PREDICTING TRENDS

Don't forget to consider a new condo's palette
BY MARILYN WILSON
POSTMEDIA NEWSSEPTEMBER 7, 2013

There are many factors to consider when choosing a new condo. Competing for attention are details concerning location, site orientation, views, size, potential for resale and, often most important, cost. There is, however, another set of factors that buyers may not fully consider. These are the interior design features that come with the condo. Specifically, I want to discuss condo palettes - the hues of walls, fixtures, cabinetry and window treatments.

Let's assume you are not one of those lucky individuals who is starting with a bare-bones unit for which you will choose all spatial arrangements, appliances and finishes. In reality, most new buyers cannot boast of extensive experience in condo design and an absence of budget restrictions. Rather, they rely on pre-designed packages that include specific colour palettes and decor choices.

One way developers attract buyers is through interior design. They offer a variety of samples of flooring, cabinetry and counter-tops. Builders are always thinking forward in the rapid-paced environment of condo development, so predicting potential colour and texture trends when a condo is ready to be sold can help differentiate a builder's offerings from those of the competition.

Not only that, but as condo showrooms come out months - sometimes years - before construction, colour trends are often chosen in advance. For instance, 2014's must-have features and colours have already been established.

Builders usually enlist the expertise of the best interior designers in the country to develop their interior design palettes. Since many of these designers' fees are beyond what most individuals are willing to pay, a buyer can benefit indirectly from a designer's skills by purchasing a condo whose palette is a result of careful consideration.

In general, builders try to supply prospective purchasers with the hottest and most desirable designs, thereby outdoing their competition.

Model suites will give you your first taste of a condo's palette offerings. On show are a spectrum of colours, textures and design features that can be selected at no extra cost. The more you relate to the basic palettes offered, the more you get your money's worth.

If you have trouble picturing yourself living among this decor, it may be time to consider another development with a different designer. This will prevent you from struggling to accommodate someone else's taste. To complicate matters, the builder will offer a wide selection of extra-cost upgrades - flooring, appliances, built-ins, counter-tops and backsplashes - the list goes on and on. If you don't see an upgrade you want, just ask, as most requests can be accommodated.

If you have a clear sense of what works for you, the selection process can be relatively straightforward. Remember that a reputed designer has been working in the background on your behalf, and now the builder will supply an experienced consultant to help with the decision-making.

Despite this, you may also want to enlist the services of your own designer to help organize the palette and options to create your own unique space. If you go this route, make sure to pick a designer with similar tastes to your own. This is best done by viewing examples of their work, something most designers will be happy to arrange.

You may be wondering what the current trends are.

There is movement away from the beige-on-beige theme to more sophisticated taupes, greys, pewters, creams, almonds and cappuccinos. These rich tones add variety and interest to spaces while maintaining the virtue of not being statements in and of themselves.

Textures are evolving rapidly with many designers forgoing classic granite and tile themes in favour of composites and polished concrete set off by smooth or sandblasted glass or stainless-steel backsplashes.

It's important not to forget that seasonal views may have a strong influence on your colour palette. For instance, you may want to opt out of an all-white palette, as the decor will suffer when the city is blanketed in snow. Whatever you choose, try not to go too bold with your palette, as you may get sick of it or suffer during resale.

Otherwise, follow the instincts of your taste, and happy condo hunting.

Marilyn Wilson has been selling real estate for more than 24 years and owns Marilyn Wilson Dream Properties Inc.

HIGH FIVE, DOWN LOW

Five ways to take your basement from grotto to glorious 

By MATTHEW HAGUE

The Globe and Mail September 4, 2013

There’s something undeniably odious about the word basement. It unfailingly conjures up a spine-shivering image of something drafty, claustrophobic and dark. But subterranean living spaces offer an important opportunity to accommodate Canada’s shifting housing needs. They work well as in-law suites for downsizers, income rentals for empty nesters or extra sleeping quarters for families who’ve outgrown their current house but can’t afford a larger one in the country’s ever inflating real estate market. And, with the right eye for aesthetics, a basement apartment can be bright, airy and beautiful. It just takes the right lighting, wall finishes and window wells. Here, five tips from top design professionals on how to turn an underground grotto into something glorious.

Oh, wells

According to award-winning Toronto-based architect Paul Raff, the best way to create a basement that doesn’t resemble a cave, aside from ensuring the space is well insulated and therefore not dank, is to bring in adequate light and afford views of something other than a “grey and horrible, corrugated steel window well.” When building a house from the ground up (and where space allows), he tries to “manipulate” the landscape into a garden-covered embankment that peels away the earth from the foundation walls. Depending on its depth, the incline can allow for larger than average windows that look out to a beautiful bit of greenery.

In space-cramped urban lots or for renovations where regarding the grass isn’t an option, simply switching up the material of the window well can significantly improve the view. Architect Robert Kastelic, principal of the design firm AKB, suggests textured concrete, stacked stone or a sleek metal plate. In a recent project in downtown Toronto, architect Nolan Natale, principal of Natale and Scott Architects, lined the window wells with mirrors to help reflect extra light into the subterranean bedrooms.

Step class

Like window wells, stairs are an important tool for bringing light down below. When industrial and architectural designers Timothy Mitanidis and Claudia Bader, co-founders of Toronto’s Creative Union Network, were renovating their 130-year-old Victorian semi to include a basement rental unit, they eschewed the typically Dickensian exterior staircase (the type that’s about 15 centimetres wide, made of cracking concrete and featuring a rusty old handrail). Instead, they terraced a series of one to 1 1/2 metre wide stonewalls that step gracefully from the backyard to the basement’s door. The generous landscaping not only creates a mini patio for the tenants where they can sit out in the summer, but allows for a bigger entryway that’s fully glazed and floods the unit with light. “It just helps make the space more livable,” Mitanidis said.

