Colour Trends 2012: Pantone Color of the Year Revealed
Well it’s that time of year…the new colour for 2012 has been unveiled and like last year it is a bold choice. Here is the Pantone press release.
Dance into the New Year with this vivacious and appealing reddish orange – Tangerine Tango PANTONE 17-1463.
The 2011 color of the year, PANTONE 18-2120 Honeysuckle, encouraged us to face everyday troubles with verve and vigor. Tangerine Tango, a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.
“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”
Tangerine Tango for Interiors and More
Energize interior spaces with Tangerine Tango patterned home accessories. Pillows, bedspreads and tabletop accessories in this high-impact hue add spice to any room. Or incorporate Tangerine Tango appliances and personal electronics for an unexpected pop of color. Looking for an inexpensive way to perk up your home? Paint a wall in Tangerine Tango for a dynamic burst of energy in the kitchen, entryway or hallway.
What do you think….will you be using this colour in your home? Let us know by leaving a comment.
You can read the full press release at http://www.pantone.com
Choose Your Home: Top Ten Things To Consider When Buying
By Greg Andruff
10. How long do you think you will live there (people move on average every 4-7 years)? Or, if you are an investor, when do you hope to cash out if ever? What is your exit strategy?
9. Location –- Is your purchase close to shopping, traffic, airport? What area/neighbourhood is the property in? Is it close to schools and parks or close to downtown?
8. Is the property restricted by certain rules? Be aware that in a strata or a heritage home, certain rules and restrictions can possibly hamper resale.
7. Market conditions — You don’t buy the market but you want to know what conditions you are working in. (Is it a buyers, sellers or balanced market? Are you in a seasonal market?)
6. Is the property close to transit? Bridges? What about paying tolls?
5. What is the property condition inside and out? An inspector is cheap insurance. Typically, older buildings will require more work, so be aware of that. There may be a chance for sweat equity…
4. Think about resale: Is the property easy to get into but hard to get out of?! What is the type of ownership — strata, freehold, or co-op? Co-ops tend to trade at a lower price because they require 35% financing up front. This may or may not be an advantage to a buyer.
3. Neighbours — Talk to the neighbours before you buy. What is the neighbourhood like? Are there mostly older people, families, or professionals? Keep this in mind, especially in a strata where you live right on the other side of the wall from your neighbours! Does your neighbour have a dog that howls at the moon?
2. Think about the future. Is there a possible transit connection (bridge or train) being built soon? Is there a development going in around the corner, or a half-way house, old folks home, or super complex and how does that relate to you?
1. Mortgage qualification – Most importantly, you need to know your budget. What type of mortgage do you want or need? Best rates are not everything: flexibility or readvanceable principle may be more valuable! Be sure to talk to a professional mortgage broker about your options.
Greg Andruff is a member of a successful Vancouver residential real estate team, Team Andruff.
They strongly believe in helping educate and inform their client to make confident buying and selling decisions in any market. To contact Greg visit www.GregAndruff.com or call 778-899-4267*
New Home Decorating Ideas: Tips To Make A House Your Home
By Louise Howard
You may be an experienced home mover or buying a new home for the first time in your life – either way, you are likely to value the opportunity to make your home more comfortable, warm and stylish. If you’re looking at homes for sale we have a list of five easy steps on turning your new house into a home.
Create a feature wall
It can make your walls feel a little generic and impersonal if you leave them blank white, and creating a feature wall, with either paint or wallpaper, could be a good idea if you lack the money, time and patience to fully redecorate a room. Doing so can give your room more personality and focus, freeing you up to add depth by accessorising with further elements.
Flowers and foliage
The power of plants is not to be underestimated! Potted plants can add a masculine touch to a room, while there are many beautiful flowers that you can choose from for greater femininity – whether you choose real or fake flowers. White flowers are a no-risk addition as they are elegant and are particularly interesting if placed in a coloured vase.
