What luxury features are actually worth the investment in your renovation?
When you’re planning a home renovation, it’s important to choose upgrades that will elevate your lifestyle and offer long-term value to your space.
This past year, we incorporated several standout design elements into our Edmonton renovation projects. These features looked remarkable and elevated the homes through clean design, thoughtful function, and high-quality finishing.
Here are our favourite luxury renovation features of 2025 and why we’d recommend them heading into 2026. Plus, a bonus luxury upgrade that shows what’s possible when you reimagine underused spaces.
1. Seamless Quartz Backsplash for a Clean, Elevated Kitchen
If you’re looking for a sleek, low-maintenance kitchen design, running the quartz countertop up the backsplash is one of our favourite luxury upgrades.
The result is beautiful and practical: no grout lines to scrub, no fussy tile to keep clean. Just one smooth, continuous surface that ties the whole kitchen together.
Why we love a quartz backsplash:
- Low Maintenance: As a non-porous material, quartz resists stains, mildew, and bacteria—no sealing or polishing required.
- Seamless Aesthetic: Without grout lines, the backsplash has a luxurious, uninterrupted finish. If you use the same quartz from the counter to the backsplash, it creates a unified look, like we did in the White Tail Acres kitchen.
- Durability: Quartz is a tough material. It holds up to scratches, chips, and daily wear in a busy family kitchen.
- Heat Resistance: It can withstand heat up to ~300°F, which makes it a smart option behind the stovetop.
As seen in our Ironwood Point, White Tail Acres, and Byrne Crescent projects.
In our White Tail Acres renovation, our client wanted a timeless and easy to care for backsplash. We matched the veining from the countertop through the backsplash for a refined look. We ran the quartz up the back of the floating shelves, which looks remarkable.
2. Adjustable Wall Sconces for a Warm, Classy Kitchen
A well-placed wall sconce adds soft, flattering light to your kitchen, perfect for the long winter evenings in Edmonton when you don’t want the overhead lights on full blast.
Why we love adjustable wall sconces:
- Directional Flexibility: With swing arms or rotating heads, they provide directional task lighting where you need it. For example: they are great above a coffee bar, by the sink, or flanking the stovetop.
- Customizable Ambiance: Many models feature dimmer switches, allowing you to switch from bright task lighting to soft, ambient light for a cold winter night.
- Remarkable Design Accent: They serve as decorative, stylish elements that make the kitchen look luxurious and give it a subtle pop of personality.
In our Ironwood Point renovation, these adjustable wall sconces played a key role in creating a welcoming, modern space. The kitchen previously had only the bright, white overhead light and the light from the range hood. The adjustable sconces drastically improved visibility and created an inviting atmosphere for hosting and routine cooking and cleaning.
Now, the kitchen is practical and beautiful, with a layered lighting plan that’s perfect for the homeowners’ lifestyle.
3. An Integrated Range Hood for a Streamlined Kitchen
When every element in a kitchen is competing for attention, it can feel busy or disjointed.
That’s why we love integrating the range hood into the cabinetry, it lets the millwork shine and still delivers on performance.
Here’s why integrated range hoods are one of our favourite features:
- Seamless aesthetic: Concealed inside the cabinetry for a clean, uninterrupted look. Since they’re hidden within the custom cabinetry, they don’t clash with your kitchen’s personality.
- Quiet operation and Improved Performance: Integrated range hoods run quieter than traditional exposed hoods. They also usually come with advanced fans, delivering optimum performance for your kitchen.
As seen in our Ironwood Point, White Tail Acres, Ritchie, and River Vista projects.
In our Ritchie kitchen transformation, our clients chose this minimalist approach to their range hood. The hood is fully enclosed within the upper cabinets, which keeps the lines of the kitchen clean and highlights the beautiful two-toned cabinetry. It’s a simple detail that adds a lot of impact.
Watch the video below to see how we approached this minimalist range hood in Ritchie.
4. Mitred Tile Corners for a Luxurious Bathroom Finish
Once you’ve seen mitred tile corners, it’s hard to go back. Instead of using metal edge strips, the tile is cut on a 45-degree angle so the corners meet cleanly without added trim or visual interruption.
Why we love mitred tile:
- Remarkable Look: Provides a clean, professional finish where only the glazed surface of the tile is visible, avoiding the interruption of edge trim pieces. It enhances the perceived value of your bathroom, making it look luxurious.
- No Extra Trim Needed: Eliminates the need for bullnose, metal, or plastic trim, creating a seamless, custom look.
- Versatility: Works well on various materials, including porcelain, ceramic, and stone.
As seen in our Ironwood Point ensuite and River Vista kitchen & ensuite projects.
We installed mitred tile corners in the Ironwood Point ensuite shower to showcase the vertical tile pattern, creating a clean, luxurious finish that draws the eye to the beauty of the tile itself.
Bonus: Our Favourite Luxury Upgrade
An Underused-Space Transformation to Reveal Your Home’s Potential
Some of our most rewarding design decisions come from reimagining forgotten or awkward areas of the home.
Whether it’s a blank wall or an old closet, these spaces offer a chance to add personality and function that feels truly custom. With the right layout and finish choices, even the smallest or the most “boring” areas of your home can become a standout feature.
Why we love reimagining underused spaces:
- Tailored Functionality: You can customize the space to meet your family’s current and future needs, such as a home office, a dedicated gym, a kids’ playroom, or a guest suite.
- Improved Flow: Repurposing a room, or creating an open-concept design, can improve the flow and usability of your home, making movement between areas more fluid and intuitive.
- Personalized Comfort: Renovations allow you to express your personal style and create an environment that makes you feel happy, safe, and content in your own home. Even transforming a closed-off or awkward space into an inviting communal area, like an open concept kitchen or a family room, can foster a greater sense of togetherness and social confidence when hosting.
One of our favourite examples is this remarkable wine room transformation in the River Vista penthouse.
What used to be a catch-all closet with a swing door became a remarkable wine room, perfect for entertaining. We reconfigured the opening with a pocket door to free up room, added great shelving and lighting, and installed bold black cabinetry that feels like a natural extension of the kitchen, while still making a statement of its own.
Need a little professional advice as you plan your dream renovation?
We have much more to share! Send us an email at info@contactrenovations.ca – we’d love to help you make your dream Edmonton (& surrounding area) home a reality.
Don’t miss out on more advice from Paul and his fellow industry experts. Subscribe to our YouTube channel where you’ll find a deep dive into the process behind our remarkable renovations through our weekly videos.
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