Will your swanky pad improve your luck with the ladies (or lads)?

Forget flashy cars, expensive watches and impeccably turned out wardrobes: Turns out what the ladies really love are hardwood floors, expansive views and high-tech kitchens.

Or, at least, so says the New York Post, in an article titled "Would you sleep with this guy because of his apartment? He certainly hopes so." (Spotted via theglobeandmail.com)

To quote the article's Jim Norton, a 42-year-old comedian, "“Women see windows — and skirts come off.

The gent in question credits his Upper West Side apartment with getting some first date action. He adds that with all the economic woes of late, a man with a job, and a roof over his head, is suddenly more desirable.

Another source in the story, 41-year-old Ralph Sutton, bragging about the elevator that goes to his loft, claims, "I think a guy who lives on the top floor of a sixth-floor walk-up better have some immaculate game.”

There's also the question of whether it works both ways - would a gentleman be swayed by my swanky sky high pad? I'm inclined to think not, but the story doesn't look at whether men appreciate a lady's lovingly decorated space.

That's if it were to work at all, of course.

A quick poll of my single lady friends does not reveal a man's gleaming apartment, or panoramic views, to change romantic inclinations.

However, a few minor home decor tricks may help your love life, or at least keep the object of your affection from running for the hills:

- Clean sheets. Studies have found that a once a week tumble in the washer and dryer isn't the norm for singles in the city, with some people going as long as a month. Let's make it a habit, OK?

- Clean dishes. While clear counters might not get your romantic motors running, it's safe to say that a kitchen with stacks of dirty dishes doesn't exactly show you've got your life together. So load your dishwasher, or in case of emergency, stow the dirty ones in your oven (not that yours truly has ever done that ...).

- Wipe down your bathroom sink. Any guest will appreciate a clean, hygienic washroom, so give surfaces a quick wipe with a damp cloth and some vinegar, and, while you're at it, refill your soap dispenser and put out some clean towels.

Rocket science? Certainly not. But definitely a far more achievable way to impress your guests than purchasing a multi-million dollar pad.

And, in the meantime, I'd love to hear whether a prospective mate's pad has any influence on your decision to stick around - or, to quote the article, whether floor-to-ceiling windows really loosens those skirts.

Royal wedding: Regal touches for the home

Call it an occupational hazard, but after months of feeling so-so about the royal wedding, I've finally gotten swept up in all the pomp and circumstance, the fashion and, even, the fairy tale. So, in honour of tomorrow's early wake-up and tiara sporting, here are a few of my favourite regal touches for the home:

As a girl who grew up with Prince William staring at me from all those teen mags, well, I can certainly sympathize with the feeling, expressed so prettily on china (as regular readers are well aware, I'm a sucker for anything typographic). The 'It should Have Been Me' bone china plate retails for $32 at kkoutlet.com. (Spotted on Style at Home).

Continuing on in the fun, perhaps cheeky, vein is this typographic treasure, $22 US, on Etsy.

This sold-out souvenir tea towel, from Etsy seller claudiagpearson is a sweet nod to the day.

This Crowns and Coronets wallpaper, at $70 a roll, from Graham and Brown, was designed in honour of the royal nuptials, and can be "jazzed up" with the company's Royal Jewels for a custom touch.

And this bowler-inspired chandelier was just too cute not to share! (HALO chandelier, via Apartment Therapy).

A pop of purple

Even if the weather has been less than spring-like, I'm still striving to embrace the season (while sporting a wool coat).

And part of that means pulling in more pops of colour around my space as I go through my seasonal deep clean - fresh tulips in the kitchen, new tchotckes on my (newly installed!) shelves and, even, a little friendly pop of colour in my fridge.

Admittedly, meal preperation and stowing groceries aside, I don't spend a whole lot of time peering into my fridge. I never thought about making it prettier inside (so long as it's clean.)

But then I saw the "rich aubergine" Mavea water pitcher, and, well, because I'm a sucker for anything purple, I just had to have it.

 
In addition to looking pretty in my fridge -- and on my table, where it's often sitting waiting to be refilled -- the pitcher also has a handy digital display reminding me when it's time to change the filter (I always forget) and a sort of "trap door" in the top, so you don't have to remove the lid to fill it.

But really, I got one because it's pretty.

It's also available in sage green, black, white and red for $39.99, at retailers Williams Sonoma, Sears, The Bay and Home Outfitters.

Spring cleaning: Who has the time?

Officially, it's spring, though it does seem that Mother Nature begs to differ after yesterday's blustery snow squalls.

