualities to make her an excellent teacher. She has the patience to listen carefully to what you say. The knowledge to know where to take you and what to show you, and the ability to skillfully help you choose what you need to make your place the masterpiece that you want it to be. The time spent with her was both informative and rewarding. All of this was accomplished while staying on budget and within our desire timelines. We are so absolutely thrilled with the final product.

Highly Recommend. In my experience, Affecting Spaces has an approach that I believe people will find very rare and refreshing these days. Not only is she extremely knowledgeable about both the architectural and contractual aspects of the business, she has a great natural sense for what the client is looking to do. Whether it's layout design or material selection for example, she's got an opinion, and has the right approach in sharing it. She is punctual, professional, and it is always a pleasure to deal with her. Even when the project is completed, she is type to always be available for questions and help you work through resolutions, whatever the issue might be. I would strongly recommend this firm to anyone looking for an interior designer.

I have contracted affecting spaces last June of 2013 to renovate an existing 3200 sq. ft. two story single detached home from traditional to modern. We proceeded to negotiate a style we liked after severall attempts at designs and I was extremely impressed with Gillian's skills as a designer. She knew precisely where to steer us even though we knew nothing about the process or the outcome. However her prelimary sketches and 3D drawings made it easy. She was and is extremely detailed and precise in her sketches and drawings. After 5 months of working with Gillian, we gave her absolute cart blanch to design pick and choose for our taste and todate with progress in hand I would readily recommend her to anyone embarking on medium to a full scale modern design. She is honest, meticulous and very knowledgeable. We are very fortunate and lucky to have her at our side. Since I was my own general contractor, Gillian still oversaw the progress to make sure the project stayed on course. Couldn't have done this without her professionalism and expertise.

As a general contractor & project manager I tip my hat to Gillian at Affecting Spaces for stepping up time after time and delivering a level of professionalism, dedication and skill that is 2nd to none. I've worked on numerous projects in which Gillian is at the design helm and it's always a pleasure to implement her creative spirit and work with an interior designer who has a solid and sound understanding of construction principles. Unlike so many others, Gillian gets involved on a level that is truly collaborative and is able to create unique spaces, find ingenious solutions to challenges and problems and in the end make all of our efforts something to truly be proud of. Often times home owners confide in me about how choosing to work with Gillian was the best decision they made. I always agree! If you're considering hiring an interior designer who is worth double what she charges then look no further.

I am forever grateful for Gillian's fantastic work on my loft. She saved me a lot of grief with her recommendations. She is ethical, cost-efficient and provides beautiful work. We had no problems with deadlines - Gillian has a great work ethic, and reachable. Gillian is easy to work with and takes the time to listen to what you need. She has innovative ideas, works with your space, and makes it esthetically pleasing as well as practical. I am so happy with my home, and I owe it all to Affecting Spaces!

Affecting Spaces did wonders with my main floor renovation. Gillian's attention to detail and professionalism ensured I had a great experience. From concept drawings and plans to renovations and furniture selection, Gillian's quality of work is top notch. I would recommend Affecting spaces to anyone!