Curtain

living Warm colours provide homey atmosphere

Filed Under Kitchen Curtain | Posted on February 3, 2008

Not surprisingly, a river runs through the Riverland project in Breslau. Coupled with nearby woods, fields and small hamlets, there’s a small town Ontario feel to the project, but easy access to larger cities keeps it abreast with the times. Designer Leslee Squirrell kept all that in mind when she completed the three model homes. The whole intention is to make a home feel lived in,” she explains. “You should step in and feel the homeowners have just stepped out. The emotional part of model homes is to demonstrate that this is house is a happy home.” For example, the furniture in a living room should be open to doorways, rather than having its back to incoming traffic, since that sends out a subliminal message not to enter, she says. Generally, Squirrell uses warmer colour schemes, and a ton of accessories and artwork. Warmer colours increase heart rate, while cooler colours reduce it that’s why you have cooler colours in spas to create a calming effect. But in areas, especially where people gather like the kitchen or family room you want to stimulate the senses.”That said, Squirrell doesn’t recommend using trendy colours except in artwork and accessories or transitional areas of the house like the entry or powder room and certainly not in fixed elements like counters or floors. With three models, Squirrell decorated for three distinct groups of buyers contemporary and fun for young families, French country for families with older children, and classic transitional for empty nesters. I try to make sure I don’t overdo a particular theme,” she says. “I want a theme to work from a guiding point, but not set in stone. Otherwise, you get the stage set look.”The Peony model, at almost 1,600 square feet, was decorated with simpler contemporary furniture a tan ultra suede sofa, green suede slipper chairs, maple and glass coffee table and more modern accessories, like the large abstract rug in the family room, funky, mid-century looking vases, and large, abstract, canvas repro art.And because budget is often a concern for first-time buyers, the model shows fewer upgrades, except for maple hardwood floors and a living room fireplace. When outfitting a new home on a budget, Squirrell recommends spending the most money on items that carry your body, like sofas, chairs, beds, and the things that hold trinkets, lamps, books don’t need to be the same quality.”The second-floor family room, the front bedroom fitted out as a nursery, and another bedroom as a home office, are all elements that would work well for young families.At 2,200 square feet, the Nuthatch model is an ideal size for a family living with older kids. The main floor family room off the kitchen is perfect for one parent to oversee homework, while the other gets dinner ready. An upstairs family area with computer desk, exposed stone wall, comfortable furniture, plasma TV and storage for games, is a light-filled replacement for the basement-level family rooms typical in urban homes. The entry is unusual with a foyer enclosed by doors on either side, a sunken floor, and 11-foot ceilings, which Squirrell played up with black and white marble tiles laid on the bias and mirrored closet doors. Four steps up gets you into the principal areas of the home, where the overall palette is dark winter cream, deep gold, straw green, and golden-brown. Red is the punch-up colour of Squirrell’s choice, with a red armoire in the dining room, red cushions in the family room, and red accents in drapery, vases and lamps dotted throughout the home. The kitchen is similarly intense a cross between French and Canadiana country, it features nutmeg cabinets with an ebony glaze, branch motif wallpaper on cream background, casual red and mustard-yellow plaid curtains, a large, porcelain French farm sink, and hardwood floors in a dark ebony stain.This country theme continues upstairs, with white painted furniture in the master, brown and white toile bedding, and a master bath wallpapered in gold fleur-de-lis. The Walnut model, geared to the empty nester, is more transitional to correspond with the stage-related desire for paring down and divesting of things that previously feathered the nest. Furniture is cleaner, artwork simpler, fixtures and accessories less fussy. Walls in heritage paint colours such as antique gold, rich teal and terra cotta, serve as backdrop to sleek Euro-style kitchen cabinetry, bedding made of men’s suiting fabrics, elaborate window treatments in teal silk, and striped club chairs. The model has many upgrades including a large walk-in dressing area, an upstairs laundry room fitted with linen closet, lockers and cubbies, and ensuite with Jacuzzi, frameless glass shower and two vanities.

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