May 5, 2011
Renovation projects that experts say aren’t worth your time (or money).
NEVER DO THESE | Not long ago, the website real simple.com ran the headline we’ve republished above. When I first saw it, I jumped on the story, only to find myself disappointed when some of their suggestions didn’t seem to compute: like never changing a bedroom into a home office because people won’t be able to imagine reconverting it into a place to sleep. Or that you shouldn’t install a concrete patio because it can crack and is too harshly reflective; hello, concrete done right should hold up—oh, and it can be repaired btw. Or the idea that you mustn’t waste wads on tennis or basketball courts, as if these were popular additions.
In the spirit of the realsimple idea, we decided to create our own Never Do List. Here are three reno projects local realtors say aren’t worth the time or money.
April 17, 2011
How to make a conversation-starting pendant lampshade using 35mm slides.
Have you got boxes of old 35mm slides that need to be scanned and transformed into digital files on your computer— then turfed because you’ll just never, ever look at them on a slide projector screen again? Well, here’s something novel you can do with a stack of them.
My inspiration for this retro-look pendant lampshade came from the infamous credit card dress that a fashion designer wore to the Academy Awards ceremony a number of years ago. The construction method for both items is similar. Get the whole story »
March 28, 2011
Where does a shopper have to go to find a decent lampshade in this town? Felicity Stone has the answer.
SHOPPING AROUND | Lamp shades are not something I shop for often, but when I do, I find myself frustrated by the poor selection and quality out there. My particular peeve is shades with plastic backing, which not only becomes brittle and cracks over time but also looks so, well, plastic. Get the whole story »
February 6, 2011
Where to find the missing pieces for your grandmother’s old silver service for less.
SPENDING SMART | Early last April when we were busy launching Frugalbits, I was also busy buying sterling silver flatware. The only other time I’d purchased sterling silver was the last time the U.S. and Canadian dollar were at par. Whenever the dollar is near par, I think about buying things south of the border that I’d otherwise consider an indulgence; much as I love it, sterling silver flatware falls into this category. Get the whole story »
January 19, 2011
What do supermodel Coco Rocha, superstar writer/artist Douglas Coupland and super designer/TV personality Kelly Deck have in common besides B.C. roots? They know how to multiply.
MORE IS BETTER | Repetition, as designer Kelly Deck pointed out to me recently, is central to good interior design. “If we’re designing the interior architecture of the home, we often determine well in advance what repeating architectural elements we’ll use throughout the design. Perhaps the millwork and doorways will all have chunky wood wraps, or the hardware throughout will be square, polished and jewel-like. These are subtle uses of repetition, but they’re fundamental in creating an interior that feels quiet and unified.”
More literally, repetition is very effective in decorating, particularly when you’re trying to stretch a budget—or make a high-impact artistic statement. Here are the ways the model, the writer and the designer have multiplied to great effect. Get the whole story »
December 6, 2010
3 inexpensive, purposeful home products from Areaware for picky design loving types.
CHEAP + CHIC | Sometimes subversive, typically surprising and always fun, the useful and poetic products by Areaware trigger an emotional response. This trend-setting New York-based company’s mandate is to “create thoughtful products that encourage a dialogue between people and their everyday surroundings,” and the first time I flipped through their online catalogue and discovered the marble and resin Distortion candlesticks shown here, designed by Paul Loebach, I wanted to give them as Christmas gifts to all my designer friends. I worried that something this original and arty might be too expensive, but discovered the opposite is true: these traditional-with-a-twist 10-inch-tall candlesticks are a steal at $24 each. Get the whole story »
November 19, 2010
Top Vancouver interior designer and media personality Kelly Deck shares great + affordable sources for stylish things for your home.
Kelly Deck has immersed herself in the spirit and lifestyle of the West Coast design community. When she opened her interior décor boutique on Vancouver’s Main Street in 2002, she began a successful foray into homes and backyards, developing a design presence that champions the integrity of coast living and the importance of design.
Now the director of Kelly Deck Design in beachside Kitsilano, her full-service interior design firm specializes in private residences. Her ideas have gained national reach through her Globe and Mail column The West Coast Way; her HGTV series, Take It Outside; and her appearances on Urban Rush, CityLine TV and Breakfast Television.
Kelly Deck’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver Get the whole story »
November 5, 2010
Frugalbits goes shopping with Alda Pereira, western Canada’s 2010 interior designer of the year.
Already considered one of Canada’s top interior designers with many awards and plenty of ink in glossy publications to her credit, Alda Pereira added another feather to her cap last month when a jury of her peers recognized her as Western Living magazine’s 2010 interior designer of the year.
While her private residential projects and multi-unit development interiors are always a delight to the eye, Pereira is no “shrinking wallflower looking to please multitudes,” commented Western Living editor Anicka Quin, who appreciates Pereira’s “knack for pairing the unusual with the well tailored.”
We love Pereira’s talent too—and her personality, which despite her early and prolonged success, is refreshingly unaffected. Pereira admits she loves to shop “Unabashedly. Period,” she says, “especially window-shopping. Did I mention that it’s free?” Here she shares a few of her favourite haunts. Get the whole story »
October 15, 2010
Top casting directors Heike Brandstatter and Coreen Mayrs explore Vancouver (and Bowen Island) on the green side.
Emmy Award-winning casting directors Coreen Mayrs and Heike Brandstatter spend most of their days casting feature film and television shows, having worked on such past projects as Juno, Battlestar Galactica, Capote and Diary of A Wimpy Kid. Their current projects include This Means War (starring Reese Witherspoon), Hellcats, Smallville and the soon-to-be-released Tron: Legacy. In their spare time they can be found exploring sustainable design, green building and cooking with organic ingredients.
Heike and Coreen’s 5 free, cheap or worth it things to see, do or buy in Vancouver (or beyond) Get the whole story »
August 19, 2010
When it comes to having a blackboard in your life, it’s best to go big or go home.
MONEY WELL SPENT | One of the best things we did the first time we renovated our house, when my now teenage son was small, was to put a gigantic black chalkboard on one wall in our dining area. We had to order it from a company in Ontario that supplies visual presentation products to schools because we couldn’t find anything locally that was the four-by-eight-foot size we wanted. The board was surprisingly inexpensive, but crating and shipping it nearly doubled the cost. And the cost doubled again when we ditched the anodized aluminum trim kit that can be purchased with the unit in favour of a custom-fitted natural wood picture frame we thought would look better with our hardwood floors and furniture. In the end, I think we paid around $800 for the whole thing, which isn’t dirt cheap but certainly less expensive than a framed artwork of comparable size. Get the whole story »
NEVER DO THESE | Not long ago, the website real simple.com ran the headline we’ve republished above. When I first saw it, I jumped on the story, only to find myself disappointed when some of their suggestions didn’t seem to compute: like never changing a bedroom into a home office because people won’t be able to imagine reconverting it into a place to sleep. Or that you shouldn’t install a concrete patio because it can crack and is too harshly reflective; hello, concrete done right should hold up—oh, and it can be repaired btw. Or the idea that you mustn’t waste wads on tennis or basketball courts, as if these were popular additions.
