It sounds like the BiY reupholstery course is going to be a big hit this fall, and is filling up quickly. I’m not surprised – the trend toward refurbishing older pieces continues to gain strength. If re-upholstery is on your to-do list this fall, here’s a date you’ll want to mark down in red.

The Textile Museum of Canada will hold its annual For the Love of Cloth - Decorator Fabric Sale on Friday October 29, from 11 am to 5 pm and Saturday October 30, from 11 am to 3 pm. This is an unbelievable boutique-style sale that features fabulous designer fabrics, unique prints, beads, buttons and lots of rare finds. Keep your eye out for stuff by Pierre Frey, Italian cottons by Osborne & Little, silk brocade from India and indigo prints from Japan and Africa - all at bargain prices.  A great event if you live in or around Toronto, and a reason to visit the T.dot (aka Centre of the Universe) if you don’t.

I had the pleasure of meeting Debbie Travis this week at a preview of the new line of Christmas ornaments she has designed for Canadian Tire (more on those later – it’s a bit hot to think about Christmas right now.)

While talking about trends, and the revival of interest in some of the faux paint techniques she so famously introduced to North America in the 90s, she noted the rise of the “MIY” movement – that is, Make It Yourself. Apparently that’s the new buzzword all over the U.K., and refers to folks who wants to exercise their creativity by hand-crafting decor items or applying one-of-a-kind paint treatments to a wall.

For once, I’m in pace with the trend – I’m currently planning to use a six-foot stencil of a redwood cedar on a wall of my cottage in Benjamin Moore’s gorgeous Canyon Red (see post below!)  I’ll share pics of this project later - I think it’s going to be a fun way to add visual interest without spending a bomb on original art.

If you want some inspiration for make it yourself projects, check out Curbly,  an online community where members share design ideas and advice. They have a great little book out, called Mid-Century Modern, that has some clever, easy-to-execute ideas.

Funny. I was checking out some colours on the Benjamin Moore  colour deck, and found myself hovering around the intoxicating Claret Rose and the imposing Canyon Red. I was so drawn to them. Like so many of us, however, I was plagued with self-doubt, wondering if they were indeed “good” colours. Taking a break, I took a look at some new photos of the Pratt home office collection now available at west elm. To my surprise, the wall colours are very close to the ones I was musing over. Love ‘em both. Just goes to show you – when it comes to colour, you’ve got to trust your instincts.

These colours set off to perfection the new west elm line, which was developed in collaboration between the retailer and 12 students from the Brooklyn-based Pratt Institute’s Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation. Two student teams were challenged to create eco-friendly office furniture using FSC certified materials. The results are wonderful. Check them out at west elm.

How’s your colour I.Q? If it needs a little exercise, or just a touch of inspiration, why not take one of BiY’s many decor courses to get your creative juices flowing?

                                   


Couldn’t resist showing you a couple of pretty new items from the Alessi. I love these layered mesh baskets with natural fibre trimmings from Brazilian brother design team, The Campana Brothers. They really reflect that mix of natural and man-made materials, that – when done right – works so well. I also love the simplicity of the stainless steel dish drainer by Pauline Deltour. Simple, elegant, and very cool, imho.

                                                                                                                  More and more homeowners are looking for decor and building products that marry style and sustainability. An emerging strong contender seems to be cork, which is an extremely eco-friendly material, as I recently learned on a tour of Portugal, courtesy of the Portuguese Cork Association. While there, I spent time in an ancient cork oak forest, where farm workers (“debarkers”) skillfully stripped the bark of cork trees with an axe, much in the same way their forefathers starting doing so around 2,000 years ago.

Cork is sustainable partly because only the bark of the trees, which will regenerate in about nine years, is harvested. Equally important is the fact that these forests are home to about 100 species per hectare, some of which are endangered. And the manufacturing process itself is extremely efficient; even cork dust is used to power equipment.

Cork is now being made into a variety of products for the home, including conventional cork flooring, or underlay for other materials -- such as vinyl, wood veneer and recycled leather – as seen in the pic above (courtesy of Torlys). But it’s also being given very stylish treatments in items like chairs and tabletop decor, also shown in the pics above.

Much of today’s cork flooring is a relatively DIY install, which adds to its affordability. Of course, if you need some guidance in floor installation, there’s sure to be a course at BiY that will meet your needs.

I’m starting to get excited about taking a reupholstery course this fall at BiY. So while I was recently visiting with Lisa Nicholl, CEO of inVU Drapery, on a project I’m doing with them, I began to cast an eye around for fabric that might work for the ottoman I plan to bring to my class. Because it’s a smallish piece, I assumed that I should choose a small, discreet print. But that ain’t necessarily so, says Nicholl. “You can use a large pattern on a small piece to make a statement,” she explains. Just be aware of “framing” the pattern so that, for example, a large motif sits in the middle of the ottoman or chair back, and is “framed” by the background colour. And if you’re tempted to reduce the cost of your reupholstery project by choosing a less expensive cotton over a heavier brocade or damask, think again, says Nicholl. Cotton tends to “droop" over time, and you can’t really expect it to survive the rigours of, say, a family room for more than about five years. If you're in it for the long haul, choose somthing heavier and save the affordable cottons for bedding and draperies.

