2022 Outdoor Living Supplement

OutdoorLiving F O UR T H Q U A R T E R 20 22

A clear view on the landscape How some of the best retailers in Canada are selling outdoor products

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2022-08-23 8:56 AM

OutdoorLiving FOURTH QUARTER 2022

Contents Dr. Decks prescribes

330 Bay Street, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON M5H 2S8 416-489-3396 • www.hardlines.ca PRESIDENT Michael McLarney mike@hardlines.ca VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER David Chestnut david@hardlines.ca

A famous deck builder urges dealers to exploit all the new technologies

6 How a B.C. dealer built up their sales in outdoor living

EDITOR Steve Payne steve@hardlines.ca

The beautiful new showroom at Capital Building Supplies in Prince George is working its magic

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Geoffrey McLarney geoff@hardlines.ca CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rob Blackstien Frank Condron MARKETING & EVENTS MANAGER Michelle Porter michelle@hardlines.ca

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Building supply dealer buys a mall

Arnold Hagen’s two Home Hardware Building Centres in Nova Scotia can teach us all a thing or two about merchandising

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ART DIRECTOR Shawn Samson TwoCreative.ca

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Bringing outdoor living to the Niagara Peninsula

Hardlines Outdoor Living is published by Hardlines Inc. All editorial contents copyrighted 2022

by Hardlines Inc. No content may be reproduced without prior permission of the publisher.

St. Catharines Building Supplies is one of the biggest building supply dealers in Southern Ontario

THANK YOU TO OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS

Category captains

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From decking to lighting, here are some hot products to boost your outdoor living sales

22 spoga+gafa roars back

The world’s largest outdoor living trade show takes place in Cologne, Germany after a two year break

Interview with a style setter

Marc Atiyolil’s take on what’s hot in the outdoor living category

www.hardlines.ca

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OPENING COMMENT

Dr. Decks prescribes A famous deck builder urges dealers to exploit all the new technology When I started Dr. Decks in 1991, I was 21 years

“Steel framing is a good start but I’m really looking forward to several new aluminum systems that are emerging.”

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old and I already had four years of deck building experience under my belt. No internet help at all and social media was still 20 years away from being widespread.

Back then, it was the Wild West, cedar decks were king in my region (Tacoma, Washington), and we made a nice side hustle out of cleaning and sealing wood decks until I absorbed so many toxins that I would sweat it out at night and ruin our bedding. That’s about when aftermarket man-made decking was introduced.

I’ve always been an advocate of synthetic decking and the technology that surrounds the outdoor living sector. Resins and metals have dominated my current offerings to my clients. It’s not 100 per cent maintenance free, but very easy to maintain compared to traditional building products.

The advances in technology by manufacturers have given me the opportunity to exploit that tech by forging a new path and voiding their warranties by manipulating PVC decking and railing products. I don’t care about that fact because the end result has catapulted me

into the forefront of #deckboardbending (Google it). My clients absolutely love it. I prefer to bend Timbertech AZEK when I fire up my Heatcon blankets as it’s been the kindest product to me and it reciprocates well.

Couple this with the current wave of aftermarket framing products and the future looks very bright for new technology in our sector of the outdoor living market. Steel framing is a good start but I’m really looking forward to several new aluminum systems that are emerging. I see this being the new normal in deck framing technology. I will adopt these systems as a premium upgrade to our options when selling a deck to my clients. Aluminum railing has also cemented itself in our current offerings with brands like Regal ideas anchoring most of our current deck builds because of the sleek look, stable and safe install and low maintenance.

Dr. Decks Aka Jason Russell TACOMA, WASHINGTON

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How a B.C. dealer built up their sales in outdoor living happened at RONA Capital Building Supplies in Prince George, B.C., but that’s pretty much the way it worked out.

Long before COVID-19 hit the world and changed everything for everyone, Capital had been planning to expand its 13,000-square-foot footprint into

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an adjacent 2,000-square-foot space dedicated entirely to outdoor living products. Once the pandemic hit, of course, housebound homeowners started pouring much of their discretionary spending into creating their perfect backyard oasis.

“The new separate retail space (which is branded Lifestyles by RONA) opened in April of 2021 and it was very busy right way,” says general manager Al Jones. “There were lots of new Outdoor Living products coming on the market

because the demand was so strong. Supply chain problems hindered us a bit, mostly in terms of finished products, like patio furniture from overseas, but whatever we could get sold right out.”

