november 19, 2014

Volume 1, Issue 3, November 2014

NEW HOMEVolume 1, Issue 3, November 2014

NEW HOME

d e v e l o p m e n t s

Skaha Hills

Big Horn Mountain

Skaha Lake Villas

NOVEMBER

2 www.pentictonwesternnews.com Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Penticton Western News

Western News Staff

Breaking the rules and celebrat-ing personality.

It is the trend for interior design, according to local professional Crystal Nohr.

“You had to follow what every-one else was doing before and now it is really outside the box and it is fun. If you have a modern home you have to do modern furniture, but now people are mixing tradi-tional furniture in. It is about warm-ing up a space and making it more comfortable,” said Nohr, owner of Crystal Nohr Design. “Make your space who you are, not what to-day’s trends are about.”

Functionality and charming de-tails are important trends in today’s decorating, said Nohr, who you can follow on Pinterest @crystalnohr for more ideas.

“I think the internet for sure is playing a part in what people are doing in their homes. People turn to places like Pinterest for ideas. It is not one specifi c thing you are seeing, it is about who you are. The knowledge is out there and it is eas-ier for us to get information out of what we, as interior designers, can do,” said Nohr.

Among the trends she has picked out are neutral colours which pro-vide a clean, clutter free and com-fortable Scandinavian style. But there is also a trend of certain co-lours.

“Blue seems to be the new black. Whether you want a bold blue sofa or just a few accent pieces, you will see blue in every shade. The co-lour of all seasons brings a sense of

calm and peace. It’s a very versatile colour,” said Nohr.

Retro colours also have re-turned, like burnt orange, olive green/split pea or a pale gold. As well pastels are going to be big for 2014 in shades of purple, green and pink.

“The watercolour trend is also a looser, more fl uid evolution of om-bre and you will see it come out in artwork and wall coverings,” said Nohr.

Metallic elements may not be

new but are being seen more fre-quently. Shiny metallic metals with furniture from raw, natural materi-als. Copper is coming back strong and you can see it from bar stools and accents to throw pills. It’s OK to break the rule and mix your met-als,” said Nohr.

Natural elements continue to dominate modern interior design trends and Nohr said they fuse styles and personality into a room.

See DESIGN on PG.3

calm and peace. It’s a very versatile new but are being seen more fre-

BREAKING ALL THE RULES IN INTERIOR DESIGN

Penticton Western News Wednesday, November 19, 2014 www.pentictonwesternnews.com 3

FROM DESIGN on PG.2She added hexagons have

been huge and continue to be popular from wallpaper, to tile to accent tables.

While it can all be over-whelming for homeowners, Nohr said interior designers can be hired even just for one hour to help get them started. A consultation can be simply answering questions from the homeowner or providing a base for their vision.

“Before you would hire a designer to make over your living room and then you wouldn’t go in it. Now, you hire a designer to help you design a room that is func-tional, comfortable and will be lived in,” said Nohr.

Haute House Designs owner Nadine Alleyn agrees. She said the fi rst step for a homeowner should be sit-ting in the room they want to redesign and ask themselves what exactly is the function of that room, which way is the sun orientated then start with the layers.

“Part of the process is asking yourself those ques-tions and what are your fa-vourite things that you are going to keep,” said Alleyn.

Trends she is seeing also have a lot to do with bold fabrics, which could be a

starting point for a room. “It is on everything now

from wallpaper with big, bold large scale prints. I think it makes things more interesting and opens things up for a homeowner,” said Alleyn. “I love the fab-rics because you can eas-ily change up a room with a something as simple as add-ing pillows. Everyone has a different aesthetic so some people want clean, sleek, serene and others may want bold and bright. The trends infl uence what a person likes but ultimately it is up to their personality.”

Haute House Designs, which has been in Penticton for 14 years, also sees the trend of mixing styles such as modern and traditional, rustic and sleek.

“That is the greatest thing of all because you fi nd some-thing cool from a fl ea market and mix it up with a favou-rite piece of art,” said Alleyn.

Other trends she sees for 2015 is metals such as gold and brass coming back into style.

“It was big years ago but it always comes back and with a twist. In this case it is a mix of metals which opens up a lot of ways to create something interesting.”

Personality is key to interior decorating

CHAIRS with bold print, like this one shown at Haute House Designs in Penticton are a trend in interior design.

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Deck your halls for ChristmasWestern News Staff

From bold and cheerful bright colours to traditional and sophisticated, the holi-day season is a time to deck the halls of your home and enhance the holiday vibe to the exterior.

