If you’re anything like me, you eschew outdoor winter sports and spend lots of time inside this time of year. And like me, you may be sensitive to how the change in weather and light affects your living space. When I’m in the throes of the winter doldrums and need a peppy pick-me-up, I employ these simple home decorating rules:

Add light

If the lack of sunlight in February gets you down, or if you don’t get a lot of rays in your living space to begin with, now is the time to let the sun shine in.

When the days start getting shorter, I take down heavier window treatments that seal out the summer heat and replace them with gauzy sheers. The sheers let the sunlight in and brighten up rooms that receive only diffused light. If privacy is an issue, simply hang a white cotton blind behind the sheers.

Alchemy is my source for inexpensive filmy window treatments. Owner Eileen Mullen stocks sheeny polyester sheers, in solid colours like purple, pink, red and green, for $20 a panel. If you need a happy reminder that spring is coming, check out the sheers with big roses sewn on them, $40 a panel.

Divide & conquer

In the cooler months, I yearn for intimate nooks and sitting areas in my space. The goal in creating these comfy nooks is to divide the space without chopping it up with bulky room dividers that I may hate in a year. My solution: define space in a way that actually creates a feeling of space.

Alchemy carries beaded curtains for $35 in a variety of styles, from wooden beads to clear coloured plastic orbs. Use them as doors, dividers or curtains. I also like the fringed curtains in brown, $23 a panel.

Alchemy: 323 Danforth Ave., (416) 466-5100.

Reflect light

There are nooks in my apartment where, simply put, the sun don’t shine. To brighten up dark corners or to make a window that doesn’t get much sunlight seem brighter, I hang huge mirrors across from my six-foot-high windows.

The mirrors reflect the light from the adjacent windows (which are now especially bright, thanks to my window sheers) and light up the entire room. If the window meets a corner, I place a mirror in the corner where the window ends. The mirror reflects the light and makes the window look larger than it is.

Syllogy Custom Framing and Decorative Mirrors is my favorite place for mirrors. Manager Jim Lafazanis sells beautiful ready-made mirrors of all sizes, styles and shapes, and his prices are unbeatable.

Though the custom frames are roughly double the price, there are so many styles and sizes of ready-mades that you won’t have a problem finding something to suit your style on the showroom floor. The best part: all frames are made with wood, not plastic.

My fave styles are the 18th century inspired gilt flower-framed mirrors in silver or gold. But I can’t resist a deal: there’s always something here on clearance. Recently, I picked up a three-by-four-foot black wood lacquered framed mirror for $100 that Lafazanis would normally retail at more than $400 (and his competitors for much more). Right now, contemporary styled floor mirrors are on sale for $250 (regular price $450+).

Add art

Personalize your digs with art that you’ve collected, photos you’ve taken or pictures the kids have painted. Framing won’t cost you a fortune if you go to Syllogy.

Although the shop offers custom framing, it also carries an expansive selection of affordable ready-made frames in standard sizes. In fact, this family-owned shop began as a gallery six years ago. When artists started asking about inexpensive ways to frame their creations, the ready-made portion of the business was born.

The location near Greenwood still holds 6–8 art shows a year. Artists can “rent” the back space for $700 a month, and then receive $700 in free framing.

Syllogy: 217 Danforth Ave., (416) 916-8673; 1380 Danforth Ave., (416) 469-3400.

Add colour

A fresh coat of paint can spruce up your space like nothing else. Although it’s probably better to wait until the warmer weather to paint, you can always start choosing your colours now.

Diana Braun-Woodbury, colour consultant at Peter’s Paint and Paper, suggests choosing the hues that you like over following the latest colour trends. If you’re not sure what colour to paint, Braun-Woodbury suggests working with a colour consultant using swatches of fabric and other items from around the house.

A family-owned-and-operated business since 1982, Peter’s Paint and Paper sells Benjamin Moore paint exclusively.

Instead of slopping paint on a wall to test it out, you can buy Benjamin Moore pre-painted swatches. The catch: you should place swatches on walls that have been painted white or draped in a white sheet. Braun-Woodbury, an artist who has been colour consulting with Peter’s for 13 years, warns that whatever colour you have on the wall will reflect onto the swatch and make the colour appear different.

source : www.towncrieronline.ca