Capital serves a 70 percent contractor customer base, many of those pros focused exclusively on decks, fences and outdoor renos.

“The demand in the outdoor living category was always there, but our timing was perfect with the pandemic,” Jones explains. “We are a strong

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Prince George photos by: Focal Point Studios

Global pandemics only come around about once every 100 years, so planning a major business expansion based on that possibility is a risky bet. That’s not exactly what

The beautiful new showroom at Capital Building Supplies in Prince George is working its magic

“We did a lot of research into what people wanted in outdoor living products.” volume store with a small footprint, so it was always a challenge to maximize our retail space to give every category adequate attention. So adding a dedicated outdoor living space gave us an opportunity to take a popular, growing category and really go 100 percent with it.”

Compared to other outdoor living retailers, Capital may even go 110 percent. Along with the standard patio furniture, barbecues, umbrellas and gazebos, Lifestyles also carries

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Breanne Nicholson is in charge of the Lifestyles by RONA space at Capital Building Supplies. tougher-to-find brands in grills, smokers, outdoor lighting, railing systems and patio accessories.

They even stock barbecue sauces and rubs for the real cookout aficionados.

Says Breanne Nicholson, who manages the Lifestyles by RONA space, the work that went into creating the right product mix was intensive.

“We did a lot of research into what people wanted in outdoor living and reached out to different distributors to bring in interesting products,”

Nicholson said. “We ended up creating a real category niche for ourselves in the area where people know we have products you can’t find anywhere else.”

Since people now view their backyard as an extension of their indoor space, the core trend in outdoor living centres on higher quality products, Nicholson says. This trend is especially evident in the growth of composite decking.

Capital stays well stocked with composites in

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DEALER PROFILES

Capital carries tougher-to-find brands in grills, smokers, outdoor lighting, railing systems, and patio accessories. a wide assortment of colours so they are ready to supply residential and commercial projects of any size. “Looking at decks specifically, and considering the cost differential between a composite deck and a traditional deck, once people see the value in going to that higher-end composite in terms of durability and lack of maintenance, the higher price makes sense.”

One of Capital’s most popular composite decking brands is Oldcastle’s MoistureShield, which is distributed in Canada by CanWel. Made from recycled wood fibre and polyethylene plastic, water- and insect-resistant composite lasts much longer than wood while retaining its colour and

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shape. The decking’s CoolDeck technology also helps reduce heat absorption by up to 35 percent.

“When CoolDeck first came out, I was a little unsure of it; but after seeing it actually work, it is pretty amazing technology,” Jones says. “That is one of the downfalls of composite decking: it does tend to absorb heat. But with CoolDeck, the decking does feel substantially cooler than standard composite or wood decking. People will pay more for that because they know they are going to use the deck and they want it to last.”

“The corporate (RONA) website really acts as an entrance into what we are capable of,” Jones explains. “A lot of the specialized stuff that we

carry isn’t viewable through that site, but it can give them an idea. Once they move from the site to the store, we can take them under our wing and show them some things that we have available outside of the RONA catalogue. That’s one of the advantages of being a dealer.

“But the best way that we can compete with online competition is through service. When we’re able to talk to a customer who is unsure about what they should be spending their money on and what they are getting, we’re able to steer them to a choice that really suits them, rather than them just clicking a button, sight unseen, and hoping they make the right choice.”

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GET OUTSIDE THE ORDINARY

Everyday living doesn’t have to mean having an everyday life. MoistureShield is the only high-performance composite decking engineered to deliver 360-degree protection, 365 days a year. So you can enjoy the outdoors to the fullest, no matter where you call home.

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DEALER PROFILES

Arnold Hagen’s two Home Hardware Building Centres in Nova Scotia can teach us all a thing or two about merchandising 10

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But building supply dealer Arnold Hagen had bigger news for us than that.

He’s bought a shopping mall!

The Truro Mall is now the property of Hagen and his business partner Doug Doucet, owner and CEO of rcs Construction, Bedford, N.S. Hagen’s 46,000-square-foot Home Hardware Building Centre is the new anchor of the mall’s west end, moving from a much smaller location in Truro on Willow Street. The Home Hardware replaces the former anchor, Sears, who had moved out.

“It’s a leap of faith. It’s very exciting,” Hagen told Hardlines about the purchase of the 48-store shopping mall in June 2021. “We seemed to hit it off,” he says of his partnership with Doucet, who has lots of construction work in the Halifax/Dartmouth area—100 km down the road from Truro.