Canadian Tire has every-thing people need to get into the Christmas spirit.

The options with decora-tions are so many that fami-lies can go overboard like Clark Griswold did with lights in National Lampoons Christmas Vacation.

With new decorations in every year, Canadian Tire is now offering the Canvas line.

“It’s really geared to-wards your own style,” said store manager Steven Sin-nott. “People can cross over themes and colours to make it personalized.”

Sinnott said that Canvas is popular already as people can mix and match. There is also the fl exibility put ornaments together on a wreath or a tree or the house.

“We have a huge selection of ornaments,” said Sinnott, adding that they have the most lights they have ever had. “Lots of craft ideas.”

Shoppers began getting a jump on getting their decora-tions in mid November and among the popular items is the elf light, which has a laser to go in the yard. Canadian

Tire also has sets for a 1,000 lights which looks nice.

Rona also has a intricate Christmas display in their seasonal section which in-cludes non-traditional christ-mas tree colours and a bevy of lights and decorations.

“We have everything you need for an instant magical Christmas, just add love,” said Tanya Lakatos, who is head of the seasonal depart-ment in Penticton.

Following on some of the trends, Rona has artifi -cial Christmas trees that are white. They also will soon be bringing in their live trees for sale.

Rona’s collection of deco-rations include vintage deco-rative balls, the Wood Lodge Holidays Collection with an outdoor theme, a selection of festive artifi cial trees and of course lights for the indoors and outdoors.

Crystal Baker, merchan-diser at Home Hardware, said the big item this year for Home Hardware was also the Elf Light.

“We couldn’t even get it in because it was sold out be-fore it could get to our store. Everyone is looking for it but the manufacturer completely sold out,” said Baker.

Home Hardware Pentic-ton has their Christmas dis-play set up right inside the doors and everything on dis-play is for sale. That is, ev-

erything except their unique artifi cial red tree.

“That is our special Home Hardware tree, but you won’t

believe how many people ask us if they can buy it,” said Baker, adding they do have a range of other artifi cial trees

for sale.While the Penticton store

is stocked up with traditional and rustic Christmas decora-tions, they had put a spotlight on exclusive gifts.

“Our big focus this year is unique gift ideas that you

won’t see anywhere else. So we have wine accessories, beer accessories, Frozen toys and a range of different items that are unique to us,” said Baker.

Christmas decoration tips:

· Put a bath mat, rug-side down and rubber-side up, beneath your Christmas tree stand. This allows you to spin the tree as you hang lights and ornaments without dam-aging the fl oor underneath. It also makes it simple to undress the tree once the sea-son is over. Use a tree skirt to hide the mat.

• Store one or two strings of lights in a plastic shopping bag to keep the strands from getting tangled. Hang the bags from a hook in a garage or stack them in a storage bin.

• Use plastic zip ties to attach garland and lights to bannisters. They’re easy to assemble and will not dam-age the bannisters.

• Wrap duct tape or anoth-er type of sticky tape around your hand. Pat over fallen pine needles that accumulate around the tree. In hard-to-reach areas, wrap the tape around a broom or a fl oor sweeper.

• Decorate your door-knobs. Simply hang a tree ornament or two with a curl of ribbon.

• Light it up. Don’t limit Christmas lights to the out-doors. String some lights in the kitchen or family room too.

HOME HARDWARE employees Teresa Balzer (right) and Janelle Reid (left) hang ornaments on a tree in the Penticton store’s Christmas display.

Western News Staff

SHANE RAM, Rona customer service person, (above) adjusts some of the decorations in their Christmas display in the Penticton Store. Christmas has exploded at Canadian Tire (at right) with an extensive display of items.

Penticton Western News staff

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Submitted

The beauty of winter landscapes is not foremost on the minds of homeowners who have roofs full of heavy snow and ice. What may seem beautiful elsewhere can cause anxiety when one’s home is under a precipitation onslaught.

Excessive snow loads on a roof can cause the roof to leak or even collapse.

The weight, and not the depth, of the snow is what determines if it needs to be removed from the roof. Fluffy snow may not be problem-atic, as it can take around seven times as much dry snow to equal the weight of wet snow.

After a snowstorm, go outside and lift a few shovelfuls of snow. If it’s back-breaking work, then the snow on your roof may be danger-ous.

Homes built to code can typi-cally handle the snow and ice load that comes with the winter season. However, homes that have under-gone unapproved renovations, or those where load-bearing walls have been removed from the in-terior may be susceptible to cata-strophic roof collapses.

