When top fashion designers show off their new clothing lines, all eyes are on the runway. When top fashion and decor designer Simon Chang talks home decor and colour, people listen.
For anyone who loves the idea of walking through their front door and having that, "ahhh, love it!" feeling, welcome home to the model-worthy Simon Chang colour collection from Beauti-Tone. Chosen specifically by Canadian designer Chang, its seven unique palettes for 2015 recognize that while we each have different tastes, we all want to feel rejuvenated and happy in our surroundings.
"Simon Chang understands colour and how it enhances beauty," says Bev Bell, creative director, Beauti-Tone paint and home products division, Home Hardware Stores Ltd. "Builder's beige may be a safe choice, but why not go a little bolder with French Charming, Foggiest Idea or Style Achiever and create a space that becomes joyous and alive."
"Just as with my fashions, these projects and palettes are designed to bring excitement," Chang says. "There are unexpected pops of colour, unique spins on the latest trends... all the while staying true to the ultimate goal of creating beautiful, livable rooms."
His innovation does not stop at paint colour. Chang offers ideas for home decor DIY projects as well. Try one of these unique projects to add a designer flair to your decor:
FLOOR SHOW Floor Mat
Create works of art for your floor with a canvas drop sheet and paint
HERE'S HOW
Materials:
*Canvas 5' x 12' drop sheet
*No Sew Glue
*Painter's tape
*Beauti-Tone paint in chosen colours
*Beauti-Tone Designer Series Silk in a clear base untinted
Cut the size of carpet you desire from the canvas drop sheet. With an iron, fold under a hem and press. Apply No Sew Glue under hem and press to secure. With painter's tape, mark and mask out a design on your carpet. Paint desired colours. We used Teal My Heart, Kiwi Smoothie and Vermillion-air. Once dry, coat the entire carpet with three coats of Beauti-Tone Designer Series Silk in an untinted clear base to make the carpet stain-resistant.
I think you could add your own unique flair with stencils, lettering or freeform art. Co-ordinate your floor mat colours with other colours in your room. Add unexpected pops of colour to your floor mat for added interest. A black border will make the colours pop. Another great twist on this project is to make small floor mats to sit under pet dishes to catch spills and drips. Stencil your pet's name and paw prints onto their own mat for extra fun.
HALL TREE, literally
Personalize your entryway with a literal hall tree that's as much beautiful as functional.
HERE'S HOW
Materials:
*1, 4'x8' panel of 5/8" Good One Side (G1S) plywood
*1, 1"x48" hardwood dowel
*1, 911mL Beauti-Tone cabinet and furniture white base interior acrylic paint
*Approximately six plastic anchors with screws 1 5/8" longer than the depth of the anchors
Tools:
*Jigsaw
*Driver drill
*Mitre saw or hand saw
*Drill press (or a clamp and a steady hand)
Begin by tracing the shape you want for your tree on the plywood panel. Next, position some blocks of wood beneath the panel to raise it off your work surface and accommodate the jigsaw blade cutting through the wood. Now, start working around your outline with the jigsaw until you have your tree cut-out. You'll want your tree to sit off the wall a bit, so cut the wood dowel into 6 1"-1.5" pieces. Then, using a drill press (or a clamp and drill) drill a hole just slightly larger than your screws through the centre of each.
Stand your tree up against the wall you're going to mount it on and drill pilot holes through to the wall, marking where you'll need to install your anchors. Once the anchors are in, set each of your screws into the tree so that just a bit of the tip is sticking out the back. Line them up with their respective dowels, and one-by-one screw them through the dowel and into the wall anchors. You may want to cover the screw holes with wood roundhead plugs.
Last, apply two coats of Beauti-Tone's cabinet and furniture paint. It's self-priming and cures quickly to a tough finish.
This idea can also work in a child's room, a playroom or a nursery. Paint the tree in fun colours to brighten up these spaces. Add dowels or hooks to the front of the tree on which to hang additional lightweight items such as umbrellas, baseball caps and light jackets. You could even paint a growth chart on the tree trunk to make it multi-functional.
New colour palettes and project ideas are an inspiration for change.
Connieoliver2015@gmail.com
