Renovating your home is an exciting opportunity to express your style and create a beautiful, comfortable living space. You want it to look and feel just the way you envision, whether that means taking an airy, minimalist approach or creating a maxed-out haven of accessories and art. But renovating isn’t just about improving the look of your home — it’s about function and durability, especially if you have a young family. To learn more about what types of flooring work best in different areas in your home, we spoke to Daniel Ricci of Speers Flooring in Oakville.

Getting started

While there are countless flooring options online, it’s best to do your shopping in person where you can touch and feel a variety of materials before you commit. It can be difficult to assess quality online, and colours don’t always translate well through a screen. 

“The first place to start is in a flooring showroom to see the products in person,” Ricci advises. He often recommends engineered hardwood when a customer is looking for a single flooring option for their entire home. “Always choose a floor that has a low sheen with texture.” 

Designing high traffic areas

Every home has a few areas that end up being used as a family thoroughfare. Foyers, mudrooms, and other high traffic areas require durable flooring that’s built to withstand kids, pets, and the demands of everyday life. Ricci often recommends using a man-made porcelain tile in mudrooms and front foyers. “Tile and stone can handle the day-to-day wear and tear from things like wet winter boots, which could damage a real hardwood floor.”

While there are excellent materials available, Ricci cautions that no floor is completely indestructible. “It’s best to choose a product that will be easy to clean and maintain. Engineered hardwoods that have natural variations, low shine and texture do a great job of hiding dust, dents, dirt and scratches caused by larger pets and young children.” And what he doesn’t recommend? Shiny, smooth, dark floors that show every scratch and speck of dust.

The best for the rest (of your home)

Engineered hardwood is a practical, durable choice for another high-traffic area in your home: the kitchen. “Our brands like Fuzion and Superior offer wide plank textured woods that stand up to everyday kitchen use,” Ricci says. He also recommends using engineered hardwood in bedrooms, noting that it comes in a variety of widths and finishes. This allows the product to work with any design aesthetic, from modern to traditional.  

In the basement, consider a luxury vinyl plank flooring. “They’re 100% waterproof, easy to install, and do not expand or contract like traditional laminates that were once popular for basements,” Ricci explains. Luxury vinyl flooring is available in a variety of colours and textures and is the most durable floating floor option on the market, according to our experts.

Love your home

A renovation is a lot of work, but in the end, we bet you’ll fall in love with your home all over again. And if you follow these tips from the pros, you’ll enjoy beautiful flooring for years to come.  

There’s nothing like coming home to a place that, well, feels like home – and that all starts from the outside. Pulling into your driveway, you want your home to wrap you in a warm ‘welcome home’ hug. And unlike your bedroom or kitchen, the outside of your home is visible to everyone. Some paint, the right lighting, and a new garage door can make a huge impact on the look and feel of your home. But where do you start? 

Luckily, local businesses and experts have a wide range of resources and services available to help you upgrade your home’s exterior to match your perfect style (and become the envy of the neighbourhood).
 
Here are some tips for a curb-friendly facelift. 

Garage Doors

Just like interior design trends, outdoor living trends are everchanging. This year, trends have included simplistic contemporary designs while also adding a pop of individuality. Burlington’s Overhead Doors say that “Homeowners are continually choosing colours and design options that, help their homes stand out in the pack while also boosting their curb appeal.” 

While changing your garage door may seem like a daunting task, Overhead Doors has an app called ‘Garage Door Designer’. You can upload a photo of your home and customize your garage with just a touch of a button, making it easy to visualize your dream garage door. 

Front Doors + Brick Work

Current architectural trends favour modern contemporary home styles with lots of windows to let in natural light, and stone and wood accents. Glass doors are also growing in popularity for both the front door and the garage doors. Carriage house garage doors are always popular for their charm and character. 

You can always refresh the exterior of your home by refacing your brick or changing the siding. Exterior by Design in Oakville says stucco is always a popular option because of its “durability and resistance to the elements, plus it also has a multitude of design options.”