Another problem homeowners face this time of year is ice dams, which occur when snow on the roof melts slightly and then re-freezes, forming thick portions of ice usually at the edges of the roof by the gutters.

Ice dams can divert melting

snow in and under roofing shin-gles instead of through gutters and downspouts.

A common contributor to ice dams is inadequate ventilation and insulation in attics.

Heat from the interior of the home that rises into the attic can

cause the roof to warm up enough to melt the snow.

This is easily remedied by hav-ing ample insulation and ensur-ing proper ventilation of the at-tic to maintain temperatures cool enough to prevent underside melt-ing of snow.

Signs of a problemIf you experience any leaks

from the ceiling or notice water coming down walls, a roof leak from excess snow or ice dams may be the culprit. Snow that is too heavy may create cracks in plaster

and drywall and cause sagging that affects the framework of interior doorways. If you hear creaking or popping sounds, immediately exit the house, as these are strong in-dicators of an imminent collapse.

Clearing the roofThe Better Business Bureau

warns against going up on the roof if you cannot safely remove the snow with an ice rake or similar tool. You should not jeopardize your health by trying to remove snow and ice.

Confirm that contractors who remove snow have current liability and worker’s compensation insur-ance before hiring them. Contrac-tors will charge anywhere from $60 to $300 per hour to remove snow from the roof. Always in-quire in advance as to what a fee covers.

Even after snow is removed, there’s no guarantee it will not ac-cumulate again. Keep in mind that some snow and ice removal rem-edies can invalidate the warranty on recently installed roof shingles. This is something that must be weighed before proceeding with snow removal.

Home insurance policies may or may not cover the cost of snow removal and damage. Call your in-surance company to find out what your policy covers. Keep good re-cords for the cost of all repairs to see if you can be reimbursed.

How to remove snow from your roof

Heavy snow accumulation on the roof can lead to problems like leaks or even complete roof collapse.submitted photo

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Submitted

Many families travel dur-ing the holiday season, when gatherings with family and friends require individuals to pack up their vehicles and hit the open road to recon-nect with loved ones.

Such get-togethers are great ways to make an al-ready festive season even more joyous, but being away for extended periods of time may leave your home vul-nerable to criminals.

Alarm systems and neighborhood watch pro-grams can provide some peace of mind to homeown-ers, but there are additional ways to protect your home when traveling this holiday season.

Home safety tips• Use timers to make

it appear as though you are home. Entertainment systems and even certain home lighting products al-low homeowners to make it seem as though they are home even when they aren’t. Criminals are likely to be deterred from burglarizing homes that are well-lit, and noise inside the home can give burglars the impression that someone is inside. Use

the timing device on your entertainment or sound sys-tem to play music at night, and make sure lights come on at the same time and stay on until the time you would ordinarily go to bed.

• Don’t allow mail to stockpile in your mailbox. A telltale sign that no one is home is mail that begins to stockpile in a mailbox. A mailbox overflowing with mail indicates to burglars that you’re not home and also makes you vulnerable to potential identity thieves looking to peruse your mail-box for sensitive informa-tion. Whether you suspend mail delivery while you’re away or ask a neighbor to pick up your mail each day, make sure letters are not al-lowed to accumulate in your mailbox while you are out of town.

• Install motion detect-ing lights around your prop-erty. Families who routinely leave home for extended pe-riods of time should install motion-detection devices around their properties. Such devices will immedi-ately illuminate yards or ar-eas around the home when movement is detected within their range. Lights flashing in the dark of night can deter

burglars and may even earn homeowners discounts on their insurance policies.

• Be cautious with social media. Today’s criminals are tech-savvy, and some may turn to social media to look for potential victims. When leaving home for an extended holiday vacation, do not broadcast your plans on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Though you might be tempt-ed to post photos of you and your family hitting the ski slopes or sitting poolside with grandma and grandpa, wait until you return from your trip to share such pho-tos.

• Hire a plowing service before leaving your home. Families who live in ar-eas that are prone to heavy snowfall should hire a snow plow service before leaving. A driveway buried in snow for several days is another telltale sign that no one is home, so make sure you hire a plow service to remove snow from your driveway even when you are not home.

Travel is commonplace during the holiday season. Homeowners must take steps to protect their homes while they are away on vaca-tion or visiting family.

Protect your home when travelling

When travelling for the holidays, do not allow mail to stockpile in your mailbox, as a full mailbox may encourage criminals to burglarize your home or steal your mail in an ef-fort to assume your identity.

