Colin and Justin: A beach of a makeover
November 21, 2009
Colin and Justin
Oh heck, we're confused by our own "before" shot. It should be reported we rather like the timber veneer wall.
Indeed, in the correct home, it could look wonderful. Hmm. Shame this wasn't the correct home; our clients, you see, longed for a living room that would elicit the fresh, warm atmosphere of the beach. Had their wish list been different we might actually have worked a scheme around that lovely veneer. We could have pitched in some heavenly white shag, perhaps a retro ball chair or a long lean Scandinavian sideboard and the whole space, as if by magic, would have come immediately to life.
We suppose that's the essence of design; it's all about context. Play the right details at the right time along side other elements that "work" and it should all (theoretically) piece together like a glamorous home spun jigsaw. Leave each component part in less than splendid isolation (like this wall, for example) and it will appear disconnected and irrelevant, especially when dressed around with a collection of family pass-down pieces that bear little or no relationship to each other.
So. The beach. Attractive, to most of us, but magnetic to Julie and Pete, owners of this particular needy abode. Both halves of this energetic couple are absolute outdoors fanatics. Pete, a transatlantic IT executive, is athletic to the max and loves his water sports. His gorgeous partner Julie works in event management and media but devotes much of her spare time to protecting wildlife and campaigning to protect dolphins. All round good guys, they had only one minor failing; they simply couldn't get it together to create the stylish home they so desired.
In fact, having moved in several years ago, they'd done little more than gather a haphazard collection of shells and dried out urchin exoskeletons to dress every available surface in their home. Dust clung to each and every piece and, as much as the place had fabulous potential, none of it had been realized. But boy – aside from decorating malaise, from which both suffered – Julie and Pete are an adorable pairing and we vowed to help.
Cue one team of enthusiastic Canadian builders and our bad taste busting art department. Add one dark haired and one blond-topped designer and sprinkle in a whole load of precious collectibles and other lovely things.
Are we making it all sound too easy? Well perhaps we should mention that we also, in pursuit of Julie and Pete's decorative goals, undertook a massive gut down, full rewiring and complete replastering of the room. And not forgetting a full program of redecoration, a complete furniture overhaul and days of top end decorative titillation
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Before, the timber veneer wall did not fit within the context of the room.
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COLOUR SCHEME
Julie and Pete were keen on aqua coloured walls but we cautioned that it might be better to derive our aqua detailing from upholstery. So, with this in mind, we decided to opt for a crisp white on white direction. Colour (just a little, mind) would come later.
WALL PANELLING
A great way of layering walls is to add simple tongue and groove panelling. For lovely effects, specify the real kit, which is generally composed of pine and comes strip form. Ours, however, is actually MDF, routed to look like the real thing, and then applied with contact adhesive and nails. Topped with a chunky timber rail and then painted creamy white, it creates the type of look we immediately associate with waterside homes
FLOORING
The floors in this house were a little uneven so we problem solved with a classic C and J default mechanism: Karndean. This particular compressed resin strip board has all the look of real timber yet is even more resilient. What's more, its flexibility helps disguise existing surface irregularities; Plus, it's impervious to water, which makes it especially safe for rooms with even the slightest possibility of flood or moisture ingress. Oh, and lest we forget, it doesn't warp or "cup" and will cope well with busy foot traffic. Bit of an all rounder, say we.
SOFA
Give us an empty Saturday afternoon and there's a fairly good chance you'll find us wandering the aisles in The Bay Clearance Centre. Maybe it's the canny Scot in us but, whatever, we absolutely love a bargain.
Our own condo is liberally filled with bits and pieces that we've harvested at half price due to the odd scratch or dodgy leg. But that's where the fun starts – especially if you don't mind a spot of reversioning, repainting or cleaning.
This sofa was the perfect case in hand. At just $395, it only required a little auspicious stain removal at the rear using a hot cloth and a spot of detergent. Money saved means money spent elsewhere in the project.
CHIMNEY BREAST FEATURE
To help eliminate the room's boxy nature, we constructed a faux chimney breast. We'd caution that, while many aspects of our overall project are easily achievable for those gifted with even basic DIY knowledge, this is a job, due to venting and heat passage, that's best left to the experts.
If you're in any way unsure, speak to a contractor and ensure it's done properly. Never take risks, especially where electricity and heat are concerned. Our new electric fire slots effortlessly into the new cavity.
RIVER ROCK FEATURE
Gorgeous or what? And it couldn't have been simpler. These river washed pebbles may look like they were applied in a time consuming one-at-a-time manner, but they actually come sheet form on mesh backing. All you have to do is cement the wall and hang 'em. For best results, we recommend arranging them in a brickwork style to avoid recurring pattern or regular lines in your finished work. The mesh backing cuts easily to release individual pebbles for corners and awkward turns.
ORGANIC WALL ART
Aren't these adorable? Interestingly, while they look like time worn pieces of real driftwood, they're actually a biproduct of the North American wine industry. Yup, these gnarled lovelies are in fact dried sections of vine! Harvested from the shelves of Homesense, they're a great buy at around $25 a pop.
Wall hung as simple artwork, they cast dreamy shadows across the areas either side of our new fireplace. For extra shadowy appeal, illuminate from above or below with a simple spotlight.
Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV's Colin & Justin's Home Heist (Saturdays at 2 and 7 p.m.) and the authors of Colin & Justin's Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada). Go to hgtv.ca/homeheist and colinandjustin.tv for more on the design team.
Read more Colin and Justin here! Check out their top 10 shopping destinations and watch the video of their makeover of the Star editor's office. And scope out some of their previous transformations:
- It's a jungle in there
- Kitchen less than confidential
- Sweet dreams are made of this
- A sweet transformation
- Just a little bit country
- Calamitous kitchen
- Killer bee design
- Va va va voom!
- Cave dwelling
- A little Hollywood-style glamour
- Purple reign
- The boss's Office Heist
- Now that's making an entrance
- A Colonial charmer
- From ghastly to glorious
- Not so mellow yellow
- Answering nature's call
- Picture perfect loft makeover
- Shades of grey
- Beyond the 'wreck' room
- Check, mate
- Soaking in the lap of luxury
- Basement gloom be gone
- A country kitchen goes classy
- Kitchen full of Swedish glamour
Toronto Star