Browsing Category: "Tips"
It’s an elegant, sophisticated space by any standards, where autumnal colors lend a soft emphasis to upholstered seating pieces, artwork and an Oriental area rug. In fact, it’s a place most of us could happily settle into – except for the fact that it doesn’t really exist. The phantom room is actually the set for Precipice, a new play by Lawrence Jeffery scheduled to open Tuesday evening at Toronto’s Factory Theatre. Read the rest of this entry »
The current crop of design books is ripe with advice on decorating or renovating every room in the house in any style, from vintage country to minimal modern. Whatever your focus, whether updating the bathroom or selecting new paint colors for the bedroom, there’s a book waiting to be added to your home library. Read the rest of this entry »
Many people create faux finishes using painting techniques like marbleizing, sponging, rag rolling or strie (a subtle tone-on-tone striped effect), but for most, achieving professional-looking results is beyond abilities and time.
You could hire a painter, but better yet, skip the cost of an artist’s brush and save time by applying wall coverings (it used to be called wallpaper, but “paper” is a misnomer) that mimic the desired effects.
Choose your wall `art’
Today’s market is teeming with artful walls, according to the Wall covering Manufacturers Association Editorial Style Center. Some coverings are decorated with spatter designs as though an artist has taken a freshly dipped paintbrush and shaken it over a canvas. Others are reminiscent of the work of artists – van Gogh’s “Irises” and Picasso and Braque’s cubist patterns. Others offer soft watercolor-washed looks. Read the rest of this entry »
Your Home is all about your home, whether it be a house, condo, cottage or apartment. It’s everything you want to know about improving your personal living space.
Through the overwhelming response to the Win-a-Tool contests in The Saturday Star’s New in Homes section, we’ve discovered a huge hunger among our readers for information about home improvement, gardening, design, furniture and new products.
To help bring this information to the reader, we’ve assembled a superb team of expert columnists.
Mag Ruffman, the star of the do-it-yourself television series Anything I Can Do and A Repair to Remember will bring her humour and knowledge to her ToolGirl column. Mag, a licensed contractor, has developed a loyal following of viewers with her self-deprecating sense of humour. She’s also very involved in charitable pursuits, including Habitat for Humanity.
Her column will leave you with nuggets of knowledge and a smile on your face. Read the rest of this entry »
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HEN it comes to a clutter-free, organized home, the word on everyone’s lips is storage.
Having a place to put things, and hence find them more easily, can reduce stress for home owners and help them achieve their interior design dreams.
Organized and Elegant Living director Nerida Atkinson said before storing, home owners needed to think about culling.
She said to ask yourself: Why are you storing these things? Will they be used again? Are they used regularly?
“If the answer to these questions are yes, they will need to be stored in places that are easily accessible,” she said.
“If they are used less regularly – such as winter ski gear, they may be stored in your attic or in the shed.”
Ms Atkinson said in regards to furniture, it was important to try not to put all furniture against walls.
“By moving furniture away from walls it allows the space to flow and doesn’t outline the small space that you are working with,” she said. Read the rest of this entry »