Vancouver Fall Home Show: Experts offer home renovation tips

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Vancouver Fall Home Show: Experts offer home renovation tips

Designers Andy Friesen and Jamie Banfield will help home show audiences learn how to make any space a perfect fit

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If streaming TV shows about home renovation and design leave you with more questions than answers, come to the 2024 Vancouver Fall Home Show.

For the simple price of admission, you can talk to hundreds of building experts, suppliers, interior designers and decorators all under one roof. Explore this season’s trending topics, learn new recipe hacks and get free advice on your home makeover plans.

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This year’s line-up on the Sleep Country Main Stage includes everyone’s favourite TV contractor, Bryan Baeumler, People Magazine writer and Big Thrift Energy author Virginia Chamlee, Style at Home contributing editor Karl Lohnes and two local designers, Andy Friesen and Jamie Banfield.

Large, oversided art works well in small spaces, says interior designer Jamie Banfield.
Large, oversided art works well in small spaces, says interior designer Jamie Banfield. Photo by Courtesy Jamie Banfield

As members of the Lower Mainland’s talented architectural and design community, Friesen and Banfield’s Main Stage presentations will help home show audiences learn how to make any space a perfect fit.

First up is Friesen, principal of Su Casa Design in Abbotsford, who will speak on Friday, Oct. 25, at 2 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 26 at 5 p.m. His boutique firm specializes in custom homes, whether they’re 600 or 60,000 square feet in size.

Friesen’s superpower is making every square foot count.

“You may think you want 6,000 square feet, but we might get everything you want in 4,500 to 5,000 square feet when it’s well designed,” he says.

A smaller, well-designed, well-built and on-budget space is always preferable to a larger, poorly constructed space with sub-standard materials chosen due to budget constraints.

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Friesen says he’s excited about his first Main Stage appearance, in which he hopes to help audiences solve an ongoing dilemma: should you renovate or build new?

“It’s not worth tearing down the house just to replace a kitchen,” he explains.

If the work involves changing the layout and functionality of the home, those costs may be just as high as a complete rebuild. His top two recommendations are to talk to a mortgage broker and figure out a budget. Then, speak to a designer and get your plans on paper to see if what you want is realistic.

Banfield steps out onto the Main Stage on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. Always willing to share his expertise, Banfield’s focus will be kitchens with a few sidebars about maximizing the functionality of smaller spaces.

Interior designer Jamie Banfield will present at the Vancouver Fall Home Show on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m.
Interior designer Jamie Banfield will present at the Vancouver Fall Home Show on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 11 a.m. Photo by Supplied

He says that cost is the driving force behind this micro-living trend.

“We’re understanding more about working with smaller spaces and doing things like taking away hallways and making spaces function in multiple ways,” he says.

Banfield’s mini tutorial on small spaces

Jamie Banfield used a small kitchen sink with a drain at the back to make space for a single-drawer dishwasher underneath.
Jamie Banfield used a small kitchen sink with a drain at the back to make space for a single-drawer dishwasher underneath. Photo by Courtesy Jamie Banfield

Doubling Up

In a modular project on Salt Spring Island, he used a small kitchen sink with a drain at the back, allowing him to install a single-drawer dishwasher underneath it.

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Foundation Pieces

Purchase an area rug one size larger and have it cut and bound to fit the space exactly. A too-small rug screams small space.

Large Format Art

Small pictures feel small. Hang oversized art everywhere. If you frame prints in a thin, Plexi-glass frame they’ll be light enough to hang with two-sided tape.

Multi-purpose furniture

Use outdoor furniture indoors in the winter and vice versa. Side tables can be stools when company comes.

One Colour

Paint walls, doors, trim, baseboards and ceiling the same colour.

Mirrors

These will throw light around the room and help with conversation and eye contact.

The Vancouver Fall Home Show is Thursday, Oct. 24, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 25, from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West. 

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