BOOKCASES

I love a room with books. I have a nice custom bookcase in my den that my cousin Mike built with some refurbished pieces from the original house. The hardware and door came from another built-in cabinet that was in the house before the reno. Here is another shot of the full bookcase. I think books add charm and character to a room. Also it's nice to have them around for guests to read and people to look through when they're visiting. In this digital age it's nice to still pick up a book from time to time.

I realized my own design 'inspiration file' has many rooms with bookcases. These are just a sample of some of my favourites!

TOP 3 FAVOURITE STRIPED RUGS

I definitely have a thing for striped rugs. I have a few in my own home, like the Draper Stripe from Dwell studio in the room above. It's 100% wool and in a neutral colour the stripe adds just enough pattern. A striped rug is a classic choice and they look good in bedrooms, hallways, entries – any room, really. I tend to move rugs around to see them in different spaces. It's a timeless pattern that lasts the test of time. There are skinny or wide stripes, and a full array of colours, some run horizontal and others run vertical. Here are my top 3 faves!

1. Draper stripe by Dwell Studio

2. Puhalo stripe by Capel

Here it is again by my back door:

3.  Vintage Indian Dhurrie by Madeline Weinrib

PAINTED STAIRS – DIY

In a few of my own places I've painted stairs, it's a pretty easy DIY and can really transform the look. I've painted a few solid white, meaning I've painted both the riser and tread in white. I've painted some with a black tread and white riser. The colour choice really depends on the house and the look you want to achieve. The above image is my house with white stairs. I've also painted another set of stairs in the house in solid white (behind the chair in this image below). I've used a floor and porch paint on the stairs, and in the past have always used oil but I know it's been discontinued so I'm not sure about the level of durability of the latex floor paint.

If you prefer the look of a black tread and white riser this is also a pretty simple painting project. But it does involve more prep time, you'll want to tape the sides of the black tread so you don't get black paint on the white riser. It also is a good idea to let everything dry well before you move on to the second colour. Here is the black and white example, I think it's a nice classic look.

Another aspect to consider is adding a runner to the stairs. This adds another level of decor and gives you a ton of options for adding colour and pattern.

This is a picture I've had in my inspiration file for years, love how this runner looks on the solid white stairs.

If you're adding a runner it's important to consider the amount of stair you want to cover, I prefer a wide runner, leaving just an inch or two exposed on either side of the runner (I find the one above is a bit narrow). You can also add nice details like the metal bar between each stair.

BEFORE & AFTER: CABINET

Back when I was working on CBC TV doing a regular segment called Deb on a Dime, I was always looking for inexpensive furniture. I'd often go by Value Village and check out the second hand furniture, and this is where I found this cabinet. I wanted to show this makeover because you really can decorate on any budget. Sometimes it means you'll have to get your hands dirty and Do-It-Yourself but you can find some great treasures. The things I always look for are the size and shape of a piece of furniture, everything else can be changed. For this project I needed a narrow cabinet and this one fit the bill. It also provided a pretty good amount of storage inside the unit. I picked it up for $9.99, here it is before:

It definitely wasn't pretty but I could see the potential. I spray painted it white and I covered the glass doors with frosted vinyl. It didn't take a lot of time, or cost much in materials, to totally transform the cabinet. Here it is after:

BEFORE & AFTER: A FIREPLACE GETS A MAKEOVER

When I purchased my house I loved the original details – and since the house was built in 1844 there were some beautiful, old, unique features. I especially liked the fireplace in the living room and even though I was starting a renovation, I wanted to keep the fireplace intact as much as I could. Here's how it looked before:

Like any renovation, the list of things to figure out and research was extensive. I felt like I got a fireplace PhD pretty quickly! I had a few obstacles to figure out – and I really wanted to keep a wood burning fireplace. I thought about just leave the whole thing alone. But on the flip side of that, the old chimney had no liner or flue, and the firebox opening on this fireplace was huge. So basically I had a giant opening in the living room and in the winter all of the heat would go up the chimney. But the first summer and fall after the renovation I kept the original fireplace (just painted it) to make my final decision. Here is how it looked then.

By the fall when the weather was getting cold, the lack of efficiency didn't make any sense, so I started looking at wood burning inserts for the fireplace. There were a few I liked, but of course I wanted something flush that didn't look like wood stove stuck in the fireplace. This also would still mean buying wood, chopping, starting fires every day, etc.

In the end I went to a propane (or gas) insert, the biggest reason was the ease of having it. I realized I would likely have the fireplace on in the morning before work and again for a couple of hours in the evening, it didn't make sense to start up a wood fire only to have to put it out again. The convenience of propane made sense for me – although I miss the smell of a wood burning fire.

The propane insert hunt took some time, I wanted something that looked authentic and I went with one that had double doors on it which I think suited the house. I had to rebuild the hearth and surround to make the insert fit in the wide opening of the firebox and the mantel. It all took some time to figure out and calculate the right proportions (how high to raise the hearth, etc.). In the end I'm happy with the decision and with the look!