Kitchen – Investing in Vacation Properties

Text by Norma-Jean Alt

More and more people are purchasing vacation homes. For some, it’s just a way to make vacations easier with less bother. But many are buying luxurious second homes with investment in mind. Vacation Kitchen – Investing in properties, given favorable demo-graphic trends, are a powerful, long-term investment, one that will sig-nificantly increase your ability to profit from today’s real estate boom.

But luxury home buyers are very demanding. A booming economy fuelled by record highs on the Stock Exchange means that it’s becoming even harder to keep up with the neighbors. While a walk-in closet was considered a staple of a luxury home a decade ago, today’s market has driven expectations much higher.

Luxury…Luxury…and More Luxury

When it comes to upscale vacation homes, luxury is the word in emerging kitchen trends. Many homeowners are installing restaurant-style kitchens in their huge vacation homes and not just for their use, but for their personal chefs and caterers to use. Big elaborate butler’s pantries have also become common in the more expensive vacation retreats.

Granite countertops are increasingly popular. Corian, concrete and new quartz-based counter tops are on some buyers’ preference lists. Freestanding furniture-style cabinetry teamed with metallic finish appliances highlight up-to-date kitchens. Colored appliances are back but today’s colors are navy blue and yellow, perhaps with touches of red.

Designers say utilitarian appliances are also key. Planning on hosting a dinner party on a weeknight? Place the main dishes in your Internet-connected hybrid oven/fridge before you leave for work in the morning, then log on in the afternoon and start the broiler remotely. Need to keep the amuse-bouches warm while you prepare the main course? Ditch the tin foil and place them in the warming drawer.

Other must-have kitchen items appearing in well-appointed holiday homes are: hotel-sized walk-in refrigerators – handy for feeding guests at your next charity function; pizza ovens; built-in cappuccino machines; fireplaces; fish tank backsplashes; and Chandeliers, which offer an added touch of elegance. And hands-free faucets will soon be coming to a kitchen near you.

Affluent consumers are still buying add-ons for their kitchens but they’re focusing less on purchases that are simply impressive and turning to products that fit with their lifestyles, make the kitchen more user-friendly and shave minutes off daily routines.

Also driving consumers to invest in top-end appliances is the fact that more families have made the kitchen into command central. Homeowners are tearing down walls and building open-plan kitchens that blend into dens or great rooms and in some cases include homework stations or home offices. Since the kitchen is becoming such an important room, people are pulling out the stops when it comes to design, which then cuts down on the amount of usable space. People are also looking for drama, so they put in an extra window, or they put in a beautiful brick hearth.

This means many kitchens have to be streamlined so they don’t clutter up the overall aesthetic, as well as to fit into what little space remains. So designers are seeing under-the-counter microwaves, dishwashers set into drawers and in-cabinet coffee makers with their own water lines installed. Other homeowners however, are going in the opposite direction, creating ever-larger kitchens that need more appliances to make use of the bigger space. Often, they install multiple “zones,” each with its own fridge, oven and sink, or a separate area for baking.

Outdoor kitchens are also becoming even more popular and opulent in summer homes, because much of our summer time is spent outside. These cooking spaces often include everything from the outdoor kitchen sink to refrigerators, ovens, ice makers and elaborate grills.

Multiple Kitchens

In some cases, second kitchens are being built to address a variety of entertaining needs. These kitchens tend to fall into three categories: high-end restaurant-style kitchens, lower-cost functional kitchens and small auxiliary kitchens used primarily for religious holidays or for entertaining. Along with these trendy additional kitchens come Sub-Zero refrigerators and high BTU stoves, with custom cabinets.

In a bizarre twist, the additional small, functional kitchen lets clients treat the main kitchen more like furniture…so it keeps its “WOW” factor. Compared to the small second kitchen, the show kitchens have the most advanced items that’s on the market at the time.

Buyers continue to look for ever new amenities in the luxury vacation home market. Today’s luxury summer homes are even packed with his-and-her features that luxury homeowners of a decade ago never even dreamed about.

