July 2009 - Posts

Jul
30

Behind the DIY: Seashell Chandelier

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Posted by Guest Blogger 7/30/2009 3:16:00 PM
If you’re like me, you’ve taken great delight in collecting seashells and have brought them home, only to have them sit in a box tucked away. Apart from simply displaying them on a windowsill or shelf, what can you make with seashells? While searching
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Jul
30

Magazine Review: ReadyMade

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/30/2009 1:24:00 PM
Home decor magazines , or shelter mags as they're also called, have been hard hit this past year. The much-loved Domino went under in March (sob!), and heavy-hitters like Oprah's O At H ome and Martha Stewart's Blueprint were also casualties of the recession.
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Jul
29

Moving Mayhem: The Final Countdown

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Posted by Scotch Mommy 7/29/2009 2:06:00 PM
When you finally manage to sell your existing home and buy a new home you might feel like you've crawled across the Gobi on your stomach. But you haven't reached the oasis yet.
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Jul
29

Cheryl Torrenueva Answers a Design Dilemma: Choosing the Right Backsplash

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/29/2009 10:40:00 AM
I don’t know about the rest of the country (I hear Vancouver is experiencing an extraordinarily warm summer) but Ontario here is getting the short end of the stick in the summer department. So today I’ve decided to give Outdoor Design Dilemmas a rest,
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Jul
28

Splurge vs. Steal: Adjustable Outdoor Chairs

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Posted by Guest Blogger 7/28/2009 12:31:00 PM
The backs of these chairs adjust up to four different positions — so whether it’s reclining by the pool, lounging on the porch or dining outdoors, these chairs are up for it. Made from strong hardwoods such as teak (splurge) and acacia (save), they’re
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Jul
28

Gardening Advice: Cut Down on Weeding

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Posted by Guest Blogger 7/28/2009 9:24:00 AM
Question: "I want to cut down on the amount of weeding I have to do in my garden. I have heard mulching is the best way to do that and the suggestion has been to lay down newspaper first and then put a bark mulch on top. Is this the most efficient mulching
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Jul
27

Question of the Week: How Much Say Should Kids Have in Decorating Their Rooms?

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/27/2009 8:06:00 AM
Photo by Stacey Brandford, from Sarah's House season 2 First off, I don't have any children so this is a curiosity-based question of the week . Growing up, I remember choosing colours for my room around age 8 or 9 -- pastel-plaid wallpaper, heavy on the
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Jul
26

Store Review: A&G Merch, Brooklyn

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/26/2009 10:20:00 AM
My love affair with New York City continues to grow unabashedly. On a recent trip, I was excited to cross the bridge into Brooklyn and check out the scene in Williamsburg . Its proximity to Manhattan, plus a 2005 change in zoning laws to allow more residiential
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Jul
25

Bargain Saturday: Obsessively Seeking Online Deals

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Posted by Jessica McLaughlin 7/25/2009 10:02:00 AM
Earlier this week the HGTV.ca team was sitting around talking about website stuff (which is what we often do) and the subject of our current decor obsessions came up. Mia gushed about her current love of all things mid-century modern and I admitted to
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Jul
24

Top 5 Friday: Salt and Pepper Shakers

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Posted by Vanessa 7/24/2009 11:23:00 AM
Whether you're talking fashion or home decor, the devil, as they say, is in the details. Sure, you can fill your home with lovely furniture but a home doesn't have true style until you start adding accents like artwork, textiles and even the little things
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Jul
23

Backyard Makeover: Grass-Free Transformation

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Posted by Vanessa 7/23/2009 1:07:00 PM
If you didn't tune in to Tuesday's episode of Dirty Business , here's your chance to see the transformation you missed. This backyard started as a barren slab of cement and is now a sophisticated retreat. The homeowners (who had a taste for high-end materials)
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Jul
22

Design Dilemma with Carson Arthur: Side of the House = No Man’s Land?

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/22/2009 10:28:00 AM
Today on Design Dilemma , our oracle of green (I’m running low on alternate titles Carson!), landscape designer and host of HGTV Canada’s Green Force , Carson Arthur , advises the owners of a large property by Mission Lake, Saskatchewan, on what to do
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Jul
21

Home Tour: Vancouver Remodels Seattle

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/21/2009 3:55:00 PM
Western Canada definitely has its own aesthetic. The mountains, the trees, the water, the air – the majestic presence of nature pervades their design sensibilities, and I’d wager this strong sense of place is what has the look in demand far beyond the
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Jul
20

Question of the Week: Are you all About Clean Lines, or Cozy Clutter?

