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The age-old question when buying new patio or outdoor furniture is: do you purchase furniture that will last a season or two or do you purchase higher quality furniture that will last longer? A lot of this depends on where you see yourself in a few years and what your needs at that point may be. Here are three areas to consider before making a purchase.

You probably spend a lot of time in your kitchen: cooking, eating, celebrating, chatting, etc. as life seems to happen around food and in the room where it’s prepared. If it’s not your favourite room in the house, give yourself a small budget and a weekend to make a few notable changes to create a happier space.

Here are five ideas:

1. Paint your cabinets a trendy colour like blue or a more neutral colour like white to give your kitchen a whole new look. Note: two toned cabinets (for example white above the counters and green below) is quite trendy this year.
2. Update your light fixtures. Creating a bold focal point with a unique light fixture will give your kitchen a whole new perspective.
3. Add art to the room. Whether it’s a painting on the wall or an artful pattern on the curtains, add a bit of personality to your kitchen with art.
4. Give your feet a break with luxurious, washable runners or rugs under the table, in front of the sink and anywhere else you have to stand for long periods of time. Keep the rug neutral or go bold, but focus on comfort as you’ll be thankful for that in the long run.
5. Install a fancy (and functional) faucet. If you’re still using the basic faucet that was there when you moved in, treat yourself to a fancy new faucet with sprayers, touchless operation or even lights.

Many Canadians lead a healthy lifestyle that includes eating well and exercising. However, not everyone has access to a gym and sometimes heading outside is not possible due to the weather. Here are a few small pieces of exercise equipment that won’t overtake an entire room so you can get your body moving when it’s convenient for you.

• Yoga Mat – not just for yoga, these soft mats create a space where you can do a variety of body weight movements (squats, crunches, etc.) without having to lie directly on your hard floor or accidentally slip on your carpet. Paired with online workout videos, a yoga mat is a great investment that can easily be stored away.
• Core Sliders – these frisbee-sized discs are foam on one side and plastic on the other and glide on most flooring surfaces. Used under your feet or hands, there are a variety of exercises you can do with them that will enhance your core strength.
• Resistance bands – There are a few different types of resistance bands on the market but generally they can fit in a small bag or hang nicely on the wall to take up almost no space. These bands (elastic or fabric) add tension or resistance during exercise movements to engage your muscles.

Research exercise movements and consult your physician before starting any exercise program, but rest assured you can make a functional and effective home gym in the smallest of spaces.

When scouring home decor magazines, blogs and the Internet for design trends for 2024, the buzz words you’re going to consistently come across are bold, bright, texture and unique.

Gone are the days where white walls and furniture create a sophisticated room. Instead, designers are looking to bold patterns and colours mixed with a neutral palette to create the latest in sophistication. Choose a few of the trending looks to incorporate into your home this year.

Starting with paint, the colour of the year is a dark grey/soft black that pairs really well with other rich hues that are popular this year. Accents or fabrics in gold or aluminum (new or vintage) are a great way to finish off the sophisticated look of any room.

If you’re not ready for such a drastic change, start with a textured, odd-shaped rug in a bold colour. Furthering the odd-shaped theme, choose to hang mirrors in unique shapes with bold frames.

Have fun with the trends and make your living spaces warm, conversation inducing and personal this year.

Making a small, yet impactful change to the look of your room
can be quick, easy and cost effective. The easiest way is to change
out decor items – get new storage baskets, replace your candles or
vases, get new throw pillows, etc. If you want to take it a step further,
here are five easy and relatively low-cost changes you can make this
weekend that go beyond purchasing new decor.

Look up. What do you see? A plain white popcorn ceiling? Chances are you’re one of millions of Canadians who haven’t explored the option of ceiling décor. Designers are calling it the fifth wall in a room and have started to become more and more vocal about sprucing ceilings up. Here are some décor options to consider for your ceiling: Wall paper, or ceiling paper to be more accurate. Apply textured wallpaper to your smooth ceiling in much the same way you would a wall. It can be left its original colour, or painted for a more stunning effect. Or opt for a wallpaper
that features a bold pattern or bright colour to enhance an otherwise serene room.

Moving into a new home affords you the opportunity to create spaces that are aesthetically pleasing, make you and your family comfortable and provide functionality. For some, this comes easily and doesn’t require a second thought. For others, it’s a struggle that warrants the hiring of a professional. But what professional do you need exactly? If your goal is to have your home look a specific way – minimalistic, country chic, contemporary, rustic – your best course of action is to consult with an Interior Decorator. These experts use décor, paint colour, flooring and furniture to make a space look put together and attractive. Ask for their portfolio with examples of past work as well as references of past clients to ensure their skillset suits your needs.

Working with a lawyer can be a real benefit when buying a home. But what sort of things do lawyers do in real estate transactions? Whether you are the buyer or the seller in a real estate sale, a lawyer is there to ensure all the procedures are handled properly and legally and are delivered on time to complete the transaction.

If you’re the buyer in a sale, a real estate lawyer will take care of a variety of tasks, including but not limited to:

For the avid gardener September can be a very busy month. This is when harvest is underway,
as such your home will benefit from the hard work you’ve put in. But there are many things
you can do to keep your garden viable and healthy after the harvest.

1. General Garden Clean Up: Reduce the negative impact of bugs and blights on your garden. Take the time to pick up any rotting fruit, dead vines or diseased leaves. Don’t give insects a nice warm home over the winter, clean up that rotting debris now to head off issues next spring.

2. Improving The Soil Quality: A better growing medium will result in a better garden – September is the ideal time to make sure your soil is the best it can be. Once you’ve completed your clean up, spread your accumulated compost or rotted manure (two to three inches deep) over the surface of your garden. Turn it in, either manually or with a rototiller, to ensure it has a chance to mingle with the soil you presently have, adding to its richness.

3. Planting Flowering Bulbs for Spring: September is also a good time to plant hardy springtime flowering bulbs. Early blooming flowers, such as daffodils, crocus, hyacinths and even tulips can be planted now to provide that welcome burst of colour once the snows of winter finally melt. It’s even an easy job, dig a hole, drop in your bulb
and cover with soil. Mother Nature will take care of the rest. Every region of the country is different, so take time to research a plan so that you can do what works best for you. Efforts made now will have lasting benefits in the coming months.

One of the unique aspects of owning a condominium in a development owned by a strata corporation (also known as a condo corporation or co-ownership) is the fact that you are essentially becoming part of a community of owners. Like in any community there are rules, in this case spelled out within the corporation’s strata documents.

As an owner you will have a say in the development of your community and will (through your strata fees) be paying for maintenance, upgrades and other improvements. Those obligations will be spelled out in the documents that are included with your purchase.

Strata documents will typically contain such pertinent information as:

– The minutes of strata corporation annual general meetings, normally for the past two years.
– The design and layout of the complex and its strata plan.
– A corporate budget and breakdown of accounts.
– A list of the strata’s rules and bylaws.
– Information on storage and parking.
– A depreciation report of the overall complex.

It’s vitally important to know the fiscal and physical health of the project you are buying into. While not a crystal ball into the future, accurate documents will provide a realistic picture of the commitment you, as an owner, are making in your new community.