Embrace the nesting
Durable event celebrates 30 years
Thirty years ago, Edmontonians headed to the first Edmonton Home and Interior Design Show. E.T. was phoning home and Lotto 6/49 was introduced to Canadians.
Three decades later, E.T. is presumably now living comfortably at home, while local residents await the 30th-anniversary edition of EHIDS next weekend, ready to seek out the latest creature comforts for their own abodes.
“The home show continues to be a destination for new products and ideas for their homes,” says show producer Rick Young. “It’s been 30 years of the economic ups and swings of the Alberta economy and it’s all been good. Through all this, the show has been there as a destination and a resource for Edmonton homeowners.
“For how busy the community is — always in September with school back in session and parents having so many things going on — to spend four or five hours at the show takes care of a lot of running around for things you would do for the home as you can find it all at the show.
“It is a very effective, efficient and enjoyable way to spend your time.”
Adding to the allure of the 2012 edition of EHIDS, at the Edmonton Expo Centre Sept. 28 to 30, is the return of Shell Busey, a popular draw at past editions of the show.
Busey, who has trimmed the number of home shows he attends down from 32 a year to about 10, will provide answers on “the how-to, the what-to, the where-to, the why-to, the when-to and the who-to,” as he is known to say in his rapidfire trademark phrase.
“I love Edmonton. I love the people there,” says Busey, noting that he visits the city three or four times a year and is looking forward to his upcoming appearance.
“When I arrive (at the show), I’m there to facilitate and take care of any matters about the home,” he adds, pointing out that homeowners should come armed with questions and related pictures on their cellphones or mobile devices.
Busey expects he will be talking about energy efficiency, and just about anything else under the sun when it comes to homes, renovations and building projects. lifestyle products and services. Find builders, renovators, flooring, windows and doors, window treatments, heating and cooling contractors, roofing, furniture, special presentations and more all under one roof. Celebrity guests: Shell Busey, Sarah Richardson Celebrity schedule: Both Shell Busey and Sarah Richardson appear Fri., Sept. 28 and Sat., Sept. 29. Show sponsors include: The Canadian Home Builders’ Association — Edmonton Region, and ENMAX
While it is a little more than a year since he retired from his radio program, he hasn’t shut the door on home improvement advice — he does a webcast answering emails every Thursday for an hour at 7 p.m. MT at askshell.com — and expects his EHIDS question-and-answer session to be quite lively.
In the meantime, she has some suggestions for those who may miss Sarah 101, which recently aired its second season providing a back-to-basics crash course in design.
She says homeowners tend to make impulse buys and rush out to commit to some huge piece of furniture when it comes to decorating their homes.
“Impulse buys are dangerous, especially if they are expensive, as you’ll have to live with it and decorate around it.
“I suggest you take the time to shop around, do your research and formulate a plan before you start committing,” says Richardson, adding when it comes to decorating you should try to focus on classic, timeless choices that will last a lifetime.
“Make sure you know what your personal design style is and what will resonate best with your preferences and your lifestyle, as opposed to being guided by the trends,” she says.
And if you’re about to tackle a whole new home, condo or apartment, should you try to decorate the entire house at once or does it make more sense to decorate at a slower pace and get the feel of your new home?
“I’m an all-at-once girl, as I don’t want to live in a chaos zone forever.
“If you are doing the whole house, you’ll need lots of lamps, lots of tables, lots of everything, and you can shuffle pieces around to find what fits best where.
“If I’m tackling a whole house,” which she usually does, “I tend to have a plan for the big items, but can also take a more fluid approach to the small stuff,” she says.
“I subscribe to the ‘if you love it, buy it’ take on shopping. If something speaks to you and you want it, you’ll find a great home for it.”