Your BTSH Team: Jennifer MacEwen

Meet Jennifer MacEwen, BTSH’s new Decorating & Design Consultant. During her career with a CD distribution company, she often felt drawn towards interior design. When the feeling became too strong to ignore any longer, she began working at a local high-end furniture company. She then registered for Conestoga College’s Interior Decorating program, and obtained her certificate in 2010.

“Being in the high-end furniture business helped me a lot. It helped me understand the construction and underlying elements of furniture and design,” she said. She also credits working in her mother and grandmother’s home décor store, where she helped out, purchased merchandise for the shelves, and began dabbling in design.

Before coming to BTSH, Jennifer worked in a boutique creating displays and assisting clients to select and purchase items for their homes. Next she graduated on to designing by herself, and made the move to BTSH in September 2015, where she works with design client, assisting with all of their home design needs, from decorating to renovation projects, and everything in between.

Though Jennifer describes her personal style as “contemporary,” she prides herself in her ability to design for anyone and any style. Her personal favourite design elements are clean lines, mixing modern with vintage, using natural elements with shabby chic pieces, as well as the contrast between light and dark while mixing in pops of colour. She’s also all about art! She loves beautiful and interesting pieces, and says that having “wow” pieces are great for every home.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT JENNIFER

Favourite part of her job:
    Finding pieces that her clients would never have thought to put together.

Favourite TV show:

    Home by Novogratz

Favourite designer:

    Johnathan Adler

Favourite upcoming trend:

    Gold and pastels – Throwback to the 90s (in a good way)!

Jennifer believes that everyone should have the opportunity to come home to a space that they can enjoy, a space they can call their own, and a comfortable place to call home. A proven perfectionist, Jennifer doesn’t stop until you are 100% happy and is a welcomed addition to the BTSH team!  

For more information regarding our residential design services, contact us today!

Phone: +1 (226) 240-0766
Email: info@btshomes.com
www.beyondthestagehomes.com 

How To Hang Artwork Like the Pros!

We were recently hired to hang artwork for a previous client’s new place – they had all of the pieces that they needed, but they still had a lot of questions:

• How high should they be hung? 
• Should we stagger groups of artwork, or align?
• Should the art go behind the bed, or behind the lamps, or both?
• Is this piece big enough/does it work well in this space?
• What type of screws, nails, and tools do we need?

Hiring a professional designer to take on the task of hanging the artwork answers all of these questions, and more. We have the tools, the training, and all of the equipment (including a ladder that works great on stairs)!

That said, if you are interested in tackling this task on your own, these tips will help you to (almost) hang artwork as well as the pros do.

Nails, hooks and more

Picture hanging hooks come in a variety of sizes, based on weight handling capabilities, so be sure to select the one that best suits your needs. Standard single nail hooks will hold up to 30 lbs. There are 2 and 3 nail hooks that will hold more weight, so be sure to review what your needs are before purchasing.

An alternative to the standard picture hooks is the fairly new Monkey Hook®. These do not require a hammer, and are simply thread through the drywall, holding up to 50lbs on their standard hooks! We recommend using ONLY on drywall.

Once you have found the perfect wall art for your space, and you’re ready to hang, you need to purchase my ultimate favourite picture-hanging tool – I can’t leave home without this, and clients are mesmerized when I use it. I know, it’s starting to sound a bit like an infomercial, but trust me when I tell you that this little tool will change your life, regardless of the type of artwork that you are hanging.

Ready?

It’s called the Hang & Level™, and I’m pretty sure it’s magic. I have included a link to buying this online, just in case you want to see what the fuss is about. If you choose to purchase one, there are some handy instructions on the back of the packaging, but I’ll sum it up for you in 5 quick and easy steps:

1. Hang your artwork from the hook of the Hang & Level™ tool.
2. Position on the wall where you wish to hang the artwork.
3. Once in position, remove the artwork from the hook, and press the “button” on this hook into the wall (you’ll notice a small indentation mark on the wall).
4. Place your nail, or the bottom of your picture hanging hook if using a hook, on this marked spot, and hammer in your nail/hook.
5. Hang your artwork on your nail or hook, and use the Hang & Level™ built-in level to ensure it’s straight.

That’s it! Seriously! No need to measure how far down your wire or sawtooth sits on the back of your frame. It’s that easy!
Now, unfortunately, this handy tool won’t work for all pieces, but it does work well for most, and will significantly reduce the amount of time needed for your art hanging project.

Moving on, here are a few basic guidelines for positioning your artwork:

Gallery Walls:

• These do not need to create a nice, neat square or rectangle – consider an offset shape that creates a visual balance.

   

Hanging pieces side by side or stacked

• Be sure to leave 1” – 3” between pieces, depending on the size of the piece (larger items can have more space between them).

How high should you hang it?

Standard:

• Most pieces should be hung at a standard eye level (60 in from ground to centre of artwork).

Above a sofa or bed:

• Minimum 6” above the back of the sofa or headboard, and no more than 10”.

Above a console table or sideboard:

• Generally 4” – 6” – there may be exceptions, especially if there are other artwork pieces in the room, in which case you’ll want to align the centers of the pieces of artwork with each other.

Above a mantel:

• For most mantels, we recommend 3” – 6” above.

Additional tips:

• For hanging artwork on plaster walls, place a piece of painters or masking tape where the nail will go BEFORE hammering – this will keep the wall from splitting.
• Carry a magnet in your tool pouch or pocket – this will give you quick and easy access to nails, without the risk of choking on them!
• Remember scale when selecting which pieces will be hung where – ensure that large walls have a large piece or grouping of small pieces, and smaller walls are host to smaller display pieces.

Written by:

Shauna Lynn, Founder and Lead Creative Solutions Provider, Beyond The Stage Homes

Contact Beyond The Stage Homes today to find out how to get your property sold!

Phone: +1 (226) 240-0766
Email: info@btshomes.com
www.beyondthestagehomes.com