That means it's time for gleaming windows, fresh scrubbed floors and perfectly organized closets. At least in theory. (To help get you started, I recently shared some of our best cleaning tips, check them out here.)

In reality, it's hard to find the time to give your home an overhaul. It's tricky enough to just keep up on top of the things we have to do - laundry, dishes, general tidying - that working in a deep clean can feel more than a little daunting.

In fact, as I've started to tackle my own spring cleaning, I've become the queen of the unfinished project. Because, of course, one project always hinges on another. For example, I want to re-organize my closet. But that means getting the books that have been hanging out in a box in there out of the way. And to unpack those, I need to hang shelves. So, feeling all kinds of productive, I enlist a friend and start hanging shelves. But I run out of wall anchors. So, for the past three days, "Buy wall anchors" has been written in screaming letters at the top of my to-do list - and more than a week after "starting" the job, my closet is not any cleaner.

(As a bonus, I do have two shelves hung, and they're totally rocking my world.)

Experts say the way to manage these tasks is to make a list - check out Martha Stewart's here (it's a PDF) - and try to tackle just one task at a time. For example, one evening, plan to empty out your medicine cabinet rather than going over the entire bathroom with a fine tooth comb.

So, my first mistake was letting the job snowball. If I was going to tackle a task like closet cleaning, I should have focused on the closet alone, tucking that box away in a corner until the day comes when "Organize books" works its way to the top of my list - somewhere after buying, and hanging, shelves of course.

This way, you make progress in achievable chunks and, hopefully, feel inspired to actually tackle these bite-sized tasks rather than saying "I just don't have time to deep clean my kitchen tonight."

So, tonight's goal: Buy those darn wall anchors. Then revel in a job well done.

A chair for hugging?

Sometimes, design comes up with brilliant solutions for problems in our homes that we'd long ignored - take, for example, the Magisso magnetic dishcloth holder that preserves your kitchen's sightlines without leaving your dishcloth in a soggy heap at the bottom of your sink.

Othertimes, it solves problems that I didn't know even existed.

Take the Hug Chair by Ilian Milinov (spotted on Twitter, original post here) - designed to make the simple act of having someone sit on your lap more comfortable - by keeping them from sitting in your lap at all. Instead, your loved one perches in near proximity on a separate raised seat.

Useful? Perhaps. Though obviously not as cuddly as the original. To be honest, to me, that extra seat is less about togetherness and more about being a perfect laptop perch - now there's a problem I did need solved.

A touch of the Irish ... green room roundup

Ah, St. Patrick's Day. While the evening festivities are certainly a draw, I also see it as an excuse to explore a colour that doesn't factor very heavily in my wardrobe or decor: green.

So, in honour of my green dress, and those lucky few already raising a pint this afternoon, here are a few spaces that make it easy to be green:

This room by Colin and Justin is certainly a little too bright green for my taste, but I admire how boldly it embraces the grassy shade to make the space feel fun, young and modern.

This kitchen, also by C&J, is a subtler way to bring a splash of fresh green into your space. Soft green cabinets are perfectly accented by the oh-so-carefully staged floral arrangements and green apples.

The green cabinets in the kitchen, as spotted on House & Home, ratchets it up a notch, but I kind of love them - especially when paired with the wallpapered ceiling and the industrial, exposed lighting. Not to mention those cute mismatched schoolhouse chairs.

This room, sourced from Katy Elliot, is a much subtler take on the shade. A darker, muddier green, it's more in line with my preferences at the old Casa Speedy - and it keeps the room from feeling like it's St. Patrick's Day, or Christmas, year-round. Plus, I love how the dark hue is balanced by all that fabulous white moulding.

This dining room, spotted on Desire to Inspire, is simply stunning. The green wallpaper. The mid-century modern chairs. The casual leafy centrepiece. I love it.

You can scope out more green spaces on Apartment Therapy. Happy St. Patrick's Day - Sláinte!

Lighting up in my apartment

I must confess, winter makes me complacent. First, there's the holiday rush, where shopping, decorating, travelling and partying pushes aside normal routines and to-do lists. Then there's the January blahs, when all you want to do at the end of the day is cuddle up with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate. It's hard enough to keep up with the day to day maintenance tasks - hello buying a new frock to make up for two weeks without laundry - not to mention tackle all those home improvement jobs that have slipped off your radar.

Come March, I'm finally ready to shake off the cobwebs, both literally and figuratively. I'm tackling those dustbunnies and getting the Jennasium ready for entertaining again after a slow winter.

