Ideal Home and Garden Show!

Spring is in the air! That means it's Home Show season.  One particular home show I'd like to tell you about is the upcoming Ideal Home and Garden Show at the Careport Centre in Hamilton.  It's happening March 1st - 4th and features show attractions sure to inspire, inform, and entertain.  This show provides the most comprehensive shopping opportunity for buyers of renovating, decorating, and landscaping products in Southwestern Ontario.

Special attractions that are new to the show this year include the Dream Retreats Exhibit showcasing unique home living and the Ultimate Man Cave, both of which I'll be designing.  I was given this tremendous challenge and opportunity and I can't wait for you to come to the show and see these exciting spaces.

As well, the Ideal Super Stage features 3 full days of free celebrity seminars, including such subjects as "Getting That Designer Look", "Spring Cooking", and "Trends in Landscape Design".  You won't want to miss this opportunity to learn from the experts.

Speaking of experts, we are also featuring a Free Pro-Advice Pavillion.  We are encouraging home owners to come with their napkin drawings, floor plans, fabric and paint swatches, to get information about their home from the pros.  I will be at the Pavillion on Friday, March 2nd from 4-5:30 so come and say "hi" and get some free advice.  If you miss me, though, the Pavillion will include a host of other contractors, interior and landscape designers, all waiting to give share their expertise with you.

All you have to do now is mark your calendar and check out the website for the Ideal Home and Garden Show:

http://www.idealhomeshow.ca/spring-show/attendee/guest-speakers.html

Here's where you find out everything you need to know about the show, including how to get here, the stage schedule and show times.  You should also know parking is free and you can save $3 off your admission by buying your tickets on-line.

See you at the show!

My Favourite Photographs

I am fortunate enough that both my husband's parents and my parents are not only all alive and well, but they're all still married. So, I've decided to honour that accomplishment and really, it is quite an accomplishment, by displaying all of our wedding photographs in a gallery in our entryway.  Check out my homage to wedded bliss.  My in-laws and parents have been married for 42 years each this year...

My parents are on the left, we are in the middle, and my in-laws are on the right.

By the way, this is always something guests love to look at, especially family visitors.

Do You Have Room For a Spare Room?

We all do it... we decide we need a house that's either new or new-to-us and we, for some unknown reason, look for a house with more bedrooms than we need. If you don't do this, you're in the minority, in my opinion. For instance if a family includes two parents and two children, we automatically look for a four bedroom house.  Why?  Because we want what has always been known as a "spare" room.  Again, why?  Perhaps you need a spare bedroom because you're expecting overnight guests. In reality, though, how often do you entertain overnight guests?  Our last house had a spare bedroom.  We lived in that house for 5 years and we had visitors once, for 10 days.  That's 1815 other days when that room did not live up to it's potential.   If you do frequently need to house your in-laws for example, by all means, dedicate the space to relaxing and sleeping.

Another reason to include a spare room in your search is perhaps you need a home office or could use additional storage space. In these cases, an extra bedroom makes sense.  What I'm proposing is instead of using valuable square footage to store your husband's childhood bedroom set, use the room.  If you require an office, set the room up as a functional office space.  Have a deskspace, computer connectivity, and proper paper storage solutions.  Make sure you're comfortable in that space and are able to use it as you intended.  You could also include a seating area and bookshelves, essential in any home office, and use it as a den while the kids use the desk for homework. Check out this classic home office and den combination from brilliant designer Sarah Richardson.  If that sectional included a pull-out bed, this would be the perfect use of extra bedroom real estate.

If you require extra storage, for clothing, for instance, use the room as a dressing room.  Include functional shoe, purse, and accessory storage.  Make it comfortable and accessible for your every day needs.  Here's an example of a beautiful space* to get ready for the day ahead.

It may seem indulgent to use a spare room as a dressing area, however, I think it's more indulgent to set up a spare room as a bedroom and then only use it a couple of times a year.  If you really need a space for out of town guests, and it's only a short stay, couldn't you sacrifice your Master Bedroom and bunk with your kids for a week or so? Or better yet, force the kids to bunk together and take over one of their rooms entirely?  It may be a little bit inconvenient but think about it, for the other 50 weeks of the year, you have a dedicated, useful space that you could enjoy on a daily basis.

*(Photo from beautiful abodes.blogspot.com)