Vancouver Home Renovations 2009 - The Art of Small Condo Living plus Kitchen Islands and Appliances top list of DIY home renos

The Art of Living Small – Condo Living

A great article in the Home Section of Look Magazine by Deborah A. Only a decade ago, purchasing a single family home was still a realistic dream for first time buyers. However, rising real estate costs have since forced many to downsize their square footage dreams and settle for something smaller. But smaller doesn’t have to mean “less,” and townhouse and condominium developers are offering creative interior designs that maximize usable space and are adding external amenities that create a resort-like feel. “Living small” has become an emerging lifestyle in its own right. There are 100 little tricks to making a small space look bigger, but real estate property developers have, for the most part, concentrated on two main things, says Adera president Norm C: “Making the living area bigger by creating open, flow-through designs and making everything else that can be shrunk, smaller.” Adera helps home buyers adapt to a smaller space by offering a line of customized, built-in options to replace freestanding furniture, including wall units for condo living. Space-saving features for condos inherent in their designs include extra wall mounting for flat screen TVs, breakfast bars in some units, rooftop decks called “lanais.” “On the West Coast, people spend more time outdoors,” says Couttie. “The outdoor lanai becomes an extension of indoors-an extra room to relax in and entertain.” Resort-like external amenities in condo living – including pools, hot tubs, and on-site theatres are becoming more common in condominium developments, says Mark B of Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing. “Condo living is more of a lifestyle choice and a more liberating experience than it was in the ‘90s. When you come home to your condo, it is a place where you can literally decompress.” Kitchens, where guests typically gravitate toward at a party, have become the entertainment focal point and the true “living room” of the home. As space decreases, the gourmet aspect of the kitchen has increased. “Kitchens have become more designer oriented and functional. Every square inch is utilized. You feel like you’re on a ship’s galley where everything is compact and accessible,” says Beilling. He adds that designers have also focused on making kitchen esthetics more sophisticated. “Finsishing materials are broader in scope and can be co-ordinated to fit with other areas of the home.” If you’re purchasing a condo unit in an older property, some redecorating may be necessary to achieve optimum streamlined functionality. “Designing small spaces often requires choosing comfort over an established idea of what ‘home’ has to have,” says Mila D of Intermind Design. This can be as simple as replacing a traditional coffee table with a few cube-shaped ottomans that can double as seating, or can be moved into corners when space for a larger gathering is required. “Moving into a small space calls for decorating solutions that allow for multiple uses of space and furnishings,” says Djuras. And, she stresses, “You need to think outside the box.”

Making Small Condo Spaces Even Bigger

BRING THE OUTDOORS INSIDE. Let your décor mirror your outside view to make one a continuation of the other. Trees and flowers or sky, glass and concrete can be reflected in building materials, furnishings, accessories and colour palette. UNIFY FLOOR AND WALL COLOUR COMBINATIONS. Create a feeling of richness and open space using a variety of shades of the same or similar colour for both walls and flooring. Continue the same flooring and colour palette throughout the condo unit. STRIVE FOR A CLEAN, UNCLUTTERED LOOK. Choose modular and/or multi-purpose furniture. Reduce visual clutter by limiting artwork to only a few large pieces. Accessorize with complementing, rather than contrasting, colour accents. CUSTOMIZE AND COMBINE STORAGE SOLUTIONS. A floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall built-in unit in the bedroom can serve as a wardrobe, TV stand, bookshelves and general storage area. The design can combine “behind the door” and open shelving. ADD REFLECTIVE FINISHES. Mixing reflective finishes such as metal, glass and leather with natural finishes adds to the illusion of additional space in your condo. Choose only a few finishes and apply them consistently through the condo living space. SOFTEN THE UTILITARIAN LOOK. Replacing standard doors with those that have textures and patters such as sandblasted glass or interesting wood panels will help to minimize the utilitarian look of your condo home. CREATE NEGATIVE SPACE. Use small-scale streamlined, movable furnishings that have raised or taller legs. The negative space beneath will add visual depth. LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE. Keep windows clear of obstructions and add as much artificial lighting as you can. Track lighting, wall lamps (up lighters), or cabinet lighting add light without taking up space. Generously provided by Intermind Design – Mila D.

Home Designers say Kitchen Islands and Appliances Top List

A kitchen island and updated appliances should be among the first items changed during a kitchen renovation, according to a survey of registered Canadian designers. The kitchen island is the ofcal point for kitchen design. Forty two per cent of designers predict that kitchens will be built around this central workstation, according to the survey, that was conducted by Jenn-Air. More than half of the home designers, however, also recommended going with new appliances, noting that fresh new designs are now hitting the real estate property market. Warm tones like bronze and copper will continue to be a colour trend in the kitchen through 2008, but they’re not the only colours being used. Home designers identified a wide range of colours fro the kitchen this year including greys, red, greens, blue and white. But they note, “the timeless look of stainless steel also remains popular.” Forty two per cent of registered interior home designers recommend that their clients splurge on appliances, rather than other kitchen design elements such as flooring, fixtures and countertops. “Capturing clients” vision for their dream home kitchen is about piecing together svera design elemtns to create a cohesive environment that is both funcitional and stylish,” said Alexandre Blazys, a Montrel based kitchen home designer. From the Real Estate Weekly of Vancouver Newspaper.

