Warm it up!
Dear Debbie;
The mudroom and laundry room in our bungalow are located off the garage. It is very handy, but not particularly warm. Any suggestions on how to make these spaces more comfortable during the winter months? Thomas
Dear Thomas;
Some extra heat is much appreciated when it’s cold outside. For a bathroom, a heated floor and/or towel warmers spell luxury most any time of year. The bathroom is the most likely place to pamper ourselves. But why not spread the joy to other rooms? There are stand alone towel warmers that simply plug in to a regular electrical socket, and can be moved to wherever they are needed. Amba Products’ Solo towel warmer, shown here in a bathroom, takes on much more than damp towels. It acts as an electric heater, warming the air around it.
There are multiple sizes and styles of Amba towel warmers www.ambaproducts.com. The stainless steel units are available in brushed, polished, oil-rubbed bronze and white finishes. In your laundry room you can dry damp clothing, and with a digital heat controller you can also safely dry delicate clothes. There are models that attach permanently to the wall as well as the stand alone model. In your mudroom the space heater will take off the chill as well as dry wet clothes, boots and jackets. By warming the air and cutting down on humidity, the towel warmers help prevent mould and mildew. They are a good investment, and eco-friendly as they can save on heating bills.
Dear Debbie;
I am redecorating our large family room, which sits over the garage and cistern. The floor is cold, so although I would love a wood floor, carpeting is the best solution. I want to change the fireplace; it has a grey brick surround with old red brick above the mantel that reaches to the ceiling. Joyce
Dear Joyce;
Yes, definitely go for wall to wall carpet with a high quality underpad to help with the insulation. This is a large room with two medium size windows flanking the fireplace. The brick on the wall above the fireplace has a rustic character and doesn’t overpower the room. But if you want to change the character of the fireplace, then why not cover the brick with wood stained to match the wood window frames. Painting the stone surround is permanent, almost impossible to remove the paint if you change your mind down the road. Instead, choose a medium density wall colour such as mid-tone grey, pinkish brown or blue to balance the wood/brick/stone. With that colour in mind, select your carpet first, then paint.
Dear Debbie;
Our bathroom is tiled from floor to ceiling, but on one wall there is a huge mirror, 4 feet wide by 6 feet high. I want to remove it but there is no tile behind it. Any suggestions on how to finish the wall, or cover the mirror? Thank you, Linda
Dear Linda;
Why not make this wall a focal point? Remove the mirror and create a new look by adding a complementary tile that is a variation of what is already in place. There’s a vast range of tiles from glass to ceramic to stone, patterned and plain. Devise a pattern or picture with tiles, or even paint in a contrasting colour that you love. Then use border tiles to frame the new look. Alternately, you can change the look of the mirror with glass paint. Or etch a wavy design that would block out much of the reflection.
Written by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please email decorating questions to house2home@debbietravis.com. Follow Debbie at instagram.com/debbie_travis, facebook.com/thedebbietravis, debbietravis.com.