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Product:SUNDAY Date:04-29-2007Desk: SPC-0002-CMYK/20-04-07/14:53:10
If you’re planning a spring reno-
vation and are eager to know
more about living light on the
planet, the Kortright Centre for
Conservation in Woodbridge is
offering a series of seminars on
environmentally friendly re-
sources, technology and prac-
tices for the home. Topics range
from concepts for green living,
to a hands-on workshop on how
to install a renewable energy
system. For more information,
visit kortright.org or call 905-
832-2289.
DIY corner
KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR
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COLOUR YOUR WORLD
Bored with cool spa colour schemes? You’re not
alone. Melanie Rice, colour advisor for Para Paints
and a member of the Color Marketing Group,
which tracks colour trends internationally, says
consumers are moving away from neutrals. “Peo-
ple want a punch of colour, especially clear, clean
colours that are evocative of nature.” So go ahead,
add a jolt of spicy red or warm yellow to your interi-
or landscape. If you’re wary of strong hues, start
with subtle shades, like Para’s Cream Custard and
Ming Gold, in a powder room. Or go big and bold by
painting the family room in deep shades of red. Try
Para’s Paris Red washed with Heart’s Desire.
RAY OF LIGHT
Replace heavy winter drapes with sheer drapery
panels. If the view is more urban grit than bucolic
splendour, cover them with a translucent, reusable
decorative window film, such as Artscape’s Bam-
boo or Magnolia designs, both $27 for a 24- by 36-
inch roll. Artscape products are available at The
Home Depot stores and at homedepot.ca.
EDITOR: ELIZABETH HOLLAND
EHOLLAND@THESTAR.CA
DESIGN BY SHARIS SHAHMIRYAN
AND NEIL COCHRANE/TORONTO STAR
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KEITH BEATY/TORONTO STAR;
STYLING BY FLORIS FLOWERS , FLORIS.CA
COMPOSITECMYK
G2 SUNDAY ON SU3
!SU3 290407ON G 002Q!
G2
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TORONTO STAR
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SUNDAY, APRIL 29, 2007
BRIGHT IDEAS
CRYSTAL CLEAR
Cut crystal, formerly the staid dowager of the china
cabinet, is chic this spring, now that designer Marc
Jacobs has included it in his new line of tableware
for Waterford Wedgwood, in stores this June. Im-
press your guests with an elegant bouquet of tulips,
freesia and other spring flowers. Cathy Cox, direc-
tor of horticulture for the Toronto Botanical Gar-
den suggests bringing in branches pruned from ap-
ple or other fruit trees, placing them in water and
watching the blossoms unfold.
Spring fling
Seize the day and invite spring into your
home. Here are six upbeat ways to rid your
house of winter ballast and create a
lighter, more spacious environment.
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THE OFFICE
Revitalize and expand your workspace with a great
new chair, like the Dialogue, whose broad arms
provide a perch for a laptop, lunch tray or the hefty
report you’re ploughing through. Inspired by retro
design, particularly the Womb, designed by Mod-
ernist icon Saarinen in 1948, and featured in this
Norman Rockwell painting, left, it’s elegant enough
for the living room as well. And unlike Rockwell’s
hapless-looking fellow, the elevated seat height is
supposed to encourage the user to sit slightly for-
ward, and maintain better posture. The Dialogue is
available in fabric and leather at UpCountry, 310
King St. E., Toronto, 416-777-1700 or Vaughan
Mills mall, 905-760-8108. Prices start at about
$2,700, and for matching ottoman, $850.
UNCORK IT
Celebrate the season by sharing a bottle of wine
with friends. Serve in a decanter, such as Reidel’s
new Colori, $80, at William Ashley. Wine snobs
may debate the merits of decanting, but Konrad Ej-
bich, author of A Portable Guide to Ontario Wines,
Wineries, Vineyards & Vines, says they’re useful
when you want to aerate a wine, filter sediment, or
simply put together a pretty tabletop. His only ca-
veat: Don’t leave wine in the decanter overnight. If
there’s any left when the party’s over, he advises
pouring into the smallest bottle or jar possible, and
saving it to cook with — or drink — later.
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IN THE BEDROOM
Lighten up your bedroom with a new set of sheets
in a contemporary floral design, such as Au Lit Fine
Linen’s new Swedish Collection. With its re-
strained cherry-blossom motif, this breezy blue
bed linen is made from 250 thread-count cotton-
percale, and is available at Au Lit (2049 Yonge St.,
Toronto, aulitfinelinens.com, 416-489-7010). A
queen-size duvet cover sells for $283, a flat sheet,
$141; a fitted sheet, $136; standard and queen pil-
lowcases, $77 a pair.
They say it takes a woman to
do a man’s job, so why not
look like one the next time
you take a sledgehammer to
the kitchen wall? Tomboy
Trades offers a full line of
made-for-women work
clothes and tools, including
toolbelts, gloves and these
pink construction
boots. Pamela Ander-
son, Home Improve-
ment’s Tool Time
Girl, would have
loved them.
Check tomboy-
trades.com for
buying information.
THINK PINK, TOOA GREEN RENO