H4

Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan

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Well, well well.

This was a pretty bleak scene before we flexed our transformative muscles, huh? Typical of so many homes moved into by ambitious owners -- owners who eventually admit feeling overwhelmed by what they've bought -- today's house of horrors was low on anything approaching style.

Stop. Rewind.

Make that totally devoid of anything approaching style. As usual, we felt challenged while analyzing where best to start, but after a stiff Scotch to steady our nerves, we began feeling inspired. As the smoky haze of potential rose from the gloomy scene, we chatted with our clients and it became suddenly clear.

Yup, we had a plan.

A fun-loving young family, our chaps explained that they'd been city dwellers originally but had moved to the country to escape the rat race. However, having based themselves in rural Canada for the last two years, they'd eventually come to the realisation that they'd made a mistake.

So, having abandoned the city to chase their dreams, they sold their less than rural idyll and moved back to the city to reignite their fondness for all things urban. We admired their guts in at least trying an alternative lifestyle and, in return for their bravery, promised to help them settle back into the metropolis by adding a touch of country at home to provide familiarity.

While verbally assassinating their 'style,' however, we also delivered some good news. With one eye on the environment and another trained firmly on economy, we explained that their fireplace could, with a little designer sorcery, become thoroughly gorgeous.

The dog-eaten sofas could be brought back from the brink of dereliction with new loose covers.

And the dining room suite, while visually sour, had lashings of potential.

And the existing floor? Due to its essentially sound condition, it could be dressed with rugs.

Even the TV would be re used -- albeit positioned in a downstairs secondary living area -- so that this room could become the 'conversation and chill zone' our clients so desperately longed for.

Furniture re branding aside, our biggest bone of contention was lighting. We're sure that you'll agree that, in its initial incarnation, the lounge felt like a cave. And, hells bells, an unwelcoming one at that. With only small windows at either end, we relied on paint and artificial illumination to brighten the atmosphere. Also problematic was the room's narrow nature and, of course, our budget which needed extra reining in due to the fact we were revamping other rooms in the same home.

Here are the salient points, which explain how we ramped up the style stakes and banished the bland from yet another needy abode.

We're only two boys... but we do what we can. Transforming Canada's major design crimes, one problem room at a time.

Panelling: This one really couldn't have been any easier. Using the skirting boards as our baseline and dado rail topped with a 4" shelf as top point, we inserted regularly spaced MDF struts and then painted the entire affair purest white. Quick fix simple detailing like this is a great way to provide 'period' style in even the plainest rooms. What's more the little shelf acts as a cute display area for interesting ornaments and artwork.

Blue paint detailing: Our initial plan had been to paint the area above the panelling in soft, washy aqua but we decided, at the last moment, to take everything up a few gears. With white furniture and white panelling we figured the room could take a spot of extra decorative confidence so we gave it our best shot and specified a wonderful blue shade by Benjamin Moore.

Ceiling: The original ceiling was covered in our arch nemesis; naughty pine. Sorry, knotty pine. Hey, we were right first time. We're pretty much allergic to this stuff and prolonged exposure has been known to give us goose bumps big enough to ladder our jeans. With this in mind, we decreed it be painted white to lift perceived ceiling height and further brighten the gloomy room. One coat of primer and one coat of eggshell later the pine had been forced into designer submission.

Fireplace update: The outsized shelves either side of the fireplace were a bone of contention for our clients who'd actually added them after moving in. As far as we were concerned they needed to be removed to widen the space and anyway -- it wasn't like they were actually storing or displaying anything of interest. Our next step was to add a second shelf above the mantle to afford it a more commanding presence. This done, we updated the tiling, painted the brass ring silver (using heatproof spray) then painted the entire structure crisp white to compliment our panelling. As they said in wartime Britain - 'make do and mend.' We're so about that philosophy as the economy claws brutally at our available budgets.

Custom covers: And, on the subject of 'make do and mend', we applied the same dollar protection logic to the family's soft furnishings. We liked the shape of the existing sofa and chairs (but not the existing fabric) so we called a slip cover specialist who templated, cut and sewed everything using simple white cotton linen.

Window treatment: Shutters didn't compute as far as our costings were concerned so we opted instead for white painted wooden Venetians. Choosing a design with wide slats creates visually similar results to New England shutters but without the associated costs.

Lime wash effect dining set update: The family dining set had definitely seen better days. Of no particular period merit -- or value -- it was, however, structurally sound. So we engaged a specialist to 'lime' it to life. A laborious process involving loads of sanding and washing, the results are nonetheless worth the effort. With the wood bare and free of varnish, our specialist applied a limewash finish to the open grain, allowed it to dry, washed off the excess and then waxed and buffed everything to a soft shine.

You could tackle a project like this yourself (if you're patient) but we'd recommend visiting your local library and reading up on everything first.

* Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of HGTV's Colin & Justin's Home Heistand the authors of Colin & Justin's Home Heist Style Guide, published by Penguin Group (Canada).