In this week’s episode of The Marc Atiyolil Show, Marc talks to Glen Peloso about kitchen design for kitchens that are both beautiful and functional. Learn about some of the latest advances in kitchen design that will make your space easier to use on a daily basis.

Dear Marc:
During my spring cleaning, I worked myself through piles of clothing and accessories that I don’t wear anymore. I took some old purses and turned them into accent pillows like you did in a past column (great project by the way!), but my creativity ceased to exist when I tried to repurpose my old belts. They are reptile print belts that I don’t use anymore. I’d give them away but I paid quite a bit for them so I’d like to use them somewhere in my home. Any ideas?
Shelley

Dear Shelley:
We’ve got to love spring cleaning! We tackle our closets thinking we’re going to throw away some unwanted items, but it’s more like a trip down memory lane. We end up trying on those tacky pants from nineteen seventy something and convince ourselves that they actually look good. The best part is when we try to convince ourselves that they still fit! They have “shrunk” in the closet, right? Well that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Then comes the bling: all kinds of things that we pull out of our closet… things that we wouldn’t be caught dead wearing but keep as memorabilia. So how is anyone supposed to clean out their closet area with such deep ties to everything that lies within the black hole? Well, I always say, if you can’t get rid of it, for Pete’s sake, repurpose it so that you have enough closet space to hang a new belt!

Speaking of belts, they make fabulous repurposing materials. My personal favourite DIY project using belts is an upholstering project. Simply adhere a slim belt to the face of a picture frame to transform it from drab to fab!

Supplies
- Frame
- Slim belt
- Doubled-sided tape
- Scissors

Step 1:
Layer two pieces of belts in a perpendicular fashion one on top of the other.

Step 2:
Cut diagonally the two pieces of belt as to form a perfect seam.

Step 3:
Adhere the belt to the face of the frame using doubled-sided tape.

Step 4:
Repeat steps one to three for the remaining corners.

Step 5:
Voila, a cheap frame has been transformed into an expensive reptile print accessory!

In this week’s episode of The Marc Atiyolil Show, Marc interviews Anthony of Canaroma. Find out what’s hot in bathroom design right now – from modern geometric looks to bright vibrant colours and more.

Dear Kim:
Jewelry makes a great supply for repurposing projects! Whether it’s your old “hoop” earrings or a broach, these can be used in building fantastic napkin rings for those posh summer dinner parties you have been itching to plan!

I’m currently in the process of planning a beautiful garden party and I can assure you that such an event doesn’t have to break the bank.

For instance, does your patio furniture look like it’s in need of a little TLC or a swift kick to the curb? Not a problem. Cover it up using a table cloth on the table and solid coloured pillowcases on the chairs. To make great pillowcase chair covers, simply slip the back of the chair into the pillowcase, scrunch the material mid-back and clip a broach or large scale earring in the middle of the chair’s back.

Now come the finishing touches. Let’s create some fabulous napkin rings for the table setting.
Supplies:
- Metal hoop earrings
- Large-scale round or square solid earrings
- Hot glue gun
- Pliers
- Rubbing Alcohol

Step 1:
Wash the earrings in rubbing alcohol. Remove the “pin” from the back of the large scale earring.

Step 2:
Apply glue to the back of the large earring and adhere it to the hoop earring.

Step 3:
Voila, your old earrings have been transformed into fabulous napkin rings!

In this week’s episode of The Marc Atiyolil Show, Marc talks to Andrew of Andrew Richard Designs about outdoor decorating trends for 2012. Find out what’s hot this year in colour, shape and style for outdoor furniture and accessories.

This episode of The Marc Atiyolil Show was filmed on location at IDS 2012 in the Andrew Richard Designs booth. The booth, pictured below, featured the Greenwich, Harrison, Madison, Vista Teak and Tribeca collections from Andrew Richard Designs.

Photos provided by Andrew Richard Designs

Dear Kristin,
Fabric comes in every pattern imaginable and with prices from cheap to pricey. I think when working on a budget, all things are good in moderation. It’s like those fad diets. You have the extreme diets that tell you to eat soup, and only soup, for a month. But who are we kidding? Soup is water, onions, celery, chicken or beef broth and a few vegetables. I don’t know about you, but this diet would have me running to the first burger I could find after a few days! Why? Because it’s an extreme. It makes us want what we can’t have. A more successful long term diet would be to take your eating plan and cut things back so that you are eating in moderation.

The same thing can be said for your design budget. If you compromise your design to an extreme without splurging on select small luxuries, you are more likely to be an impulse buyer and buy on emotion. It’s like grocery shopping when you’re hungry or having a bad day: you come home with bags of things you didn’t need.

In essence what I’m saying is: plan your design projects prior to execution and splurge in moderation. It’s ok to buy an expensive fabric. Although, instead of buying a few yards to re-upholster the entire chair, get only the yardage needed for a section of the chair such as the back. Pick something that complements the existing fabric and go with the flow. Design is organic. It’ll come to you, so grab that chair and let’s make a few modifications to turn it from Drab to Fab! We’ll keep the faux fur on the seat and add a zebra print on the back.

