October 2008 - Posts

Top 5 Friday: Our Favourite Kitchen Countertops

Welcome to the first Top 5 Friday ! We'll bring you our favourite picks in interior design and home decor. Feel free to add any resources and as usual, we'd love to hear what you think about our picks! Our 5 Favourite Kitchen Countertops Photo: IceStone
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Makeover: Modern, Eco-Friendly Nursery

This week on Pure Design , designer and host Samantha Pynn tackles a nursery for soon-to-be parents Helen and Niall. The result is a baby room that's hip, colourful and eco-friendly. My favourite part of the room? The do-it-yourself paper lantern mobile
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Splurge vs. Steal: Glamorous Mirrors

The Starbust mirror adds personality to any room. This design mixes well with contemporary and traditional furniture. Several interpretations exist on the market, so you're almost certain to find one that meets your taste and your budget. The wealthy
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8 Irresistible Halloween Decor Ideas

Each Halloween I notice that the most elaborately decorated houses tend to belong to people without children. Perhaps it’s because they can take the uninterrupted time it takes to get it so fabulously together, but what I think it actually points to is
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Question of the Week: What's Your Favourite Halloween Decoration?

In the past, Halloween decorations were mostly homemade and homes would be decorated with ghosts made from old bed sheets and homemade cardboard cutouts of tombstones and other scary Halloween symbols and characters. Today, Halloween is the second most
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A Haunting Glow

Setting the right mood for a Halloween party is essential! The flickering glow of candlelight is perfect for a spooky setting. From whimsical spider tealight holders to grim skull candles, create the dreary mood you're looking for with creepy candles
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Home To Flip: An Elegant Master Suite from a Kitchen?

This season, HGTV host Peter Fallico takes his " Home To " series to the real estate market in Home To Flip . I had the chance to chat with Peter about his new series. As a home decor expert, a real estate show seems like new territory but Peter tells
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I Have an Ugly Bathroom, Please Help!

This is my ugly bathroom. My husband doesn’t know I’ve gone this far as to post it for all to see (he’ll totally frown upon this, I’m sure), but I’ve been complaining about it for as long as we’ve had the house (3 years). It’s our only bathroom. We have
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Boo! Pumpkin Carving Ideas

Year after year the most popular section on HGTV.ca during the month of October is our pumpkin stencils page (seen below). For this Halloween, our designers created three additional spooky stencils: a skull , spider and owl . We hope you enjoy them just
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Question of the Week: What Would You Change About Your Home if Money Were No Object?

It’s all doom and financial gloom in the news lately, and I gotta say, it doesn’t help my dream of one day renovating, a dream I forever hold close to my heart. My family is currently making do in a 100-year old house (NOT the one pictured above), that,
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Been to the Style at Home Show Yet? I Have. Take a Look!

The Style at Home show kicked off yesterday with a celebratory breakfast at Toronto’s Direct Energy Centre at the Exhibition Place, attended by the publisher of all three participating magazines, Deborah Trepanier, and their respective editors; Gail Johnston
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GUEST BLOGGER: Bathroom Design Trends

If you are planning a bathroom renovation, contemplate these trends before making a decision. Spa Feeling Above, left: The spa bathroom trend grows bigger than ever. We are talking about towel warming drawer , deep soaking tub, sauna and steam shower.
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Samantha Pynn Creates a Perfect Oasis for a Busy Working Girl

You can work with what you have if you're looking to put a fresh face on your bedroom decor. Can a fresh coat of paint save that dresser? Maybe all that lamp needs is a new shade or a fresh coat of spray paint? Samantha Pynn turns a bare bones bedroom
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Step Inside Style at Home: The Style at Home Show

Weather a prince/princes or a pauper, this weekend is your chance to dream a little at Toronto's Exhibition Centre, which will be hosting the first annual Style at Home Show . The show -- which is really like three shows in one, combining features from
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Question of the Week: Are Glass Blocks Tacky?

The answer to this question may not be as simple as you think. While it’s impossible for glass blocks to shed the mark of the 80s – their golden years – they are by no means a relic. Glass blocks as a design feature continue to surface in both commercial
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Halloween Housewares

A few weeks ago, Vanessa and I had the fortune of attending the media pre-opening of Canada's first Crate & Barrel store in Toronto's Yorkdale mall. Although I had heard many wonderful things about Crate & Barrel, I did not know what to expect
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What's On: Halloween Events Across Canada

We've scoured the country from coast to coast to bring you a by-no-means complete, but a sampler list of Halloween events and activities for all to enjoy! Don't see your favourite event? Feel free to post it in the comments below. VANCOUVER EVENT: Fright
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Fall Porch Décor: Wreaths, Urns, Drapes and More Wreaths!

Tooling around the nabe on my bicycle, on a gorgeous fall day, I decided to take stock of how people are decorating their porches this season. My neighbourhood is mostly Edwardian – square, detached homes with simple pitched or neoclassically inspired
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Sarah's House Nursery Makeover

Sarah's House season two has gotten off to an unsurpringly gorgeous start. With the help of her trusty and adorable side kick Tommy Smythe , Sarah Richardson turned a bland, bare room into a serene dream space for baby using muted greys, pale blues and
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Seven Minutes in Heaven: Talking with Colin and Justin Atop the CN Tower

Last week I had the honour of attending Colin & Justin’s Home Heist , the book launch, at the CN Tower, and having made my way through a gaggle of adoring women, I managed to snatch seven minutes of tete-a-tete with the wildest duo in home decorating.
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GUEST BLOGGER: Glamorous Thanksgiving Tablescapes

Every table needs to shine! The current trends make it easy to bring the latest fashion at your Thanksgiving table. Let’s review two styles. Plums, violets and browns look hot with bright orange accessories. A sense of luxury and glamour emerges from
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Autumnal Centrepieces

Fall is by far my favourite season. The cooler weather, rich colours adorning the trees and the abundance of the harvest combine to inspire me to either pick up a paintbrush or start preparing the house for festive gatherings. It was the latter that hit
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Question of the Week: TV in the Bedroom - Yay or Nay?

I admit it. I have a TV in my bedroom. Some people think it’s gross and are categorically against it, but I absolutely love it. Is it the mark of a sloth? Perhaps. Does it mean that I never read? Not at all, in fact I am an avid reader. Aside from the
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Colin and Justin's Home Heist Style Guide

Colin and Justin, from HGTV's Home Heist , have just released a brand new book. Entitled "Colin & Justin's Home Heist Style Guide," it's published by Penguin, and is available in book stores now. Packed with incredible glossy 'before and afters' and
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Cheap Artwork Find: Framable Linens

This company – or collective, I should say – really just looks at the age old tradition of decorative linens in a new way. Instead of fussy monograms and Victorian lace (not that there’s anything wrong with that, as proven by your response to the ‘doily’
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Bedroom Makeover with Colin and Justin

The highly anticipated season two of Colin & Justin's Home Heist premiered this week on HGTV as Colin and Justin continue their quest to rid Canada of our hideous homes. This weeks' episode featured homeowners Jane and Richard’s botched suburban home
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Photo Challenge: Cozy Bedroom Winners

Congratulations to our two Photo Challenge winners. Samantha S. and Zoé M. did a great job cozy-ing up their bedroom spaces! Take a look at the results: From Samantha S. who may a poor student studying at UBC, but she doesn't intend on living like one:
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