Home improvement can be tricky for apartment dwellers. You don’t want to lose your security deposit for painting the living room walls red, and you’d prefer not to leave any upgrades you make. Here’s where “Home to Go” can come in handy.
Targeted to renters and owners of starter homes, the show focuses on simple do-it-yourself tasks that involve lighting, fabrics and storage. “Home to Go” host Peter Fallico leads viewers through straightforward, step-by-step instructions, such as what kind of nails and lumber to use.
Unlike many of the makeover programs, there’s no set budget for “Home to Go” projects. Keeping it simple is the theme, though. “On `Home to Go,’ we like less expensive,” Fallico says in a recent episode that included using a stainless steel cutlery container to make a funky pendant light.
Painting the walls in soothing, neutral colors and updating hardware such as kitchen cabinet pulls are mainstays on the show. These jobs are easy enough, but tenants should check before buying any Sherwin-Williams: Some landlords might charge you if they have to repaint the walls their original color. And while new cabinet pulls can stylishly update a kitchen, do you want to spend time removing, packing and re-installing them in your next home?
More practical solutions include investing in new window treatments, which “Home to Go” also advocates, or using mirrors to create the illusion of more space.
“Size doesn’t really matter,” Fallico says. “Big improvements can be made with simple, small changes.”
Along with Susan Crenshaw, Fallico co-hosts another HGTV series, “This Small Space.” Topics range from dressing up details — such as baseboards, light fixtures and wallpaper — to breaking the “rules” of small-space dwelling — using vibrant colors and oversized furniture. Room solutions are offered for starter homeowners to downsizers.
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“Lose it, keep it or reinvent it,” Crenshaw says.
The series showcases how people have adapted to their diminutive dwellings. While viewers might glean some ideas from this, “Home to Go” offers plenty more resourceful, creative tips no matter what your space restrictions or how long you plan on staying.
“Home to Go” and “This Small Space” air Monday through Friday on HGTV. Check local listings for times.
Spud trips on remote, hits magazine rack
The September/October issue of “I.D.” discusses the American debut — in Chicago, no less — of ICCP, “impressed current cathodic protection.” According to the magazine, the process is supposed to help keep buildings’ steel frames from rusting, and is being used on the Marshall Field’s State Street store.
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Carmel Carrillo is assistant editor of the Sunday Real Estate section. You can e-mail her at [email protected].