SUND AY ,NOV EMBER 5, 2017 Ho Su menday...
1
By Jean Murphy Daily Herald Correspondent Christmas is all about tradition. We unpack and reveal each year the items that remind us of wonderful Christmases past. But most of us also try to add one or two new things to our decor in order to change things up and add something that catches our fancy. We don’t want our Christ- mas photos and memories to be identical every year, after all! Buying one or two new ornaments or holiday items each year is a great way to mark the march of time because every year thereafter you can unpack and use that special item to evoke mem- ories of the year in which it was added to your holiday collection. Trends in holiday decor come and go over the years, just like fashion trends come and go, says Laurie Kane, owner (with her husband, Joe) of Treetime Christmas Cre- ations, 22102 N. Pepper Road in Lake Barrington. But, in general, the winter’s major holiday is about traditions and wonderful memories. at is why most homeowners add to their Christmas collections gradually over the years and buy Christmas items during their travels, for instance, making their Christmastime home and tree almost a living scrapbook of their lives. Holiday decorating can be an ode to the tastes and trends of the year. Treetime is a great place to stop by and see the yearly holiday colors and trends, as well as to pick up that new have-to-have-it item that you saw in a maga- zine or online. e shop is a magical, fan- tasy Christmas showroom that changes each year in an effort to keep people coming back to see what the staff and owners have done differently, Kane says. “Our instructors are also happy to teach customers easy tricks to add dimen- sion and a new excitement to their traditional tree by using floral picks or extra lights, along with their tradi- tional ornaments,” she says. “In addition, many customers bring in older pieces, like flo- ral or greens arrangements, to get help on updating them.” is year there are four hot Christmas tree trends, Kane says. “First, we are seeing the mixing of a variety of metals — gold, silver, platinum and even copper — on the same tree. We have been seeing this in clothing and house- wares for the past year or so, and now that trend has made its way to Christmas, too,” she says. “And many design- ers are mixing those met- als with the two Christmas colors from 2016 — the rose quartz and the serenity blue, but particularly with the rose quartz. It gives a very tranquil look to a tree.” e second popular look this year, she says, is the natu- ral, organic tree done entirely in greens, browns and whites (and absolutely no reds or pinks), but featuring small animals, berries, pine cones and floral items. “Next is the wintry gar- den-look tree,” Kane says. “is type of tree features whites, reds and soft greens in the form of natural florals and crystals. It is best in homes with older families and is often being done as a smaller second tree or a diminutive tabletop tree. “e last trendy tree this year is the nostalgia tree on which homeowners do their best to recreate the past by using retro traditional orna- ments and big Christmas lights, oftentimes mixed with the smaller lights for a unique look. Mixing the two sizes of lights add a cool ele- ment to any tree,” Kane says. “You can even accomplish this look on a pre-lit tree. And some people are going the other direction by adding the new, even-smaller ‘micro’ lights, which I think look like fairy lights, to their pre-lit trees. ey add a cool, starry look to a tree.” ere are additional popu- lar trends that you can use to spice up your traditional tree this year, Kane says. “Ribbons in your tree are hot, so we have several designers on hand to make each customer one bow and to teach you how to make them, too. Or you can pay a fee and our designers will make all of them for you.” e current trends are to use ribbons for exciting tree toppers, as well as to distrib- ute small bows throughout your tree or to loop lengths of ribbon through the tree. Strings of battery-operated micro-lights on timers are also a nice addition through- out your home — with greens on your mantle or staircase or even on indoor or outdoor wreaths, Kane suggests. And this year they are coming on longer strings, adding to their utility. Also popular this year are holiday water globes (which need to be stored at room temperature — not in an attic) and holiday night lights that are an easy and quick way to add holiday cheer to a child’s bedroom. Christmas decor is gener- ally not confined to just the interior of someone’s home. It usually begins outdoors and is visible to those walking or driving past. Kane says it is now