The morning after the New Year's party, you took a bleary-eyed look around you--at the developer-beige walls, the clapped-out furniture, the bedroom that makes Motel 6 look glamorous--and thought "I will transform this blah setting into something worthy of jewel-like me and I will do it all today." Well, chalk up another resolution that's bitten the dust. But we're still on the first page of the calendar. It's not too late to change what drives you crazy. So here goes, a bunch of common resolutions and how to make them happen.
I WILL INHABIT A WORLD OF COLOUR One word: paint. Cheap for the instant bang you get, fairly effortless, and so sweet-smelling these days that you don't have to wait for window-opening weather, you can get going this weekend. Collectively, paint companies had an aha moment when they realized that a thumbnail-size chip was no gauge for what a whole wall would look like. Now they have samples. Buy one or two and do the space behind the sofa before committing. What Vancouverites are buying right now, says one paint-store staffer, are deep honeys, dark brown, and warm vibrant reds.
MY APARTMENT WILL BE A CENTREFOLD Grab an armload of Canadian shelter magazines (not out of patriotism, but because if you do fall for a lamp, you can probably buy it). Closely examine that retro kitchen in the Ontario farmhouse or that Québécois converted barn and you'll notice a commonality: flowers. A plant, a large bouquet--the difference they make to a room and your spirits is incalculable. Daffodils from the corner store work as well as exotic orchids, but you must make it a habit. Ask the florist how to extend their lives. That way your multibloomed alstroemeria will last a couple of weeks, and roses up to a month.
I WILL CLEAN UP MY MESS The most useful tricks I know are to convince yourself to throw out 27 things in a five-minute period (which turns it into a game) and some advice I jotted down at the recent Massive Change exhibit at the VAG: "Composer John Cage once said that paralysis comes from not knowing where to begin. When the issues we face seem too daunting, consider his suggestion: 'Begin anywhere.' "
MY BEDROOM WILL BE A HAVEN OF FANTASY Changing your duvet cover makes an immediate difference. Fuchsia and bright orange still rock, say staff at Bed (2152 West 4th Avenue), but coming on strong are '50s saturated pastels like flamingo pink and sea foam. Pick one for a duvet cover ($100) and go wild with the other bed linen. More exotic? Hit the sale at Maiwa (in the Net Loft on Granville island): 30 percent off everything now through Sunday (January 30). Grab two Indian hand-printed bed covers ($56 each for the queen size during the sale) in ochres, rusts, and indigos, and have them stitched into a quilt cover. (Or buy one ready-made for $105.) A few toning cushions, an intricately painted bedside chest--now is that a Jaipur palace or what?
MY BATHROOM WILL TURN CLEOPATRA GREEN WITH ENVY Several litres of skim into the tub is pushing it. More realistic is a stack of thick towels. Buy four all the same in pristine spa-look white or emerald or orange. Hit the Army & Navy, where recently gorgeous "seconds" were going for under $10 each. You need a rack that spans the bath for books and a glass, a loofa, a bath pillow, and as many candles as possible. A dozen and you won't need to turn on the light.
MY SMALL KITCHEN WILL CONVEY A SENSE OF LARGESSE Stainless steel and spotless counters are long on efficiency but short on soul--and not exactly in the Tuscan- or Provençal-farmhouse mould. Cheat. New terra-cotta flowerpots can hold utensils. Decant sauces, oils, and vinegars into empty wine bottles and identify their contents with handwritten brown-paper labels. Pile lemons and oranges high on a glass cake stand from Hafatzim (2028 West 4th Avenue). That plus the odd Leonardo da Vinci print on the wall should do it.
MY OLD SHABBY SOFA WILL BECOME SHABBY CHIC Who's kidding who? Having loose covers made costs as much as new seating. So try doing it yourself, but don't spend a bundle on materials. Check out Textile Clearance House (5550 Fraser Street), where fabrics run $3 to $10 a yard. For the creative, artist's canvas can be painted, sponged, or drawn on before you start stitching. Either way, buy more than you need and arm yourself with a spool of strong thread and one of those curved upholstery needles.
I WILL INVEST IN ONE GOOD PIECE OF FURNITURE EVERY YEAR A Chippendale chair will only make your banged-up IKEA table look sadder. Picks that work better with what you've already got are mid-century modern pieces like the oatmeal-flecked Danish teak pullout day bed at Wow Interiors (350 West Pender Street).
http://www.straight.com/node/5766