Submitted photo

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Suhmitted

‘Tis the season to be fes-tive, and that usually means stringing up hundreds of twinkling lights to create a welcoming glow on dark winter nights. Some people view the holiday season as their chance to go all out with regard to decorating their homes with an abundance of lights, inflatable lawn orna-ments and maybe even some mechanical figures.

While these decorations certainly may be symbols of the season, it’s easy to forget just how much energy and resources they consume. A typical strand of lights uses around 300 watts of electric-ity. Multiply those figures by the dozens of strings of lights people use and it’s easy to see how quickly energy usage can add up.

In addition to lights, lit candles, animated dolls, wreaths, trees, and scores of imported ornaments contrib-ute to the energy consump-tion per household. Even so, environmentally conscious individuals need not skip the holiday décor and entertain-ing. Fortunately, there are various ways to be energy efficient with holiday décor this season.

• Switch to LED lights.

LED lights consume a frac-tion of the energy traditional incandescent bulbs do. While a standard string of 50 lights consumes 300 watts, LED sets only consume four watts. This not only saves energy, but also considerable amounts of money over the course of the holiday season.

• Use fiber-optic decora-tions. Fiber optic items are lit by one light. The illumi-nation carries through the fi-ber optic cables to the entire decoration.

• Use a power strip and timer. Plug decorations into a power strip (be sure to fol-low the recommended power

load for safety) and hook everything up to a timer so lights are not on when no one can see them.

• Check light strands. Al-ways inspect lights for frayed wires and any damage. Frayed lights are less effi-cient and pose a considerable safety risk.

• Enhance decorations. Use mirrors and reflective or-naments to give the appear-ance of more lights without actually adding more.

• Turn off ambient light-ing. Christmas tree lights or the lights framing a picture window should be sufficient to light up a room. Keep

lamps and overhead lighting off while the tree is lit to save money and energy.

• Lower the thermostat. When entertaining, turn the thermostat down a few de-grees. Having extra people in your home will raise the temperature. Similarly, heat generated by the oven and other cooking appliances can warm up a home. Don’t waste energy by keeping the heat turned on high.

• Invest in rechargeable batteries. According to En-ergy Quest, 40 per cent of all batteries are purchased dur-ing the holiday season. To power those many gifts and devices, use batteries which can be used again and again.

• Change your cooking practices. Smaller appliances use less energy. Put those toaster ovens, slow cookers and electric fryers to good use. Only use the oven if you are cooking a large meal.

• Wait until the dishwash-er is full. Pack in the dishes from holiday meals, and then run the dishwasher.

• Reuse items whenever possible. Many items around the house can be put to good use as decorations, holiday servers or gifts. Take inven-tory of what you have before you go out and purchase new decorations.

Create an energy-efficient holiday home

Decorative lights can consume a considerable amount of energy. scale back or invest in leDs, which are more energy-efficient lights.

submitted photo


Winter plants brighten spacesSubmitted

Spring and summer have the colourful blooms and rich greenery that make the great outdoors so lush and inviting.

Autumn is awash in vi-brant colours that beckon people outdoors to explore. But winter has a poor repu-tation with regard to natural beauty. While it’s true that many plants and wildlife re-treat into hibernation come the colder temperatures, some choose the wintertime to bloom. Other plants and

shrubs continue to hold on to their leaves and colour de-spite the cold.

Hardy winter plants do more than just survive the snow and ice. Many thrive and have the potential to add that unexpected touch of co-lour to an otherwise dreary landscape.

In addition to berry bush-es that can feature bright red, yellow and orange berries perfect for holiday decorat-ing, plenty of other plants are visually appealing through colder temperatures.

Winter plant types• Mahonia: Some variet-

ies of mahonias bloom in the winter and can be hardy. The close relative Oregon grape holly will flower in very ear-ly spring.

• Camellia: Camellias grow flowers similar in shape and size to roses. They range in shade from light pink to bright red. Camellias can bloom all year long in moderate temperature zones. Even in colder zones, some cold climate hybrids can continue to add welcome co-

lour to the garden.• Daphne: The fragrant

flowers of many daphnes appear in mid-winter. The variety Jacqueline Postill is evergreen.

• Evergreen holly: Per-haps the evergreen holly is the quintessential winter plant. Green shiny leaves and bold red berries can be a bright spot in a winter gar-den. A holly hedge also can serve as a wind and privacy barrier.

• Japanese pieris: Flower buds on this shrub, some-times called the “Moun-tain Fire,” thrive from fall through winter. This shrub needs moist, well-drained soil and should be placed in a shaded location in warmer climates.