Get creative with art
If you really want to personalise your home, consider displaying your own artwork around it. There’s no need to be a Picasso if you would like to create artworks of your own – simply covering a succession of canvasses with some gorgeous patterned paper is a great idea, or alternatively, create a modern effect by mounting various colour coordinated plates together on the wall in a symmetrical pattern or blow up onto a canvas that awesome cityscape photograph that you took. There are many design websites to inspire you with ideas, but keep in mind that there are endless options!
photo by BHS
Coordinate with soft furnishings
You can enhance a room’s cosiness and warmth with rugs, cushions, curtains or similar soft furnishings. Look for tones of colour in other areas of your room such as artwork, flowers or walls and to tie different elements together, look for pieces that are of the same colour. A room can also be made to feel cosier with the addition of attractive throws.
Celebrate your life
Are you a traveller or a frequent visitor to exotic parts of the world? Were you left some china by your Grandma? Are you proud of any awards or trophies that you have? For a great conversation piece and to add life to your abode, put on display some personal items that have a background story or that simply have meaning to you. A personal touch can also be added to your room with photographs.
Louise Howard frequently writes about homes, architecture, design and the property market; particularly houses for sale. Having a passion for this subject she enjoys guest posting on numerous blogs throughout the Internet
Home Is Where Her Heart Is
By Kathryn Haley
TD Canada Trust has conducted polls for women home owners for 3 years. Here are the findings of the latest survey according to the TD Canada Trust website.
Home is where her heart is: 3rd annual TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll reveals the growing importance of having a place to call your own
TORONTO, January 20, 2010 – Although financial security continues to top the list of home ownership benefits, the comforts of home are increasingly important to Canadian women. According to the third annual TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll, which surveyed women who have purchased a home independently, key features of home ownership, including being able to renovate to suit individual tastes and having a garden, are now more essential to Canadian women than they were in 2008.
When asked to describe the best things about home ownership, Canadian women said it is about making a house a home. Having a place of their own (34%), being able to decorate or renovate the way they want (34%) and having a backyard or garden (32%) were some of the responses that increased dramatically from the first survey conducted in 2008. Women had cited having a place of their own at 22%, being able to decorate or renovate the way they want at 14%, and having a backyard or garden at only 5% back in 2008.
“Even though the comforts of home have become increasingly important to women, the financial reasons for home ownership have also increased in importance,” says Chris Wisniewski, Group Product Manager, Real Estate Secured Lending, TD Canada Trust. This year 44% of women ranked financial security as the best thing about home ownership compared to 23% of a similar sample of women in 2008. Second on the list of best things about owning a home was not having to pay rent or pay other people (38% versus 13% in 2008). “It’s not surprising that the financial reasons for ownership have increased in importance for people. People are looking for ways to feel financially stable again and see home ownership as a way to build equity and invest in their future.”
The financial commitment of owning a home can be a double-edged sword; for many women home ownership offers a sense of financial security yet the financial responsibility can be a headache for others. Twenty-nine per cent of women say that the additional expenses and financial responsibility related to owning a home are their least favourite things about home ownership.
In fact, getting more advice when talking to experts and asking even more questions is something most women surveyed wished they had considered when buying their first home. When asked which topics they wish they knew more about when they purchased their home, 40% of women wished they had more knowledge about the fees and costs associated with purchasing a home, 32% wanted more information about the expected annual expense of owning a property and 30% wanted more information about mortgage options.
About the TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll
The TD Canada Trust Women and Home Ownership Poll surveyed women 18 years of age and older from across the country, to explore home ownership behaviour among women. The survey was conducted by Angus Reid Strategies with English and French speaking Canadians using the Angus Reid Forum. The sample size includes 1,000 women who have purchased a home independently. The answers from 361 women aged 20 to 45 were used to compare to the 2008 poll which surveyed this age group exclusively.
So what do you think? Do you agree with the results? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.
Planning a New Home Landscape: A Designer’s Perspective
By Steve Allat
So, you’re building your dream home! The months of managing construction trades and sub-trades is almost at an end, final decision are being made so that you can obtain occupancy and yet there is still one fairly substantial area to complete – the landscape. Of course, this is no small feat for a few reasons:
If you have really planned ahead you will have either had a design done by a Landscape Professional during the construction phase or at least thought about how the landscape will look for you as the house was nearing completion. Give yourself time to determine what you really want. A small investment in time and planning will save you time and money in the installation phase.