For interior stairs, both Raff and Kastelic suggest that wider (one to 1 1/2 metres, say) is better because it creates a more welcoming feel and allows for light to spill down from the main floor, especially if there is a window or skylight nearby.

Artificial intelligence

Bjarne Pedersen, a lighting design consultant who teaches at Toronto’s Ryerson University, notes that while natural light is the best way to make a basement more comfortable, there are clever ways to use artificial luminescence to simulate sunshine. One is to rim the ceiling with recessed, LED cove lights that wash the walls in an even glow. “Well-lit walls simply make a room feel larger,” he explains, especially if the ambient illumination is used alongside thoughtfully placed spot and task lighting. For the top tier radiance, Pedersen recommends checking the Colour Rendering Index (CRI) before purchasing any fixtures. The closer the CRI is to 100, the more natural the light will appear.

For the ultimate sun simulator, though, Pedersen suggests Parans, a system where sensors are attached to the outside of a house to collect and transmit, through fibre optic cables to an indoor ceiling panel, the exact quality of daylight at any given time – be it overcast, slightly cloudy or full-on blazing.

Photo finishes

Oftentimes homeowners don’t put a lot of thought into the materials they use to finish the basement (especially, let’s face it, if the space is intended as a suite for the in-laws, a nanny or a tenant). But extra care while selecting flooring tiles, countertops or wall paints can make an underground living area feel less foreboding and more fabulous. Although Kastelic prefers a subdued palette for the majority of his above-ground projects, with basements he “often uses pops of colour to make them feel brighter.” It’s an approach that Mitanidis and Bader have also taken: The apartment under their house is predominantly white – to make the place feel larger – but has punchy hues such as a Ferrari-red kitchen and thoughtful touches, like cabinetry and millwork made from reclaimed wood that adds a sense of warmth and history.
Pedersen also suggests that picking the right finishes can help improve a lighting concept. “Some ceiling paints are 90 per cent reflective,” he points out, “so the light just bounces around and around and around the room,” which helps reinforce a sense of openness.

Ceiling the deal


Raff mentions, it was “only two or three generations ago” that many basements were not only unfinished, but had dirt floors and seven-foot ceilings – the lasting effect of which is that many people still think of what lies down below as little more than a dank crawl space. To help “change the psychology” of this, Raff suggests that in new homes, the basements should have ceilings a foot or more taller than the standard eight-foot height. That way, the basement actually has a sense of expansive luxury. “It makes an enormous difference,” notes Raff, referring to a project he recently completed where the basement guest suite feels every bit as high-end and capacious as a five-star hotel room.

CURB ANY DOUBT

Create curb appeal
By Karen Cole Banack

Check out some welcoming ideas that will enhance your home and create curb appeal.


A house with curb appeal stands out from the rest. We notice it because it provides us with simple aesthetic pleasure every time we pass by. Most homes have their own unique blend of charms. Even two identical homes can achieve very different looks with a combination of pleasing exterior elements. Here are some welcoming ideas that you can use to enhance your home and create curb appeal.

Colour

Colour is a powerful tool when used correctly. A facade with a beautiful colour combination is extremely pleasing.

• When choosing exterior paint, look to your landscape for inspiration. Also keep in mind that the colour of your trim should complement the colour of your roof.

• Bright sun will often make strong colours appear bolder and vibrant ones seem brighter. For a toned-down look, try historical paint colours with grey undertones.

• Save brights for outdoor accessories or small areas. A colourful market umbrella, porch chair, painted bird feeder or striped retractable awning are attractive ways to spruce up the front of your house.

Entrance

Treat yourself and your guests to a welcoming entrance area. Even a small area can offer a charming greeting.

• Paint your front door with a strong colour so that it stands out from the rest of the house. Embellish the door further with a knocker, polished-metal kickplate and an inviting, homey touch like a wreath, bunch of pussy willows or basket of flowers.

• A new railing will add panache to an old porch, as will attractive wicker or teak furniture and accessories like flower-filled planters.

• Make a small entryway more inviting with a pair of urns, planter boxes or ivy-covered trellis panels flanking the entrance, or display a hurricane lamp on a table next to the door.

Facade


When making any structural changes, always remain true to the architectural integrity of your home. Don't try to make a country cottage look stately or a tall, handsome Georgian look cute.

• Use unique architectural details to enhance your home. A round stained-glass window, weather vane on a turret, portico painted in a rich colour or window boxes all offer lovely ways to bring interest to a home's exterior.

• When painting shutters, select a rich complementary shade that doesn't overpower the rest of your house's colour scheme.

Lighting

Even simple outdoor lighting will bring your home to life at night.

To create drama, install lighting along a walkway, between shrubbery or in trees.

• Mount a pair of beautiful coach lanterns on either side of French doors to give your home an elegant and stately appearance.

• Design indoor lighting to convey warmth and interest when viewed from outside. For instance, a light in a small round attic window lends character to a home's exterior.

Landscaping

Architectural landscaping is a very effective way to add colour, beauty, vitality and personality.

• Define a walkway by embedding stepping stones into the grass or gravel.

• A brick path surrounded by an overgrown all-white garden looks simple and elegant.

• A rose- or clematis-covered arbour or pergola makes a lasting impression.

• Fences are another option for creating individual style. Try a white picket fence for a cottage look, wrought iron for stately elegance and tall wood slats for privacy.