A Stroke of Genius

Name: A Stroke of Genius
Address: 978 Hartford Place, North Vancouver, British Columbia, V7H 2J7, Canada
Telephone: +1 604-319-4074
Rating: 4.9

35 Reviews

Interior Designers & Interior Decorators

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About Us

'Creative Vision for your Home....Delivered with Attention to Detail'. A Stroke of Genius is a Full Service Interior Design Company based in Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, servicing the Qualicum Beach, Errington, Naniamo, Nanoose Bay and surrounding areas. Under the direction of Barbara Aylesworth, A Stroke of Genius strives to create interior spaces that are both beautiful and functional. Barbara believes that good design is the creation of ‘functional beauty’. The design process is a very personal one and is unique to every project. The key to good design is fulfilling the client's dream. Barbara listens carefully to her clients, interprets their needs and wants, then presents options and creative solutions. Barbara is passionate about Interior Decorating and Design and brings creative vision and attention to detail to every project. A Stroke of Genius was established in 1997 as a vehicle to showcase Barbara's skills as a decorative paint artist. Over the years Barbara has expanded her skills and knowledge in all aspects of home renovation through hands-on experience and attending classes to earn a diploma in Interior Design. She works with a team of highly skilled trades people that execute her vision. Whether you are looking to refresh your space with new paint colours or do a full remodel, A Stroke of Genius is ready to assist you. Services include Colour Consultation, Materials Specifications, Draperies and Window Coverings, Upholstery, Furniture Selections, Space Planning, Bathroom & Kitchen Renovations. Let us help you make your house into the home of your dreams.

Services Provided

Bathroom Design, Bedroom Design, Color Consulting, Custom Bathroom Vanities, Custom Blinds & Shades, Custom Built-ins, Custom Cabinets, Custom Fireplace Mantels, Custom Furniture, Custom Kitchen Cabinets, Custom Shelving, Dining Room Design, Furniture Selection, Interior Design, Kitchen Design, Laundry Room Design, Living Room Design, Project Management, Kitchen Remodeling, Custom Cabinet Doors, Custom Countertops, Bathroom Remodeling, Remodeling

Areas Served

Qualicum Beach, Naniamo, Nanoose Bay

Awards

* Best of Houzz Service 2019 * Best of Houzz Service 2018 * Best of Houzz Service 2017 * Best of Houzz Service 2016 • Interior Designer 2011 PNE Prize Home * Interior Design Coordination 2010 PNE Prize Home * Interior Design Coordination 2009 PNE Prize Home

17 Projects

Updated Townhome

Open Concept Family Home

Traditional Family Home

Entertainer's Dream

Elegant Family Home

Carefully Curated Collectibles

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Business Details

Business Name

A Stroke of Genius

Phone Number

+1 604-319-4074

Website

astrokeofgenius.ca

Address

978 Hartford Place
North Vancouver, British Columbia V7H 2J7
Canada

Typical Job Cost

CAD 10,000 - CAD 5,00,000

Followers

54 Followers

Socials

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Credentials

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Write a Review

35 Reviews for A Stroke of Genius

Newest first

HU-88092104

Two years ago Feb. we had a flood in the lower floor of our home , and needed some renovating which included our master bedroom. Barb Aylesworth of A STROKE OF GENIUS did an outstanding job organizing the repairs and changes . We decided at that point to renovate our entire house . Barb is an extremely talented designer whose expertise was well appreciated. She presented us with plans and ideas and worked very hard to produce what we desired, which she succeeded in doing . Barb is a very friendly, professional , honest, and reliable person, and one who definitely listens to and works closely with her clients . She was in regular, constant contact with us throughout the two years . She has excellent trades people, whose talents created the beautiful home we now love and enjoy. We would highly recommend Barb and A Stroke of Genius at any time , as her talented work in all areas is definitely first class .

27 March 2020

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for your kind words and wonderful review. What a journey this has been! From the moment we started this renovation, with the selection of the carpeting in the master bedroom, right through to the completion of the upper deck, it has truly been my pleasure working with you both. Enjoy your new home!

Chrys McQuarrie

A stoke of genius redecorated my bedroom and then made suggestions for my living room,all of them lovely so I now have almost a new condo.. And they all were within my budget. I highly recommend her. It was a pleasure. Chrys

3 December 2019

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you your kind words Chrys. It was truly my pleasure assisting you with the updates to your home. I am sure will enjoy the additions for many years to come.

