Nina Dragicevic photo

Colour adds warmth
by Nina Dragicevic for Metro Toronto

Felicia Gimza warmed up this room in her home with wall colour and lamp shades.

There are ways to warm up your condo without a thermostat — both literally and visually.

Tanya Bruckmueller, spokesperson for Toronto Hydro, says many condo owners’ utilities are included in maintenance fees, but these fees can rise based on energy use. To save energy, she says windows are an issue for condo dwellers.

“Newer condos have double-paned glass,” she says, “but if you feel a draft or the window is very cold to the touch, pick up a window insulator kit from the hardware store.”

Essentially shrinkwrap for windows, Bruckmueller says they keep in up to 90 per cent of the heat. Also, heavier drapes keep the cold out.

Bruckmueller notes lowering the temperature at night not only saves energy, but ensures a better night’s sleep. During the day, when no one is home, turn the heat down or off completely.

“Generally hallways are heated so the warmth stays in,” she says.

Otherwise, Bruckmueller suggests getting a blanket for the couch and a thicker rug. “You can actually take it as an opportunity to redecorate your home,” she says.

Felicia Gimza, interior design consultant and owner of The Expert Touch Interiors, says there are many options in “warming up” a room using colour and lighting.

“Wall colour has a lot to do with the warmth of a room,” she says. “Bold colours with lots of warmth are getting even more popular — especially oranges, brick-reds and fuschia.”

For lighting, candles are an obvious choice, but Gimza says task lighting, rather than overhead, will make a room inviting. Use a soft lightbulb in your lamps, and avoid a stark white lampshade. “Choose ivory, beige, taupe or even black shades to make the lighting even softer,” she says.

For more tips, visit www.torontohydro.com, or www.theexperttouch.com.

Perfectly Staged

By Kelly Putter

Think about how much money you spend on grooming your hair, your nails, even your pets.

Now think about how much you spent grooming your home before putting it up for sale

If the highlights and manicures won out, you might want to put your money on those domestic divas known as home stagers next time. These professional primpers will rearrange your furniture, bring in their own props and recommend décor changes that will transform your house into one fit for model-home heaven.

Inspired by the popularity of TV shows such as House Doctor, Buy Me, Designed to Sell and Sell This House, home stagers say their work nets you more money for your home and a quicker sale.……..

So what are the rules of staging your home for a quick and profitable sale? Get rid of the clutter and depersonalize.

Your collection of owls may not be telling the potential house buyer what a wise old bird you are. So it's best to pack up your books, refrigerator magnets, the kids' artwork and family photos.

The reason it's important to strip your home of your unique personality is because it prevents a potential buyer from seeing his or her things in the new house.

“Who cares what deodorant you use – hide it,” says Felicia Gimza, an Oakville Interior Decorator who also primps homes for the real estate market. “The house should feel like a model home. It's the psychology behind mind trickery.”

Besides chucking your collection of ceramic frogs, Gimza also recommends reducing or eliminating any strong cultural and religious references in the home. Clients of hers had a Buddhist shrine in their living room but were reluctant to move it to the basement as she had requested. In the end, she finally convinced them to turn off the string of red Christmas lights that shone around the statue.

“One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is overdoing their decorating”, says Gimza. In today's home interiors, keep in mind that less is really more.

Home staging comes in various incarnations and can cost as little as $150 to several thousand dollars depending on how much you need to change. Sometimes realtors pick up the fee.

Homeowners are commonly told to remove wallpaper, paint walls neutral shades and carpet or fix damaged floors. But some houses need much less and can do with a bowl of green apples, a vase of fresh flowers and a vanilla-scented candle.

………

(for full article, pick up a copy of the Sept/Oct. 05 issue of “West of the City” magazine)

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas, but is your home decorated yet? If not, don't fret – you still have lots of time – although now is a good time to work on your collection of Christmas items that will eventually form part of your décor. You might even find some of these in your own back garden!

If you're like some people, you may stroll the stores to see what the newest theme in holiday decorating is…and perhaps add to your décor from years past. If you're really creative, you can transform some of your older décor into newer treasures by using a bit of imagination – a can of spray paint here, a new ribbon there…whatever the case may be, know that your decorating theme should suit your lifestyle – not what the designers are telling you is “in vogue” this year.

This article is devoted to imaginative and creative ideas for your home, no matter what your taste – Traditional, French or Early American Country, Contemporary, Modern or downright Eclectic – there's a little bit of something for every style of decorating!

Don't be afraid to tie in your Christmas decorating with your home's everyday décor, i.e., pick up the colours in your patterned drapery or upholstered furniture – don't just follow trends. For example, if your décor is based on white or ivory tones, you may want to compliment it with tiny white lights, flowers, cream coloured candles and natural greenery. Perhaps you may want to add crystal or glass ornaments to give your decor extra sparkle. If your décor is in the earth tones, you may want to accent with copper and bronze ornaments. If your tendency is toward jewel toned fabrics - emerald green, ruby red, gold, dark purple and sapphire blue ornaments will all compliment your theme. And remember, it's nice to have a colour scheme, but don't be afraid to add a piece or two that are a little different from your theme - either in colour or style – this will promise to add a touch of whimsy to your décor.