Inexpensive Tips For An Interior Home Makeover

As the cold winter weather becomes a faint memory, urbanites in all price ranges are catching the makeover bug. This spring, don’t let financial woes discourage you from adding flair and funciontality to your apartment or condo. Below are five ways to inexpensively upgrade your apartment’s interior, inspired by the residents of Flatbush Garden, group a New York city dwellers who are looking to save money on housing:
1. Plant Life: Adding live plants to your apartment décor is an inexpensive way to provide color and aroma. Makes ure to do your research to find a plant that fits your needs. For example, a bamboo plant does not aggravate allergies, is easily cared for, and costs very little.
2. Change fixtures: cabinet and doorknow fixture options can be found at all price ranges and are simple and fast way to spruce up an apartment.
3. Anything can be turned into art: Expensive artwork is not the only thing worthy of hanging on your walls. Why not hang a patterend blanket?
4. Utilize your wall space: Mounting shelves, baskets, and cabinets allow you to maximize floor space and will greatly open up a small apartment.
5. Pick a theme and stick with it: even if you do not purchase an entire bathroom or bedroom décor, choose two or three colors per room, and keep them in mind with every home furnishing purchase. The theme will boost your appearance of your apartment as well as reflect cohesion and organization.
Locally, Delta contractor and designer Jeffery Rebiffe says that today’s materials mean it is possible to get a great look, even a kitchen makeover, without spending a lot. He advises, thought, that even a low-cost renovation should have a flash of sophistication. In a kitchen, for example, adding a true slate backsplash or an expensive, high-quality lighting can raise the standard without breaking the bank. For more great renovation ideas, visit the 15 houses on the annual Parade or Renovated Homes, held Jun 8. For details, see www.gvbha.org.

Get The Most Out of Your Living Space
From Metro News of Greater Vancouver Newspaper: Here are some easy-to-do tips to help you put a lot of stuff into a little place. By Interior Divine Colin & Justin. Fancy, ahem, cramming in a little extra where you, ahem, need it most? Stick with us kids – we’ve got it sorted. However, crammed your house or tight your condo, here’ show to mac up and make it, at least feel, far more dommodious …

Be Flexible
Use “smart double-duty furniture such as sofas which unfold into beds, coffee tables that raise to become dining tables or upholstered ottomans with removable tops that would make the perfect seat, toy box or foot stool.

Make a wheel difference
Position wheeled storage cubes, side lamps atop, either side of your sofa for a slick modern aesthetic. Fancy a change? Remove lamps and push into the centre of your space to make the perfect coffee table. But there’s more. Lift the lids for immediate access to magazines, books and newspapers. Bingo!

Small scale thinking
To maximize space, lose that “big box” PC in favour of a small, sli laptop that can be stored away when not in use. Or swap elaborate outsize squashy chesterfields for smaller compact sofas and chairs.

Behind closed doors
We recently created a glorious white galley kitchen in a tiny London condo and, because our client works from home, assigned on side of the room to food prop and the other to his stock-market business. On first glance, the long white room looks like kitchen heaven, however, open doors on one side and computer, files, and photocopier suddenly appear. Also, a section o worktop pulls out by 18 inches to create a desk where our chap can go about his business! Close the doors back over, push back the counter … and culinary calm is restored.

Discover you’re big downstairs!
Don’t ignore one of your biggest assets! Instead, dive below into the great Canadian basement to create awesome possibilities chez vous. Rather than languish in what’s little more than a dank, messy storage room, consider the benefits of a finishe basement. We’re thinking guest suite, home office, children’s play room, spa bathroom… The choice is, and the added flexilibty will be, yours!

Here’s a hit list of double duty kit that will help you shop “smart”:
Storage Ottoman – seating, storage and table all in one
Kitchen Storage Bench – cook books, and baking trays, housed casually within kitchen table seating
Sofa Bed/Murphy Bed – a guest suite in minutes and no extra room required
Coffee Table With Stashable Stools – additional seating when you need it
Extendable Dining Tables – office/work space as required
End Tables With Drawers Or Shelves – a stylish way to introduce extra surfaces and extra storage
Armoire – use a multimedia housing, TV disguise or clothes storage. Particularly good for bedroom offices. Don’t forget to pins sleeves to the inside of the doors to stash flast files etc.
Stackable Chairs – enough said!

Colin and Justin’s Home Heist airs Tuesdays at 6pm, Saturdays at 4pm and Sundays at 11am on HGTV. www.hgtv.ca