Irene Turnbull - Interior Decorator

So, you want to renovate or decorate? Well, the good news is, "the
world is your oyster." The bad news is, "the world is your oyster!"

No, it's not a misprint... or double-talk either! What I'm getting at
is the fact that we are living in a world of infinite choice when it comes
to building, renovating and decorating our homes, and while this is an
exciting marketplace, the proliferation of products and experts to offer
advice can quite frankly be overwhelming.

Huge shifts have taken place in retail markets. Fast-paced
lifestyles and the demands on our time, combined with global access
to products, have driven a greater wedge in the marketplace between
mass merchandising (box-store home centres) and one-on-one custom
and specialized services with little or no retail focus. The competition
for homeowners' attention in every product category is intense as
companies scramble to find new ways to convince buyers that their
products are the right ones, including the more recently discovered
marketing power of "going green."

For the average homeowner, by the time you get to make choices
about furniture, draperies and accessories, the budget has already
been challenged by choices over expensive cars, widescreen TVs,
computers and leisure toys - not to mention granite countertops,
kitchen appliances and numerous other home products. Balancing the
cost of these "want to have" items with furnishings can be a juggling
act at best.

Everywhere I hear people asking, "where do I shop for something
in-between cheap and high-end? Where do I find the middle of the road
- that place where I can depend on good quality for value pricing? And
most importantly, how do I know who to believe with all the product
claims being made? How do I put it all together so that it pleases me?"

Read the full article as a PDF from the Our Homes Magazine:

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