Edmonton Home Show: Designer Jennifer Scott, A Good Chick to Know

We are so excited to have style expert and A Good Chick to Know’s Jennifer Scott present us with the hottest design trends of 2014 at Edmonton Home + Garden Show (March 20-23)!

A fabulous designer herself, Jennifer knows exactly how to make the most out of bringing a designer to your next home improvement project!

When it comes to hiring a designer, some clients might need help from the very beginning, but others might just need help achieving that extra wow factor in the decorating process.

“It really depends on the client and the project,” Jennifer writes. “Some people have every detail worked out to a tee during the reno phase and simply need consulting on ideas when it’s time to pull the whole look together.”

We all know hiring a designer isn't free, but did you know that bringing in a professional might actually save you money?

“Firstly, having a designer on your side can avoid potentially costly mistakes,” Jennifer writes. “Secondly, many shops will be more generous in their pricing with designers that they frequently work with, which could mean reduced pricing on some items for the client.”

A good designer/client relationship is key to a successful project. We all know that anyone can make a showroom look nice, but it takes a good designer to form connections and create spaces that fit each client’s individual tastes.

“Designing should be fun,” Jennifer writes. “Make sure those involved in your design process make you feel good!

Bringing her design expertise to Edmonton all the way from Vancouver, Jennifer is thrilled to get a glimpse of YEG’s design community!

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For more expert advice on having a successful relationship with your designer and to learn about the latest in design trends, you can see Jennifer Scott's presentations during the Edmonton Home + Garden Show, March 20 - 23 at the Edmonton Expo Centre.

MARCH 20 - 23

EDMONTON EXPO CENTRE

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FEATURE FRIDAY: Preloved Living + Learning Lounge

Everything old is new again at the Preloved Living + Learning Lounge presented by BC Living at the Vancouver Home + Design Show. In less than a week you can learn how to tell a story with your space, thanks to this immersive interior design experience curated by A Good Chick to Know.

Catch design duo Jennifer Scott and Megan Baker of A Good Chick to Know at the show, and get the inside scoop on sourcing antique treasures and incorporating pre-loved pieces into any modern space. Find inspiration for your next interior design project by viewing pieces from the city’s most popular vintage shops and browsing replicas of some of design history’s most iconic chairs..

The Barcelona Chair, designed in 1929 by Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe, is one of the stylish seats to be featured. Originally created for the Barcelona Industrial Exposition as part of Van Der Rohe’s Weimar Republic’s Pavilion, these chairs were meant for the King and Queen of Spain. Today, these now-iconic chairs reproduced by Knoll, a furniture manufacturing retailer, still to Van Der Rohe’s exact specifications.

The Panton Chair, first designed by Vernner Panton in 1967, is as groundbreaking today as it was back then. At the time, plastic was a new, innovative material never before seen in furniture form. Verner’s goal was to use it to design a single-piece chair that would be at home anywhere. Today, one of the original Panton Chairs is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as an example of classic modern furniture design. Luckily for us, Vitra has been producing the chair continuously since its introduction in 1967.

For mid-century furniture lovers, the Ant Chair, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1951, might be your favourite seat in The Preloved Living + Learning Lounge. Initially, the Ant Chair was designed using only three materials: teak wood, chrome legs and rubber feet. The scarcity of materials in Europe after World War Two forced designers to get creative with the materials they had available. Jacobsen pioneered the technique of bending a single piece of teak to create a seat, creating several similar designs that we still use today.

Learn more about design history, sustainability and how to incorporate pre-loved pieces into your modern home when the ladies of A Good Chick To Know take the HGTV Main Stage on Friday, Oct 18. at 2PM, Saturday, Oct 19. at 6PM and Sunday, Oct. 20 at 1PM. You can also find the ladies on Twitter or check out their website and blog for more interesting decorating tidbits.

Purchase your tickets online today and save $3 off regular adult admission. See you at the show!

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How to turn ho-hum walls into eye-catching accents!

Don’t risk committing an interior design crime by leaving your walls blank forever! From shelving to decals to mirrors, there are countless ways to turn your walls into eye candy. Just follow these three simple tips from the experts appearing at the Vancouver Home + Design Show to turn your walls from snooze-worthy to stunning.

1. Magical Mirrors 

Mirrors automatically make a space appear bigger and brighter. Christine Friend, owner of the Friendly Decorator, believes you don’t always have to shell out big bucks for a great mirror to freshen up your home. She suggests stopping by Homesense to find a mirror that doubles as a piece of art and light reflector. Feel free to splurge on a large, ornate piece or opt for an assortment of smaller ones to group together.

Catch Christine on the HGTV Main Stage at the Vancouver Home + Design Show on Friday Oct. 18 at 3PM, Saturday Oct. 19 at 12PM and Sunday Oct. 20 at 3PM.

2. Paint Perfect

There’s more to an accent wall than decorative accessories. Annie Sloan, painter and author, believes a room can be transformed with a simple can paint. Choose a single surface as your feature wall, then select a colour that is different yet complimentary to the rest of the walls in the room, and go wild! Annie recommends a bold statement hue, such as bright blue.

Learn more from the painting expert when she appears on the HGTV Main Stage at the Vancouver Home + Design Show on Saturday Oct. 19 at 11AM and again at 5PM.

3. Wallpaper Whimsy

Design duo Jennifer Scott and Megan Baker, designers at A Good Chick To Know, tells all their clients to allocate a good portion of their budgets towards sofas, beds and wallpaper. Wallpaper is a great way to create a feature wall and incorporate home décor trends into a space. Plaid is the popular pattern du jour, try it in a muted hue to add interest to the wall behind your bed. If you aren’t ready to commit to wallpaper, try playing with wall decals instead. Most can be easily applied and removed, leaving you stress-free when you are ready for something new!

