It all adds up when it comes to one’s home, but some approaches are smarter math than others with interior design and renovations.
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Good design starts with crunching numbers, says interior designer Karl Lohnes.
It comes with knowing some handy ratios for what really works visually.
Take chandeliers, for instance, Lohnes says, honing in on mistakes people make with lighting during in his talk, the Top 5 Decorating Mistakes and How to Fix Them, on the Main Stage at the Edmonton Fall Home Show on Oct. 19 and 20.
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Chandeliers add a sculptural element to a dining area. The proportions of the rest of the room and furniture can enhance or detract. Lohnes offers some pretty simple numbers to land lighting that visually fits: measure the width of the room and give your lighting two inches of diameter for each foot of room width. A 10-foot wide dining area could take a chandelier that’s 20 inches diameter. And the right height? Start with 66 inches off the floor to the bottom of the fixture.
Once the numbers are crunched and the approximate size of the fixture is determined, Lohnes suggests grouping like with like to help create a sense of cohesiveness — a round fixture above a round table, a rectangular chandelier above a rectangular table.
Along with his two Main Stage presentations, Lohnes is further available for in-person, one-on-one design consultations with show goers at the Ask Us Live booth.
Celebrity contractor Bryan Baeumler is also all about crunching numbers. Budget numbers. Where are you going to spend your renovation budget, he asks during his Main Stage presentations at the Fall Home Show. On things you want now or things that make you money in the long run?
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Baeumler uses the analogy of a boat with a hole in it — do you buy a pump to deal with the water sloshing around the bottom and then have to buy a life raft, or do you fix the hole and keep on sailing? His advice takes a page from how he observed people living in the Bahamas while he and his family lived there renovating a hotel and filming the popular show Island of Bryan. Instead of taking out the largest mortgage possible and spending a long time paying it back, consider buying a less expensive home and then renovating it with things that save you money over time. Spray foam insulation, while a more expensive outlay initially than other forms of insulation, will save you more on every single energy bill afterward, he says, leaving you richer over time.
Along with a full slate of Main Stage presenters, there are many things to explore at the Edmonton Fall Home Show. Here are a few ideas.
Keep your swing in shape: Check out the options for a home golf simulator at Par2Pro and True Home Cinema Northern Shades.
Soak up the heat: For those who love soaking in hot tubs, Arctic Spas and Leisure Products, and World of Spas are at the show. For those prefer a dry heat, There are also saunas are on display in the Nordic by Nature display.
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Need help with a renovation? There are renovators, handyman services and suppliers of windows, doors, flooring, tiling, kitchen cabinets, bathroom faucets and all sorts of related experts to meet.
Gone to the dogs: There is even a dog house (Adnet Agency/K9 Candy) and dogs (and cats) to adopt (Barrhead Animal Rescue Society) at the show.
The Edmonton Fall Home Show runs until Oct. 20 at the Edmonton Expo. For tickets and information, visit edmontonfallhomeshow.com
More home projects on your horizon? Mark your calendars for the Edmonton Renovation Show in January and the Edmonton Home and Garden Show at the end of March.
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