CONNIE OLIVER: Reflections on mirroring your interior life

This Kohler bathroom is stunning. Though the colour palette is muted, the room has sparkle and glitz. The crystal chandelier definitely steals the show, but the collection of decorative mirrors also adds dimension and visual depth. The pair of oval mirrors is . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

MIKE HOLMES: Clearing the air on use of HRVs in home

Open and close doors and windows to encourage air flow, or install good ventilation fans in the kitchen and bathrooms to exhaust warm, moist air. But if high humidity is a chronic problem in your home, one of the best ways . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

ASK THE INSPECTOR: Rigid foam insulation needs covering up

QUESTION: We want to add insulation to the north walls in our home. The walls currently have fibreglass insulation, a vapour barrier and drywall. Can we attach foam insulation and new drywall on top of the existing interior walls? If . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

SOLUTIONS: Save water, shower with a plant

QUESTION: I am a fan of yours and read your column weekly. It is wonderful that you can recommend so many solutions that involve products that most of us have in our kitchens. I live in a highrise condominium and . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

Bigger, Better, Best at 10th KBR Show

January is always a time of fresh starts and new beginnings. What better way to start than at the 2011 Kitchen Bath and Renovation Show, presented by Floform Countertops at the Winnipeg Convention Centre Jan. 14 to 16? As the show . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

Designed from the ground up

Home puts walk-out basement to good use

There are times, it seems, when thinking in inverted fashion has its advantages. Take 70 Blue Sun Drive, a 1, 617-square-foot walk-out bungalow designed by Arlt Homes. While it would have been all too easy to build a conventional design, Jason . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

It's as good as new

Renovated beauty worth a close look

Young families looking to move on up often face a dilemma: Do they buy a new home or one that's a few decade old? Buy new in a community such as Bridgwater Forest or South Pointe, means paying the added expenses . . .

Posted: 2011-01-08

Upstairs, downstairs

Not much difference these days

Like the Beast who was transformed by Beauty's sweet tears, basements are shedding their grim edges and strutting a newly discovered glamour. Vansishing faster than you can say "makeover" are the cellars of yore: the banal veneer panelling, water-stained acoustic tiles . . .

Posted: 2010-12-31

Seeing red

Start a fire in the basement with these spicy items

The colour red is all about passion, lust and love. Whether it be a fiery, ruby or cherry red, it exudes a spicy dose of energy. Heat things up and illuminate a dreary rec room or family room with a . . .

Posted: 2010-12-31

CONNIE OLIVER: There are many ways to highlight quirky spaces

Our feature photograph, courtesy of Dulux Australia, has a feature in it that I wanted to address. The back wall has a fireplace that is inset into a protruding section of wall, which is necessary to house the fireplace workings. . . .

Posted: 2010-12-31