We love hearing from our readers! Send your questions for Ask Ann Marie to editorial@homeandcountry.ca. Don't forget to include pictures so we really get a feel for your space.
Newest Questions from the Summer 2008 issue
Q: My question is for a home that belongs to friend of mine. She has just purchased a yellow brick, 100-year-old Victorian. She has never owned an older home and is trying to figure out how to redecorate to suit her own taste, yet be true to the home's elegance and history.
When you walk in the door of the house you see five different types of flooring in six rooms. The hall is a blue, grey and brown tile, the kitchen (directly behind the hall) is light oak laminate, the dining room and living room (to the left of the hall, and connected by a doorway) have a pinkish-red wool carpet, and the family room (behind the kitchen), has a mostly navy and green berber. The trim is the original 10-inch wood, and has been stripped down to the original colour-a slightly orangey pine. There is industrial carpet on the stairs in a medium brown colour, bound on one edge like a runner, and it meets the trim on the other side of the stairs.
My friend would like to see consistency in the flooring of the rooms. Do you have any suggestions for her?
A: I have a few options for your friend, depending on budget and time. I suggest trying to keep the tile floor in the hall. If it's in good condition and neutral in colour, it will blend nicely with a wood floor.
I'd take out all the carpet in the dining room, living room, and family room. Underneath you may discover a beautiful wood floor that can either be refinished or painted. The wide wood slats often found in older homes would look great in a whitewash finish. The runner on the stairs can also be left if it's a nice neutral shade, or you can pull that up too, and paint the stairs. If she decides to lay new hard-wood I suggest replacing the floor in the kitchen too for a cohesive look throughout the space.
Q: I just love it when I check my mailbox and find the latest issue of Canadian Home & Country. How can I achieve a Modern Country look in a children's bed-room? I have two little boys and of course they love sports, cars and trucks. Do you have any suggestions on how to accessorize their rooms?
A: Think about a look that can easily be changed and updated as the boys get older. Try staying away from wallpapers, curtains and bedspreads that have cars and trucks printed on them. Instead, opt for more classic patterns like ticking, stripes, plaids and solids. Try accessorizing with themed toss cushions or framed pictures from a story book.
Another idea is to frame some of your boys' old toys or sports equipment in shadow boxes that can be purchased from Ikea. Look for old toy cars and books at garage sales and thrift stores.
Q: I inherited my parents' long sofa and chair, which is slip-covered in a beautiful material, but it is a bright flowered pattern that is too much for my room. I am hoping to try and bleach out some of the colour for a sort of Shabby Chic look. If I were to bleach them, how much bleach do you think
I should use?
A: Bleaching your slipcovers sounds like a fantastic idea.
We love Martha Stewart's recipe for bleaching fabrics and have included her recipe here for you to try. If possible, test a small swatch of the fabric first to see how strong the solution is and how quickly your fabric fades. Bleaching time will vary. You can always go lighter, but you can't get back the original colour. Good luck!
RECIPE: MARTHASTEWART.COM
WEAR RUBBER GLOVES AND AN APRON, AND WORK OUTSIDE OR IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA.
1 YOU WILL NEED 3 LARGE PLASTIC STORAGE BINS. Combine 1 part chlorine bleach with 10 parts very hot water in the first bin. Fill the second bin with cold water. In the third bin, mix a chlorine neutralizer (available through specialty web-sites) with water, following the manufacturer's instructions. The neutralizer stops bleach from continuing to fade fabric and eliminates chlorine odors.
2 RUN FABRIC UNDER THE TAP IN HOT WATER. Then submerge the fabric in the first bin; watch it closely, keeping in mind that it will look brighter when wet than it will when it dries. The fading process takes anywhere from 10 seconds to 15 minutes. If you are unsure how long to soak the fabric, err on the side of caution. Add a little more bleach if you don't see results after 15 minutes. (Do not use more than 1 part bleach to 5 parts water).
3 SUBMERGE THE FABRIC IN THE BIN OF COLD WATER, and swish it around, rinsing thoroughly. Wring it out.
4 TRANSFER FABRIC TO THE BIN OF CHLORINE NEUTRALIZER, and soak according to the manufacturer's instructions.
5 LAUNDER THE FABRIC WITH DETERGENT, and dry it in the dryer.
Q: Thank you for a great magazine and wonderful design ideas! We have an old French Country dining room table, but no matching chairs. On page 65 of your June 2008 Living the Dream issue (see “Joie de Vivre”), you show some chairs
in the kitchen that I love and I thought they'd be a perfect match for our lonely table.
