Spring Cleaning

Organize Your Home For Spring
Newscanada.com
Apr 17, 2007

(NC) — Consider the following checklist from The Home Depot Canada to help you tidy up and get organized for spring.

• Spotless windows can brighten up your interior décor, allowing natural light in and framing the outside view to perfection.

• Cleaning out the ducts will improve air quality and circulation by helping keep the air dust and allergen free.

• Scrub away at dirt and stains with old-school brushes and sponges. For those small, hard to reach areas, an old toothbrush does the trick, especially on sharp corners.

• To mask garbage or laundry room odours, consider plug-in air fresheners, room sprays and candles.

• Consider using eco-friendly cleaning products when mopping and scrubbing the home.

• Leaf through the closet to select items and clothes you can either donate or store until next winter. If you haven’t already, think beyond the closet rod and install a closet organizer to create more space.

For more do-it-yourself cleaning and organizational tips, visit www.homedepot.ca or the Home Depot store in your community.

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What’s Hot and What’s Not So Hot

By Rosemary Sadez Friedmann
March 5, 2007

What’s hot and what’s not in interior design these days?

Walls with color are hot.
Plain vanilla walls are not.

Accenting one or more walls in the room with bright, cheerful color is a good way to turn heads and get positive attention.

Though this has all been done before, there’s now a better way to punch pizzazz into this theme through custom painted patterns, which leads us to…

Custom paint on walls is hot.
Wallpaper is not.

Though wallpaper is not out altogether, a pattern painted on a wall is certainly gaining momentum over everyday paper.

Unless you’re very talented, the service of an artist will be required for these custom walls, but if you find a good artisan the possibilities are endless. Do you love your dog? Paint one wall in the bedroom or a hall wall with ‘portraits’ of that favored mutt. Does the bedspread have a particularly interesting pattern?

Paint a wall or border the room with that pattern. A variation on this theme is to take the pattern and enlarge it. A plaid pattern from a chair, for example, can be painted on a larger-than-life scale on the wall. The effect is fantastic.

Shutters are hot.
Heavy draperies are not.

The large, tropical, plantation-looking shutters fit in with just about every decor and are just as versatile as they are attractive. They come in several standard colors and are available as well in custom colors to match woodwork, the walls or any accent color.

California, Colorado and Florida seem to have claimed the market on shutters over the years, but now it appears the rest of the country has picked up on this great design idea.

Footprint-less carpet is hot.
Sculptured is not.

Fresh vacuum lines on a carpet make the entire room seem clean, but the first step taken on that pristine floor covering destroys the short-lived effect.

Shaggy area rugs are hot.
Shaggy wall-to-wall rugs are not.

Remember the shaggy rugs of the ‘6’s and ’70s? Cut down to ‘fun size’, these shaggy little rascals fit in well under a cocktail table, at foyer entrance, under dining tables or in large bathrooms.

Media rooms are hot.
Theater rooms are not.

The room dedicated to viewing movies with a theater-like atmosphere is still a good idea for some, but its prevalence is fading. Those with very large homes might consider a theater room, but those with less space are going toward what is considered a specialized family room.

It is called a media room because the main focus is the television, but the use of the room remains multifunctional.

Highly functional appliances are hot.
Simple ones are not.

Fancy, hardworking stove tops with multi burners that heat up according to the size of your pot or pan are definitely on demand. Dishwashers that fit dishes and flatware in a more efficient manner and that truly clean the dishes are stipulated by today’s buyers. Front load washers and dryers seem to offer more of what the consumer wants because they tend to do larger loads and do them more effectively.

And that’s all that is in the crystal ball today.

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Dividers Can Decorate A Room, Too

KAREN SOMMER SHALETT
Sunday, 03/04/07

Anyone living in loft-like quarters — or, more likely, trying to make the most of a Lilliputian pad — knows a little something about the great (room) divide. Whether you’re looking to get privacy from that throng of roommates, make your studio into a one-bedroom, or just a hide a mess, here are some options that go beyond the beaded curtain.

Vitra Algue: High on the hipster cred list, the German design company Vitra is known for all things uber-modern. This mesh curtain of flame-retardant plastic works best to separate spaces where you’d like the light from one to seep into the other. Installation is literally a snap — you use small pegs to connect each 50-piece set, which comes in multiple colors and makes up to 2 square yards. Hardly just child’s play, but think of the whimsy in a shared siblings’ bedroom. $200 at www.velocityartanddesign.com.

