Katie Kirkpatrick and her husband Mark lucked out when they bought their first house three years ago. The 50-year-old bungalow was still being lived in by its original owner, who “maintained it meticulously,” meaning even though they had plans to update it, they didn’t have to right away. “She had classic taste. It could have […]
Section Feature
Colour me rad
What are the most important things people should consider while selecting a paint colour? I always advise clients to not rely too much on what the trends are. Colour is a very personal choice and is affected by many things such as lighting, flooring tones, trim colours, furniture style and colour. The most important thing […]
Eight tips for first-time buyers
1. Consider various neighbourhoods beyond what you initially think you want. A 15- to 20-minute commute to work can save you thousands on a mortgage. 2. I can’t stress how important it is to have a buyers’ representative when you’re purchasing your first home. A professional real estate agent guides you through the process and […]
Building a future
What should people be looking for when they’re hiring a renovating team or contractor? Clear communication. Communication from the very first point of contact is an important part of making sure the entire renovation process goes as smoothly as possible. Look for a web presence, such as an up-to-date website, Facebook page, Twitter account, or […]
My favourite room: Marianne Abboud’s living room
What makes this room your favourite? It’s the heart of the house. The openness of the space is bathed in natural light from both sides, let in by generous windows that also provide cross-ventilation during summertime. One of its great appeals is comfort, space flexibility and the atmosphere of airiness that is further enhanced with […]
My favourite room: Alison Phibley
The space: My favourite place in Halifax is actually in a building on the corner of Oxford and Cork, where my sister has her office [Solterre Design]. It’s not actually about the room, it’s all the stuff in it. It is one of the first projects I did as manager of Renovators Resource, and it […]
My favourite room: Joanna Lane
What makes this room your favourite? When I’m at home I spend a lot of time in my office–it’s the nature of owning your own business. We’re lucky enough to have two master bedrooms in our home so I converted this one into my home office. This is the one room in the house that […]
Less is more
If practice makes perfect, it’s no wonder Monique and Kent Roberts found their little piece of heaven on Bauer Street. They’ve been mastering the art of packing up and starting over for their entire marriage, getting truckloads of practice via six (or was it seven?) moves across the country. This time was different though: The […]
My favourite room: Brittney MacLean
What makes this room your favourite? This was my husband and I’s first apartment together. We eventually moved into a condo, but truly missed the charm of this old place—it survived the Halifax Explosion!—and snapped up the hilarious opportunity to move back in when it popped up on the renters market. Now, this room is […]
YOU are the reason we “even need a Woman’s Day”
[Image-1] Dear Some Guy on my Facebook: As a woman, I found your Women’s Day “equality” post extremely offensive. This is a day where we should be sensitive to the kinds of things we write publicly, since women are killed every day by gender violence, caused by the sexism that is still well and alive […]
Watch teaser for a John Dunsworth and Cathy Jones webseries
In a bid to win funding from the IPF (Independent Production Fund) for an episodic webseries, the creator of Noon Gun, 2015’s Best Film in The Coast’s Best of Halifax Awards, filmmaker Caley MacLennan recently released a teaser for Nichols and Dimez. If it wins, the locally produced series promises to be a boozey, comedy crime-thriller that would star John Dunsworth […]
How’s that hood fitting?
[Image-1] I mentioned to someone that I had the hood for my winter coat sized down so I could see when walking around in wind and stormy weather. This did cost me a bit more that something and, as a senior on a fixed income, it was a choice I made re spending some money. […]

