Goodbye For Now From The Vancouver Home + Design Show

After four incredible days at last weekend's Vancouver Home + Design Show, we had to say goodbye. We know it's hard, but all good things must come to an end - and what a whirlwind weekend it was!

Missed the show? We've curated our favourite moments to make you feel as though you were there for every important moment.

Our favourite Scots, Colin & Justin, brightened up the Metrie Main Stage with their signature humour and styling tips for bringing Canadian cottage style into any home.

The one and only Bryan Baeumler took to the Metrie Main Stage to share his renovation know-how with his adoring Vancouver fans.

Things heated up on the Vancouver Magazine Cooking Stage with the Samsung Cooking Challenge: Tag Team Kitchen, hosted by Chef Corbin Tomaszeski. Elaine Vuong and her professional partner, Geoff Rogers of Blacktail Florist, beat out the competition and Elaine walked away with $5,000 worth of Samsung Appliances. What a win!

Urban Barn's Next Top Designer: Reloaded stole the show when three local undiscovered designers and decorators went head-to-head in the ultimate micro-management exercise. Each contestant designed a 150 square-foot space with $5,000 worth of Urban Barn furniture and accessories for display (and public vote). The winner, up-and-coming decorator Dexter Dolores, went home with $1,000 to Urban Barn, a feature in Westcoast Homes & Design magazine, and a 10x10 booth at the Vancouver Home + Design Show, 2015. Congrats, Dexter!

The Ultimate Upcycle Challenge 3: ChairLIFT raised over $600 for Habitat for Humanity Greater Vancouver and their affiliated ReStores. The chair with the top bid? That went to the friendly decorator herself, Christine Friend, for her fun and sporty Canucks chair.

We're also proud to announce the winners of the Best Booth Awards, including:

• Best in Show: Save More Plumbing & Lighting
• Best Use of Large Space: Floform Countertops for Life
• Best Medium Space: Future Living Development Ltd.
• Best Small Space: By Nature Design
• Rookie Award: ifresco
• Going the Extra Mile: Nitor Lighting

Congrats to everyone! We're sending loads of gratitude to all of the guests, exhibitors, and presenters that made the Vancouver Home + Design Show 2014 so memorable. Don't miss out on your next chance to exhibit or visit, find details for the BC Home + Garden Show here. Mark your calendars for February 18-22, 2015 at BC Place Stadium.

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Calgary Home + Design Show: That's A Wrap!

All good things must come to an end, and so on September 22 we wrapped the Calgary Home + Design Show after four amazing days at the BMO Centre. From interior design to culinary creations and celebrity sightings, it all came together under one roof - complete with hundreds of local retailers, designers, experts who made it all possible! We couldn't have done it without them.

Missed out? Don't fret. We've rounded up our favourite features and the most memorable moments from the show!

Our favourite contractor, Bryan Baeumler, lit up the Trail Appliances Main Stage and had fans fawning over his renovation know-how. Leave it to Bryan to bring on the crowds!

Oi! Scottish designers Colin & Justin had everyone in stitches with their signature humour and tips for designing the perfect Canadian cottage.

It got hot up on the Samsung Cooking Challenge: Tag Team Kitchen with host and celebrity chef Corbin Tomaszeski. Congrats to Calgary's own David Pyle, who walked away with $5,000 worth of Samsung Chef's Collection appliances for his own kitchen.

Guests cherished ChairLIFT! Local media personalities and tastemakers raised over $1,000 for Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta and their affiliate ReStores thanks to their creative takes on pre-loved chairs. Congrats to Nyla Free of Nyla Free Designs for scoring the top bid of $220 for this beauty.

And, don't forget to mark your calendars! Catch even more fantastic features and celebrity guests at the Calgary Home + Garden Show, happening February 26 - March 1 at the BMO Centre & Corral. Stay tuned to our website for more details, coming soon.

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NAMES IN LIGHTS AT THE CALGARY AND VANCOUVER HOME + DESIGN SHOWS

Bring on the stars! The Calgary and Vancouver Home + Design Shows are just around the corner, which means you’re even closer to meeting your favourite design, cooking and home improvement celebs. Aside from perusing through hundreds of booths from local vendors and big-name brands alike, you’ll also catch top talent that will bring you to your feet and leave you feeling inspired.

Without further ado, say hello to our celebrity line up!