Eclectic Décor Meets Luxury Living Rooms

Text by Norma –Jean Alt

We live in an era where the world has never been as accessible. And we are exploring our planet to such a degree that influences from other cultures are permeating our lifestyles. Music…food… furniture… fashion…artwork… are all impacted. Trends are blended into an eclectic décor, with treasures stemming from every marketplace.

This global trend facilitates a unique combination of eras, styles and technologies. As a result, today’s Living Room décor and furniture styles join the past with the present and brilliantly harmonizes the local with the exotic, from furniture pieces, to fabric choices, from lighting to floor coverings. Warm-colored metals used in sculptures and coffee table bases, like copper, bronze and gold are coordinated with shantung silk, velvet and embroideries used to drape oversized windows that hold spectacular views of the clean water lakes or mountain vistas just outside our vacation haven. Rural has gone very upscale. The resulting look – a refined and welcoming ambience that embraces vacationing homeowners.

Electronic Influences

One predominant urban trend that has been transplanted to vacation locales is the ongoing integration of new electronic technologies into every day living. Inspired by their energy and frantic pace, this trend advocates a décor emphasizing graphic lines, in which retro-styled furniture is arranged beside high-tech entertainment equipment. The effect – “walls down”, functional, bright and clean Living Rooms that have multiple functions. Luxury is the key word. And, more than ever before, designer labels are ‘in’, with furniture, fabrics and accessories.

The technology trend goes hand-in-hand with the idea of a “smart” house, in which everything is either programmed or remotely controlled, like your Living Room’s Entertainment Center that can be operated remotely…to security systems which are even more critical in vacation homes with absentee residents. Home automation systems work for us and are meant to simplify our lives. As usual, the aim is to increase our well-being and comfort while continuously striving to improve energy efficiency. We are spending more and more of our leisure time in our vacation homes, and consequently, more of our financial resources to ensure we have the same level of comfort and convenience in our home away from home.

Color Sensibilities

Living Room colors in these vacation homes reflect the new sensibilities and run the gauntlet from eco-friendly blues and greens to the more vibrant, multifaceted combination of brighter hues that celebrate innovation and creativity. Although walls and other key surfaces are usually seen as providing a neutral background, the use of bold accessories and prints bring color freely into play in these spaces.

Environmental Solutions

With an increasing interest in green construction and rising energy prices motivating us to find ways to save money, we are turning towards more environmentally responsible and lasting solutions. People are looking for energy-efficient products, such as “smart” windows that control the temperature in a room while letting the sunshine through, something that is especially important in vacation homes where the view is very important. These smart systems also allow you to open the blinds during the day to allow sunlight in to warm the house and close the blinds at night time, to add the desired privacy and give your home that lived-in look.

Natural products like wood, stone and wool are finding their way back into the decorating mainstream in vacation abodes, especially in the Living Room which is one of the two main gathering points in the house. Updated versions of old and traditional patterns, as well as those inspired by nature, like flowers and leaves, adorn accessories, sofas and curtain fabrics.

People are choosing items more carefully now, be it furniture or a blown-glass vase, appreciating more than ever the effort a crafts person invests in creating an original item. In decorating, this backward-looking trend has led to a fascination for 17th century-inspired design, “revised and renewed” to modern standards. Given its inclination towards embellishments, this style adds a certain poetic accent and sumptuous romanticism to our vacation homes.

This partiality for naturalness is also expressed through the desire for a more translucent look. Glass is being used much more in every room of the house, especially in the Living Rooms, as Glass mosaics and stained glass art address our growing interest in our developing passion for clean, unadulterated transparency.

As you can see, these days, opulent environments are no longer delegated to urban retreats. Vacation homes now embrace the décor philosophy of its city cousins. These days it’s difficult to discern the difference between luxurious country estates and their elegant urban counterparts.

Why Hire An Interior Decorator?

Text by Norma-Jean Alt

The Benefits of Working with an Interior Decorator

You finally have the budget, time and inclination to decorate your home. So, what’s your first step in getting the process underway?