Business_Name_Placeholder

I have used Barb as a design consultant for at least 5 or 6 jobs. She has exceeded my expectations! She has a knack for picking colours and designs that are on the forefront of the trends of the day instead of trends that are on the way out. Her colours and ideas always look great and are in style for years. On numerous occasions neighbours and friends have copied her colours so much so that in one house we had the next door neighbour picked the exact same exterior colour! The last time she came and helped with design ideas I still had her hand written notes from the previous job. So much do I value her advice that I keep her notes for years in my drawer! One last thing I appreciate about Barb and her team is that they are very humble. She I'm sure has many high end clients but not everyone can change all the furniture, appliances, features, etc. on every remodel. Barb works with the furniture, features, etc. that we have and tries to keep the job as cost efficient as she can. Whenever we have a remodel coming up the cost of Barb and her design advice is a non negotiable.

21 November 2019Last modified:4 December 2019

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for your kind words Val. I can't believe it has been over 15 years since our first meeting and consultation. Your enthusiasm for home remodeling is inspiring. I am so happy to have had the opportunity of working with you on your many projects. Can't wait to help you on the next one!

S G

Barb has been amazing to work with. I am a first time homeowner and I was overwhelmed with decoration and design choices available. Barb made the process very easy and enjoyable. She managed to optimize my small space with spacious storage while it looks good as well. I am very happy with the end results. Thank you Barb!

1 October 2019

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for your kind words Sadaf.
It was truly a pleasure working with you. I am so happy I was able to be a part of the creation of your first home. Your condo is beautiful and the location is perfect.
Wishing you all the best in your new home.

Tania & Garry Nash

We decided to use Barb Aylesworth of A Stroke of Genius to oversee our kitchen and family room which were in bad need of an update. She had a vision for these areas once she talked through our likes and dislikes and looking over our whole home. She brought many ideas to the table bearing in mind the flow to the rest of the house. Her attention to even the smallest detail show beautifully in the end result. Barb is very organized, relatable, professional, knowledgeable about design, good listener and was always on time. She took all the stress out of many decisions by developing realistic options that suited our style including furnishings and home accents. We are so glad we trusted Barb's overall design. We could not be happier with the end result.

9 September 2019

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful review. I am so happy you called me to assist you in updating your kitchen and family room. The space is so light and bright now. And that view.....it all ties in so beautifully now.
It truly was my pleasure working with you both.

Clare A

I can not say enough great things about our project with A Stroke of Genius and our experience with Barbara. Her professionalism, knowledge and attention to detail are of the highest quality. Every detail of the entire project was managed and executed seamlessly and our expectations were exceeded throughout the course of the renovation and installation. Barbara was able to interpret our vision and transform our home in a way we could have never imagined. We would absolutely recommend hiring her services for any type of design project. It was such a pleasure to work with her.

28 March 2019

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for the fabulous review! It was truly my pleasure working with both you and Scott throughout the renovation process to create new spaces and furnish the rooms in your new home.
I am sure you will enjoy many, many years in your lovely home creating beautiful memories.

Micki (Maxine) Partridge

We would be very please to recommend Barb ....she did an excellent job for us on updating our very old kitchen/family room. It was a tricky job because we weren't changing appliances, cabinets or the tile floor, but she made wonderful suggestions regarding upholstering, window treatments, our new counter and backsplash, and also a fireplace and shelving unit that needed a lot of help. She is wonderful to work with, very personable, and has a great team of tradespeople who always arrived when they said they would....so planning our lives over the 2 months it took was quite easy. Thanks , Barb

21 July 2018

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Hi Micki,
Thank you for your wonderful review.
You have such a beautiful home and it was truly my pleasure assisting you in updating the kitchen and family room. The changes we made both brightened up the space and created a more cohesive flow with the rest of your home.
I am sure you will enjoy these updates and new additions for many years to come.

Roberta Staley

Barb Aylesworth of A Stroke of Genius was hired in 2017 to undertake the interior design of the Oakmont building in Vancouver. At 25 years old, the common areas within Oakmont, a three-storey condo/apartment building, were shabby, poorly lit and uninviting. Barb came up with a renovation concept and collaborated extensively with the strata council and property manager on three individual design schemes. She met numerous times over a period of several months with the strata, explaining how the colours and designs fit together and working out a renovation plan that would meet Oakmont's tight budget. Barb had various experts, such as electricians and tile layers, come out several times to ensure that the work could be done within an allotted time frame. She went to great lengths to source materials that would honour the design scheme as well as the budget and, when renovations began, was at the building almost every day to oversee the work. Barb was flexible with the design and when the strata requested changes, such as the creation of a new closet in one area of the building, or the addition of new shelves in another area, the changes were done quickly and within budget. The quality of the materials used was excellent and the workmen she hired to undertake the work polite, efficient and proficient. As a result of Barb’s imaginative, modern, elegant and sophisticated interior design, there has been a significant increase in the value of the building, giving each condo owner a remarkable ROI. In summary, I cannot recommend Barb highly enough.