Kenneth Wingard Brass Grande Mo-bi-le-o’s: Gold and brass have reigned on the runway for several seasons, and earthy metals have come to the fore in interior design as well. As sculptural as it is functional, this antiqued brass unit looks great against a plain wall; it can also be used as a partition to separate two more formal spaces, such as a living room and a dining room. With six 12-inch discs to a pack, you’ll most likely need to connect multiple sets to get the coverage you want. $92 at www.kennethwingard.com.

IKEA Norrebo: Open bookcases are a great way to make a space seem larger. IKEA’s 73-by-78-inch lacquered birch unit will do much to both divide and conquer — your mess, that is. Use decorative storage boxes, fun bookends and other ephemera to keep the shelving from looking like a total case. $249 at IKEA stores and www.ikea.com.

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Ten-Minute Tricks to Freshen Your Space

By Stacy Gilliam

The calendar still reads “winter.” But your mind can’t help but flood with images of blooming tulips and daisies, gleaming sunshine and a home bursting with spring flavor.

You’ve already got the fever, my friend, the fever for a change in décor. Weary of the dark, drabness of the winter months, you’re itching for the light, energetic mood of the spring season. But who has the bandwidth or the bucks?

Three interior design pros – Lauri Ward, Lisa Turner and Candace C. Peters – whipped up dozens of quick, easy and dollar-conscious ways to freshen up your living space before the flowers start to bud. Here’s what you can do in no time:

Rotate art.

Are your walls all cluttered with stagnant artwork? Then it’s time for a change. “Some people hang everything they own on every wall,” says Ward, the pioneer of “one-day decorating” and author of “Home Therapy: Fast, Easy, Affordable Makeovers” (Penguin Group, $34.95). “Look at it all the time, and you start taking it for granted.” Try this: Separate art into summer and winter piles. Hang the lighter, pastel colors for spring and summer, and put the deep, oil paintings in storage. Every six months, rotate your pieces. “This way, you enjoy your art with a new vigor, and it’s something you can do in minutes.” Ward also suggests art collectors leave one blank wall in each room. It gives visitors a place to rest the eyes.

Soothe the senses.

Spring is not only a colorful season, but a fragrant one, too. Bring the aroma indoors. “Scents have a profound effect on mood,” Peters says. “Infusing scent into your décor with diffusers, candles, fresh cut plants/flowers, or incense can change the overall feeling of a space.” Ward offers this quick, floral tip: Purchase an inexpensive bouquet of flowers. Split flowers up by color, and place each bunch in small vases around your home.

Beautify your boudoir.

Bright, new bedding can do wonders for your personal space. Tuck away the heavy, winter flannel comforter and pull out crisp linens with coverlets for color, Turner says. Bring in the spring with floral-designed spreads or colorful solids. Don’t forget accent pillows for added style and comfort.

Buy new bulbs.

You’re thinking flower bulbs, right? Not a bad idea, but we’re talking about light bulbs. Ward says many of us aren’t using our lights properly. “In the winter, you need more light,” Ward says. But in the spring you can get away with less. Swap your 60-watt bulb with a 3-way bulb to allow you to soften light in a room, she says. “It really makes a difference to have the flexibility.” Look into energy-efficient bulbs, which may cost more than a standard bulb, but last longer and can cut down electric bills.

Let the sunshine in.

In the winter, dull, dusty windows can go unnoticed. Shorter, darker days give us an excuse. But on the first day of spring, take advantage of the sunny season by giving the windows a wash. “People tend to let the windows go, and they don’t get as much light,” Ward says. “You can have a gorgeous room, but if the windows are dirty, it won’t look as beautiful or as bright.” For an added tip, Turner suggests pulling back dark window treatments and adding a shade or valance for a touch of color. Or, you can also replace window treatments with ecru or white sheers for an elegant look.

Update accessories.

Just as you’d add a scarf or necklace to enhance an outfit, do the same with your home. “Dress your home like you would yourself,” Turner says. “Look for great accent pillows in bright colors. Put away the winter throws and drape light, bright throws on your sofa. Pick out spring-hued vases or candles to boost a cocktail or dining room table.

Show off your collection.

Everyone knows you love elephants. You’ve got an assortment of statues in every room! Experts say to centralize your collection in one spot so your space looks organized and your visitors can truly enjoy it. “It gives a more dramatic effect,” Ward says. “If it’s a small collection, anchor it on a tray. Then people will notice.”

Lose the magnets.

In just minutes, you can tidy up a kitchen by getting rid of the scraps of paper, business cards and take-out menus stuck to the fridge. If you have odds and ends everywhere, it looks messy,” Ward says. “If you clear it, your kitchen looks neat.”

Keep out things you use on a daily basis, the expert says. Invest in a pretty bulletin board to take care of important items.

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