LOOKING FOR DIY INSPIRATION?
Home, remodelling show has it covered
There’s something about the winter that makes us want to stay indoors, cosy up with some hot chocolate and tackle home improvement and do-it-yourself projects.
You get to learn a new skill. You get to show off a one-of-a-kind piece. You get to build something with your own hands.
And, with the Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show this weekend, you have the opportunity to get tips and advice from builders, talk to professional DIYers about what they love, and be inspired by the projects on display.
We caught up with some of industry professionals who will be present and talked about what they love about their work.
DIY HOME FURNITURE INSPIRATION
Katrina Barclay started refinishing furniture out of a practical need — her family had just moved back to Canada after living overseas for eight years and they needed new furniture for their house.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t find anything they liked that was within their budget, so they began to pick up pieces at thrift stores and refinish them.
And then something very surprising happened.
“I loved it. I loved working on furniture!” says Barclay, owner of Malenka Originals. “I knew I had a creative side, but I’d never found anything ‘crafty’ that I was truly passionate about doing. But when I picked up a paintbrush, or a sander, or a wax brush and started working on furniture, everything changed.”
She started Malenka Originals in 2011 as an at-home business painting and selling furniture. Today it resides in Hintonburg as a workshop and store: a place to learn, share, and get inspired about painted furniture.
“There is nothing more satisfying than taking something that is damaged, worn, tired looking — something that nobody wants — and turning it into a beautiful, colourful piece of art that will be used for many years to come,” she says.
Along with selling select pieces of refreshed furniture and tools for upcycling furniture, Malenka Originals is the exclusive Ottawa stockist for Chalk Paint™ decorative paint by Annie Sloan.
The store has also become known for its popular workshops, offering a creative space for those wanting to learn more about techniques for painting furniture.
Barclay is passionate about teaching and, over the last four years, more than 1,000 students have attended workshops at Malenka Originals.
“I can’t tell you how many people have said to me before a workshop, ‘I’m not creative. I’ve never been good at this kind of stuff,’ but then suddenly in the workshop I see their eyes light up as they get inspired and excited. And then a few days later we get an email from them that they’ve already painted everything in the house! They realize they are creative — that they can create something beautiful.”
Check out the Try DIY section at the Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show: attendees can pick up a paintbrush and test the latest products to refinish their existing furniture.
For those who aren’t ready to take a leap into the DIY world, they can visit the Refreshed Furniture Pop-Up Shop, which will feature more than 100 pieces by local artisans.
COACH HOUSE VILLAGE
Coach house installations are becoming a viable option for many landowners in Ottawa. They’re small, packed with style, and built with functionality in mind. You have to find a way to cram all of the comfort, amenities, and features that people are used to finding in their homes and scale it down considerably. For Martin Bisson, owner of Lumbec, it meant that they’d have to adapt to working with smaller spaces. “Building small requires the designer and builder to be creative. People are not willing to let go of their comfort,” he says.
In December 2014, the small Gatineau company decided to investigate the tiny house movement and built a prototype in March 2015. He notes that, over the past two years, lots of older folks and baby boomers showed interest in living close to their children: coach houses are a great way of tightening the family circle.
Martin says coach houses are great because they allow a “legal” possibility of living in a small space within an urban setting. They’re also an attractive option for minimalists and those who wish to add more space to their current home.
For EkoBuilt co-founder Paul Kealey, coach houses fit in with their goals: the Ottawa sustainable home builder specializes in low-energy designed homes and off-grid living. They provide design services, materials packages and project construction services. They also specialize in building homes that consume very little energy through certified passive house construction, as well as homes that are easily self-sustainable with carbon-free renewable energy technologies.
EkoBuilt is introducing a series of tiny house models that are inspired by and perfectly suited to the new Ottawa coach house regulations. They offer great options for home offices and studios, a secondary dwelling, and suite rental units.
The Ottawa Home and Remodelling Show invited several builders to showcase their homes and teach attendees about the benefits of micro living. Make sure to stop by each unit to see how small spaces can make for great places! For more information on the show at the EY Centre visit: ottawahomeandremodellingshow.com
There is nothing more satisfying than taking something that is damaged, worn ... and turning it into a beautiful, colourful piece of art.