FALL FLARE ON A
Budget
Create these looks for less
Several new design features are planned for the upcoming Calgary Fall Home Show including Opposites Attract, a thought-provoking competition pitting four distinct and dramatically different home design styles against each other.
Opposites Attract is being designed by Partner with Sarah, a freelance interior design firm in Calgary headed by Sarah Poole. She’s staging four room scenarios at the show — running Sept. 29 to Oct. 1 at the BMO Centre, Stampede Park — portraying a masculine/feminine esthetic on one side and modern/retro interiors on the other.
“When I first got my interior design degree, I started in the flooring industry. I worked a lot in the showroom helping couples pick their finishes for home renovations and I was doing a lot of marriage counselling,” she says laughing. “Most partnerships have different design preferences.”
Show attendees will learn how elements of each style can work within its polar opposite. Visitors are encouraged to vote for their favourite design by posting a selfie taken in the room of their choice and posting to their favourite social channel using the provided Opposite Attract hashtags.
Explore elements of each design style that will be depicted in Opposites Attract by Partner with Sarah.
Looking to refresh your home and decorate for a new season? Christina Dennis, the DIY Mommy, will
Budget
Fall Flare
Fall Flare
Coloured Glass
Upcycle Fabric
Macrame
Paint
COLOURED GLASS
Vintage glassware from the 1970s and ’80s can be found in abundance at local thrift stores. Look for burnt orange and green stemware, tumblers, vases, bowls and other decorative glassware to grace your fall entertaining table. Mix and match different colours, says Dennis. “It’s a trendy look that’s easy to accomplish for as little as 50 cents or $1 a glass.”
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While thrifting, look for vintage clothing or household textiles that can be repurposed into decor items like throw pillows. Boucle sweaters and gently used linen tablecloths are cheap and cheerful items that make excellent accent pillows. “People are nervous about sewing, but throw pillows are just straight seams so it’s easy to begin with,” she says.
UPCYCLE FABRIC
When Dennis speaks at a home show, she always emphases the power of paint. A $50 can of paint will cover a small room or an accent wall. “A new colour will transform your space even if you have a limited budget,” she says.
PAINT
Macrame has been making its way back into home design trends for the past three or four years. This art form of knotted cotton, hemp or yarn fibres, usually tied up as a plant hanger or piece of wall art, is a desirable thrift store find as is. Dennis says a macrame piece can also be reborn as a table runner.
MACRAME
coach you through fall home design on a shoestring when she takes to the Main Stage at the Edmonton Fall Home Show on Oct. 13 and 14. Pick one of her autumn decor hacks and see how easy it can be to DIY your way through fall.
FALL FLARE ON A