popular for berries and floral items to be added to outdoor greens — both fresh and faux. at goes for wreaths, garlands and even potted greens. e micro-lights, berries and faux floral items can be stored with faux greens for future use, or they can be removed at the end of the season and be saved to be placed in next year’s fresh greens. For information about hol- iday decorating trends, you can reach Treetime Christ- mas Creations at (847) 527- 8880 or by visiting www. treetime.com. To find a schedule of Treetime’s hol- iday decorating classes, visit www.treetime.com/ showroom-events-calendar. Today we continue five weeks of room makeover madness with the Daily Herald’s annual Room for Living makeover contest. We are publishing stories that suggest design ideas, along with reader letters detailing problems we all face and suggestions from our experts on how to overcome these challenges. Who knows, this year could be the year you finally get the room of your dreams, whether that’s a living room, great room, bathroom or bonus room. Look for stories in this section through Sunday, Nov. 12, as well as stories on our sponsors in HomeSaturday’s Industry Insider feature. Finalists’ letters will be featured on Page 3 each week in Home & Garden. The winners of prize packages, donated by our sponsors and valued between $2,000 and $5,000, will be chosen from among these finalists. dh dailyherald.com Jan Riggenbach 2 Home and garden calendar 5 New York Times crossword puzzle 9 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2017 section 4 Homes& Garden Sunday A Holiday water globes are a quick and easy way to add holiday cheer to a child’s bedroom. This is the “Loved by Nature” tree at Treetime. PHOTOS BY JOE LEWNARD/[email protected] Many people get new ornaments to commemorate the year’s milestones, such as a wedding or new baby. Other people just like to refresh their decorations each year. Christmas collections Holiday decorations are a scrapbook of our lives JOE LEWNARD/[email protected] Laurie Kane views the “Winter Garden” tree at her business, Treetime Christmas Creations in Lake Barrington. Q. My wife and I bought a duplex in January. It may have been built as storage for a green- house/florist, which would explain why it is built with a shed roof (single slope roof I’ve heard referred to as a “flounder house”). e unit is two stories, about 500 square feet and with a full basement. Our upstairs tenant moved out in February and we had to have a contractor screw down the floor boards, as there were two layers of 3-inch planks on top of one another and set down parallel to one another. Now the downstairs tenant has moved out and we need to replace the carpet, as they said it wasn’t new when they moved in 17 years ago! When I took up a piece of carpet to see what was underneath, I found an old foam pad (Omalon sys- tem 350), and underneath that, something that looks like cement. Our contractor spec- ulated that it could be cement mixed with gypsum. To me, it looks like maybe someone tried to smooth it out with plaster! e reason I say that is it’s white and when I knock on it, in places it has that hollow sound that plaster can have (which I don’t think is a good sign!). Looking at the back of this floor from the basement, it looks like wood, so it seems that whatever this is was poured and added over wood. Hopefully that gives you enough background informa- tion. Now my questions. First, the Omalon foam pad seems to have been glued down for about a foot around the edges of the room and at the seams. It wasn’t until after I took up the pad with a plastic scraper that I thought about asbes- tos in the glue/mastic used to hold the foam down. I know you can’t guarantee one way or another, but I just won- dered if you might have an idea of what might have been used as an adhesive. Or per- haps you’d recommend I find someone like an environ- mental engineer to come and check it out? My other questions are about the subfloor. As you can see from the attached pic- tures, it looks like cement and “plaster.” I believe the trowel marks are from the glue for the carpet pad. e cement is pitted in places, and in there is some crumbling. e plan is to put down a pad and carpet, but I’m not sure how import- ant it is for the surface to be smooth. If so, should I scrape the loose stuff and fill with something? e floor isn’t very level and I’m sure the pad will mitigate small divots. Installing new carpet becomes a mystery Henri de Marne Home repair See DE MARNE on PAGE 8 Daily Herald Media Group CONTEST Time To Improve Your Home? Time To Improve Your Home? Look inside for for some DESIGN ideas
Transcript of SUND AY ,NOV EMBER 5, 2017 Ho Su menday...
