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C8 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday November 3, 1999 "Leading The Way" RIDI.LY Affordable Elegancf W IND O W S & D O O RS _____ RIDLEY SHOWROOM 35 Crawford Cr., Campbellville · SALES · SERVICE For All Your Window, Door, Column & Moulding Needs 9 0 5 -854-2228 Homes & Gardens An Oakville Beaver Feature To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Joni Douglas and one o f her creations at her Speers Road facility. Photo by Riziero Vertolli Slip old idea new again By Nancy Alexander SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A s a child, Joni Douglas remembers telling people she wanted to "design frocks" when she grew up. Well, she came close. Rather than designing dress es, she's using her artistic instincts and her love of good fabrics to create dis tinctive slipcovers. Slipcovers by Joni recently opened its facilities on Speers Road that includes an elegant show room which had been an empty, dreary office in an industrial mall. After years of experience as an interior designer and an upholsterer, Douglas is used to pulling off dramatic "before and after" scenarios. But even she admits that this was a major challenge. Whether transforming a utilitarian kitchen chair into a quilted, ruffled, seating piece suitable for living room or dining room, or simply giving a fresh, new look to an outdated sofa, Douglas has always liked interpreting a piece of furni ture to bring it to life. She first learned to cut upholstery about 20 years ago while working as a sewer for a custom uphol sterer. Since then, she has also run her own interior design business. Now, her focus is strictly on slipcov ers which have once again become a hot item in deco rating circles. `T hings tend to go in cycles," says Douglas. "Right now, people have a .little bit more money, so it gives them some versatility. It used to be that only the wealthy used slipcovers." Douglas says she loves slipcovers for their ability to transform a room from sea son to season, especially with the huge selection of fabrics available today. She's especially fond of Sanderson fabrics, the British firm long known for its quality cotton florals. Douglas says she's find ing that a lot of young fami lies are using slipcovers for their wash and wear abili ties, and she plans to pur chase a special high-temper ature dryer to pre-shrink fabrics before they're made into slipcovers. She cautions, however, that people shouldn't look upon slipcovers as a cheap alternative to re-upholstery. On the contrary, she says, it actually costs more for slip covers-- an average of about $100 more on labour alone. Douglas is a stickler for m atching patterns exactly which takes time and effort. (Check out the panthers on the elegant black and gold cam el back sofa in her showroom.) "M aking slipcovers is much more exacting than reupholstery," she explains. "You can't just pull and sta ple. There's a lot of hidden work like tailoring a suit. That's why most upholster ers don't want to do it." Douglas says despite the extra cost, the beauty of a slipcover is its versatility-- it's ability to be elegant and tailored or informal and relaxed with a long skirt. She invites clients to visit her showroom ( b y appointm ent only) and check out the possibilities. Over the next four months, she plans to add two more rooms to showcase her slip covers. Slipcovers by Joni is located at 1476 Speers Road, Unit 4. For an appointment call 465-2770. Joni Douglas uses her 20 years of upholstery & design experience as springboard to new business venture REPLACESALE MAJESTIC. uu UNION ENERGY A * Providing home comfort with: · furnaces · a ir conditioners · fireplaces · w a ter heaters · assurance plans · service Cleatoutl MAJESTIC DV36 · Bay window · Brick lining · Fan · Large surround trim Quantities ' Installation eitra 768 WESTGATE ROAD, OAKVILLE (905) 469-0570 (Burlington/Oakville) · 1-888-71 UNION Wyecroft Rood I/1 i O inion energy take comfort Help for decorating problems Welcome to the new home-decorating column of The Oakville Beaver. Do you have any questions on colour, design or home decorating? Write to me, `Ask a designer' and I will come up with suggestions for you and your design dilemmas. Also, once a month, I will be featuring a write-up on a selected home furnishing store from Oakville. I will inform you on what their stores are all about and what they have to offer in terms of decorating. C om e in and see fo r yourself. SAUNDERCOOK & Q: I am redecorat ing my daughter' s room and I want to A sk a Designer redo everything from top to bottom, where do / start? JA N ET Incredible deals! D iscover o u r hom e o ffic e & hom e e n te rta in m e n t sele ctio n . C. Kumik A:The best way to get started is to look through decorating magazines and decide what look you are going after. Once you have made that decision, the rest will fall into place. Remember these easy steps to decorating a room: 1. Start with painting the ceiling first; 2. Walls and trim (paint and/or wallpaper); 3. Flooring; 4. Furniture; 5. Accessorize (this includes window coverings) -Always start from the top of a room and work your way down -- Good luck and most importantly have FUN! Q:I will be purchasing California shutters. What are your feelings towards wood verse vinyl? E. Burke A: I have found that it is difficult to make a visual compar ison since they are similar looking; however, there are advan tages and disadvantages of each. Wood: Advantages: · more substance to them, easy to clean Disadvantages: fade with age, chip. Plastic: Advantages: durable, easy to clean, won't fade Disadvantages: attract dust Please send your questions to: The Oakville Beaver, Ask a designer, 467 Speers Rd,, Oakville, ON L6K 3S4. Please specify if you would not like your name published. Colour and Design Consultant Janet Saundercook is available for in-home consultations. Call 849-6565 for an appointment Home entertainment armoire Function with style for bedroom or family room. Reg. $3279 $ 2 0 9 9 -- j i n n m m * Home office computer cabinet. Exquisitely discreet. Featuring wrap around door hinges for easy access. Reg. $3890 $ · Home entertainment centre. Hides audio/video pieces when not in use. Reg. $3685 $ 2 1 9 9 TH E Wood Room 484 · DESKS & HUTCHES · DRESSERS & ARMOIRES ·TV/VCR UNITS · BAR STOOLS · MICROWAVE STANDS I · TOY CHESTS | · HIGH CHAIRS · MINWAX PRODUCTS · FINISHING SUPPLIES ·HOMESTEAD HOUSE PRINT ·25 | UNFINISHED FURNITURE Specializing in Solid Oak, Pine, Maple, Birch · TABLES & CHAIRS ·JE L L Y CUPBOARDS · MIRRORS & PANTRIES · CHINA CABINETS · ROCKING CHAIRS · SHELVES · W ALL UNITS | ·C O FFE E A END TABLES HOURS: TUE.. WED.. FRI. 10-5:30 THUR. 10-8 SAT 9*4 CLOSED SUN-MON. E N N IS C L A R E IN T E R IO R S 1075 NORTH SERVICE RD. WEST, OAKVILLE. Tel: (905) 825-2450 Store Hours: Mon., Tues., Wed. & Sat. 10:00 am to 5:30 pm Thurs. & Fri. 10:00 am to 9:00 pm Sun. Noon to 5:00 pm 'PLAINS RD. E.' BURLINGTON 681-6075] (next to Bingo Connection) Selected display m odels 25-50* O F F AD 1002