Whether you go to the formality of having a design blueprint done or not, there are some basic questions that need to be addressed so that you ensure yourself of making solid, foundational decisions that will result in obtaining the landscape you desire the first time around, no matter which way you go about it.
Here is a short list of things to think about, whether you’re planning way ahead or attempting to do it as it happens:
1. Plan your outdoor space with your needs in mind regarding:
- getting around in the yard (function)
- the shape and size necessary for your outdoor areas (form)
- entertaining requirements
- whether there need to be child or animal-friendly spaces
- how much time you plan on spending maintaining what you install
2. List your needs, wants and desires.
- think colours, textures and specific products and plants you would like to include
- Use the exterior colour of the house as inspiration and repeat or complement the colours
3. Budget to set a realistic starting point and a range that you are comfortable with.
- a typical install for a respectable landscape will have a budget of roughly 10% of the overall value
- size of the house
Envision driving up to your new home and painting a picture in your mind, regardless of specifics so that you can convey the feeling you are trying to capture. The details can be filled in along the way by a qualified designer, architect and tradespeople. Your job is to simply know what you want and convey that effectively to those whose job it is to take your vision and make it real.
Steve Allat is a graduate of the University of Guelph Horticulture programs (91A) and has worked in every capacity in the landscape industry ever since, from planning and installing perennial gardens to managing large residential and commercial installations. He enjoys working with clients to bring their ideas to fruition so that they can maximize enjoyment of their outdoor living spaces.
For more information and a free initial consultation, you can contact Steve Allat at steveallat.com or call him at 778-938-0371
Serving Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
5 Tips for Divorced Women: Creating ‘The New-You Home’
By Dana J. Smithers
I’m a home stager and home redesigner and I was divorced almost 30 years ago. Over the last 10 years I have had the privilege of helping other women change their surroundings to help them move forward in their lives.
Whether or not you are in favour of the divorce, your life changes dramatically. At times you can feel so overwhelmed with day-to-day living that you just want the world to stop so you can curl up and feel safe and forget what is going on. What I want to share with you are some of the things you can do to help you rebuild your ‘self’ and create the ‘New-You Home’ whether you are moving or staying where you are:
Start with the bedroom you shared – first buy new bedding at the very least, if you can buy new furniture great, if not, anything can be painted in any colour you want, consider rearranging the room and getting some new art and accessories, painting the room a colour you love is a great idea
Take a look at what you have in each of your rooms and if there are glaring objects/things that create negative energy in your body and mind, then remove them. You can give them away, throw them away or store them away until you are more ready to deal with them. Consider rearranging the furniture and even changing the functions in some of the rooms to work for YOU.
Go out shopping and see what you really would like to have in your home. If you can afford to make new purchases at this time do so, if not cut out pictures of what you will have down the road because it will happen.
Buy yourself something to represent the ‘New You’ for your home – maybe you would like to buy flowers every Saturday just for you, buy some new candles, some new music, a new cushion, a new throw, or maybe you can afford to remodel your kitchen – whatever it is just do it for YOU.
Keep taking deep breaths when you feel overwhelmed and say your new mantra: “It’s all about me and I can do whatever I want because I am strong and wonderful”
If it’s any consolation to those of you going through divorce, life does get better and time really does heal…some therapy is not a bad idea either.
Dana J. Smithers, Founder & Creative Director of PRES (professional real estate stagers) Resource Centre is a professional interior decorator, redesigner and home stager. She has taught a professional home staging and redesign course for 6 years and is known as the ‘Staging Guru’. She appears frequently on television, radio, newspapers, magazines and in e-articles. Check her out at www.PresStaging.com for articles and Do-It-Yourself ebooks on home staging. Stay tuned for new book in 2010 on Starting Your Own Home Staging Business.
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