Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
left : After, right : Before - Contributed photos
UP TO three weeks ago, Joy LaCruise was still living with the efects of Hurricane Ivan in her Christian Gardens home in Portmore. LaCruise describes her quad in few words; 'not so wonderful'.
According to LaCruise, her home was ravaged by Hurricane Ivan. She said the roof was damaged so it leaked and damaged the floor and, "I didn't know where to start."
Added to the damage caused by the hurricane, the space was crammed. LaCruise noted that when she moved into her home almost five years ago she was coming from a two bedroom dwelling. She had a lot of furniture that was moved to her present crammed quarters, with the hope that when she extended it, the pieces would fit into their respective rooms.
She was given more than a great start when she saw an advertisement for a room makeover competition on TVJ. For the first time, the Health, Home and Garden team was running a room makeover competition. Interior designer Fay Wint, noted that part of the Health Home and Garden expo was encouraging people to make their home beautiful and this was an integral part of the biannual Health Home and Garden Expo held at the National Arena.
LaCruise entered the competition and her home was selected by viewer votes. Ms. Wint noted that her first thought when she saw the home, was that it was cluttered. Too much was in the space and it could be made more comfortable.
THE MAKEOVER
Ms. Wint's first step was encouraging LaCruise to get rid of as much of the furniture as she could. In the end, all that remained was LaCruise's refrigerator, television set, bed and CD player.
With roof compound from Berger Paint, the roof was the first thing to be taken care of. The space was opened up with soft colours of summer sky for the room and yellow for the kitchen just to make the distinction.
With her space appearing much larger than it actually was, it was time to fit it with carefully selected pieces of furniture. A dining table set and sofa from Courts Jamaica Limited were the minimum for her living space.
Ms. Wint noted that the space needed multi-purpose furniture. From Modern Wood Craft on Red Hills Road, she added a large unit which combined entertainment centre and closet all in one.
She got an entirely new kitchen from Custom Finishing and Finery with cupboards for additional storage space that she did not have before. The entire quad was tiled.
And in two weeks LaCruise's quad was transformed into a beautiful clutter-free home.
SPACE PLANNING
Effective space planning is the most crucial aspect of home decor. Ms. Wint offered some simple tips for maximising the visual effects of rooms, especially if you're working with small space.
Reduce clutter
Don't display everything.
Use soft colours as these open up the space. Limit the number of colours and patterns you use in any room.
Go for multi-purpose furniture.
Hang curtains higher.
Of the new place, LaCruise says, "My bed is my favourite, I always look in those magazines and see those cushy beds with the cushions and matching curtains and always wanted my bed to look that way." LaCruise got her curtains and bed covers custom-built with fabrics from Decor Selection.
Ms. Wint notes that the makeover went very well. "It turned out very well and the owner loves it."