• Should you check decorating magazines to determine style?
• Perhaps trips to fabric stores are warranted?
• Or, should you start thinking about furniture arrangements?

Although these are elements you need to consider, a much better use of your time and budget would be to start your project by hiring an interior decorator…for many reasons.

First, it’s not unusual to feel overwhelmed when you start a decoration project. But not to worry. Your interior decorator can lead you through the process as decorating is not just about “having an eye” for color, or recognizing quality furniture. Interior decorating is an extensive discipline that encompasses many specialized areas of expertise, including:

• Colors and how they relate.
• Patterns and how they interact.
• Human perception of space, depth, texture.
• Compatibility of furniture styles.
• Effective space utilization.
• Specialized painting techniques.
• Customized lighting plans.
• Possible window treatments.

Interior decorators also have knowledge of available materials and finishes. Because there are so many choices available and options change quickly, it makes more sense to hire an interior decorator than to try to wade through the pros and cons on your own.

Second, although decorators need good taste to execute a project, they also need to have business savvy to negotiate the best deals for their clients. Consequently, in order for decorators to interpret your vision successfully, you need to provide them with visual images, like postcards, magazines and photographs that reflect your aesthetic and functional criteria, so they can meet your needs and expectations.

Expectations Met…Deadlines Observed…

Third, with so many décor elements to consider, it makes more sense to hire a decorator to keep pace with all developments, as even the kind of fabrics or materials a decorator chooses can have serious health and safety consequences.

Fourth, hiring a decorator is usually the fastest way for people to realize the home of their dreams as decorators can quickly assess requirements. The result – enhanced use of project time and project money.

Fifth, decorators can develop a variety of furniture plans so that form, functionality, and fashion are always addressed. They are also familiar with current trends and know how to incorporate these trends so your interiors last longer than the “trend of the day”. Additionally, thanks to an extensive industry network, decorators can turn decorating dilemmas into decorating success stories.

Sixth, interior decorators can often provide you with one-stop shopping using their studio samples and swatches, or direct your shopping energies to the most appropriate vendors, thus eliminating the hunt and peck approach often employed by non-professionals when they decorate their homes without the benefit of an interior decorator.

Ultimately, interior decorators help you put your creative stamp in your home by dealing with decorating, furnishing and space issues, often in unique ways that ultimately transform your house into a beautiful customized home.

Furniture Trends for 2008

Text By Nancy Johnston

These days consumers are developing a more responsible and ethical attitude toward the environment which is starting to shape their purchasing habits. When it comes to buying furniture this appears to be the trend, as consumers are not only looking for quality, durability and flexibility, but also for furniture that is made according to their new values.

The trends for 2008 feature contemporary styling for urban lifestyles with soft lines and curves as well as a combination of modern design with classic traditional style. When it comes to finishes, the preferred application is a wiped-on stain that allows the wood grain to show through, or an application that gives the wood an aged look.

The concept of customization has been popular for several years now and continues to evolve by increasing design possibilities for consumers. Many buyers are opting to create their own furniture from a wide range of materials, shapes and sizes, choosing the style, type and color of wood, fabrics and accent pieces they prefer.

We are also seeing a lot of practical and intelligent furniture such as beds with built-in storage, large footrests and footstools that not only provide storage but also transform into tables, accent seating and double beds. Entertainment units that are smart, user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing, maximizing versatility for audio, video and TV equipment and can even include a fireplace. Then there are oscillating armchairs with armrests, backrests and seat rests that can be sized according to body type and a whole range of furniture that is geometrically variable, modular, transformable, foldable, lightweight and compact enough to place almost anywhere.

Armchairs, sofas and modulars are uncluttered and linear but have adopted some curves for smoothness and to streamline bulkiness. Backrests made from big, soft and cuddly cushions are big. Retro vogue can be seen in pieces with a tapered profile or contoured shape, matched with a vibrant color. Sofas for home theatres will offer storage compartments and drawers for CDs, remotes and magazines, as well as small beverage holders that can often be found nesting inside footrests. When it comes to dressing up sofas, leather is still going strong and, to everyone’s surprise, velvets are everywhere!

