Let the Cozy Come In
Grey. It’s that time of year in our part of the world: grey sky, grey mountains, grey streets. Evening comes sooner and the city turns cool and damp. What cheers us as the grey takes over? The trees! Orange, gold, yellow, red, butterscotch brown… Every time a flaming...
Keep the Sun Coming!
Recently we visited my daughter and her husband in their new rental, the ground floor of a beautifully renovated mid-twentieth century house. Outside the door we stopped and marvelled: they now enjoy a large covered patio surrounded by planter boxes and a cleverly...
Energy-Saving Homes
There’s no getting around it: we are all going to be spending a lot more time in our homes for the foreseeable future. And if you’ve been planning a major renovation or even an entirely new house, now is the time to make sure you plan for that home to be as...
All the Build’s in Stages
Planning the Plan I know how it feels to be excited about a project, but to make sure that project goes smoothly, your excitement must not override the need to thoroughly pre-plan. This includes going into the process with a reasonable budget to pay for every stage of...
Building in Vancouver: Yes, There Are Regulations!
While Vancouver may have fewer housing regulations compared to cities in other parts of the world (did you know that in the Netherlands, for example, seventy percent of an apartment building’s tenants must agree to a landlord’s proposed improvements to avoid...
Bring a Barn Back to Life
As summer nears, the trees come into full leaf and sunlight stretches well into the evening, you may be entertaining dreams of that ideal country life. Or maybe you’re already in the country and have been looking for years at the lovely old barn you or your...
A Stone or a Brick Exterior?
It will make up in large measure the first impression people have of your house: what you cover its exterior with. To make that first impression one of grandeur and substance, you might look at those two classic home exteriors, good old brick and natural stone. Which...
Darkness done Right
I wandered through a popular home decor store recently. As I looked over the new spring displays, I noticed a theme: is that a wooden table with black chairs? And look, there’s a set of wooden chairs with a black table. And the dishes on it are black. And there’s a...
Celebrate Tradition
Whether you’re renovating a cherished family home or bringing personality to your brand-new dream house, the dignity and grandeur of a traditional home can be yours. In this age of flat-packed furniture and the minimalist aesthetic, why opt for a traditional style?...
New Decade, New Trends
Here we are, face to face with the beginning of a whole new decade. You might look around your home and think that it needs a lift, or that you need the lift of an entirely new home! For years now many have striven toward the minimalist ideal. White walls,...