For those of you with a fireplace, your mantels will become the centre of your décor – and although they're only one level deep, there are many factors to keep in mind – texture, colour, balance and style of the mantel.

For a contemporary look – use repetition and symmetry (odd numbers of objects work best). Use simple objects and repeat them several times. For example, you may want to place 3 ivory votive candles in between 5 topiary trees tied with simple silver, red or green ribbon.

For a country look to your mantel – gather some branches – pussy willow, apple tree, curly willow, or cedar twigs – stand branches up in narrow vases or lay them on the mantel, layering them so that the cut ends show as little as possible. Hang ornaments on them and complete with natural greenery such as Scots pine and moss, pinecones, grapevine balls and intertwine with tartan ribbon.

Traditional mantelpieces look beautiful either swagged or layered with natural greenery, traditional ribbons and bows in satin, velvet or taffeta, mini white lights or ivory votives and artificial, sugared fruit picks.

Tip: Don't try to put everything on your mantel. Pick a theme and stick to it!

Here are a few simple holiday dinner table ideas you may want to try:

Fill a glass bowl with water, add cranberries and floating candles or tea lights and voila, you have a festive and elegant, yet easy-to-make centerpiece that will not get in the way of your guest's view of each other while enjoying their dinner.

Tie nametags with festive ribbon or raffia to gold or silver spray-painted pinecones or Christmas ornaments and use as place cards at your dinner table.

Adorn a simple chandelier with ropes of gold, silver or red beads and attach drop crystals (available at your local lighting stores). Scatter the same bead strands or crystals on your dining table.

Fill a clear vase with oasis and add some pine or cedar boughs, seeded eucalyptus, boxwood or holly. Add some specimen flowers – tiger striped amaryllis, paper white narcissus, red or white roses will all look beautiful with the greenery. Finish off the look with beaded jewel ornaments hanging from the greenery tucked in and outside of the clear vase. The flowers will need to be replaced but the rest of your centerpiece will last until the end of the season.

Tip: You can keep the greenery looking fresh all throughout the season by ensuring you cut and soften the stems in warm water before using them. Also, water your arrangement every couple of days.

Take some inexpensive dollar store candles and give them an ornate look by puncturing them several times in a random fashion with inexpensive pierced earrings or wrapping them with an inexpensive pearl headband or ribbon. Place the candles in the middle and surround with twigs and natural greenery.

Tip: avoid using scented candles in your centerpiece. Their scents may interfere with the aromas from your holiday kitchen.

Theme trees are still popular – the following exquisite colour combinations are guaranteed to showcase your tree throughout Christmas: white and silver, copper and bronze, burgundy and gold, ivory and gold, jewel tones (emerald green, sapphire blue, gold, red, purple) or all pastels. Mini white lights will look best with all colour combinations with the exception of the jewel tones and pastels, where the traditional multi-coloured lights will work better.

Create a garland using balsam, white pine needles and seeded eucalyptus tied together with thin wire. Gold wire mesh wrapped around the greenery will create a contemporary look. Magnolia leaves and fresh or dried flowers (dried hydrangeas are a great choice) will add a country flare. For a French Country touch, dried orange slices and glass ornaments will do the trick.

Wondering what to do in your kitchen besides displaying your usual Christmas oven mitts and tea towels? Sugar oranges or grapefruits and display in a glass decanter or vase. Replace your soap dispenser with something more elegant – either in silver or gold. Place one or two mini evergreen trees in clay pots (spray painted silver or gold, if you wish) near a doorway and add mini white lights. Tie a ribbon to your pantry door and pin your Christmas cards to it.

For a simple coffee or side table display, colourful glass ornaments in a glass bowl or crystal cake plate with the addition of roped beads or greenery are another great look.

Tip: You needn't use everything in your Christmas box – your holiday décor doesn't need to look cluttered. Your objective is to achieve harmony – a look in which everything in the room fits together, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle - to form a single, pleasing picture.

Tip: For those of you who don't have a lot of time to spend on your holiday decorating this year, pre-lit trees, wreathes and garlands are all available at your local stores – as we all know, getting the lights on the tree (and ensuring they work) can be the most frustrating part of our holiday decorating!

So as you're decorating your home for the holidays this year, be creative, have fun and enjoy every moment! Remember; decorate for your lifestyle - not someone else's…Happy Holidays!

Felicia Gimza is the owner of “The Expert Touch” in Oakville and offers a complete array of decorating services. Her clients would tout her as providing unique, yet affordable decorating advice for your home or office. She invites you to view some of her latest projects on her gallery page at www.theexperttouch.com . You may reach Felicia at 905-847-5331 to set up a consultation. Exquisite Interiors…take an “Expert Touch”.