I imagine the chairs were purchased in France, but I'd be glad to know if I can find a similar design in Toronto.
A: The fours owners of that house in France are lucky to have access to French and European markets. For a very similar chair, have a look at Camlen Furniture's Country French Ladder-back chair. This chair can be custom made with different seats and comes in a variety of colours and finishes. Visit www.camlenantiques.com for more information.
Last month's questions:
Q: Last year, my husband and I bought a small cottage on Lake Erie. We just love it. The front room is the dining room with a large bay window and the room is painted white and blue. You walk up one step into the living room, which is in the centre of the house. We have a bedroom on either side, and through to the back lies the kitchen and the washroom. The only light comes from the bay window and through a solar tube we installed near the back door. On cloudy days and winter months it can be quite dark.
The living room has dark brown stained beams on the ceiling and tongue-and-groove panelling on three walls halfway up, almost a cherry colour, and a built-in bookcase and doorway take up one full wall. Right now we have carpeting, but we are planning to put down either hardwood or laminate flooring and add a gas stove.
I'm afraid there will be too many different wood colours in the room, as we already have a dark wood computer armoire and a free-standing bookshelf.
I want to paint the panelling a more cottagey white to brighten it up, and my husband loves the real wood. He's considering my idea, but before I take the plunge, I need a second opinion. What are your thoughts?
A: I think you have the right idea about painting the wood panelling white. A bright shade will definitely open up your room and make it appear larger and more spacious. Take a look at Beauti-Tone's Ironstone White ND027-it has a soft warm tone but it's not too creamy. Most men love real wood and fight painting it, but it sounds like there are still quite a few wood elements (bookshelf, armoire, floor) to keep him happy. I guarantee your husband will love the results. A coat of paint is going to transform your space!
Q:I am currently renovating the living room in my 1950s bungalow and so far have selected a new couch, area rug and slate for the fireplace surround. I have an old entertainment unit that is too large for the room that I look forward to getting rid of. As part of the update I will be purchasing a flat screen TV that I'd like to incorporate into a unit that will go on either side of the fireplace. I want to maintain the mantel (it's the original) and have shelving units built to sit on either side of the fireplace.
The article you produced in the November 2007 issue (see “A House that Believes in the Spirit of Christmas Present,” page 56) caught my eye. I like the colour, size and finish of the shelving units and hope you can help me achieve a similar look.
A: The two shelving units in Jacqueline Howe's living room are custom pieces designed to mimic the details of the existing fireplace. Erin McLaughlin, our editor, had them built with the same top detail moulding, as well as the same footing, for a cohesive look around the room.I recommend doing the same thing in your space, and try repeating the top piece of your fireplace, as well as the moulding on the bottom on the units. Jacqueline's fireplace came out far enough for the shelving units to be flush, so you need to carefully plan the layout and size of your shelves.
Q:ou featured the loveliest tile backsplash in “All the Right Moves” (see page 58 of the February/March 2008 issue). Who is the manufacturer? Also, we're tackling our own kitchen reno and want to put in hardwood floors. I have received conflicting advice on whether we should install the hardwood then install the cabinets, or install the cabinets first, then do the hardwood?
A: The tiles on page 58 are beautiful. Although they are discontinued, I suggest looking for an alternate tile from Country Floors. The Nest collection offers colour choices in similar shades (dapple, cloud or oatmeal). Visit www.countryfloors.com to see the options.
As far as putting down a floor before putting in your cabinets, it really depends. When I moved into my home, I decided to keep the existing cabinets and put down hardwood throughout the kitchen. It wasn't a problem, but now if I were to ever remove any cabinets, the floor would be unfinished where the cabinet once was.
Budget is another factor. If you lay the floor first, you'll have a larger area to cover. If, however, you were to renovate again and remove the cabinets, the floor would only need to be sanded and stained to complete the project instead of having to match new hardwood to the existing floor. Consult with your installer about your needs now, and for the future as well.
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