Courtesy of Tyson Moroz

UPDATE YOUR KITCHEN WITHOUT BREAKING THE BUDGET

When it comes to the wishlists of potential buyers, right up there with a functional kitchen is a bright, spacious bathroom. But what if all you have is a small, windowless space? There are actually ways to make any bathroom look bigger. For starters, add in as much white as possible. White walls, white tile, a white vanity, white towels, white accessories. White reflects light rather than absorbs it like darker colours do, making the bathroom feel bright and airy instead of small and cramped. And speaking of light – make sure there’s enough of it. A single light above the sink isn’t going to be enough. Wall sconces on either side of the mirror provide excellent illumination for applying makeup. An overhead light near the tub or shower provides a bright overall feeling. And even a little bit of extra storage goes a long way. Find somewhere to put a small shelf – either white or clear glass would feel the least imposing. Use it to display neatly rolled up towels or a small plant. If your bathroom has a shower and you’re able to spend a little money on an update, adding a glass shower door can make a huge difference in how spacious things feel. Especially in a bathroom with no actual window, a glass door feels like a view – even if the view is only the inside of your shower.

DESIGN TRENDS WITH LONG-TIME STAYING POWER Trends come and go. But every so often something makes such an impression on the world of interior design – you know it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Meet three such trends. Their secret? Timelessness. No matter the year. No matter the current popular interior styles. These three trends never fail to delight. White kitchen cabinets. Sure – colourful cabinets have certainly had a comeback. A sunny yellow kitchen island. Deep blue lowers with open shelving above. These newer trends are admittedly beautiful. But time and again, we keep coming back to the simplicity of a white kitchen. Coloured cabinets may look great at the time – but eventually they become dated. But take a look at design magazines from decades past and you’ll notice it’s the white kitchens that stand the test of time. Light blue, grey and off-white walls. Every year design professionals announce the “it” colour. Sometimes it’s a bright red. Sometimes a deep purple. It’s even been black! But when you look to the homes of the majority of people – you aren’t likely to see a jet black living room wall. Instead you’ll see light blue, light grey or off-white. Why? Because these three colours are calming and go with everything. Simple as that! Experimenting with different wall colours can be fun. But at the end of the day most of us don’t want our walls to scream “look at me.” We want them to fade away and become the backdrop for our life. Hardworking storage. You rarely hear a homeowner say “we have too much storage space.” But lack of storage? Now that’s a real problem. The last thing you want is to unplug at the end of a busy day and be confronted with stuff everywhere. Which is why storage that works as hard as we do is a trend that will never go out of style. Whether it’s a closet with multi-level shelving, kitchen drawers with dividers, or furniture that does double duty – we sure love our storage solutions. And we always will.