Colin and Justin: Extravaganza in orange
February 27, 2010
Colin and Justin
Enough already. Just what's going on here? Life? Well, not by the look of it. Sure, our shadowy "before" shot portrays a living room, but it's a particularly grim scene that boasted all the allure of a vampire's lair. The kind of place where True Blood's Bill would have felt particularly at home. Colder than a witch's bosom in a steel bra, duller than a bank manager's convention and heavier than a constitutional debate, it so needed to be exposed to our remedial attentions.
The room, while actually ground floor accommodation, felt much more like a basement. And one last decorated when Victoria was still on the throne. Just as surprising was the fact that its occupants were an effervescent young couple with a beautiful baby and animation sufficient to give Walt Disney a run for his money. Busied by life and restricted by spend, they'd been living in the shadows for years but had never quite figured out how to liberate the lair from its gloomy, foreboding demeanor.
Let's consider the evidence. But hold it just a sec – doesn't the scene resemble a rundown public bar? A hostelry of grand indulgence? Well actually yes; this darkly lit space was indeed once a pub. But the parties had long since stopped and the crowds had departed. When our clients were considering the purchase of this bar room brawl home, its owners related, sotto vocce, a little of the building's alcohol-steeped history.
But our guys weren't put off. Filled with ambition and creative plans, they stumbled, however, when they moved in. Stumbled in a wonderful way, that is, due to the arrival of their first child. So renovations took a back seat as diapers and early rises consumed their lives. As their baby grew into a cute wee toddler, and life finally delivered a little balance, they decided the time was right to tackle their complicated abode. So they lifted the phone and called for our help.
We remember arriving for the first time and finding our language skills departed. We stood in stunned silence absorbing the visuals and feeling, quite frankly, that the project was beyond even us. We winced, recoiled and almost fled the scene. But as usual we'd already fallen in love with our perfect family. Their decorative ambition was enormous, and their joie de vivre compelling.
But where to start? Cooing and billing, they showed us a precious ornament – a piece of bright Bakelite fashioned into an ashtray – while explaining that zesty orange was their favourite colour. Could we successfully pair it with white to create sharp contrast? Could we invigorate proceedings with tangy tangerine and in doing so imbue their home with a sense of fun that would capture their love of the 1960s? Please! Stop with all the questions. Of course we could fix it. Nothing, after all, can hide from our restorative prowess. So we settled at our drawing boards with the enthusiasm of two wee boys let loose in a candy store. And we started to plan. Today we're taking a look at the living and dining area and next week we'll show you the equally vibrant kitchen project that completed our scheme. Time, we think, to let the juice loose.
GLOOM BE GONE
Sometimes you have to grab the bull by the horns. Virtually everything had to go. To create a brand new dining area, we removed the archway that led to the hallway then we purged the dark timber finishes, the flooring, the furniture and every bit of detailing that overwhelmed the room. A dumpster, positioned greedily out front, consumed all the devilish detritus, while a cube van carried anything of worth to the local charity store. Emptied, our contractor moved to the next stage.
PAINT COLOUR
The cardboard brickwork did little to assist the design negative scene and underneath it's fakery lay rough uneven walls. As such, our budget had to be squeezed to fund a new plaster skim coat. We'd advise tackling a job like this with serious attention to detail, either via laborious DIY sanding or professional work. Time, as usual, was of the essence, so we opted for the latter. The results, we're thrilled to report, were fabulous but the associated costs meant we had to scale down our proposed 50-inch flat screen TV to a modest 24-inch alternative and we had to opt for a smaller sofa rather than the large custom job we'd originally planned. Just like you, we have to balance our books.
FLOORING
To circumnavigate zones in this previously dowdy space, you'd have needed a four-wheel truck. Fortunately, establishing perfect levels was an easy job as the ups and downs were simply the result of rushed laminate installation. There were no rot or moisture ingress issues to contend with and simple plywood solved the problem.
Never be tempted to rush new flooring onto an irregular surface. Results might look passable for a few weeks but, when new wood "settles" all hell can potentially break loose.
Tip: When installing new flooring, bring product into the room where it's going to be laid and leave for a few days to let temperatures balance and boards adjust. This simple delaying tactic will significantly better your end results.
SEATING
Having scaled down our plans for a massive corner sofa, we needed extra seating and were lucky enough to find this Barcelona style chair as valuable extra bum space.
A 1960s sofa harvested from the basement came alive with white vinyl upholstery and both provide wipeable surfaces against family life's various spills and thrills.
FIREPLACE
Rooms without focal points need extra attention to bring them alive. Sometimes we'll create interest zones with wallpaper and sometimes we'll add a jumbo shelving configuration to create impact.
On this occasion we dramatized an understated modern fireplace by tiling the surround in golden mini mosaic and positioning a flat screen TV above, further embellished with a large gold frame built onto simple wooden blocks.
Projects like these are a great way to max up basic buy staples and take only minor DIY skills to undertake. MIRROR WALL
The space significantly opened and optimum room "flow" created, we added an entire wall of mirror to bounce even more light.
An installation like this is best left to the experts, but is a super way to create the illusion of grander proportions than those which actually exist.
Hanging a jumbo gold frame was a quirky design device, which we used to echo the framed TV in the adjoining living area; sometimes it's that final layer that makes all the difference.
CURTAINS AND RUG
Don't stress your wallet, shop sensibly to add cool detail. We used several pairs of white Ikea drapes bunched around windows to add textural depth and visual interest.
Off-the-shelf white circular rugs anchored both the coffee and dining tables, providing as they did further tactile layers in a predominantly hard edged room.
Next week: We reveal the orange cabinetry and brand new laundry which we created at the other end of this week's project.
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 information.
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. Scope out some of their previous transformations:
- Blue and white make it right
- Baby blue strikes the right chord
- Taking it up a notch
- Well-planned kitchen really cooks
- Asian-inspired glamour
- Reaching new heights
- Tweaking for a new decade
- Crazy for Canadiana, eh!
- Create a holiday affair to remember
- Please pass the mustard
- Hallelujah! Designer salvation
- Mauving right along
- A beach of a makeover
- 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