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| | Ee ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ITI © SI JAR -- A RA Lt 7 RS p---- ris a ee ------ i - we PORT PERRY "WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, JUNE 2, 2000 - 17 Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden Home & Garden IN YOUR (f5 Factory Direct » Compare our Everyday low prices Intriguing designs make any backyard more enjoyable. We are proud to produce concrete it are both beautiful and . ackyard Pool SIDE OR A GRAND ENTRANCE Landscape Products Home decorating tips: How to get started Here are some designer tips that will help you get start- ed on your home decor project. According to Deborah Valiquette, President of Valiquette Interiors, your first step is to answer these key ques- tions: e What do you want accomplished? e What the room or office should do for you when it's finished? e Should it be formal or casual? e What's your objectives and your lifestyle needs? e What's your approxi- mate budget e What colour, attitudes and effects do you like? After you've answered these questions, Valiquette recommends you take a selection of home decor magazines and cut out pictures of things that appeal to you - fabrics and colours, hard and soft furnish- ings, accessories - lamps, pillows, pottery, and photo arrangements. Collect clippings in a scrap book then start adding paint chips, wallpaper sam- ples, and fabric swatch- es. Once this completed, take pictures of the furni- ture pieces you are keeping and get colour samples or pictures of flooring materials to help you coordinate your decor. Pull all of your samples and pictures together on a sample board. Move things around, mixing different colours and textures until you feel happy with the results. The next step is to start with your floor. Your flooring choice will sig- nificantly impact your other decorating deci- sions. Do you want hard- wood, tile, carpet or an area rug? Although hardwood floors are an established trend, carpet does have several advantages over other floor coverings. For example, there are near- ly an unlimited number of carpet colors and looks to choose from. It adds warmth to a room and it's always soft and comfortable underfoot. Carpet absorbs sound and is not vulnerable to chips, scuffs and dents that can occur in other floor coverings. Most importantly, carpet pro- vides a comfortable place for kids to play and a soft landing pad when they fall. According to Valiquette, there has been a real change in carpet over the years. "My clients who haven't bought car- pet in 10 years are very pleasantly surprised at the incredible selection, variety and quality of products now available," she said. Today's popular carpet styles include Berbers, Sisals and commercial products that Valiquette continued on page 19