From the president

Welcome, everyone, to the first official newsletter from The Online Designer! I thank you all for taking such an interest in what The Online Designer has to offer. I hope you’ll find this newsletter helpful, informative and entertaining. And if you do, please share it with your friends!

I would like to thank everyone involved in the technical side of the development of The Online Designer, including www.RuzeCommunications.ca for the great design and the boys at www.digifi.ca for their incredible programming skills. And a special thanks to everyone who has taken an interest in the project and listened to me talk about it for the past year, including my mom and dad, my ever-supportive husband and the girls from knitting club. Your encouragement has meant so much! If you haven’t already done so, please take a tour of the site to see how The Online Designer can work for you or someone you know: www.theonlinedesigner.com 

Sincerely,

Claire

Designer-speak dictionary

Ever watch the decorating shows and wonder what they mean by “scale”?  It’s a term often used in conjunction with its close relative, “proportion”.  What they usually mean is that an object’s size should be relative to (or to scale with) the size of the space or other objects around it.

An easy example to help understand scale is the size of a hanging frame relative to the furniture found under it, such as a console table or a sofa.  Look at the photo below.  Would you agree that the frame is a bit too small for the size of the sofa?  It would be better off being wider, or even if two of this size were positioned one above the other.  The scale relationship between frame and sofa is much more successful in the photo above.

Avoid "quantity" over "quality"

When we choose accessories too small in scale compared to their surroundings, we see it doesn’t look quite right.  So how do we try to fix this?  By adding more!  This “quantity-over-quality” error occurs with this fireplace.  There are so many small pieces on the mantle that we end up not noticing much of anything beyond the painting and maybe the tall candlestick.  A mantle of this size requires objects that have enough visual weight to hold their own and be noticed, such as a round vase (at least 12" in diameter) or a pair of tall, chunky candlesticks or hurricane lamps.  This vignette would be better scaled with a much larger painting or mirror, or a set of three frames to fill the wall space.

Keep things "grounded"

It took a while to find an example of something being too big in relation to its surroundings since mostly we tend to err on the side of too small.  But in this last photo, can you see that the frame is too large for the table beneath it, making it look kind of top heavy?  We could add more “weight” to the bottom of this vignette by using a chunkier, wider table with a larger vase or statue on it.  We could also add a floor lamp and an accent chair or a pair of accent chairs to either side of the table.

Featured Product

I have yet to see a magazine ad for the Aura line of paints from Benjamin Moore, but from speaking with my painter it seems really to be a product worth taking note of.  He was privvy to a special demonstration where they showed that – now get this – this paint is self-priming which means you can apply it directly to plaster or new drywall.  In addition, you can often get away with applying just a single coat (although they don’t mention this on the product website because they can’t guarantee it, which is understandable.  They do, however, guarantee coverage in no more than two coats.)  On top of being mildew-resistant, it is washable (even the matte finish!) and takes well to touch-ups.  Imagine the savings that could be involved with not having to buy primer for a whole room of new drywall, and the time saved if one coat really did the trick?  For your next painting project, talk to your paint supplier for more information on this line of products to know if it is right for your needs.  Let us know if you use it and if it’s as great as it sounds!

Eco-friendly decorating

Trashy falls into both of these categories!  This attractive, cleverly thought-out recycling, waste and compost centre is made with post-industrial recycled formaldahyde-free MDF.  Made in Canada, it doubles as a moveable kitchen island making it ideal for enhancing the work surface area of small kitchen spaces.  There are drawers for plastic bag storage and for hazardous waste items such as batteries or compact fluorescent lightbulbs, and all compartments are removable for washing.  Trashy comes in three luscious standard colours but can also be customized with a wood veneer finish or custom colour.  Further customizing options include a butcher block, child-friendly chalk board, towel bar, or legs instead of castors.  There is even a cost-effective version called Cheap Trash (!) that uses the same quality of materials but features fewer parts and is available unpainted so you can finish it yourself.  Take the tour for yourself at www.gettrashy.com.  Who’d have thought that waste management could be so chic?