As for your front door, gone are the days of a double front entrance. A double front door on a house can make a home’s entrance seem dated. With the wide door frame opening, you can make a double front door into one door by installing a single front door with sidelights. The Door Centre in Burlington says, “A modern door can transform your entryway by
mixing up colours, shapes, and materials. Reclaimed materials like wood can be both rustic and unconventional, depending on how you choose to utilize them.” Not only will a new door update the look of your entrance, but the single door with sidelights allows natural light into the entryway as well.

Mixing and Matching Colours

The first – and arguably hardest – decision to make when planning the exterior look of your home is picking a paint colour. There are seemingly endless options to choose from. Should your paint match your brick? Or should you go bold and bright? 

Our local professionals recommend you make sure to pick a colour that matches or complements your brick or siding. You can’t go wrong with grey, beige, teal, or black. But it’s also on-trend to paint your front door with a pop of colour. Complementary colours work to give the façade of your home a classic and timeless look. But mixing in a bright front door or a pop of colour on windowsills or shutters can help to give your home a personal touch.

While current trends are a fun way to get inspired, you should always consider how long you plan on staying in your home and what finishes really speak to you. Curb appeal is one of the first things people see when it comes to purchasing a home – but if your home is going to be ‘home, sweet, home’ for the foreseeable future, it is more important to choose designs that you love rather than having to be ‘on trend’.  

Local Links

Overhead Door of Hamilton | Burlington, Burlington

overheaddoorburlington.ca

Exterior By Design, Oakville


exteriorbydesign.ca

The Door Centre, Burlington
thedoorcentre.ca

By: Kristen Sanchioni

It’s likely that you have a piece or two of sentimental furniture in your home – maybe it was passed down from family, maybe you picked it up at a flea market. Maybe it’s from your old dorm room and you just can’t let it go. Whatever the case, your vintage couch or armchair has probably seen its day – frayed edges, thin fabric, and even out of style. However, if you have a well-built item or one with special sentimental value, re-upholstering is a worthwhile investment. 

Upholstering furniture is a job that requires skill and patience. Knowing when to tackle the project on your own and when to hire a professional is crucial to ensure you love your finished product. 

Try Your Hand

Maybe you’ve found a lovely piece at a thrift store or perhaps you have an old hand-me-down that needs an upgrade. Refurbishing furniture is a wonderful, environmentally-friendly way to bring new life into worn, faded items, especially when those pieces have quality materials and craftsmanship. Bear in mind that do-it-yourself upholstering requires time, effort, and basic sewing skills. If you want to tackle the project on your own, assess your budget and skill level. 

Some furniture is easier to reupholster than others. If you’re a newbie to the world of upholstery, choose your project carefully! One rule of thumb for beginners is to focus on pieces with straight lines. A simple, hardbacked chair with a removable fabric seat is a good place to start. Similarly, a fabric ottoman, bench, or footstool can be completely transformed in an afternoon without much more than fabric, a screwdriver, and a staple gun. 

With some basic sewing skills, recovering a worn fabric headboard or making a slipcover for a chair can be a weekend project. Avoid thick fabric which can be difficult to fold, sew, and lay flat. Pieces with foam and padding can often disintegrate, breed mold, and lose their shape. It’s worth replacing for comfort and longevity. 

If reupholstering furniture is something you enjoy and want to do more of, consider enrolling in a local upholstery class to expand your skillset.

The Finishing Touch

When is it time to call the professionals? If you’ve inherited a beautiful chair from a family member but the cushions are worn and the fabric is ripped, is it worth reupholstering rather than just buying a new item? It really comes down to quality and memorability. 

Custom reupholstering is a labour-intensive art form that takes years of training and practice. Investing in a professional service to reupholster your furniture is worthwhile if the piece has sentimental value and good bones. A new piece might cost less, but the quality won’t be comparable. 

“The benefit of a professional is, of course, the fact that your finished project looks beautifully and skillfully done,” says Tori Brock from Fairhome Interiors in Burlington. From choosing the types of fabric that will work best with your piece to envisioning the finished product, their team walks clients through the process. “We gently guide you with help choosing a fabric that is appropriate for the piece’s purpose and your lifestyle,” she notes. “We then take your furniture and our upholsterer masterfully and magically transforms your piece to look like new!”

