Ania Maternicki | AVA INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior Design & Decorating Consultant | Owner, Established 2005
I decided to write an updated bio about myself to reconnect with current clients who may be looking for interior design or decorating services, whether they simply want to refresh their home as it is today or undertake a more extensive renovation involving a portion of their home or the entire property.
My experience spans more than 25 years, beginning with pre-construction projects and extending to existing homes. As the Owner and Principal Designer of AVA INTERIOR DESIGN, a Canadian-based company located in Etobicoke, I have continued to expand my interior and exterior design and decorating credentials throughout the years.
My education includes graduating as an Associate of OCAD in 1999, following an intensive four-year program in Environmental Design, with studies in interior and exterior design and architectural elements. My professional development continued through my internship membership with ARIDO, which included attending various product seminars and educational updates on building codes and industry requirements.
I placed my membership with ARIDO (Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario) on hold when my career took a different direction and I was offered contract opportunities with prestigious builders, including Cordev Inc. and Max & Co.
My Experience in Residential Development
Cordev Inc. & Max & Co.
I worked as a Project Coordinator for the new condominium development at 99 Avenue Road, located in downtown Toronto near Avenue Road and Yorkville.
Following the completion of this project, I accepted an offer to join Tridel Inc.
Tridel Inc.
At Tridel, I worked as a Finishes Liaison Coordinator and Customer Care Representative for the luxury condominium project No. 10 Bellair, located in the heart of Yorkville, downtown Toronto. Following its completion, I continued with the same builder on AVIGNON, a boutique residential development in North York, Toronto.
I then started my family and took a year off to focus on this important chapter of my life.
The Launch of AVA INTERIOR DESIGN
In 2005, I launched AVA INTERIOR DESIGN and began offering my interior design expertise to nearby builders, helping them establish their finishes and décor offices with standard and upgrade packages for new homeowners.
At the time, new residential developments were transforming the Oakville and Burlington neighbourhoods. What was once open land quickly became a collection of new homes, as families began settling into these beautiful communities and selecting lots and homes that suited their tastes and budgets.
In 2007 I was asked by Fernbrook Homes to complete three model homes in Burloak, on the border of Burlington and Oakville. I had decided to do each of the three in three different styles, One was Modern, the second was Traditional and the third was Transitional. They were a joy to walk through by many potential purchasers looking to purchase homes from various builders in the area. The model homes I created received great recognition and served their purpose for over six years while the Builder began to build in several different phases. The homes quickly sold out. They were such a success that I was asked to continue onto new projects in different locations that incuded: Cornerstone in Burlington, The ROC ( Royal Oakville Club ) near downtown Oakville on the corner of Speers and Dorval and then The Belfontain in Aurora, near Bloomington and Yonge. There was also a Heritage Home project I was grateful to have been invited to lead nearby in the AURORA neighbourhood that was also by Fernbrook Homes where it was a complete redo and an extension was added by the builder. I was responsible for selecting the finishes that included: staircase detail, trim, interior and exterior doors, kitchen cabinetry, bathroom cabinetry, floor tile, floor hardwood, theatre leather flooring, plumbing fixtures, lighting locations and fixtures, fireplace replacements and additions, ceiling plaster moulding, windows, closet interiors, Kitchen and laundry appliances, furniture, paint colours, wallpaper, area rugs and so much more. My selections also included the exterior: brick additions, roof colour, stained glass and other exterior coordination together with reviews with the Architect that specialized in Heritage Homes also hired by Fernbrook Homes. After the Heritage Home served its marketing intention, it was later sold to a wonderful family I had the pleasure with meeting a few years later when they had a home visit for purchase intention. After my projects completed at Fernbrook, I had the pleasure of joining for a short contract that turned into a few years:
Menkes Developments: Here I was on board for two different projects that were their specialty luxury trademark that were 10 years apart from each other – I was delighted to be invited back to be a part of it:
2010-2012: The Residences of the Four Seasons located at 60 Yorkville Avenue in the heart of Yorkville Toronto near Bay and Bloor and Avenue Road and
2022-2024: 77 Clarendon a boutique luxury condominium, an intimate collection of Private residences in Toronto’s South Hill near Casa Loma at the corner of Russell Hill Road and Clarendon Avenue.
For both projects at Menkes Developments, I enjoyed assisting with build drawing review and documenting purchaser changes and upgrades from pre-concrete pour Electrical, Mechanical and Architectural changes to post concrete pour of Finishes Coordination. Once the suite coordination contract with Menkes Developments was completed, I returned to my own personal business focus of AVA INTERIOR DESIGN and reactivated calls from clients that I was grateful waited for me and new clients to assist with local luxury homes in my area of Etobicoke The Kingsway and surrounding areas of Mississauga, Oakville, North York, Toronto and beyond including Cottage Country and Internationally.
I am currently a member of:
- BILD : Building Industry and Land Development Association
- CHBA : Canadian Home Builders’ Association:
- DDA : Decorators and Designers Association of Canada
Some of my certifications & credentials include:
- AdaptivHome Certification September 2026
- Three time Top Choice Award Winner (2020, 2021, 2024)
- Nominated for the ‘ GEM of Etobicoke-Lakeshore 2024 ‘ award by the House of Commons Parliament ‘
- AOCAD associate graduate Environmental Design: Interior Design, Exterior Design and Architectural Details
- Past intern ARIDO membership, Exceeding ‘CheckPOINT’ requirements.
- Sensitive Design for Long Term Care facilities NCIDQ Monograph Certificate
- Creating Sustainable Interiors: NCIDQ Monograph Certificate
- GREEN Building and Designing, Bill 124 Prep Course / Building Code – Legal / General Process
Achieving most recently the AdaptivHome Certification has been a special interest to me most recently with my aging Father and aging family and friends around me. Being in the Generation X category ( typically defined as being born between 1965-1980 ) and being surrounded by a large population of Baby Boomers (Typically defined as being born between 1946 and 1964 ) I find this most important to be aware of the needs of Aging in Place generations and making their homes most adaptive for function, safety and aesthetic preferences. It is never too young to start planning to make your home more adaptive to be suitable for the years ahead that lead us into our golden finer years. This is especially of interest to those who choose to stay home and not enter retirement homes if this is not something for you; you might prefer to stay at home. Making your home more accessible can help make this possible. Using a certified AdaptivHome Designer and Decorator such as myself and retaining your own certified contractor builder, a certified architect, and certified occupational therapist is important to make this possible. See my next blog that dives deeper into this subject.
Ania Maternicki
AVA INTERIOR DESIGN
Interior Design & Decorating Consultant
Owner EST. 2005