Fashionably Summer

If you’re looking to build your summer wardrobe, we recommend these trending pieces.

White Tank Top

Goes with everything and looks great with a summer tan.

Floppy Hat

Both fashionable and functional, a floppy hat is the perfect addition to an outfit on a sweltering, sunny summer day.

Linen Shirt

Great to throw over a tank top and can also double as a bathing suit cover-up.

Wide Leg Pants

The perfect combination of style and comfort.

Denim Skirt

Easy to pair with a variety of tops and, just like a linen shirt, it can also double as a bathing suit cover-up.

Slides

Easy to throw on, easy to clean and super comfy.

I want to paint my living room white. What white paint is most popular these days?

Paint colour should never be determined by what’s popular but rather what’s in your room and the lighting. All whites are not created equal. I have an entire sample book of just whites. White with green undertones, white with grey, white that looks pink until it’s next to certain wood tones. I could go on and on.

When selecting paint colour, I like to pick something that is in the room: a piece of art, an area rug, or a favourite throw pillow fabric. Since you are looking for a white, try to match one of the lightest tones in the item. If it’s a throw pillow, take your pillow with you to the paint store to match as best you can. But don’t buy the paint yet! Bring that pillow and a few paint swatches home and notice how the colour looks differently in your home than in the store. You have different things in and around your home that affects how light reflects differently than the store does. Still having trouble deciding? Buy some small sample cans and paint a few colours onto poster board. This gives you bigger samples and costs very little compared to making a mistake and having to repaint a room.

What size rug should I use in my bedroom with a king size bed?

If I were able to come to your home for a consultation, I would measure your room and base the size of the rug on the room not the bed. Since I can’t see your room, I’ll explain my process a bit. I like the area rug to anchor the bed and really ground it, giving the bed a good base on which to stand. I recommend installing a rug as large as you can. As a rule, for a king size bed, the rug should be a minimum of 8’ x 10’. If you have room, go bigger! Keep in mind the location of vents and keep your rug clear of them.

I’ve just purchased a property that we’ll be using as a vacation rental. What advice do you have for furnishing and decorating a vacation rental?

Ooo! Vacation rentals are so fun to design! When doing a vacation rental, I like to start with a theme or a story like “Rest & Relax”, “Beach & Repeat”, “Rock n’ Roll”. Think of where this rental is located. Locally, we have a lot of birders visiting the area so I might go with a “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” vibe and install little bird touches here and there. Nothing overboard.

In a vacation rental, you can have fun with the design, making your place different and memorable. Think throw pillows with birds on them, a bedroom with bird patterned drapery, lamp finials in the shape of birds, hand soap in the shape of a bird. These special touches set your rental apart!

When looking where to invest and where to save, invest in artwork, the mattress and pillows. These items are there for the longevity and really provide an “experience” for your guests. Save on furniture and towels. They will get a lot of wear and tear that will need replacing often.

Guests love to take home momentos from their trips. Have a local printer make playing cards with a photo from your rental on the cards and tie these up with a nice little bow to gift to your renters.

The best piece of advice I can offer is to have your rental professionally photographed! Just like in real estate, it is the photos that sell your rental. It is the experience that brings people back.

A trip to the beach is the quintessential summer activity, but the downside is the excess of sand that often makes its way into vehicles and subsequently homes. And while it might not be possible to come home without any sand, here are a few ways to lessen the amount that you might bring home:

• Use mesh beach bags. Beach bags contain everything from towels to T-shirts to toys. But by the end of a typical beach day they also contain sand, and lots of it. Mesh beach bags won’t accumulate nearly as much sand as closed cloth bags or bags made from other solid materials, and they can be easily shaken once you get to your car, providing one last chance to leave sand behind before going home.

• Rinse off. Many beaches provide community showers outside or adjacent to restrooms so beach-goers can rinse their bodies, toys, chairs and other sandy items before getting in their vehicles and going home. You can also rinse off once again with an outdoor hose at home for one last attempt at preventing the sand from getting into your home.

• Change clothes at the beach. Another way to leave sand behind is to take advantage of restroom facilities at the beach. Change clothes before getting back in the car, and place swimsuits, beach towels and any other clothing and linens into a laundry bag. Once you arrive home, take that laundry bag right to your laundry room and wash clothes immediately.

• Install appropriate floor mats in your vehicle. Many new vehicles now come equipped with two sets of floor mats. One set is made of a thick material like rubber or plastic, and such floor mats are ideal at preventing snow, salt and dirt from making a mess of a vehicle’s floor in winter. Fabric mats are better choices in summer, as they’re typically thin and great at catching small particles like sand. Once you arrive home, a few minutes with a hand vacuum is all it takes to clear the car of sand.