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Truro photos by: Johanna Matthews

This building supply dealer liked retailing so much that he bought a mall

We phoned him up just to talk about his impressive outdoor living displays.

Hagen is the anchor at a mall surrounded by large population centres within 150 km

Hagen and his business partner plan to make major upgrades to the Truro Mall.

When they are finished, “It won’t be your mother’s or father’s mall,” he promises.

Hagen has a second 10,000-square-foot Home Hardware Building Centre in Bible Hill, a town about 10 km east of Truro. High Tide Building Centres, the official name of Hagen’s business, is a regional player, for sure.

Major retailer tenants of the Truro Mall include Michaels, Sport Chek, Dollarama, Mark’s, Winners, The Body Shop, EB Games, The Source, Rogers, and Coles.

Actually, we should stop calling it The Truro

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Mall. It’s being renamed The Hub, Hagen says.

It’s a good name, because Truro’s nickname is The Hub of Nova Scotia—because it’s at the intersection of major highways and railways in the province.

The 150 km radius surrounding the mall has the largest concentration of people in the Atlantic region, including two of its largest cities in Halifax/Dartmouth and Moncton, N.B. When the upgrades are complete—which will

include a complete renovation of the mall and a new food court—the mall will really come alive, Hagen predicts. “It won’t be your mother’s or father’s mall,” Hagen said to the Chronicle Herald, the daily newspaper of the region. The plan is to bring occupancy at the mall up to 95 per cent over the next 12 to 18 months, Hagen told the newspaper.

Getting the conversation back to outdoor living, Hagen reflected on how the building supply industry benefited during COVID—while

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DEALER PROFILES

acknowledging the tremendous suffering that the pandemic caused to so many people.

“People turned inward into their own little homes. They spent lots of dollars on their own properties, especially outdoor living, and decks.

We had a really big uptick in those categories.”

In terms of barbecues and smokers, Hagen is an Elite Weber dealer and has Traeger as well. He’s selling outside sinks, cooking equipment, and “anything that you would see in a living room” in terms of furniture.

His composite decking sales went up big-time during the pandemic, but not just composites. His PTL sales went up considerably, too. “At the outset of COVID in 2020, a gentleman came in and told us that he and his wife were going to buy a place out west. They had decided to stick their money

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Hagen and his staff know that online shopping is here to stay. “It’s a type of competition you have to respect.

But ‘Buy Local’ has stuck in people’s minds around here.” into decking.” They were going to haul it with them thousands of miles, Hagen explained, unsure if they would be able to purchase it in Western Canada. Yes, shortages of building materials started early in 2020 when lockdowns began.

In the outdoor living category, there is a lot of competition from online retailers, especially in the patio sets category. But in pretty well every

front-end category that Hagen is in, he faces online competition.

“Online shopping is here to stay,” Hagen says.

“It’s a type of competition you have to respect.

But the ‘Buy Local’ mentality has stuck in people’s minds around here since COVID hit—and it helps. And touch-and-feel is a big deal in home improvement.”

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Bringing outdoor living to the Niagara Peninsula St. Catharines Building Supplies is one of the biggest outdoor living dealers in the Niagara Peninsula, a fast-growing market of almost 500,000 people in Southern Ontario. The building supply side of this Castle Building Centres Group member

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is made all the stronger by its associated companies: Burnstein Brick and Peninsula Drywall & Acoustics Supplies.

A visitor to St. Catharines Building Supplies notices one thing right away. The store is a major player in composite decking—it offers multiple

brands. We asked installed sales manager Dave Loewen why they had so many varieties of composite on offer. “Because we love to give people a different choice!” he replied.

Sales of all categories at the store during COVID were up significantly over the past two

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St. Catharines photos by: Larry Arnal

St. Catharines Building Supplies is one of the biggest building supply dealers in Southern Ontario. And it’s a big booster of composite decking.

St. Catharines Building Supplies’ Dave Loewen and Paula Cullen have presided over a major increase in brands.

“The growth in the outdoor living category has been exponential in recent years—even before COVID.” years. Ontario was one of the most locked-down jurisdictions in North America and many homeowners—unable to travel on vacation—made big investments in their backyards. “Last year was different,” Loewen says. “It was very busy.”

The experience convinced management to really “broaden their horizons” on products for this year, Loewen said. The store has never featured so many different brands.

