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Transcendent Design
Inside DaVinci Floors and Granite, Susan Brys has designed a gorgeous full-scale kitchen to give visitors an opportunity to view the possibilities in a real-world setting.
There is something here for everyone. We have tile that starts as affordably as $1.79 per square foot and goes up to $300 per square foot.
DaVinci Floors and Granite owner Susan Brys offers one of the largest selections of tile and hardwood flooring in Northeast Ohio—and creative design that transcends the ordinary.
By: Mimi VanderhavenDate: 01/07/2010
Leonardo da Vinci was, among other things, a scientist, mathematician, inventor, painter, sculptor, and architect. He is widely considered to be one of the most diversely talented people ever to have lived. His two greatest works are the “Mona Lisa” and the “Last Supper,” and he is often described as the model of the Renaissance man.
Susan Brys, owner of DaVinci Floors and Granite, in Medina, may not be known the world over, but she is widely considered to be one of the most talented design experts in Greater Cleveland.
Among her greatest works are the spectacular store interiors of Nordstrom, Thomasville Furniture, Chico’s, and White House/Black Market. Most recently she was asked to redesign a Saudi prince’s suite—at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.
Susan is much too modest to allow lengthy comparisons between herself and the much-heralded da Vinci, insisting that the source of her store’s success can be directly attributed to her remarkable 13-member professional staff, which is made up of 70-percent women. The talented staff includes interior designers, a painter, top-notch installation crews, and a full-time tile installer who does nothing but backsplashes.
But she is a bit of an anomaly.
Her DaVinci Floors and Granite focuses on interiors for residential spaces, but Susan’s diverse background as an architect and construction manager allows her to bring an elevated level of polish to her designs. She regularly creates masterful compilations for her clients’ kitchens, bathrooms and basements. But she’s just as adept at pulling together a paint scheme or helping a shopper choose tile.
“Many customers come into the shop with no idea what they’re looking for,” she says. “When I start pulling things together, they often want to go with exactly what I’ve chosen.”
Her delightful store specializes in interior finishes, such as granite and marble for floors, countertops, and fireplaces; as well as tile, solid wood flooring, and custom and semi-custom cabinetry. The no-pressure family atmosphere is a welcome departure from the box stores.
“We carry one of the largest selections of tile and hardwood flooring available in the Greater Cleveland area,” Susan promises.
Because of her industry connections, Susan is able to purchase much of what her store carries directly from the manufacturer, which translates into a remarkable savings for you.
“We’re never passed over for a job based on price,” she remarks. “There is something here for everyone. We have tile that starts as affordably as $1.79 per square foot and goes up to $300 per square foot.”
With Susan’s keen design instincts and your vision, you can enjoy a stunning upscale design for a much lower price. She’ll happily show you how to make your budget stretch as far as it will go.
The space that DaVinci has occupied for the past three years is a darling vintage storefront on Medina’s Square.
Susan has accessorized her material samples with disarming charm, posing mini granite slabs within a shabby chic kitchen buffet in a tidy row, and arranging tile samples in a rough-hewn bowl on a farm table. Similar vignettes invite your leisurely perusal throughout the store, much the same as fine art beckons from the walls of a gallery.
The original wood floors creaking cheerfully beneath your feet make you feel as though you’re visiting a treasured friend’s house, the stunning kitchen vignette is a reminder that this friend has a rare artistic streak.
Susan’s mother, Ruth, serves as both receptionist and comic relief, making visitors feel instantly welcome and fielding the seemingly endless deluge of phone calls. The demand for her daughter’s talents, Ruth says with tongue firmly in cheek, can be traced directly to her.
In what Susan refers to as “Phase Two” of her space, a complete kitchen display makes a stunning decorative statement. Located at the back of the shop, it features a magnificent full-scale gourmet kitchen. Upstairs, “Phase Three” was just completed last year and showcases various bathroom installations.
“We can handle every part of a kitchen, bath or basement design,” she says, noting that for one family’s kitchen, she simply rearranged the existing cabinets and topped them with new granite countertops.
“The transformation was stunning, and they didn’t have to spend a lot,” she adds. DaVinci can just as easily offer more customized options, like cabinetry designed by local craftsmen.
An auto cad layout system ensures that everything is configured just right. “It’s an important part of the design process, as is having an understanding of how modern appliances need to work with countertop heights, cabinet depths, and flooring thicknesses,” Susan explains. “Not every firm can offer this level of service, and certainly very few flooring stores.”
And while you really must visit DaVinci in person, Susan will also bring her talents to you via in-home consultation, to help you plan your space, pick colors, and tackle any other spatial challenges you may be facing. This benefit is free of charge with any job you contract with the team.
Leonardo da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man” is considered a cultural icon. The image has been reproduced on everything from posters to t-shirts. You can also find it on the front door of the family-operated DaVinci Floors & Granite.
The store name was aptly chosen by Susan’s daughter who boldly states that the science behind what the team does meets design and art in its purest form.
But it doesn’t.
It transcends them.
Find DaVinci Floors and Granite at 229 South Court Street, in Medina. The phone number is 330-764-3232. Hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The website is www.DaVinciFloors.net. Find Susan and her team at the Home and Garden Show this February at the IX Center.
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