Homes for real life
home renos & Design
Edmonton, Alberta
Maybe your home worked for you when you bought it, but then your family grew and your home didn’t grow with it.
You had to makeshift a nursery, a playroom, or an [insert room here] because it was less stressful (read: a whole lot simpler) than moving house. Or maybe your home never worked for you, thanks to that awkward 70s’ kitchen layout you don’t know what to do with.
The problem is: You want a home that works for real life—spilled juice, impromptu pillow forts, and Friday night movies with your crew—but you’re not exactly designing a palace for the pages of Architectural Digest. From one parent to another: I get it. I’ve turned my own 1,100-square-foot home into a functional space for my three sons (and their very exhausted parents), and after leading over 1,000 builds and renovations as an architectural designer, I can help you create a home that works as hard as you do (without the tantrums).
And I’m here to make your home work for your life.
Make your home work for your life
The truth is: Unless you’ve gone to school for architecture, the average parent doesn’t have the technical know-how it takes to lead a reno. And because parents are busy enough as it is juggling their day job with kids, karate, and that godforsaken pet ferret, moonlighting as a general contractor probably isn’t in your best interest. But that doesn’t mean you’re destined to live in a house that doesn’t work for your family—it just means you have to get creative about how you’ll reno your home.
Let me set the scene: You’ve hired a designer/fairy godmother who can step into your space, visualize the possibilities, and bibbidy-bobbidy-boo it into your dream home—without having to move, spend your life savings, or throw a hammer at your better half from the stress of managing it yourself.
If that sounds too good to be true, keep reading.
The Services
Get the home you want with the space you have
Book an design consultation to get a professional’s opinion on your space. If you need construction drawings to start your reno, upgrade to the Concepts & Drawings package. And if you don’t know what to do with those drawings, upgrade to the Project Management package and I’ll manage your reno so you don’t have to.
My Expertise
Tendering
Materials Sourcing
Project Management
Interiors & Exteriors
Colour Consultation
Layout Design
As-Built Drawings
Construction Drawings
Permitting
Why Murrell Design Co?
I design for real life
Anyone who has kids knows a white couch just isn’t going to fly—but that doesn’t mean your home can’t be magazine-worthy. We’ll marry your lifestyle (crayons on the wall and all) with the inspo you’ve pinned to Pinterest. Practicality meets aesthetics.
I’ll work within your budget
I’m not one of those designers who needs a bottomless budget to transform your home. In fact, I know first-hand what it’s like to be limited by a budget, and I like to think it makes us more creative in our solutions. Challenge accepted.
I think in 3d
No, seriously. Thinking in 3D is my superpower. I can step into any space (cape optional) and visualize how we could solve its livability challenges, from an awkward kitchen layout to a room that has to serve as a bedroom and a boardroom.
How it works
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Let’s get to know each other over a 20-minute call and all the coffee. Kids welcome.
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Start with an Design Consultation or go all in on Concept & Drawings and project management.
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Reno your home with more confidence and less stress, thanks to my 15+ years of experience.
Meet Your Designer
An architectural designer and home-reno pro
Hey, I’m Aimee: An architectural designer with over 15 years of industry experience. I started my career as a production designer, churning out cookie-cutter houses, but within five years, I was managing a team of five, designing new plans for one of North America’s biggest builders. I had my hands on every step of the process, from concept to completion. I worked with sales teams and contractors. I secured permits and sourced materials. Under my management, we scaled the company from 150 builds per year to over 500. But when family life called, I answered: I took my career from a corporate office to my home office and haven’t looked back.
Today, I partner with builders and homeowners to design and build custom homes and renovations. I’ve renovated my own 1,100-square-foot abode to be more livable for my family of five (yes, five), including three boys under the age of nine. I know what good design—and good builds—look like as intimately as I know what it’s like to work with a budget (or with a four-month-old napping while you tear down walls). Long story short, I know what it’s like to be you, which is why I can’t wait to help you and your family make your home work for your life.
The Freebie
The five biggest renovation mistakes
Home reno DIYers, this one’s for you. From budgets to timelines, I’m spilling the five biggest renovation mistakes clients make. (It’s not your fault—it’s HGTV’s.)
The guide
Make your playroom kid-proof
We both know kids trash everything. In this DIY guide, I’ll show you how to design a playroom that stands up to what kids throw down—and doesn’t age as your kids do.