By Jean MurphyDaily Herald Correspondent
Christmas is all abouttradition.Weunpack andreveal each year the itemsthat remindus ofwonderfulChristmases past. Butmostof us also try to addone ortwonew things to our decorin order to change thingsup and add something thatcatches our fancy.Wedon’t want our Christ-
mas photos andmemories tobe identical every year, afterall!Buying one or twonew
ornaments or holiday itemseach year is a greatway tomark themarch of timebecause every year thereafteryou can unpack anduse thatspecial item to evokemem-ories of the year inwhich itwas added to your holidaycollection.Trends inholidaydecor
comeandgoover the years,just like fashion trends comeandgo, saysLaurieKane,owner (withherhusband, Joe)ofTreetimeChristmasCre-ations, 22102N.PepperRoadinLakeBarrington.But, ingeneral, thewinter’smajorholiday is about traditions andwonderfulmemories.That iswhymosthomeowners addto theirChristmas collectionsgradually over the years andbuyChristmas itemsduringtheir travels, for instance,making theirChristmastimehomeand tree almost a livingscrapbookof their lives.Holiday decorating can
be an ode to the tastes andtrends of the year. Treetimeis a great place to stop by andsee the yearly holiday colorsand trends, aswell as to pickup that newhave-to-have-ititem that you saw in amaga-zine or online.The shop is amagical, fan-
tasyChristmas showroomthat changes each year in aneffort to keep people comingback to seewhat the staff andowners have done differently,Kane says.“Our instructors are also
happy to teach customerseasy tricks to adddimen-sion and anewexcitementto their traditional tree byusingfloral picks or extralights, alongwith their tradi-tional ornaments,” she says.
“In addition,many customersbring in older pieces, likeflo-ral or greens arrangements, toget help onupdating them.”This year there are four hot
Christmas tree trends, Kanesays.“First, we are seeing the
mixing of a variety ofmetals—gold, silver, platinumandeven copper—on the sametree.Wehave been seeingthis in clothing andhouse-wares for the past year or so,andnow that trendhasmadeitsway toChristmas, too,”she says. “Andmany design-ers aremixing thosemet-alswith the twoChristmascolors from2016— the rosequartz and the serenity blue,but particularlywith the rosequartz. It gives a very tranquillook to a tree.”The secondpopular look
this year, she says, is the natu-ral, organic tree done entirelyin greens, browns andwhites(and absolutely no reds orpinks), but featuring smallanimals, berries, pine conesandfloral items.“Next is thewintry gar-
den-look tree,” Kane says.“This type of tree featureswhites, reds and soft greens inthe formof naturalflorals andcrystals. It is best in homeswith older families and isoften being done as a smallersecond tree or a diminutivetabletop tree.“The last trendy tree this
year is the nostalgia tree onwhich homeowners do theirbest to recreate the past byusing retro traditional orna-ments andbig Christmaslights, oftentimesmixedwith the smaller lights for aunique look.Mixing the twosizes of lights add a cool ele-ment to any tree,” Kane says.“You can even accomplishthis look on a pre-lit tree. Andsomepeople are going theother direction by adding thenew, even-smaller ‘micro’lights, which I think look likefairy lights, to their pre-littrees.They add a cool, starrylook to a tree.”There are additional popu-
lar trends that you canuse tospice up your traditional treethis year, Kane says.“Ribbons in your tree
are hot, sowehave severaldesigners onhand tomakeeach customer one bowandto teach youhow tomakethem, too. Or you canpaya fee and our designerswillmake all of them for you.”The current trends are to
use ribbons for exciting treetoppers, aswell as to distrib-ute small bows throughoutyour tree or to loop lengths ofribbon through the tree.Strings of battery-operated
micro-lights on timers arealso a nice addition through-out your home—with greenson yourmantle or staircaseor even on indoor or outdoorwreaths, Kane suggests. Andthis year they are coming onlonger strings, adding to theirutility.Also popular this year are
holidaywater globes (whichneed to be stored at roomtemperature—not in anattic) andholiday night lightsthat are an easy and quickway to addholiday cheer to achild’s bedroom.Christmas decor is gener-
ally not confined to just theinterior of someone’s home.It usually begins outdoorsand is visible to thosewalkingor driving past.Kane says it is nowpopular
for berries andfloral items tobe added to outdoor greens—both fresh and faux.Thatgoes forwreaths, garlandsand even potted greens.Themicro-lights, berries and fauxfloral items can be storedwith faux greens for futureuse, or they can be removedat the end of the season andbe saved to be placed in nextyear’s fresh greens.For information about hol-
iday decorating trends, you
can reachTreetimeChrist-masCreations at (847) 527-8880 or by visitingwww.treetime.com. Tofind a
schedule of Treetime’s hol-iday decorating classes,visit www.treetime.com/showroom-events-calendar.
