Empire Kitchens and Bath, whose smart showrooms have been known to the design cognoscenti for years, has taken the mantra of not resting on your laurels to the extreme. The company has just completed a major overhaul of both its Calgary and Vancouver spaces notwithstanding that both were still au courant. But we can’t argue with the results. The stores now offer a shopping experience that’s both sophisticated and user-friendly—not the easiest combo. You can now immerse yourself in walls of tile from classic lines like Ann Sacks to newer ones such as Artistic Tile or New Ravenna, or stroll into one of the completed design kitchens and imagine yourself a the emperor of your own culinary domain.—Colleen Tang