7 April 2018Last modified:24 April 2018

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you Roberta. It was a very fun project. I really enjoyed working with you to transform the lobby and common areas in your building that more reflect the beautiful neighbourhood and community you live in. I am sure the residents of your building will enjoy the upgrades for many years to come.

Nelson Quiroga

Barbara put together a fabulous selection of colours and materials for an upgrade to the common area of an older apartment building that included a re-fresh of the elevator cab. Her skill at pulling it all together was a demonstration of her extensive experience and the end result was simply amazing. A real pleasure to work with.

4 April 2018

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for your kind comments, Nelson.
Oh, if those elevator walls could talk, they would probably thank us both for the new set of clothes!! Before the reno, this was a dark, drab elevator cab. The new vinyl wallcovering was the perfect solution to transforming this space on a budget. The vast selection of wall covering materials you offer made the choices easy. It was a pleasure working with you as well, and I look forward to working with you again on many more projects.

Diana Tchakalian

My master bathroom renovation went smoothly because i had the foresight to hire Barbara Aylesworth to be in charge of it. She is an artist, a perfectionist as well as a true professional. She listens to the client and makes recommendations based on the client's preferences. I love the colour scheme and simplicity of the bathroom. Barbara is experienced in all aspects of design and has a group of professionals that she calls upon to produce the desired outcome, from custom made cabinets to glazing an oversized bathtub. Her artistry really came to light when she decided to finish the walls in Italian plaster (that she did herself).

8 December 2017

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for your kind and generous review Diana. I am so happy you contacted me to help you with the renovation of your bathroom. And what a beautiful room it turned out to be! So clean and bright now. I am sure you will enjoy it for many years to come.
The Italian plaster finish applied to the walls looks like 'Moon Stone'. I think it was the perfect compliment to the feature wall and quartz countertop.

John Macmillan

Wow! We're so glad we found Barb to help us with our Kitchen upgrades, lighting, and conversion of one spare room into a well designed office space. She was meticulous and worked well with us to provide guidance and insight into counter top & fixture selection, colors, and proper design of our new office. She was always available to respond to our questions, stayed on budget, selected trades people that knew what they were doing, and completed the job in a timely fashion. Our High recommendation to Barb.

1 December 2017

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

Thank you for the wonderful review. It was my pleasure working with you to put the finishing touches to your home. I am so happy you are pleased with the changes that we made. The new office design and colour scheme flow seamlessly with the rest of your beautiful home. Thank you for inviting me to assist you.

Judith Barran

Barb has recently completed an entire renovation of our home's interior. She had worked with us 13 years ago, and we are so grateful to have found her again! Barb is very professional and detail oriented, very meticulous. Completing our bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen and laundry room while we lived in our home took great skill in her juggling the schedules of her excellent subcontractors making the process almost stress free for us. All lighting, cabinetry, flooring, carpeting, painting and appliances were dealt with. She was able to guide us through the multitude of decisions that would have otherwise overwhelmed us. She was able to envision both pragmatic and attractive solutions, at times successfully pushing us out of our comfort zones. We particularly appreciated her own touch with paint finishes and would recommend her very highly

17 September 2017

Comment from A Stroke of Genius:

It has been my pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you again. Thank you for your trust and confidence that the materials and finishes I suggested would work. Your home is now bright, open and airy. I am so happy and proud of the results. I look forward to working on other areas of your home.

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13 Comments

Commented: front door color?Benjamin Moore HC163 Duxbury Gray

24 May 2023

Commented: What is on the shower walls beside the mosaic tile detailHi Diane, We used 12"x24" white porcelain tiles layed vertically. This made the ceilings feel higher and was the perfect background for the mosaic feature.

4 July 2021

Commented: hello, can you give the name of the vanity manufacturer please?Hi Linda, This cabinet was custom made for this project.

29 September 2020

Commented: what paint colorHi, Thank you for your inquiry. The paint colour on the walls is OC15 Baby Fawn, the bookshelves are CC40 Cloud White. These are Benjamin Moore colours.

3 June 2020

Commented: Could you tell us the name of the paint color on the walls?Benjamin Moore 'Muslin'

27 November 2019

Commented: wall paint color?HC173 Edgecomb Gray by Benjamin Moore.

21 August 2019

A Stroke of Genius