C M Advertorial r"'H Cool kids' rooms that get better with age With your kids home for the summer months, try including them in a fun design project that you'll both benefit from, such as redecorating their bedrooms. Work to gether to create a lasting memory and a room they're proud enough to keep clean and tidy. Since young chil dren seem to grow faster than the speed of light, it's important to pro vide a space that is easily adaptable through the various stages of growing up. Sharon Grech, Colour & Design Expert at Benjamin Moore, offers tips on how to achieve this. Invest in pieces that last. Redeco rating can get ex pensive, so consid er spending more of your budget dollars on endur ing furniture items such as dressers and other storage solutions. Choose neutral tones for these pieces that will coordinate with a va riety of styles and colours. Concentrate on reflecting your kids' changing personali ties through more cost-effective decor ele ments, such as paint, window treatments and accessories. Let them have fun without overdoing it. Your five-year-old has a passion for prin cesses now but might not appreciate a glittery, pink princess room in a few years. Empower kids to make decisions on eas ily replaceable and more affordable items, like adhesive decals and bedding. "At school age, kids start to have an opinion on their room and this is a good opportu nity to let them express themselves," rec ommends Grech. " Lamps, posters, throw pillows and bedding are great ways to reflect their personalities without breaking your budget." Incorporate ver sions of their fa vourite colours. "Your kid's favou rite colour is likely to change as of ten as they do, and the big, bright colour they love might completely overwhelm the space," explains Grech. Instead, she advises in corporating their favourite colour on the walls, but with a neutral spin. If your child loves blue, try Early Morning CC-818. For pink, she suggests Pink Moire CC-158. For pur ple, Blue Viola CC-940. Any time you are painting a kid's room or nursery, consider using Benjamin Moore Natura, which has zero VOCs and is certified as asthma & allergy friendly. Find more information at www.benjaminmoore.ca. (NC) ] Dressyour hom eto im press As the saying goes, you only have one shot at making a good first impression. When it comes to selling a home, the first impression that buyers get can make the difference of a house selling or not -- and for how much. Here are just a few things you can do to improve your home's curb appeal: 1. Landscaping: Prune trees, trim hedg es, weed flower beds and mow the lawn. 2. Doors and windows: Give your front door a fresh coat of paint or a good scrub down. 3. Hardware: Polish or replace old door knobs, knockers, doorbells, house num bers and mailboxes. 4. Tidy up: Make sure your lawn furni ture is clean and in good repair. Keep any toys or tools neatly stored or out of the way. Find more information at www.wedothehomework.ca. (NC) # 1 in P a tio s & D riv e w a y s ! ·STAMPED CONCRETE · iNTERLOCKING · EXPOSED AGGREGATE · FLAGSTONE ·FRENCH CURBS ·RETAINING WALLS · GARAGE FLOORS · free e s tim ates 9 0 5 - 8 7 8 - 8 5 9 5 A s k fo r J o h n www.jmcconcrete.ca Ja , Overhead Door Co. of Hamilton-Burlington M IL T O N H A R D W O O D FLO O RS Toll Free 1.866.414.' miltonhardwood.co W e a r e c e le b r a t in g .C a n a d a 's l B ^ 1 5 0 th B ir t h d a vAe a r l y w i t h t h e s e s a l e S ; SPECIALIZING IN: P ro u d to b e s e rv icin g th e G TA fo r 3 2 years. 5 4 5 0 Harvester Road, B urlington Overhead Door (H am ilton-B urlington) Ltd. In s u la te d S teel G a ra g e D o o rs T h e rm a c o re ® For p re m iu m c o n s tru c tio n and m a xim u m th e rm a l efficie ncy, a Thermacore® insula ted steel d o o r is th e ideal choice. This series o f do ors fe a tu re ou r sandw ich co n s tru c tio n o f ste e l-p o lyu re th a n e steel as w ell as b e tw e e n -se ctio n seals w ith th e rm a l breaks to reduce air in filtra tio n . W ith several panel designs to choose fro m , these do ors o ffe r design fle x ib ility , d u ra b ility and th e rm a l e fficie n cy th a t w ill h e lp keep yo u r ho m e co m fo rta b le in cold o r h o t clim ates. *· · f a n M a p ie < 3 w h ile q u a n titie s la s t . .< 74w -$ 3 l 7j§B ·- I t- I r e - f inished / Engineered p and Scraped / Wire Brushed d Refinishing [BuMders / Contractors p3 Steeles Ave. E. Milton, On 905-333-1772 info@overheaddoorburlington.ca overheaddoorburlington.ca