I’m also taking inspiration from the ways inVU suggests for customizing home decor and draperies. I love, for example, how simple gros-grain ribbon has been used to spice up a classic Roman blind (shown above). Now all I have to do is take the Sew Chic course and I can duplicate the look at home!

While we’re all for sticking around home and getting those reno and improvement projects done, even we recognize that every family needs a break. So if your plans include a vacation this summer, bon voyage, my friend. Just don’t forget to take care of business before you go. Here are a few tips from Dave Walton, director of home ideas at Direct Energy, to ensure a worry-free holiday and save on energy costs:

• Set the thermostat for vacation temperatures or turn it right off. A programmable thermostat can regulate the temperature in your home even when you’re not there, and keep energy costs down.
• Turn down the temperature of the water heater.
• Turn off all vampire electronics such as computers and chargers.
• Set automatic timers for  lights inside and outside to create the illusion that someone is home.
• Close blinds to reduce heat gain inside the house -- and for safety reasons.
• Divert mail delivery and suspend newspaper subscriptions.
• Turn off the pool heater and cover the pool with a solar blanket.  
• Take digital photos of valuables left in the house.
• Have someone check on your house every day.

And if you are sticking at home, why not take a BiY course so that you can finish that nagging little chore that you swore last summer you would “get around to”?

Just in time for painting season, CIL Paints  has launched an all-in-one paint, primer and tray product. Called the Cilux Quick Roll Container, it’s a seven-litre (1.85 gallon) bucket that doubles as a tray, and is filled with pre-tinted paint. Users simply pull off the lid, stir the paint and roll their brush right from the container, without having to pour the paint into a separate tray.

“With the Quick Roll Container, there’s no wasted paint or risk of spills in transferring the paint to a tray, and besides rinsing the roller after it has been used, there’s no clean-up required,” says Martin Tustin-Fuchs, marketing manager for CIL Paints. Part of the recently-introduced ultra premium line of interior Cilux paints, which are exclusively available at Rona, its makers suggest that a built-in primer formulation means in many applications, only one coat of paint is needed.

I’m still not convinced of the effectiveness all-in-one paint formulas. But I’ll be testing some this summer and will report back.

Keep in mind that while this may be a convenient time to do interior painting, exterior painting may have to wait, depending on the weather. It’s best done when the temperature is between 15° and 20°C, the humidity has been low for a few days and when no rain is expected for at least 48 hours. Painting in damp weather — as I did a few years ago — can cause it to bubble and peel, meaning the job had to be done all over again. Arrgggh!

Trend alert: There's been a big movement toward yellow metals - especially bronzes - in door handles, cabinet hardware and bath and kitchen fixtures. I’m not sure I’m a fan (I think I’d tire of it quickly) but I could not resist sharing this beautiful example with you. This gorgeous Lunette sink, cast in golden bronze, is from  StoneForest,  a Santa Fe-based company that makes lovely pieces for bath, kitchen and landscape from organic, natural materials. It was designed by David Hoptman, and I love its smooth lunar arc, and the textured finish. If the look is a bit much for you, try adding a touch of bronze to your bath with fixtures. Just make sure to carry the same tone throughout, incorporating it in lighting, towel bars and fixtures. Otherwise, you could end up with a “Hodge Podge Lodge” look.

Grilled food is an essential summer pleasure in Canada. Fortunately,  you don’t need a huge patio or outdoor kitchen to get the flavour. There are several small grills on the market right now that do an excellent job, including the cheap and cheerful Everyday Essential portable model from PC Home, which sells for about $30 (shown above). There’s also Coleman’s new All-in-One Trio Cooking System (about $150 at Canadian Tire ) which functions as a transportable stove, grill and griddle. Great for camping. (Also shown above).

Even if you’re a confirmed urbanite without a balcony, you can still enjoy a indoor grill. Check out Breville’s Smart Grill (shown at left), which opens like a butterfly to provide 260 square inches of cooking space. At about $350, this item is for a hard-core gourmet, who will appreciate the many features, including easy-to-clean cast aluminum plates and a griddle pan that can be removed and placed in the dishwasher. It also maintains a very even heat.

If, when it comes to barbequing, your motto is go big, or go home, consider a Big Green Egg (shown below), a dome-shaped grill, smoker and oven.  Its design is inspired by ancient clay Kamado cookers, and it can be used as a grill, smoker and oven. The double-walled ceramic construction is designed not to rust, dent or scratch. It also helps produce a very even heat. Fueled by charcoal or wood, the Big Green Egg can get really hot, really quickly – it takes about ten minutes to heat up to over 500°F. And since temperature is controlled through a top vent and stainless steel draft door at the base of the unit,  it will also work well for slow cooking. Those who like it, like it a lot.  Expect to spend about $1,000 for a Big Green Egg, which you’ll find at speciality BBQ and outdoor stores.