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C2 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesdsay February 2, 2000 Homes & Gardens Moulding maximizes potential Moulding is one of the easiest and most creative -- yet least expensive -- ways to add beauty to an interior decor. A small detail like wood or faux-wood mould ing can change the entire appear ance of a room and also add value to your home. If you can't find a moulding that fits your style, make one up. Inexpensive off-the-shelf mould ings can be mixed, matched and layered to create custom designs. Use a flat moulding as a base and then add layers until you get the look you want. Moulding styles that are no longer made can also be duplicated using this method. Nancy Douglas, an expert with The Home Depot, tells cus tomers to look around their home to see where moulding might add dimension to an otherwise simple space. Here are some places where she says a little creativity can go a long way to changing the look of a room: · Turn an ordinary fireplace into a family room focal point; · Accent a simple window cas ing with rosettes and fluted moulding; · Give definition to the ceiling with crown moulding; · Embellish a window seat Plain spaces gain new life with special trim with a strip of embossed mould ing; · Transform a plain wooden box into a beautiful chest; · Enhance a wall or highlight artwork with a classic frame design; · Liven up an ordinary shelf with scalloped moulding; · Enrich a bathroom vanity with straight moulding and cor ner pieces; · Add a chair rail to a dining room, library or even home office; · Use a chair rail border on wainscoting or partially panelled walls. Mouldings are available in dozens of styles and materials and can be found at most home improvement centres. Synthetic trim mouldings, which are made of wood composites or rigid foam covered with a layer of melamine, are less expensive than hardwood mouldings. When placing the moulding on a wall, think odd-numbered proportions. Chair-rail mouldings look best when placed about onethird of the way up the wall. For higher mouldings, go beyond the halfway mark -- three-fifths up from the floor. Never divide any area in half, Douglas says. Also, be careful around windows and doors to avoid bi-secting them. How moulding measures up To see how much you'll need, measure the length of each wall, round up to the next foot and then add another foot. That way, you'll be sure to have enough moulding to cover outside comer miters. For example, if your wall is 8'8", you'll need 10' to cover the wall. (Round up from 8'8" to 9', then add a foot for a total of 10'). Most mouldings are made of softwoods like pine or fir and should be handled with care. If you are storing the moulding before using it, keep it in a dry and clean place. Before installing, place it in the room where it will go for a day or two. This allows the wood to acclimate to the room temperature and humidity, helping prevent expansion or contraction after it has been installed. One of Sklar Peppler's models in their new Cosmopolitan Collection for those looking for that contemporary, yet classic look. With a nod to Nexus Generation Sklar Peppier concludes that simpler is definitely better When furniture maker Sklar Peppier began thinking about creating a new line, they conduct ed some heavy-duty research. The result is the Canadian firm's new Cosmopolitan Collection of contemporary furni ture in a palette of coffee colour neutrals, created to fit into today's lifestyle. The Collection was based on the research con ducted by Patricia Andrew, SP's product market ing manager and Penny B usher, SP's product merchandising manager, and based on the book Chips & Pop: Decoding the Nexus Generation by Canadian authors Robert Barnard, Dave Cosgrave and Jennifer Welsh. The research found that the Nexus Generation doesn't want overstuffed, over-patterned look of their grandmother's furniture. The collection, therefore, features sleek contemporary styled sofas, loveseats and chairs in simple, clean fab rics. The furniture comes in a full palette of coffee colours, from cream to espresso. And for a splash of colour, add a purple throw pillow. "It's a soft version of minimalism," says Andrew. The market is the person in their early 30's who is ready to buy furniture a step up in quality from what they had in their basement apartment. L ectu res help p rep are you for S p rin g from p a g e C 1 ) commercial geraniums