COLIN AND JUSTIN

We’re thrilled to announce the triumphant return of Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan, stars of Cottage Life TV’s Colin & Justin’s Cabin Pressure, after an achingly long absence. You can catch this dynamic duo detailing how to achieve a chic cottage look from cabin to condo. It’s an appearance that begs the question: will their famous kilted sartorial style make a return to the stage?

Calgary: Saturday, September 20 at 12PM and 6PM on the Trail Appliances Main Stage

Vancouver: Saturday, October 18 at 3PM and 7PM on the Metrie Main Stage

BRYAN BAEUMLER

Who could forget Canada’s favourite handyman? Bryan Baeumler, contracting king and star of HGTV’s Leave it To Bryan, is back to offer his trustworthy and no-nonsense brand of renovation know-how. Pick up valuable tricks of the trade while scoring advice on how to avoid the pitfalls of home improvement.

Calgary: Friday, September 19 at 6PM and Saturday, September 20 at 2PM on the Trail Appliances Main Stage

Vancouver: Friday, October 17 at 7PM and Saturday, October 18 at 1PM on the Metrie Main Stage

CHEF CORBIN TOMASZESKI

Do you delight in delicious dishes? Then don’t miss Chef Corbin Tomaszeski as he does double-duty hosting and judging the Samsung Cooking Challenge: Tag Team Kitchen. Chef Corbin will select the winners, with the top home cook scoring $5,000 worth of Samsung Chef’s Collection appliances for their own kitchen.

Calgary: Saturday September 20 at 1PM for Samsung Cooking Challenge: Tag Team Kitchen and Sunday September 21 at 12PM on the Trail Appliances Cooking Stage

Vancouver: Friday, October 17 at 6PM and Saturday October 18 at 2PM for Samsung Cooking Challenge: Tag Team Kitchen on the Vancouver Magazine Cooking Stage

Are you as excited as we are?! Catch these celebrities and more top talent in Calgary and Vancouver this fall. For tickets to spot these celebs in Calgary, click here. To see them in Vancouver, click here. 

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Summer Obsessions: Tina Holmes' Seasonal Favourites for the Home + Garden

Summer's here, so it's the perfect time for outdoor living. Embrace your space! With plenty of sunshine to soak up, patio parties to attend and time to relax, this is the season! Here's a few of our summer obsessions from Tina Holmes, Toronto Show Manager. Whether you’re looking for a fresh summer salad, a pop of colour, or to brighten up your garden, add some sunshine to your home and garden.

Fresh Flowers

Image via Love My Simple Home

When the days are longer and the air is warm, throw open your windows and enjoy the days of summer. Bring the fresh look of summer into your home. Add fresh flowers and plants to any room, from your bedroom, living room and even the guest room. Enjoy colourful, cheery, summery bright colours. Live with what you love!

Chair Crush

Image via Tina Holmes (@tinalovespino Instagram)

Ah, the Acapulco chair. So colourful and summery. Sitting pretty, spotted at Green Light District (Roncesvalles) new outdoor space. Perfect for creating a simple little outdoor space, the Acapulco lounge chair is available in fun bright colours.  

Brighten up the Garden

Image via Colin & Justin Instagram

Brighten up the garden and even the patio. Bring in some fun bright colour accessories! I fell in love with these Colin & Justin home watering cans.   

Summertime = DIY Time 

Image via My Painted Door

Upcycling continues to be contagious with the ease of the summer months. There are so many great upcycle ideas and inspirations out there. 

Upcycling has been done for years, but it's only with the recent do-it-yourself movement that it earned a title. It's like recycling, but the goal is making the item even better than it was before. It was love at first sight with these Mason Jars painted with Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint in boxwood and curio and torn napkins added to cover part of the jars.

A favourite summer retail therapy stop is a Restore, that inspires the DIY in all of us - you'll never know what you'll find.  

Summer Salad: Yellow Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

Image via Healthy Recipe Ecstasy

Simple and easy summer salad. The perfect recipe for your couscous obsession: yellow couscous salad with pomegranate dressing. Couscous readily absorbs the flavours of the ingredients that are added to it, so what better way to celebrate summer flavours than with mint and pomegranate. 

Click here for the recipe.

Did you know that couscous is not a grain at all, but made from semolina (the hard grains left after milling durum wheat) that's combined with flour, salt and water (and sometimes roasted) to form tiny, pasta-like pellets?

Flavoured Ice Cubes

Image via Spoon Fork Bacon

With outdoor entertaining in full swing, it’s all about serving cool, refreshing drinks on a hot day. Super cool! Fresh fruit obsession, a perfect addition to summer. The summer season brings us lots of local fresh fruit from local farmers markets and culinary adventures. Fruit frozen into ice cubes livens up your simple summer drinks.

