Maximizing your townhome space

Dec 16, 2015

Maximizing your townhome space

For readers in need of décor and design tips, the Sun recently caught up with the acclaimed and in-demand Lisa Rogers at Dunpar Homes’ unveiling of its décor centre.

Dunpar, a luxury homebuilder, opened its Etobicoke décor centre to assist customers in choosing the right finishes and decorative items.
In addition to on-site consultants, Rogers, interior designer for Dunpar Homes and a Cityline guest expert, will lend her expertise, as requested.
Mirella Sarrapochiello, Dunpar’s vice-president of sales and marketing, says the company decided to open the décor centre as a way to help homebuyers investing large sums of money in luxury homes make decisions they’re truly happy with. She says it makes a dream home that much more attainable.
“It’s helpful for them to get more ideas,” she said. “A lot of people do have trouble visualizing their space, so it’s good to have someone walk them through and understand flow and how things work together. It’s hard to read on (floor) plans. They might come in with ideas from magazines, but we’ll have a consultant to make sure things work perfectly for them.”
Rogers dispensed advice on maximizing space in townhouses. Given that they’re emphatically vertical and narrow, hardwood flooring is the foundation upon which to decorate and design.
Hardwood floors throughout the unit — upstairs and downstairs — manipulate perception by making the unit appear longer than it really is. Additionally, a light shade of paint, like white, will give the illusion of spaciousness.
“Flow is important in a home from the moment you walk in through to the last room,” said Rogers. “When you do hardwood all the way up, it looks like something out of New York City. Hardwood is linear and makes things appear that much bigger and longer. Your eyes get carried, so it has a spacious feeling. When you have it throughout your house, you have a lovely flow. No continuity disrupts flow and makes the house look piecemeal.
“White or light colours make things bigger and brighter, where as dark colours make them appear smaller.”
For homeowners considering resale, hardwood flooring is of the utmost importance. “It’s strategically important,” Rogers said.
Kitchen cabinetry and countertops are also principal pieces and using colours like red, purple or green hurts resale value. Classical colours like wood, white, lacquer, matte, black and charcoal grey are excellent choices, however, bright colours can be visually exhausting, said Rogers.
“You’re in one linear space, so from your living room down, there should be a pattern throughout your space,” she said. “Let’s say you have a black countertop, you could go with black chairs and a black chandelier in the dining room, and black cushions or a black sofa in the living room. You need to repeat and carry this beautiful flow.”
Woven cloths with an ethnic twist are all the rage this season, too. Cloths and blankets from India and Africa, in particular, are excellent pieces to adorn furniture or bed bottoms. Here, mixing colour is encouraged.
If you’re moving, Rogers strongly advises you to declutter and discard surplus pieces, as difficult as that may be. By choosing quality over quantity, retained pieces become prominent, not to mention special.
“Let it go — it’s good for your head and it’s good for your home,” she said. “Declutter before moving. Empty spaces do help and you can make what you have special. Less is best!”
Promulgating the virtues of townhouse living, Rogers says the inclusion of increasingly popular home elevators has turned townhomes into a functional alternative to condos for older generations.
“Condos are impersonal,” said Rogers. “Townhomes have space and feel like a house but have the same convenience as a condo.”

Source: Toronto Sun

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