IDEAS FOR INSIDE AND OUT

Maximize your living space with a wealth of inspiration at the Ottawa Home & Garden Show, which offers 300 exhibitors and glorious gardens. Spark your creativity with ideas for everything from sleek spaces to sustainable options,

Whether it’s a high-tech tower to grow herbs in your kitchen or a backyard campfire at the touch of a button, blurring the line between home and garden is a “huge trend” we’ll be seeing more of in 2017.

“A lot of people are looking at maximizing their living space and making outdoors feel like inside and inside feel like outside,” explained Robert Johnstone, manager of the Ottawa Home & Garden Show, which brings 300 exhibitors and eight gardens full of blooms and inspiration to the EY Centre through Sunday.

People also want upgrades to their spaces, indoors and out, to be kinder to the Earth and their wallet by saving energy and reusing or recycling materials, he said, pointing to the Ultimate Upcycle Challenge where contestants will turn Habitat for Humanity Re-Store finds into functional urban gardens.

“We’re seeing a lot of our exhibitors bringing eco-friendly and sustainable options, different ways to take the footprint of your home or condo and make it more affordable and sustainable,” Johnstone said.

Gather ’round the campfire: The made-in-Canada Serenade fire bowl is billed as offering all the fun of a backyard blaze without ever having to chop wood. It just needs to be hooked to a fuel source, natural gas or propane, and comes in half-a-dozen...