How to freshen your home with a touch of style and glamour

The delight is in the details. Drawer and cabinet pulls are from the Amerock 

Abernathy Collection, each one a precious crystal jewel.

(NC)—Each time you open a kitchen cabinet or reach for a towel in the bathroom you'll give yourself a nice surprise. It's all so simple – and not at all expensive – saying goodbye to old cabinet hardware and indulging yourself in new shapes, new styles, new colours.

With major makeovers and renovations put on hold, homeowners are focusing on decorative hardware for the small, low-cost, changes that mean so much. And manufacturers are responding, with new shapes, new styles, and especially new colours.

Take Amerock, for example. A familiar name, over 80 years in business, but still with its finger on the pulse and developing complete answers to homeowners' needs. Fall in love with a style, and you'll find it's available in all the shapes, sizes and colours you need – even hard-to-find oversize items.

Abernathy Collection pulls are offered in Antique Silver (shown), Oil-Rubbed
Bronze and Satin Nickel. Low cost glamour for your home!

Looking for glamour? Reach for Abernathy – combining jewel-like clear crystal with a choice of metallic finishes –antique silver, oil-rubbed bronze and satinnickel. How could a simple knob be quite so elegant? And how could such an elegant accessory cost so little?

New from Amerock are two gorgeous finishes, both variations on the increasingly-popular theme of bronze.

The company's designers describe the new caramel bronze as a “decadent” finish. It has a glow all its own, rich and coppery. It's available in the sleek and modern Candler Collection of pulls and knobs, and in the even sleeker Extensity Collection.

The other new finish –brushed bronze – plays up the silver and gold tones, and can be seen at its most elegant in the Essential'Z cabinet collection and the Arroni bath collection.

You can browse the complete offering online at amerock.com. Local sources include Home Depot, Home Hardware and Rona.

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Prepare your home properly for the cold weather

(NC)—We've all heard of spring cleaning, but it's just as important to get your house in shape for the cold weather season, before the temperature drops. To make sure your home is properly prepared for the elements, do a few simple checks.

• Protect pipes. Cold weather time is the prime season for freezing or cracking pipes. Protect your exposed pipes with foam insulated pipe covers to prevent damage during the winter.

• Check the furnace. Make sure your furnace is functioning properly before the cold weather sets in, so you won't have to suffer through days without heat. Have a technician stop by to make sure it's in good shape, or, at the least, install a new filter to ensure high performance during the cold weather.

• Seal out drafts. Keep your heating bill and thermostat down by sealing up drafts around doors and windows. Install foam seals or re-caulk around doors, and add an insulating film over windows, such as Duck brand Roll-On Window Kits. Don't forget to install Socket Sealers too, since even electrical sockets can be a source of drafts.

• Cover up your patio furniture. Make sure grills, patio furniture and air conditioning units are properly sealed up in plastic to protect them from damage during the winter. If possible – put them in the garage.

• Stock up on cold weather supplies. Pick up plenty of salt for the driveway, buy a few new shovels and put some extra antifreeze in your car so you're prepared for the cold weather.

Don't wait until the temperature drops to get your home in shape – act now and you'll be relaxed and cozy when the first snow falls. More details are available online at www.duckbrand.com.

www.newscanada.com