Still think you can tackle Grandpa’s special chair? “A botched DIY project is often how we get new clients!” laughs Tori. “It isn’t as easy as Pinterest makes it look.” She explains that fully reupholstering requires removing old fabric and cushioning if necessary, fixing any flaws, possibly changing the style, restuffing, and applying new textile and decorative features. Professionals have the tools and skills necessary to do this without damaging the piece. Furniture, especially vintage, left in untrained hands can be permanently ruined.

Choosing to DIY on a memorable piece will likely leave you feeling as though you’ve overextended yourself and risks the finished product looking sloppy. Opting to work with a professional will result in a stunning piece, that upholds the quality of the item for years to come.

Local Links

Fairhome Interiors, Burlington

fairhome.ca

Andersons Interiors, Burlington

andersonsinteriors.ca

After hanging out at home over the last few months, you may be thinking it is time to make some changes. Are your wall colours too bland? Do you dream of taking down a wall to open up a space? Many of us will seek outside help when it comes to making these decisions, but the jargon surrounding home improvement can be confusing — does your project need an interior designer or an interior decorator? The two professions certainly have similarities, but both offer different skills that will benefit your finished project.

What’s the difference?

Surely with a name so similar, they must be interchangeable, right?

The answer is ‘no’.

An interior decorator focuses mainly on the aesthetics of a space — a personal stylist for your home! Interior decorators have an abundance of creative vision and artistic taste, and while no formal schooling is required, many do have extra training. They concentrate on colour palettes, furnishings, and create beautiful livability using the space you already have. “Interior decorators look after everything from the drywall out!” say Anita Puls and Kim Giancaterino from Burlington Design Studio.

An interior designer, on the other hand, is someone licensed with accredited post-secondary training in all aspects of home remodeling, and this usually includes an apprenticeship with a designer. Much of their education is spent on drawing, space planning, design, building code, and architecture. An interior designer is proficient at drawing up floor plans and they will work hand-in-hand with your contractor or architect to ensure they can achieve your dream — even if it means reworking the walls and layout of your home.

Who should you hire for the job?

Before you decide which person is right for the job, you need to evaluate the scope of your project. Are you planning to add or remove walls and windows or are you mainly focused on reworking the esthetics of your space?

Tamara Grant, a local interior decorator and stager, feels it is essential to know the needs of the client beforehand. “It’s important to know your style and preferences since it is being decorated for you to stay and enjoy,” she says. “I like to start by coming up with a colour palette or theme to draw from.” While many clients may feel overwhelmed with the endless choices, Tamara knows that it’s important to take your time. “Do it in layers, start with furniture, add curtains, then pop in the colour with art and pillows, and finish off with tabletop décor.” Another added bonus to hiring a professional decorator is the shopping advantage. Tamara notes, “It helps to have somebody with a keen eye for design and who also knows the best places to shop for furniture and accessories,” she says. Definitely a bonus!

If your renovation involves structural work, you should enlist the help of an interior designer. They aim to improve the functionality of your space, not just the décor and feel of the room. Their expertise in drawing up floor plans, troubleshooting structural issues, and acquiring building permits is a necessity for large projects. A designer offers a trained eye that can really impact the plans of your changing space.

Whichever you choose, make sure their vision is aligned with yours. “Designing and decorating a home requires many considerations like style, functionality, architectural details, and space planning,” Anita and Kim advise, “A professionally trained eye can pull all these elements together to create a cohesive space with a timeless design that will last for many years to come.”

Tips from the professionals

Make your space liveable by keeping it bright and refreshed. Tamara Grant knows lighting is key, “Light is major! Whether it’s natural sunlight, overhead lighting, or task lighting — big and bright is the goal.”

Include natural elements in a space to create a warm and inviting home during the fall and winter months. “Using live plants and fresh greenery, and also including textured fabrics such as velvets, mohair, and wools on accent pillows and throw blankets, really help to cozy up a space during the cold months,” suggests Anita Puls. Warm colour hues such as cinnamon, caramel, cognac, and deep earthy greens immediately add a warm, intimate vibe.

Written By: Kristen Sanchioni

LOCAL LINKS

• Fairhome Interiors, Burlington
• Destined Dreams, Hamilton
• Burlington Design Studio
• Anderson’s Interiors, Burlington
• Joshua Creek Furniture & Home Decor, Oakville
• Swiss Interiors, Oakville