Nashauna Drummond, Staff Reporter
A very satisfied Kurt Barnett relaxed in the tropical oasis that is now his Merrivale apartment.
BLAND. That's one word that could be used to describe the Merrivale apartment of Kurt Barnett. It was a nice place but it had only the basics. A bed in the bedroom, two burgundy leather sofas in the living room, Drapes with a dash of red. All this was encompassed by very bland off-white walls. It lacked all forms of pizzazz.
That was until CETv! with their home improvement show "I can do that!" and interior designer Francine Chin transformed it into a tropical oasis. A splash of 'Riverbank', 'Strands of Gold' and 'Sentimental Journey' and the walls of this one bedroom apartment came alive.
Bedroom
Chin painted the bedroom walls with picture perfect from HI-Pro Ace Home and Garden Centre. She then added a trestle on the the wall above the bed as a makeshift headboard. The comforter and with matching pillow cases from Azan's Super Centre in Cross Roads re-emphasised the tropical feel of the room while still maintaining that masculine feel.
The coffee table that housed the television set in the living room was moved to the foot of the bed and adorned with scented candles. Tropical flowers; Ginger lilies and Bird of Paradise brighten the desk with his computer. At the window, the drapes were just yards of cloth hung over the wooden curtain rod and attached at the bottom with matching buttons. "The part that catches me most is the bedroom; it's a bit rough but soft, it has that comfortable feeling," said Bennett of his now favourite room in the apartment.
Living Room & Kitchen
The living room and kitchen epitomise a tropical garden. The walls boast coats of Strands of Gold and River Bank which accentuates the kitchen walls. On the walls leading into the kitchen are two straw mats from Azan's Super Centre these make perfect wall accessories. The tropical feel is highlighted with painted clay suns from Vanessa's Art and Decor (upstairs Pablo's), hung from the
ceiling. The kitchen curtains continue the Strands of Gold colour scheme.
The island is adorned with a vase of ginger lilies and Birds of Paradise.
The living room is separated from the passage leading to the bathroom with Sentimental Journey. Another piece of trestle adorns the living room with a vibrant coloured carpet in the centre.
The light fixtures were covered with fish baskets and woven straw lamp shades. Barnett was speechless by
the transformation.
* CETv! the family channel that airs "I can do that!', is available through various cable providers in Kingston and St. Andrew and parts of Ocho Rios. The programme is a spin-off of Home and Garden Televison's (HGTV) 'Design on a Dime' and TLC's 'Trading Spaces'. Monthly episodes focus on easy and affordable ways of bringing your living space up a notch.