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/20/2009 9:48:00 AM
My mind abhors a vacuum. As a teen my walls were covered in magazine cutouts, framed postcards, crude artistic attempts, and other various paraphernalia of youth. Every time my room was rearranged or a piece of furniture moved, and my delicate web of
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Jul
19

Photo Gallery: Lighting with Mood & Style

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Posted by Terry 7/19/2009 8:48:00 AM
Lighting is an essential component of any interior space and the way in which we manipulate and direct light can greatly impact a room's mood and style . Whether you're working with light to create task lighting (illumination for specific tasks like reading,
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Jul
18

Bargain Saturday: Paint that's Easy on the Wallet and Environment

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Posted by Vanessa 7/18/2009 9:30:00 AM
Above: Boomerang Paint Colours River, Honey and Moss If you've read anything about decor, you'll know that every expert out there upholds that the cheapest and easiest way to change the look of a room is with a can of paint . So experts and amateurs alike
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Jul
17

Top 5 Fridays: Toddler Seating

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Posted by Mia Rodak 7/17/2009 12:49:00 PM
When you have a growing baby in your house, you get to a certain point when all you want them to do is walk. You practice and you cheer them on as they cruise around your furniture and take their first wobbly, tentative steps on their own. You run for
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Jul
16

Shoestring Makeover: SERIOUSLY On-The-Cheap Guest Room

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/16/2009 12:46:00 PM
Elana's guest room. I'm a little nervous putting up my guest room for all of you today. It's REALLY shoestring. I mean, everything in it I either found on the street, tossed a few coins for at a garage sale or bought it at Value Village . So please take
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14 Comments

Jul
15

Design Dilemma with Carson Arthur: Landscaping Around the Car

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/15/2009 12:30:00 PM
Today on Outdoor Design Dilemma with Carson Arthur , our landscaping go-to guy and host of HGTV Canada's Green Force , we try to make gardening peace with one of life's ugly necessities: the car. How to make room for convenience wile maintaining curb
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Jul
15

Moving Mayhem: Buying a House Is Crazy-making

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Posted by Scotch Mommy 7/15/2009 11:51:00 AM
Happy happy days. After just over a month of searching in what has turned out to be a sizzling-hot real estate market in Toronto, we bought a house. (And, just to be clear, the picture above is NOT a picture of the house.) Because buying real estate is
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Jul
14

Tour: A Chocolate-Inspired Suite (A Sweet Suite!)

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/14/2009 2:36:00 PM
What happens when chocolate meets design ? That's what Hershey's Canada wanted to know when they challenged designers Karen Sealy and Arren Williams to redecorate a hotel suite in downtown Toronto's Delta Chelsea Hotel , in honour of the new Hershey's
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Jul
14

Splurge vs. Steal: Charcoal BBQs

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/14/2009 11:08:00 AM
Left: Portable Folding Charcoal BBQ , $24.99; Right: Barbecook Charcoal Barbecue , $119.99, both Canadian Tire . Confession: I'm not the biggest fan of summer in the city. The daily humidity plus the energy-sucking, AC-fueled nights make me long for the
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Jul
12

Question of the Week: Are Faux-finished Walls Tacky/Over?

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/12/2009 10:18:00 PM
Do people still do that? I’m not being facetious – I really am wondering. There was a period between the late 80s to mid-to-late 90s that ragging, sponging, “marbling” and wrapping the paint roller in all kinds of household items such as plastic bags,
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15 Comments

Jul
11

Bargain Saturday: CD Storage Turned Makeup Organizer

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/11/2009 9:50:00 AM
Fira 9-drawer mini-chest, $18.99. Image from Ikea . My name is Alicia and I have a problem: Too many cosmetics ! Years of working in lifestyle media (read: covering fashion, beauty, decor, entertainment, etc.) means I've amassed quite the collection of
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8 Comments