Summer Season Craving

Image via Food Network

Chef Corbin's Smoked Bacon Wrapped Corn on the Cob with chili & fresh lime. Summer is a perfect season to enjoy our local fare, and Ontario Corn is one of the best of Ontario Summers. For the recipe click here.

Outdoor Living

Image via ElleDecor

During the summer your most coveted space is outdoors. Brighten your backyard for those warm summer nights. Enjoy outdoor living long after dark with these illuminating ideas from white lights, patio lanterns and summer loving candlelight. 

Summer Songs

Songza is the new tunes obsession for summer. Great tunes streaming from curated lists, perfect for the home, vacation and cottage too. Make your summer patio parties, barbecues, and rooftop shindigs bigger and better with Songza. Songza is 100% free, with no audio ads, all you need is a wifi connection. A fun Summer Playlist is 'Summer Escapades' curated by Train. These bouncy beats and sweet melodies will get you excited for summer adventures with friends and family.

 

Special thanks to Toronto Show Manager Tina Holmes a.k.a. @TinaLovesPinot, for  sharing her Summer Obsessions!

Enjoy your summer! 

Toronto Home Shows "We've got you covered"

Toronto Fall Home Show (Sept 18-21, 2014)
GTA Home & Reno Show (Feb 13-16, 2015)
National Home Show (March 12 -22, 2015)

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Colin & Justin’s Guide To Healthy Christmas Decor

Drawing inspiration from a recent survey by Claritin which reports that allergies are heavily prevalent during the holiday period (and not just during the warmer months, as many folk might perhaps presume) Colin and Justin offer their tips to reduce the associated problems.  Their guide will help you enjoy an allergy-friendly holiday season… where the only tears in your eyes will be from the lovely family times ahead.  Frustrating as it sounds, allergies can potentially spoil all the festive fun.  If, that is, you don’t think about eradication.  So take heed...

  

Real Christmas Trees

Genuine trees can be a haven for dust and pollen – add in allergies to tree sap, and real problems can lie in store. 

The Duo's Tree Top Tips 

• Bag an allergy-friendly tree - dodge pine as the pollen can be a major allergy trigger.  Fir and spruce are better, with the Leyland Cypress - a sterile hybrid -  a good choice as it doesn't produce pollen.
• Shake it up!  Some tree farms have mechanical shakers to remove dead needles as well as some of the dust and mold.
• Bathing beauty -  before bringing the tree indoors, spray with water and dry overnight in the garage.  Use Nature Clean veggie soak to remove pesticides that have been sprayed on the tree – another major irritant.

Faking It

• Keep it clean – if your tree has been stashed in the garage then it’s probably it’s full of dust and even mold.  Give it a good wash (just like a real tree) and dry before bringing indoors.
• Gassy? Choose a polyethylene tree with less PVC content and you’ll cut down on gasses and be kinder to your home and the environment.  Home Depot stocks this type of product.
• Eco friendly – seek out tree ‘alternatives’.  Choose from metal framed shapes, card board trees like the one below from Cascades.  Also, you could opt for driftwood stacks (Homesense have some great options) to make a style statement.

Cardboard Tree from Cascades

Tips for Christmas Decorations

• Dust off your baubles – these, if they've been lying around, may be coated in grime or mold.  If possible, unwrap outside to avoid spreading dust inside. Wipe off with a soft cloth before hanging.  At the end of the season, wrap in fresh paper, rather than re-using old paper.
• Clean your wreaths - Vacuum or dust with a soft cloth.  Use a vacuum with a Hepa filter, like the Dyson Animal, and keep dust in the cleaner, rather than in the air.

• Dodge scented candles - these can cause stuffy noses and irritated lungs. If you crave a little atmosphere, try unscented beeswax candles.
• Buy local - visit Christmas fairs and invest in small independent makers who can tell you all about manufacturing and provenance. 
• Green card – showcase Christmas cards in a holder like this one below from Umbra and use it for the rest of the year to show family photos!  Keeping cards off surfaces allows you to reach and remove dust...

Crowd Card/Photo display by Umbra

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For more information you can visit the guys online at www.colinandjustin.tv or check out Colin and Justin on twitter by clicking the button below!

 Follow @ColinJustin 

Stay tuned to our Home and Garden Events Facebook page for news on home show appearences and helpful hints from our friends Colin and Justin!

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