Judith Lowe, 'Twiqued homes are unique!'

It is so wonderful to see so many people donating time, service and talents for the benefit of others. A number of decorators in the Vancouver area had a home tour on the weekend in addition to the Burnaby Deer lake tour. I love the trees that businesses sponsor in the different communities and the proceeds go to such worthy causes. Christmas just brings out the best in everyone! What good deeds are you aware of?

Are you looking forward to getting your home ready for the holidays? I know I am. There are so many colour choices this year to focus on. Should I go Robin's egg blue, white and silver - with some fluffy feathers? Or, do I go more traditional with the reds and greens? Hmm, whatever you choose it should be something you love, whether you are pulling out favourites from years past or want to 'take it up a notch' this year and try some of the season's fun colours like the above mentioned blue and lime green, or, maybe the rosy pinks with some light pink and gold mixed in.

Oh, and how about those new artificial trees - they are coming in colours like white or pink or have all the lights built in - too bad I prefer a real tree ~ especially the fragrance!

Which do you prefer? Whatever it is have fun planning your holiday decor!

Have you ever had to decorate your room around a rather large television? Perhaps a big, square box called a sub woofer, not to mention at least 4 large speakers for surround sound, and let's not forget the center channel speaker - which of course, has to sit on the top of the television! How do you decorate, or even set up your room with all of this equipment to contend with? Below I hope to give you some guidelines to help tame the wire mess and perhaps help couples reach a compromise in the audio-visual component department.

If you are one of those fortunate people who has a dedicated theatre room consider yourself extremely lucky! However, if you are like the majority of people who have enough trouble finding space to meet all the needs of day to day living, you will probably be sharing your living, or family, or great room with the audio system. In our house, my husband brought in a television so large we call it 'George'. It is now part of the family! All kidding aside, finding a compromise can often pose a challenge to couples. He wants the surround sound 5.1 system with the two front, two rear and center channel speakers - oh don't forget the sub woofer! She wants to be able to shut it all away so that when company comes over the audio-visual system does not become the focal point of the room. How do you reach a compromise?

In many cases a good stand for the system can bridge the opinion gap and peace can reign once more. When you are looking for an audio stand, you really need to consider a few pertinent points. Once the client has engaged my services I usually have to work with what is there. Occasionally we are able to work together to solve the issue with the purchase of a new stand.

In order to make the most informed decision, I would need to know the following prior to making a suggestion as to which stand would best suit the space, the furniture and the client.

1. What is the style of the furniture, or the style preference of the client? Does the client lean toward the classic, traditional styling and an enclosed cabinet is de riguer? Or is this a more modern application and it is all about the equipment and technology; an industrial feel is the focus of the room?
2. What is the function of the room; what else will be in the room? Is this room a dedicated media room where it is all about the equipment, will it be a common family/entertainment room and the equipment is on display, or is this a great room situation which is a multipurpose room and the equipment should be hidden from view?
3. Has the client made any colour choices; for instance, will the stand be sitting in front of a flat wall, in a corner etc. and will that wall be a neutral colour and we want the equipment to fade into it, or will it be a colour and we want the equipment to 'float' on the wall - so the glass shelves will allow light to flow through them?
4. Will dust be an issue? Clear glass hides it, black glass can emphasize it, doors on a cabinet can eliminate it.
5. Does the client need easy access to the equipment; is it necessary for the cables to be within reach, or can they be hidden from sight?

Once answers to the above questions are settled, I could then make a suggestion as to which stand would best suit the style of the room, the function of the situation and the preference of the client. In many cases you can go on-line to research stand choices, however, a good audio-visual specialist should be able to direct you to a couple of good options. If this still doesn't work for you and you find you are having difficulty finding exactly what you want, you could consider a built in, or a custom made system.

Often, you can work with a local cabinet company who would be willing to help you design cabinetry to hide your system, even replacing the inside panel of the doors with speaker fabric to allow the sound to pass through when the doors are closed. This installation would best suit a great / family room situation where you want all of your cabinetry to match throughout the space.

Whatever your choice try to think of the function of the space involved, your life style, and your furniture preference. Some planning prior to purchasing both the system and the stand could eliminate many headaches in the future and ultimately result in a room the entire family can enjoy whether you are watching a movie in surround sound or entertaining family and friends. Good luck on your journey.

By: Judith Lowe B.Ed.,IDD, CRSS, DCC, owner of Twiques: The Art of Home Comfort, professional stager, redesigner and interior decorator.

Copyright ©2007 Twiques, The Art of Home Comfort. All Rights Reserved.

Just an update on the new paint by Benjamin Moore, Aura. I recently painted my office with the new Aura paint. It is self priming and covers well. I did notice a few spots that needed touching up after it had dried,but am not sure if it was the paint, or my hesitancy to roll the paint out too much for fear of it causing a problem. One thing that was emphasized to me was that you could not overwork the paint or you would have problems. I would use this paint again, however, as the final finish is lovely and the paint reasonably easy to work with. You do have to be cautious if you are keeping paint in your tray that you keep a damp paper towel over the tray and the roller/brushes to prevent it drying out on you.

If you are looking for renovators, contractors, etc. to update and renovate you home, you should check out the erenovate site. They have regional listings and contact info for renovators in your area. They will soon be launching an affiliate site which will focus more on interiors. Check them out soon!