Color is all the rage for wood this season. While the trend to beautify spaces with warm classic browns is set to continue, the shift toward colors like Granny Smith, prune yellow, khaki orange, sun yellow, aqua, dark red Merlot, cobalt blue, cranberry, sage and Dijon is in full gear. There will be fewer opaque finishes and color will be displayed with a splash of subtlety and nuance. As for dining room chairs, accent chairs and living room sofas, the eco-trend has inspired the return of green in all its flavors: grey-green, olive green and the complete gamut of vegetable greens. Nonetheless, natural shades are sticking around to provide an elegant and sober charm. Large prints with geometric shapes and stripes, in a variety of vibrant and funky colors such as lime green, pink and bright orange provide a touch of retro, while black/white and cream/brown contrasts are set to boost the number of collections featuring contemporary styling.

We are definitely in for some bold statements in home furnishings in 2008.

Home Spas

Text By Nancy Johnston

Today, home spas come in shapes, colors and sizes to match any taste, budget and available space. The latest models include a wide variety of lighting, music, water jet and seating options. You might want lounge-style that allows you to soak while fully reclined, or you could opt for the bench or chair-type seating which accommodates more people. You can even get a floating remote control to set your music and lighting levels along with jet pressure and temperature.

Home spas can be located almost anywhere that you have the space and access to water and electricity. Portable home spas can be setup and moved relatively easily. Some people opt to have them installed into an existing bathroom or bedroom, while others will convert a porch or sunroom into a spa room. Indoors or out, cold weather or warm, home spas are relaxing and an enjoyable way to soak away what ails you. In a 2005 study of eight hot tubs the Alberta Research Council found two Arctic Spas models to be the most efficient, followed by Beachcomber and Hot Springs Portable Spas.

Arctic spas were developed 12 years ago in Alberta. They are insulated the same way as homes, with insulated walls, cabinet, floor and spa rim underside so that any heat off the pump and electric motors is retained, creating a sealed dead air space you find in houses. That trapped heat then transfers through the spa shell to help warm the water which reduces heating costs. It costs an average of $20 a month to run an Arctic Spa tub, depending on usage and temperature. The average purchase price is around $10,000 but small tubs can be bought for $4,000, while larger, top-of-the-line models cost $20,000. One of the biggest-selling features at Arctic Spas is the “forever floor,” a fiberglass base, which enables hot tubs to be put on grass without the need for a concrete pad. All that’s required under the tub is some limestone screening.

Beachcomber is the longest, continuous manufacturer of hot tubs in Canada. Since 1978, Beachcomber’s tubs, made in Surrey, B.C., have been using Protec construction, where all the equipment is outside the tub under the step leading up to it. This allows them to fully foam-inject the tub underneath the floor as well as giving better accessibility for service and repairs and providing a quieter operation because the equipment is not under the seats. When water is surging through lines, you don’t hear anything because the lines are embedded in foam. The average monthly cost to run a Beachcomber spa is $18 and the purchase price ranges from $8,000 to $11,000.

Get ready to relax this winter in a Softub hot tub. With a set-up so simple, the portable spa can provide pleasure whenever you need pampering. Lightweight and built to withstand the Canadian winters, it uses very little electricity about $7 a month. Available in six earth tones, the four-person model 1.8 meters in diameter with a depth of 61 cm sells for $3,795. The larger, deeper (69 cm) model has eight jets, colored lights and retails for $4,295.

Hot tubs of today are a far cry from the hot springs used by early man for warmth and natural treatments. Now, you can get extra jets, waterfalls, colored lights, sound systems and other features. Some tubs come with a cooling-off seat, which allows people to sit with half their body out of the water if they get too hot. Others are tailored to individuals who are standing all day, as they have calf jets, which massage sore feet and legs. Whatever your needs there is a home spa designed to meet them.