Supplies:
- Faux fur chair
- Fabric of your choice
- Upholstering stapler
- Flat screwdriver
- Hammer
- Fabric Nails with nail heads
- Quart of Black paint (Quart of Para Paints’ Forge Black – P2143-41)
- Sand paper
- Paint brush
- Primer
- Scraper

Step 1:
Remove the arms from the chair. Tip: Test the stability of the chair frame prior to removing the arms. If they are purely for decoration and do not hold the chair frame together, these can be removed.

Step 2: Using a flat screwdriver, remove the staples and fabric nails on the chair back.

Step 3:
Re-upholster the chair back using your stapler. Start with the middle of the fabric and stretch it so it wraps around the sides and staple it to the back of the chair. Be sure to properly stretch the fabric to avoid any “bubbles”. Once the fabric front is stapled, nail the existing faux fur backing in place.

Step 4:
Sand, prime and paint the legs on the chair using black paint. Scratch the edges of the legs using a scraper to create a two-tone effect.

Step 5:
Voila! This old, run down chair has been turned into a feisty zebra print dream!

Are you planning a painting project in the near future? In this week’s episode of The Marc Atiyolil Show, Marc shares valuable painting tips that will help make your next painting project a breeze.

“I’m from the country and I like it that way” – Tracy Byrd, #1 Billboard Hit Country Music Artist

Dear Marc:
I have two eight foot lengths of 1 x 6 inch weathered wood. We had an old fence dismantled and these pieces were left behind by the contractor. I thought of throwing them out but chose to repurpose them instead. Do you have a weathered wood DIY project idea?
Marisa

Dear Marisa:
A piece of weathered wood is reminiscent of old farm country and can be repurposed into an ultra chic wall hanging. Weathered wood has a certain “Je ne sais quoi” quality that gives us the ability to use it in an urban setting.

As some may know, I was raised in the country. Although these days you would have a better chance of finding me walking on a downtown street sidewalk, rather than a path in a freshly ploughed field. But there was a time when I called myself a “country boy”. I wore the plaid shirts, jeans, drove a truck and blasted country music for all the girls to hear. Oh to be young and carefree. Even though time has passed since I’ve traded my country wheels for an urban sports car, I still like to think that I’m that same country boy at heart, one who is always up for an adventure.

When growing up, we knew our neighbours, didn’t lock our doors and our backyards were as far as the eye could see. Our imagination was our playground. I remember building my first “house” in our backyard. It had a sub-floor repurposed out of an old deck and the surrounding trees acted as walls. I think that may have been where I learned to see beyond an object. This helped develop my imagination. When you’re a country kid, the land is your playground and your imagination makes it come alive. When your parents give you a couple sticks and say “go play”, you can only imagine how creative you have to be to have a good time. I remember playing with the simplest things and transforming them into something fabulous! I guess that’s really when, “From Drab to Fab” was born, although I didn’t know it back then.

The sands of time have passed and as I sit here in an urban cafe writing my column, I think to myself that weathered wood is symbolic of that time in my life.

I have a wall hanging made of weathered wood in my sitting area. As I pass by it each day, I think of how we share a common thread of country life. This hanging is made out of a piece of 1” x 6” x 8′ board cut into three pieces and screwed together to form a sign.

Supplies:
- 1” x 6” x 8′ weathered board
- Screws and drill
- Silver leafing pen
- Gold leafing pen
- Letter stencils
- 1” x 2” board at least 30” long
- Wood saw

Step 1:
Cut the 1″x6″ board into three, two and a half inch pieces. Then cut two pieces of 1″x2″ into fifteen inch lengths.

Step 2:
Place the three 1″x6″ pieces side-by-side vertically. Horizontally lay the two pieces of 1″x2″ on top of the three pieces. Screw the pieces together.

Step 3:
Flip the sign over and stencil a message on the front of the sign alternating between the silver and gold leafing pens. I decided to use famous street names to create a sense of rustic meets sophistication.

Step 4:
This rustic sign is now complete! It looks wonderful in any setting and makes a great conversation piece.

Marc & Mandy create a fun, abstract art piece with crayons and canvas.

Dear Sophia:
Most of us have more stemware than we can shake a stick at. They collect dust and we must constantly clean them. As my Aunt Germaine says “The more knick knacks you have, the more time it takes to clean the house” Let’s face it, between our demanding work schedules and busy extracurricular activities, it doesn’t leave us much time to polish and dust an excess amount of accessories.

I myself had one too many shelves filled with stemware in my kitchen that I’ve been wanting to part ways with. Just as you have an emotional attachment to your aunt’s wine glasses, I love each of my stemware collections.

I’m a big believer that we get sick of things that are always seen in the same light. Sometimes changing the placement of an object or repurposing it into something else gives you a different perspective of the object.

I was playing around with my stemware and I came up with a fabulous DIY project, a “rustic meets glam” light fixture.

Supplies:
- Light fixture
- Stemware
- Wire
- Needle-nose pliers
- Black aerosol paint

Step 1:
Sand and spray paint the light fixture and hang the fixture from the ceiling.

Step 2:
Cut a 12 inch piece of wire and wrap it around the stem of the glass and use the excess wire to tie the glass to the fixture.

Step 3:
Repeat step two for the remainder of the glasses.

Step 4:
Add glasses in the second row to fill in the gaps.

Step 5:
Wrap wire around the fixture to cover the stems of the glasses.

Step 6:
Voila, rustic and glass are married to create an ultra chic chandelier!