Jul
10

Top 5 Friday: Trends in Outdoor Mood Lighting

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/10/2009 4:58:00 PM
Outdoor spaces are all the rage. Gone are the days when aluminum framed lawn chairs or a wicker lounge set sufficed for all your backyard needs, as we devise more and more ways to bring the comforts of indoors, out. A BIG part of that is lighting. Good
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Jul
09

Makeover: Big Lot, Lots of Landscaping

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Posted by Alicia Cox 7/9/2009 2:42:00 PM
The team from Dirty Business had their work cut out for them when it came to this massive, brand-new suburban home . The large front lot was sparsely landscaped with fledgling trees and a few coniferous which the client wanted to save and move elsewhere.
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Jul
09

Real People Reno: Someone Got a New Kitchen (and It wasn't Me)

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/9/2009 8:27:00 AM
Everybody around me is renovating. It’s a bit of a fork in the eye, if you know what I mean, but what can I do? I have to learn to be happy for people. And while I work on that, I thought in the meantime we could start discussing all these renos here
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Jul
08

Moving Mayhem: 5 Tips for Sellers (Or How Not to Scare Off Buyers)

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Posted by Scotch Mommy 7/8/2009 4:23:00 PM
Last week I shared some tips for home buyers to win their dream house in what is turning out to be one of the hottest real estate markets in the world, despite a global recession. We've been looking for a house for about a month now and we're running into some pretty odd situations when it comes to dealing with sellers. Here are five tips for those of you trying to woo the hundreds of people traipsing through your house every day to sign on the dotted line.
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Jul
08

Design Dilemma with Carson Arthur: A Plan for a Bowling Alley Yard

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/8/2009 12:13:00 PM
I hope you guys are paying attention because these Outdoor Design Dilemmas with our generous expert Carson Arthur of Green Force , are getting better and better! He's unstoppable! I myself am looking forward to bringing you ever post to learn new things
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Jul
07

Home Tour: An Aspirational Overhaul in Toronto

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/7/2009 8:25:00 PM
Today’s Home Tour is certainly aspirational. Look, drool and make peace with the fact that your reno will scarcely reach the same plane of gorgeousity (but you never know). Ideas though, rarely come free, and this incredible interior overhaul of an existing
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Jul
07

Gardening Advice: Is It Too Late To Garden?

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Posted by Guest Blogger 7/7/2009 3:03:00 PM
Question: "If I put in a garden now what will I still be able to grow? Also, the gardens have to be built from scratch (we are reseeding the entire lawn). So where do I start? Soil? Fertilizer? Mulch?" Answer: Poor soil is the major reason that plants
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Jul
06

Question of the Week: Is It OK to Paint Exterior Brick?

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Posted by Terry 7/6/2009 3:46:00 PM
Often used to cover or clean up the appearance of discolored or damaged brick, the technique of painting exterior brick can do wonders for the appearance of a home. Exterior brick can be given an instant facelift by simply applying a fresh coat of paint.
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Jul
04

Bargain Saturday: Exotic Scarves-Turned-Backyard Decor

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Posted by Vanessa 7/4/2009 10:01:00 AM
Photos from Take It Outside ; see more exotic spaces in our Backyard Living gallery The trend towards turning your backyard or outdoor space into an exotic getaway hasn't lost much momentum since it started a few years ago. The look, whether it's Morroccan,
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Jul
03

Top 5 Friday: Bring The Beach Home

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Posted by Vanessa 7/3/2009 12:35:00 PM
Not everyone will get the chance to escape to the lake or seaside this summer but if you've got some outdoor space , you can at least bring elements of the beach to your own backyard . Short of suggesting everyone install a pool, here are five ways to
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Jul
01

Design Dilemma with Carson Arthur: Exterior Cottage Revamp

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Posted by Elana Safronsky 7/1/2009 3:10:00 PM
This week on Outdoor Design Dilemmas with Carson Arthur , our landscape and outdoor design expert and host of HGTV's Green Force , we tackle a less than romantic cottage exterior. Say you're lucky enough to have gotten yourself a place to get away amidst
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Jul
01

Moving Mayhem: 6 Tips to Buying in a Hot Market

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Posted by Scotch Mommy 7/1/2009 8:14:00 AM
Buying a home in a hot market is a lot different than when there are tons of houses available and no one is buying. First of all, you don't have the sense of panic that the perfect house that's just been listed will be sold before you even get to see
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