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The paint tester pot - friend or foe?
My heart always goes out to people when I see them standing paralyzed in front of that wall of tiny colour samples at paint stores. I can see a state of confusion overtaking them. They either don't know where to begin, or grab so many samples they're bound to be just as confused when they get home.
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Colour stories: Pink and green
If we told you pink isn't just for little girls would you believe us? We think we might have a hard time convincing you. But really, it's time pink cast off all those excessively frou-frou connotations and became a colour we can wield just like blue, green or any other.
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Thinking vertically
When we furnish a room, many of us carefully measure to be sure the couch isn't too wide or the dining room table too long. We draw a horizontal map, determined to fit everything in without crowding.
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It's IKEA, but not as you know it
IKEA on a Saturday afternoon may be a form of hell on earth, but we'll warrant it's a rare home that doesn't have something from Kingdom of the Allen key. Indeed, Billy, Expedit and Poang may be our generation's Saarinen and Eames... classic designs manufactured on a large scale.
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Feathering the nest
It may be that I've reached a certain age, or perhaps it's coincidence, but I suddenly find myself surrounded by people having babies.
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Live in harmony with your books
In the room pictured, Tim Cuppett Architects has essentially made a library out of a living or dining area - that's the approach you should take with your new condo. Treat your living or dining area as one large room and build bookshelves on as many walls as you can spare.
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Boring wall? Artscape that space
The difference between this stock image and "home" is all the stuff that's added after those bigger decorating decisions have been made. And because these are smaller decisions, smaller objects, they're often overlooked. Let's focus on art - something this space is sorely missing
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Colour stories - Orange
This week's Colour Story is a reader request. Georgia Sapounas tweeted at us that she'd love to see an orange colour story and we're more than happy to oblige! Orange has very obvious retro connotations (I have horrid memories of scratchy '70's upholstery in a particularly vile shade). And it would have been easy for us to take a mid-century modern approach to this post. But we wanted something a little different . . .
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Mixing fire and water to create a year-round focal point
Firefighters merge water and fire, so Simon Feizo-Gas' combination of the two elements in a nifty new product seems only logical.
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The fifth wall
Quick! What colour is the ceiling in your dining room? Don't know? Join the club. Many of us pay a lot of attention to our floors and walls, but we don't even know what most of the ceilings in our home look like, let alone what we could do to improve them.
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House Beautiful: A growing concern (with video)
Writer Grania Litwin and photographer Frances Litman are known for their sense of style and knowledge of outstanding design. They tour homes around the south Island, talking to homeowners, interior designers, architects and artists who influence the way we live.
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Olympian goes for green
Retired Calgary speedskater Kristina Groves is one of Canada's most successful international athletes.
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Blog aids in renos of 'midcentury modest'
When it seemed like everyone was outfitting their kitchens with granite countertops and Sub-Zero refrigerators, Pam Kueber was on the hunt for steel cabinets.
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Decor: Out of vinyl denial
When we think of vinyl, the popular flooring material of the late '70s, we think of messy glue or the peel-and-stick variety. At least I did, until Laura Fowler, one of the talented designers I work with on Summer Home on HGTV proposed using vinyl tile in one of our cottage makeovers. We were dealing with a non-winterized cottage, so hardwood was out of the question. According to Craig Pinarello of Stradwicks Carpet One Flooring and Home, "When there is no heat throughout the year in a home, wood can shrink, gap, crack or split." Mr. Pinarello does point out, that some people get lucky and don't have a problem. But when you're paying between $4 and $6 per square foot for hardwood, you don't want to roll the flooring dice. If you're wondering about engineered hardwood, it also needs humidity to last.
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Nursery inspiration – a more muted approach
Nurseries are usually pastel-hued confections, sweet but sometimes a little too saccharine . . . especially for parents with a more modern sensibility. If you're the kind of person whose idea of a daring colour experiment is transitioning to a new shade of beige, maybe you want to consider a more muted nursery scheme instead of the more traditional options of bright and bold or pretty and pastel.
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Colour stories - Apple green
The home in the image above is one of our all-time favourite Design*Sponge sneak peeks.The interior was designed by designed by Jessica Helgerson Interior Design of Portland, Oregon. What we love are those pops of green amidst a mostly neutral backdrop . . . it adds such a fresh and fun vibe to what might otherwise be a little too neutral.
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Blog: Colour stories - Aqua
Decorating with colour can be an intimidating process. When you're staring down a big-ticket purchase, like a sofa or custom drapes, colour can be nerve-wrecking . . . Because it reminds us of sea glass and all things beachy, we're especially drawn to aqua right now. Here are some of our favourite pieces...
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Blog: Colour story - peach
Peach was everywhere on Spring/Summer runways, like at Calvin Klein and Elie Saab. Many fashion trends tend to crossover to home decor. It's as if the collective consciousness is on the same design cycle and trends that manifest in one area make a different kind of appearance in another.
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Blog: Colour stories - Natural
In recent years, many of us have embraced the "natural" and "organic" look. In skincare, clothing and our home, these words seem to pop up in editorials everywhere. People talk about patina and texture, about organic form and natural fibres. Of course, this trend is also connected to environmentalism - but as an aesthetic alone, the natural look is powerful in its own right.
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Blog: Mother's Day gifts – decor
Is your Mom a decor addict? The kind of lady who loves nothing more than browsing antique stores on Sunday, who never misses her monthly House and Home or House Beautiful? Is she the kind of person who whips up new drapes as a weekend project or happily reupholsters that chair she found at the flea market? If so, you've got a decorista on your hands.
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How to upcycle garage-sale finds
Garage-sale hopping might be the key to revamping your home without dipping into the mojito fund.
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Teenage bedroom with copious use of colour
I promised my soon-to-be 13-year-old daughter we could re-do her bedroom for her upcoming birthday. She likes girly colours such as pink and purple but not overly girly decor like frills or a canopy bed. I seem to be finding only photos that are girly and frilly and haven't found any that please her highness yet. Do you have any ideas or inspiration? And now, of course, my 15-year-old son wants to know why we're not redoing his room.
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How to discover your decorating style
Let's talk about style. First of all, what is style? Style is the way in which something is said, done or expressed. It's everything. Fashion. Art. Architecture. It's the way you say it, the way you do it, the way you live it. There is only one you - original, remarkable and beyond compare.
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Designers: Finding the balance (with video)
You're an interior designer, delighted with how your latest project has come together. It's got presence; it's tasteful; it's contemporary without being slavishly trendy. Then your client insists on hanging, right where you can't avoid seeing it, a painting that's near and dear to him but is also staggeringly ugly. What do you do?
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Cottage kitchen looking tired?
When it comes to kitchens, I love a gut job as much as the next girl, but I love a kitchen refresh even more.
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