Today we continue five weeksof room makeover madnesswith the Daily Herald’s annualRoom for Living makeovercontest.We are publishing stories thatsuggest design ideas, alongwith reader letters detailingproblems we all face andsuggestions from our expertson how to overcome thesechallenges.Who knows, this year couldbe the year you finally get theroom of your dreams, whetherthat’s a living room, greatroom, bathroom or bonusroom.Look for stories in this sectionthrough Sunday, Nov. 12,as well as stories on oursponsors in HomeSaturday’sIndustry Insider feature.Finalists’ letters will befeatured on Page 3 eachweek in Home & Garden. Thewinners of prize packages,donated by our sponsors andvalued between $2,000 and$5,000, will be chosen fromamong these finalists.
dh da i l y h e r a l d . c om
Jan Riggenbach 2Home and garden calendar 5New York Times crossword puzzle 9
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2017
section4
Homes&GardenSunday
A
Holiday water globes are a quick and easy way to add holidaycheer to a child’s bedroom.
This is the “Loved by Nature”tree at Treetime.
P H O T O S B Y J O E L E W N A R D / [email protected]
Many people get new ornaments to commemorate the year’smilestones, such as a wedding or new baby. Other people justlike to refresh their decorations each year.
Christmas collectionsHoliday decorations area scrapbook of our lives
J O E L E W N A R D / [email protected]
Laurie Kane views the “Winter Garden” tree at her business, Treetime Christmas Creationsin Lake Barrington.
Q. My wife and I boughta duplex in January. It mayhave been built as storage
for a green-house/florist,which wouldexplain whyit is builtwith a shedroof (singleslope roofI’ve heardreferred to asa “flounderhouse”). Theunit is two
stories, about 500 square feetand with a full basement. Ourupstairs tenant moved out inFebruary and we had to havea contractor screw down thefloor boards, as there weretwo layers of 3-inch plankson top of one another and setdownparallel to one another.Now the downstairs tenant
has moved out and we needto replace the carpet, as theysaid it wasn’t new when theymoved in 17 years ago!When Itook up a piece of carpet to seewhat was underneath, I foundan old foam pad (Omalon sys-tem 350), and underneaththat, something that looks likecement. Our contractor spec-ulated that it could be cementmixed with gypsum. To me,it looks like maybe someonetried to smooth it out withplaster!The reason I say that is it’s
white and when I knock onit, in places it has that hollowsound that plaster can have(which I don’t think is a goodsign!). Looking at the back ofthis floor from the basement,it looks like wood, so it seemsthat whatever this is waspoured and added overwood.Hopefully that gives you
enough background informa-tion. Now my questions. First,the Omalon foam pad seemsto have been glued down forabout a foot around the edgesof the room and at the seams.It wasn’t until after I took upthe pad with a plastic scraperthat I thought about asbes-tos in the glue/mastic used tohold the foam down. I knowyou can’t guarantee one wayor another, but I just won-dered if you might have anidea of what might have beenused as an adhesive. Or per-haps you’d recommend I findsomeone like an environ-mental engineer to come andcheck it out?My other questions are
about the subfloor. As youcan see from the attached pic-tures, it looks like cement and“plaster.” I believe the trowelmarks are from the glue forthe carpet pad. The cement ispitted in places, and in thereis some crumbling.The plan isto put down a pad and carpet,but I’m not sure how import-ant it is for the surface to besmooth. If so, should I scrapethe loose stuff and fill withsomething? The floor isn’tvery level and I’m sure thepad will mitigate small divots.
Installingnew carpetbecomesa mystery
Henri de MarneHome repair
See DE MARNE on PAGE 8
Daily Herald Media Group CONTEST
Time To Improve Your Home?Time To Improve Your Home?Look inside for for some
DESIGN ideas