Perhaps the biggest, and silliest, sign of my complacency was the lack of overhead lighting in my apartment. In the summer, when I moved in, light in the evenings and the mornings wasn't a problem. I acknowledged it would be a necessity, but I didn't take any action. As the days grew shorter, I started grousing about how dark it was in my place as I pulled out mismatched socks and sweaters that turned out to be purple instead of black.

But, instead of dealing with it, I, like so many other homeowners and renters, just worked around it. As the months passed, I started wafflilng on whether I should even bother. After all, I'm a renter and a bit of a nomad - I've had disposable contacts last longer than addresses.

Then, my brother came to visit, and, inspired by the extra set of hands (and his electrical savvyness), I finally got around to installing overhead light fixtures in my living room and bedroom.

Man, did it ever make a difference. Getting ready is the morning is simpler. I'm finding it easier to stay organized. It's brighter, more welcoming, and, I must say, really quite pretty. I should have done this months ago!

A hastily snapped shot of my feminine fixture for the bedroom, via iPhone as I hastily matched clothes (in full light!) this morning. Below, when it's turned off.

And, for the living room, I swept over to Ikea for a simple pendant, which looks, upon second glance here, ridiculously crooked in this shot.

I chose a white pendant, and shortened it dramatically, because I wanted to keep the sightlines in my teeny tiny space as open as possible.

Finally, inspired by how much more human I felt when I wasn't stumbling around in the dark, I added a pop of black to my console table.

The fact that my pack and go lunch is in this shot is a sign that I really shouldn't snap photos hastily on my way to work. Ah well. Apologies.

Either way, adding more lighting has made a huge difference at home - and inspired me to tackle those other simple tasks that could improve my life!Re-organizing cupboards, moving fridge shelves to better accommodate wine bottles and a new shoe rack to accommodate my collection have all worked their way back up my list.

What household improvements have you been putting off?

Spring cleaners, start your engines

Why not get a head start on your spring cleaning while the cold weather is keeping your trapped inside?

Wordless Wednesday: Valentine's Day eye candy

(Courtesy Tara Dalla-Nora - learn how to get the look here)

(Michael Graydon/Style at Home)

(Valentini, from Canadian House and Home)

 

(Apartment Therapy)

 

(Elle Decor)

 

(DesignSponge)

Crack open those crayons and colour block your home?

For the Spring 2011 runways, "Designers went positively colour mad, seemingly determined to use all the colours in the Crayola box — in one outfit," says the Star's Derrick Chetty.

With textiles embracing bold hues, walls, of course, can't be far behind. And, sure enough, Sico paints is already saying colour zoning - basically using blocks of colour to highlight walls and room features - "is the hottest trend in home decor right right now."

 
 
"It's all about using colours creatively to add interest to spaces and bring rooms to life," says Dominique Pepin, Sico's marketing manager. "People today invest more time in decorating their surroundings and are demonstrating this by using colour in unique ways to deliver personal style to their living spaces."

Pepin notes that colour zoning's a fun trend because it's inexpensive and has endless possibilities - you can paint whatever you want on the wall to add "a touch of fun, sophistication or flair."

Easy ways to try out the trend include painting a wall a different colour to divide a space, or using shapes to create the illusion of a headboard or fireplace surround, create a faux ceiling medallion around a chandelier or make frames for decorative mirrors, photographs or paintings.

To get started on a colour zoning project, Pepin offers the following tips:

More than a feeling: Decide how you want your space to feel, then examine where you can best place pops of colour, for example, you may want to make ceilings feel higher by painting a vertical stripe above a low table, or make it wider with horizontal stripes. Dress up a bare wall with a variety of shapes and colours or add a large square backdrop to highlight a painting or piece of furniture.

Give it a test run: Before you take the brush to the wall, sketch out your desired shapes. Pepin notes that circles, curved lines and overlapping shapes invoke a light, fun feeling while rectangles and sharp edges create a more serious tone. Find an arrangement that suits your eye, then measure and draw them out on your walls using painter's tape (for straight lines) or a pencil. Sico suggests using a paint brush instead of a roller to carefully fill in your shape. For the cleanest edge, limit the amount of paint on your brush.

Make it pop: Get colour inspiration from pieces that are already part of your decor - such as a favourite shade in a pillow or painting. Using shades from the same colour family provides a sophisticated, soothing look while contrasting colours packs more of a punch.

"When it comes to colour zoning, the only limit is your imagination," says Pepin. "Be adventurous - some of the most unexpected colour combinations can look terrific and make for a great conversation piece."

For more tips on colour zoning, check out Sico's Virtual Decorator or pick up their new colour zoning leaflet at a Sico retailer.