Living Magazine Volume1 Issue6 January 1997

CREATIVE SPACES By Margaret Peterson Contributing writer to Western Living

From creative gardening to personal finance downtown urban living has many rewards.

Small space design is about using less to achieve more. In many of today's homes, living and dining rooms are doubled up to form one large area where most activities take place. With a little creativity and a few decorating tips, you can make the most of your living space. Just remember that every detail counts. An important basic rule is that similar colours make spaces look larger... while too many colours have the opposite effect. With this in mind, it's wise to decorate in similar shades. Choose the same shade -- or a closely related one -- for walls, rugs and major items of furniture. This will help to create an uninterrupted, harmonious flow throughout your living area, while allowing you to use your furniture in different rooms. Don't be afraid to use colour. Even if you are partial to green walls, your ideas will work in a small space as long as you have a similar coloured sofa. The key is to use a limited palette of colours. You can introduce a wider array of colours with smaller accents such as pillows and dining room chair coverings. Another basic rule in smaller spaces: keep your furnishings to a minimum. Furniture such as chests can do double duty as coffee tables, while providing storage space. A credenza makes the ideal entertainment unit. And when company arrives, simply pull dining room chairs over to the living room area for additional seating. Take advantage of nature's gifts and borrow space from the outside whenever possible. Views from large windows should be the focal point of any room... so make sure you arrange your furniture to leave window space unobstructed. This will help to create the illusion that the floor space continues on to the outside. When the final touches have been completed, put up your feet and rest assured that you have maximized your living space, while making it uniquely yours. And after all, that's a large part of what living is all about. You'll find almost everything you need to get started, right in the local area, at these home decorating stores: Ames Paints, 1263 Pacific Boulevard. 899-2233. At Home Antiques & Home Accessories, 1088 Hamilton. 682-3273. Bayliss Richards Inc. (lighting), 1130 Mainland. 685-3969. BBA Design Consultants Inc., 202 -- 1168 Hamilton. 688-4434. Bernstein & Gold, 1168 Hamilton. 687-1535. Bonaparte N Designs Ltd., 1102 Homer. 688-8555. Cara Iron Decor, 1006 Mainland. 532-7007. Corniche Interiors, 1018 Mainland. 669-8982. Heritage Furniture, 1280 Homer. 688-2381. Ital Interiors Ltd., 1028 Hamilton. 685-0037. Knock Knock, 1091 Hamilton. 687-0233. Living Space, 1100 Mainland. 683-1116. May European Furniture Galleries, 1148 Homer. 682-1483. Norwalk, 980 Cambie. 681-6363. Omega Designs, 1109 Homer. 681-3808. Yaletown Interiors, 1004 Hamilton. 669-7544.

By David Tarrant Host of CBC's 'Canadian Gardener'

My previous column in Living! No. 5 discussed some of the fine points of outdoor patio and balcony gardening. Now let's consider another facet of this specialized subject: gardening in enclosed balconies. Many downtown urban dwellers now have glass-enclosed balconies, which pose a totally different challenge for successful plant growing than do exposed garden areas. Because of the extra heat involved, most of the annual plants we deal with outside will be most unhappy under glass -- with the exception of pelargoniums which, without winter dieback, will become quite shrubby as they do in their native home of Africa. With the extra protection of glass, the types of plants you can grow will need some extra TLC during the winter months. I'll touch briefly on some of the key considerations. Heat and light. From spring through fall, heat from the sun will be more than adequate -- and depending on your location, winter heating may not be an issue. However, if an enclosed patio is north or east-facing, you should use a small space heater just enough to prevent frost. Air circulation. In an enclosed balcony, good air circulation is essential in cutting down on fungus disease. If open windows don't give enough air movement, use a fan. If the glass is the type that keeps out U.V. rays, you won't have to be too concerned about plants burning. But if you notice a lot of leaf scorch during the height of the summer months, you'd be wise to invest in some blinds. These can be lowered and raised according to the weather. Plant types. With the added protection of glass, you can be a little more experimental with plants. You might try some of the larger temperate shrubby plants, such as eucalyptus, bottlebrush and some of the wonderful jasmines which are so sweetly scented during early spring. All of these shrubby plants can start out in smaller pots, but should be repotted each year into larger ones. Other attractive possibilities include camelias and some of the smaller magnolias. Watering and feeding should be as for outdoor patio plants during the growing season -- at least daily, especially for east, west and south facing plants. You should water much less -- say once a month -- during the winter months. On occasion, because of the enclosed space, pests and disease can become problems. Greenhouse suppliers sell sticky yellow boards which may be hung behind plants to catch troublesome pests like whitefly and aphids. Spidermite can be kept at bay by daily misting of the floor and leaves of the plants. As for fungus diseases, moving air will largely help prevent them. If you do get a problem with something like powdery mildew, make up a mixture of one teaspoon of baking soda to a litre of soapy water and spray your susceptible plants once every ten days throughout summer. For gardening supplies and advice, try one of these nearby stores: Art Knapp, 1401 Hornby. 662-3303. Creative Plant Interiors, 328 Nelson. 602-9889. Knock, Knock, 1091 Hamilton. 687-0233.

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