With the Vancouver Fall Home Show taking over the Vancouver Convention centre next week, the streets of Vancouver are once again seeing design experts and industry celebrities check out what our local scene has to offer. The annual show, running October 26 – 29, brings the big wigs of the interiors world to our city. HGTV superstars Sarah Richardson, Dave and Kortney Wilson and the ultimate darling of decor, Tiffany Pratt are all set to hit the main stage this year, chatting everything from inspiration to must-haves to practical hands-on tips. In preparation for the event, we caught up with Tiffany, as well as Kortney and Dave, to get their thoughts on what’s hot now for design, and their tried and true advice for homeowners looking to update. 

1. Fall is such an exciting time for design – in many ways, it’s the “New Year” for our industry: everyone is on the hunt for fresh ideas and looks for the home. What are you finding most inspiring for this season? Are there any palettes or decor details that you are particularly loving this year?

TP: This painting by Bella Foster explains what is inspiring me this season. The colours, the layering, feeling and pops of black. I am also loving red and purple again!

K&D: I’ve been doing some research on colour palettes the last few weeks and it seems like that COLOUR is actually IN – ha.  It’s been “IN” for me for a while but the idea that intense colours can be used with a more minimalistic approach to furniture is definitely the trend for 2018 and I love it.  The use of hues in berry tones in unexpected places like ceilings and smaller rooms is definitely making for a fresh approach in designing some of the houses for season 3 of Masters of Flip

2. As the cooler weather settles in, people tend to spend more time entertaining at home and gathering together within their spaces; everyone loves to change things up with the seasons ,but it’s not always feasible to opt for a major overhaul. What are a few easy tips you have for people to amp up their style without breaking the bank?

TP: Switching out your accessories is always such a swift quick trick! Simple things like new pillows, throws, carpets, accessories always make a space feel fresh! Painting walls is always a good idea–it simply freshens things up! But one of my easy favourite all time home trick is paint your front door some wild pop colour! It is so easy to switch and change and it makes you feel so good!

K&D: One of the easiest ways to spruce up the exterior is to change your front door colour.  If the door itself is wood and you can just repaint it, it’s a great way to give your home a new look on a smaller budget.  Offset it with fall flowers or new front door hardware to really pull it altogether.

On the interior, it’s fairly inexpensive to buy some new pillow covers to accent for the season without it feeling all themed out (aka Christmas pillows).  You could  keep them all year, but if you get bored, changing out some of the accents is fun and can drastically change the mood of the room.

3. When people are looking to renovate or update an existing space, it can get overwhelming thinking about all of the possibilities (and costs!) associated with a design undertaking. Can you share your go-to ways to help keep a project within a reasonable scope? What are the areas you suggest people to splurge, vs what areas can people find creative ways to save while still achieving a high impact end result?

TP:During my Home Show presentation I suggest visiting Home Depot and finding easy to access, very effective and not so cost effective options to transform your space. 

Two things that are cost effective are: Changing out your light fixtures and adding new lighting to the home. Just reimagining the lighting and switching out a fixture can change the game! Also adding open shelves is such an easy and artfully organizational way of displaying your treasures and filling a wall! 

A few investment things you can consider are changing out your countertops to a new material in colours that really makes your counter tops in any space pop! I have a new quartz product called Silestone in my kitchen and I am in love with it! Lastly, one of the most transformational tips that I recommend to my clients is to change the colour of your kitchen cabinets! Most of us like our kitchen footprint and do not need to renovate entirely! By enlisting a new service at Home Depot called RENUIT you can have all of your cupboards sprayed out into a bright fresh colour that makes your space feel like new!

K&D: If there is one area to splurge on, it’s the main living space.  You’re likely going to spend the most time in the kitchen, living and dining areas so making it a space that you, your friends and your family will love, is getting the biggest bang for your buck.  I would start with a fairly neutral room colour and bring in the punches of colour and personality through accents that you can change out if you tire of them over time.  The use of art and draperies will warm up the space and this can be accomplished inexpensively now with all of the big box stores offering straight panels for a reasonable price.