• Hellebore: Also called the “Christmas Rose,” hel-lebores can be delightful in areas of the country where winter flowers tend to be rare. The plant bears pure white flowers that often age to pink.

• Snowdrop: These deli-cate white blooms often pop out of a layer of snow even before the first crocuses of spring. Snowdrops can wait out harsh weather and even extended snow events before eventually sprouting.

• Crape myrtle: There are around 50 species of these trees and shrubs that are na-tive to parts of Asia and In-dia. The trees bloom beauti-fully and continue to hold on to their bright colored flow-ers in warmer climates.

• Winter jasmine: If you want to create a mid-winter color splash, consider the climbing winter jasmine, which is hardy in zones 5 to 10 and blooms in January.

• Jelena witch hazel: These curly, odd-shaped blooms have a rich, copper color and can bloom as early as January. This plant also is an orange-red color in au-tumn.

• Kaffir lily: Also known

as the “Red River lily,” these

perennials appear in the fall but can still bloom on mild days in the winter. These plants prefer wet conditions.

• Winter vegetables: Planting cabbage, spinach or swiss chard can give

you something fresh to eat through late autumn and even into winter if you have a greenhouse or cold frame in the yard.

Winter may be character-ized by dreary landscapes, but plenty of plant life thrives in spite of the chill.

Winter has a bad reputation for lacking bright blooms and colourful plants. One way to brighten your home is with holly, the quintessential winter plant.

submitted photo

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Paint-free ways to brighten your home Submitted

Autumn is a beautiful time of year marked by pleasant temperatures and colorful fall foliage. But as vibrant as nature can be in the weeks after summer has ended, homeowners know that the shortened days of autumn mean less light inside their homes, which can become dreary even in the weeks before the ar-rival of winter.

Many homeowners pick up their paint-brushes in an effort to make their homes more colorful. But homeowners need not embrace their inner Picasso to brighten their homes’ interiors. The following are a handful of paint-free ways to add some splashes of color to your home this fall.

• Bring nature inside. Flowers and plants can make colorful additions to a home’s interior. Flowers tend to be aro-matic, which can make a stuffy house in which windows need to be kept closed a lot more pleasant. Plants and flowers also can improve indoor air quality. Sev-eral studies, including one published in the Journal for the AmericanSociety for Horticultural Science, have shown that houseplants improve indoor air quality by filtering out volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that can be harmful to human health. That’s especially important come late fall and winter, when homeowners typically shut their windows and keep them shut until spring, making it difficult for fresh air to enter a home.

• Invest in some colorful throw pil-lows. Natural sunlight brightens a room come spring and summer. But sunlight is increasingly scarce as fall turns into win-ter, and rooms that do not boast too many

colorful accents can quickly grow drab as summertime sunlight dwindles. Instead of buying new furniture, invest in some colorful throw pillows to give a room a more vibrant look. Patterns can be mixed and matched to provide some contrast and transform a room from somewhere to

spend time into a sight to behold.• Paper the walls. While many of to-

day’s homeowners prefer paint to wallpa-per, those who want a less permanent solu-tion to brighten up their homes may want to consider removable wallpaper. Such paper is less expensive than traditional

wallpaper, and many do-it-yourselfers find removable wallpaper is easy to both install and remove. Choose a colorful pat-tern that can turn an otherwise plain wall into a potent palette that adds some life to your home’s interior. Because removable wallpaper does not require a significant financial investment, you can experiment with various colors or change things up each month if you so desire.

• Add some artwork. Another way to add color to the walls inside your home without dusting off your paintbrush is to hang some colorful artwork. Paintings that feature bold colors tend to draw your immediate attention when you enter a room, and that quality can make you for-get the room is not benefitting from natu-ral light. If you want to go the extra mile, find a painting that features colors which match throw pillows or other accessories in the room. This way your walls and your accessories are working in concert to make a room more colorful.

• Rug it out. A patterned throw rug is another accessory that can effectively brighten a room without much effort or financial investment on the part of home-owners. When choosing a throw rug, find one that’s colorful but does not clash con-siderably with existing furnishings, as you don’t want the rug to draw attention for all the wrong reasons. You have more freedom with regard to rugs if you’re fur-nishing an empty room, as you can choose whichever rug you look and then choose additional furnishings based on the rug.

Homes tend to darken as late fall turns into winter. But homeowners can bright-en their homes in various ways, even if they prefer not to paint.

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november 19, 2014

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