For more design tips, don’t miss Jennifer at the Vancouver Home + Design Show. She will be on the HGTV Main Stage with Megan on Friday Oct. 18 at 2PM, Saturday Oct. 19 at 6PM and Sunday Oct. 20 at 1PM.

What wall design trick will you be incorporating into your home?

FOR 2-FOR-1 TICKETS TO THE SHOW CLICK HERE & SAVE! 

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Effortless Entertaining: Six easy tips for getting guest-ready

Place settings: check! Floral arrangements: done! Canapés: disappearing quickly!

Hosting your guests for a holiday dinner party or afternoon soirée can feel a little overwhelming, especially when given little time to prepare (we've all been treated to a surprise familial visit or two). Thankfully, the experts presenting at the Calgary and Vancouver Home + Design Shows know a thing or two about readying your home for stylish and welcoming get-together, impromptu or otherwise. Whether you have hours or minutes to stage your abode, we've compiled their six best tips for prepping your home for company.

Jennifer Scott, founder and one-half of interior design duo A Good Chick To Know, is a pro at handling spur-of-the-moment soirées.  

1. Music

There’s no better way than music to set the tone for a gathering. Find the right playlist for your intended evening, whether you’re having a few girlfriends over for wine and gossip, or hosting the whole clan for an afternoon BBQ.

2. Ambient lighting

Kill the overhead lights and put match to candle! Softer lighting creates a more relaxed, inviting environment.

3. Hide your daily items

Tuck away magazines and toss the laundry back into the bedroom! Tidying everyday clutter allows guests full access to your furniture, makes the space feel instantly cleaner and lets your design concept shine.

See A Good Chick to Know live at the VancouverHome + Design Show on Saturday Oct. 19 at 6PM and Sunday Oct. 20 at 1PM. 

Jillian Harris, celebrity designer and co-host of Love It or List It Vancouver, likes to add a dash of natural colour to make guests feel right at home.

4. Flowers

Pop out to the garden or pick up a cheery bouquet from the corner store to instantly brighten and freshen your space.

See Jillian Harris and her co-host Todd Talbot live at the Calgary Home + Design Show on Friday Sept. 20 at 7PM and Saturday Sept. 21 at 3PM & 7PM, and at the Vancouver Home + Design Show on Friday Oct. 18 at 7PM and Saturday Oct. 19 at PM & 7PM

Christine Friend, the Friendly Decorator, recommends two ways to impress house guests.

5. Polish

If you have time, give your chrome fixtures and glass surfaces a quick polish,  removing any evidence of sticky fingers and making your home sparkle!

6. Set the table

Whether readying for a sit-down meal or grab-and-go grazing, setting the table accordingly makes guests feel taken care of. Plus, a welcoming spread diverts attention from other potentially messy areas.

See Christine Friend live at the Vancouver Home + Design Show on Friday Oct. 18 at 3PM, Saturday Oct. 19 at 12PM and Sunday Oct. 20 at 3PM.

Make these entertaining tricks part of your party prepping routine and impress your guests with a home that is warm, inviting and ready for anything.

Which of these tips will you use the next time you entertain?

Get more home entertaining advice at the Calgary and Vancouver Home + Design Shows! Purchase your tickets online for Calgary and Vancouver today and save $3 on regular adult admission.

     

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ASK THE EXPERT: Design Duo, A Good Chick To Know

Jennifer Scott and her sidekick, Megan Baker, (AKA the interior design duo from A Good Chick to Know, are a mere weeks away from their BC Home + Garden Show debut! We recently sat down with the pair to talk shop and get some answers to our décor dilemmas.

Photo by Tracey Ayton Photography, Design by A Good Chick To Know

What was the first home design/improvement project you ever worked on? How did it turn out?

Megan: I told my mom I needed to stay home sick from school, when actually I was waiting for the chance to paint my room. It turned out bubble gum pink.

What design trends are you happy didn’t last?

Jennifer: Anything peach or dusty-rose – I’m a child of the 80s and am haunted by memories of everything from the wallpaper to the towel bars (holding the “display-not-to-actually-use” matching towels) in those colours.

Name one décor/home appliance item you think it’s ok to splurge on.

Jennifer: The sofa. Whether it’s vintage or brand-new luxury, spending money on the largest (and ideally most comfortable and well-used) item in your main living space is always worth it.

What’s the first step for any home project?

Megan: Check out what you have and love already. A lot of projects start with us editing client pieces to those that are the best examples of their personality.

What’s the one change a person can make to create the biggest design impact in a room?

Jennifer: My go-to for a cheap and cheerful update to any space is whitewashing the walls, and then adding a pop wallpaper as a feature. White is fresh, always chic and creates a gallery feel that allows a homeowner’s treasures to stand out.

Best app for design/renovation projects?

Megan: Spend Free. It’s a budget-tracking app that subtracts from your bottom line while you shop. There can be multiple budgets going at once and everything turns red when you’re getting near the limit.

Inspiration comes from everywhere. What’s the craziest thing that has inspired you?

Jennifer: I totally draw visual reference from all my experiences, but one project that that stands out is a display suite for Larco we designed as part of the BC’s Best Young Designer competition. The overall vision came from this one vintage orange lamp, picked up at a little shop on Main Street. The space was a blend of west coast warmth, graphic play and midcentury styling, complete with a bold orange and gold colour scheme. It’s still one of my favourite projects to date!

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Watch for Jennifer and Megan as they hit the HGTV Main StageThursday, February 21 at 5PM, Friday, February 22 at 5PM, and Sunday, February 23 at 4PM presented by BC Home & Garden Magazine.

 

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