which are really misnamed Pelargoniums. In his book, the author states that "no garden should be without at least a couple of these versatile plants" and recommends a first choice and others that are worth growing. Lost Horizons, list about 55 varieties and Mason Hogue, 34, although the latter has 80 vari eties in the test garden. Lost Horizons states that they have a preference for well-behaved plants that do not flop and others that do not throw seeds all over the garden. These are omitted from their catalogue except for one or two that have overriding virtues. In the `Perennial Gardening Guide', John Valleau, as a conve nience to designers, divides the plants into alpine, (6"-8") or bor der, ( 12"-36"). Those in between may be used either way. (C o n tin u e d JO H N S IM K IN S In Your Garden `Ballerina', selected as the top geranium, is an alpine type, 6" high, spreading to 12" with gray ·STYLE ish foliage. It is covered from · SERVICE May to September with pinkish· SELECTION white flowers with dark purple centres and dark veins. In the Open to the public same plant family and from the same source, (Bressingham) is · Cushion forms `Lawrence Flatman' bred by 5380 South Service Rd. · Printed sheers Burlington 631-6515 Allen Bloom. It has deeper pink · Velvets QEW flowers, with darker centres and · Upholstery veins and green leaves. A must £ SOUTH SERVICE ROAD S i ·Taoestrie? ·Wallcoverings Qplant for the small garden. Both a. 5380 I 1 f « * · Cotton prints · Hardware these plants are good for edging a HARVESTER to choose from * Decorator fabrics · Tassels & trim border and for containers. Their hardiness is listed as Zone 3 or 4 Monday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm or depending on the source. We will try both d) of them in the hospital f/fa /Z n n i/'A O /d fTCaoaiia/ roof garden as edging Classic 18'" C en tu ry Styling in H edroom , D ining & PENNSYLVANIA E uro -C arib b ean designs inspired by E rn est H em in g w ay 's plants this summer. Occasional Solid C h erry furniture. E nduring designs Key West H om e. Select solid chcrry with a tropical flavour. Two taller varieties rec from C hippendale, Q u een A nne and G eorgian Eras. Naturally appealing, irresistibly exotic. ommended are `Kashmir C a l s s ic s ' Purple' and `Kashmir White'. These form 18" Old world mounds of purple and white-veined flowers. craftsmanship The former spreads readi at its best ly by roots, so is a good ground cover in areas Highest quality under shrubs. The white solid wood is a good border plant. `Johnson's Blue' is a furniture from rapid clump former. It has select Cherry and blue flowers 12" high. I Maple lumber. have several in a large peony bed with a lily-ofFlawless the-valley ground cover. The blue areas among the execution for lily-of-the-valleys add over 100 years. summer and early fall Fabric HOUSE colour. The Mourning Widow, (G.phaeum) has large dark purple flowers on 24" stems and blotched leaves, which attracts the eye. It self-seeds which in a woods setting may be an advan tage. The tallest hardy geraniums are from the species G. psilstemon or the hybrid `Ivan', which is more floriferous than the species and is listed by Lost Horizons. These grow 48" with dark-centred purple flowers in July. The leaves are large, deeply cut and turn red in the fall. This plant will form focal points in a border but in windy areas, may require staking. Which catalogue do you need? For perennial gardeners, both for the maximum choice. `Lost Horizons' has a gardendesigners list with separate sec tions on ferns, hardy geraniums, grasses, daylilies, heuche ra, hosta, iris, pensdtemon, primulas and pulmonaria. Mason Hogue have a great number of garden activities listed in their catalogue, including win ter lectures on Feb. 12th and 26th on `Designing for All Round Colour in the garden', and `Potscaping, How to Crate Outstanding Containers and Combine them for Maximum Effect.' They have separate sec tions on vines, hardy geraniums, heaths and heathers, ornamental grasses, ferns and perennials, alpines, shrubs, container plants and unusual annual plants from cuttings, including fuchias, pelagoniaums. (summer geraniums), super petunias and many herbs. `101 Best Plants for the Ontario Garden' is published by W hitecap Books. `Perennial Garden Guide' is published by Valleybrook Gardens and is sold in most garden centres. FA C T O R Y AU TH O RIZED national WOm. 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