Have A HART: Pamper Your Pooch For A Great Cause

We all want to design cozy, comfortable living spaces for ourselves, but what about our furry companions? It's time to treat your pup to the luxury doghouse they deserve. This year's Barkitecture media challenge pairs some of Edmonton's most familiar faces with professional contractors; they'll work together to design a doghouse fit for royalty.

The best part about this feature is that each dream doghouse will be auctioned off at the show, with proceeds benefitting the Humane Animal Rescue Team. HART is a non-profit organization that is devoted to rescuing and rehabilitating stray, abandoned, and unwanted dogs, and finding permanent, loving homes for them.

Established in 2003, HART provides programs that promote responsible pet ownership and prevent cruelty to animals. The organization also supports spay and neuter initiatives that reduce the number of unwanted litters.

By bidding on one of the fabulous doghouses that will be on display at the show, you will be giving HART volunteers the resources they need to provide foster care, socialization, and basic training that rescued dogs need to get them ready for adoption.

HART's mission is to transform lonely, scared or sick dogs into happy and healthy companions. We want our fabulous Barkitecture feature to raise awareness for this amazing cause, because all dogs deserve a loving home, and a luxury doghouse is just a great bonus!

Don't miss the Barkitecture media challenge at the Edmonton Renovation Show, January 23-25 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Don't have tickets for the show yet? Get 2-for-1 on our Facebook Ticket Deals.

JANUARY 23-25, 2015
EDMONTON EXPO CENTRE

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This Or That: Bathroom Bliss

Although most people are of the opinion that only teenage girls spend a lot of time in the bathroom, when you think about it, we all do. It’s one of the first rooms we visit when we wake up, and the last we see before we go to bed. It’s where we give ourselves pep talks, sing our hearts out, and unwind when the world has been especially cruel. We do our bathing, shaving, makeup, hair, and more in there. So it makes sense that it’s one of the spaces that homeowners most commonly renovate. People want to feel comfortable in their bathrooms. But what appeals to one person might not necessarily work for another.

Of the choices below, which do you think is the more luxurious bathroom? Do you like Option A’s spa-inspired scarsity? Or do you prefer Option B’s more practical aesthetic? 

Option A

Image via Van Wanrooij

Option B

Image via The Style Files

Our Choice:

This “this or that” ultimately boils down to the age old battle between function and fashion. Both bathrooms are very nice, but Option A is truly a work of art. We love everything in this gorgeous bathroom, but we can’t help noticing what’s missing: storage. There’s a lovely soaker tub and a serene standing shower, but there’s no place to put your stuff. Option B may be smaller and less impressive, but it’s far more practical. For us, when it comes to the bathroom we definitely choose function – we’ll always make it as fashionable as possible, but there’s got to be space for all our stuff or it’s not the right bathroom design for us.

Our choice was based on need – we’ve got to have lots of storage in our bathroom. Aside from the essentials, what do you absolutely have to have in your bathroom? What would your dream bathroom be like? Let us know below! 

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Dream On: 7 Amazingly Ridiculous Features For Your Home

For most, home improvement projects are rooted somewhere in between dreams, budgets, and practicality. Homeowners responsibly create rooms they love. But what if money, space, and time weren't a factor? The renovations you decide to undertake might become very lavish. You may find yourself putting extravagant, luxurious, over-the-top items and features in your home and garden. Need some inspiration for this fantasy? Check out these seven amazing but ridiculous things for your property.

1. Hammock Floor - Great for sitting, napping, and hanging out, the hammock floor is a must-have when you could have it all.

Image via Apartment Therapy

2. Swimming Pool Movie Theater - The swimming pool movie theater is two luxury features in one - what could be better?

Image via Ebaumsworld

3. Secret Room - Inspired by Batman and Harry Potter, every child has dreamed of having a secret room in their home. Make the fantasy come true!

Image via The Huffington Post

Ok, we'd probably try and do this even if we did have some pretty severe budget and space limitations!

4. Staircase Slide - Why walk down the stairs when you can slide down the stairs? Think of all the time you'll save!

Image via Yahoo News

5. Swimming Pool Balcony - The awesomeness of the swimming pool balcony is pretty self-explanatory.

Image via My Modern Met

6. Clear Bathtub - For some reason, when things that aren't normally see-through are see-through (especially when they contain water) they are 50 times cooler.

Image via Imgur

7. Green Roof - Imagine all the activities you could do up there! Golf, picnics, star gazing, the list is endless.

Image via Ecofriend

These are some pretty outrageous home improvement projects, so we have to ask: if you didn't have any constraints, would you actually try any of the upgrades we listed? Or is there a different project you'd undertake?

Planning a more practical renovation? Make sure to head to the Marketplace Events home show nearest you for design inspiration and advice. Check out the shows that are happening in your area - US Shows & Canadian Shows.

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