The growth in the outdoor living category has been exponential in recent years—even before COVID, says Paula Cullen, general manager:“Privacy screens are trending, outdoor kitchens,

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outdoor televisions.” All the quality of products that you would expect in a living room, it’s moving outdoors, too. “Because of COVID, even more so.

And our landscapers are looking to bring their customers things that are unique. Things to get them the job,” Cullen adds.

Loewen sees education as one of the benefits that the store can offer its customers, especially when it comes to composite decking.

When customers hear negative things about composites, they stem mostly from the distant past, before technology improved. For example, DIYers will hear that composites expand and

contract more than real wood. “Some of the PVC products contract and expand more than others,” Loewen says. “But really, laminate and pressure-treated lumber are two different products. So, when a customer is concerned about expanding and contracting, I remind them of all the advantages of moving over from a wood product. There’s no chipping or cracking, there’s no recoating. And the slight movement in different temperatures is a very minor issue.”

And then there’s the temperature issue in terms of comfort. Loewen says that MoistureShield’s CoolDeck Technology is very popular with his customers. “It apparently reduces the heat absorption by up to 35 per cent,” Loewen says.

Timbertech’s AZEK product also touts the benefit of what the company calls “superior heat dissipation.” Timbertech’s marketing urges customers to “Stay outside on the sunniest day.

AZEK is cooler to the touch than other decking materials. It keeps your pets comfortable when they lay down, too!”

So what are the hot trends in outdoor living products in 2022? Asked to name a particular product that has been selling like hot cakes, Cullen says that stone veneer comes to mind.

And the backyard contractor business has been hectic. “Our landscaper customers were already booked to the end of the year at the beginning of this year,” Cullen said. “They were already booking into next year in the spring.”

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CanWel distributes a wide range of building materials, lumber, and renovation products, and is Canada’s only fully vertically integrated national distributor in the building materials and related products sector.

CanWel has continued to successfully pursue its development strategy in the manufacture of treated wood products and is now Canada’s largest producer of residential treated wood products, and agricultural posts. Our joint focus on Allied products in key categories such as siding, roofing, insulation, engineered wood products and outdoor living positions CanWel as a perfect single source supplier partner for building supply dealers.

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Category Captains

From decking to lighting, here are some hot products for your 2023 outdoor living displays

CrystalRail for a crystal-clear view The original and still king of luxury railing systems, CrystalRail combines science and art to give you the ultimate show piece for your deck. No posts, no rails, just the view. The stunning clarity of the 10mm white, “no-iron,” tempered glass panels complete with aluminum mounting brackets and pre-installed LED lighting make it the obvious choice for homeowners who want a pure unobstructed view, low maintenance, and modern style. www.regalideas.com

Solid wood trim is easy to handle Natural Elements Ultra-Light Trim products are made from solid wood.

They are naturally resistant to rot, decay, and insects. The wood dries rapidly and does not easily warp, cup, end check, splinter, or split. Easy to handle, plane, sand, saw, rip, rout, and carve, it can be glued, painted, or stained like any other wood. www.domanbm.com

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Protect your deck with MoistureShield Ensure every inch of your deck is designed to defy the elements with joist protection tape from MoistureShield. Its patented acrylic adhesive and woven cloth substrate creates a tight seal over your deck joists and deck screws to prevent moisture infiltration. MoistureShield Joist Tape tears easily without tools, doesn’t stick to itself, and can be repositioned without leaving a residue, making it incredibly easy to work with on any substrate material—including lumber and steel. www.moistureshield.com

Deck reinforcements are easy to install Aegis Clips feature teeth that make them ideal hidden deck fasteners for fitting into the grooved edges of composite decking boards, reducing lateral movement for added stability. Made with glass-reinforced plastic for lasting strength and durability, these deck clips use a 90-degree installation process that makes installing and replacing boards easy. www.moistureshield.com

Stone veneer to last a lifetime Fusion Stone’s Dry-Stack stone veneer produces a uniform and highly finished appearance to last a lifetime. It takes its name from its no-mortar, no-mess installation. It’s available in Slate, a rich and warm tone that balances shades of white and grey for a natural look, along with Caramel and Charcoal. www.fusionstone.ca

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PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Stone veneer is lightweight and easy to install Evolve Stone is the only mortarless, colour-throughout stone veneer that is a fraction of the weight of its competitors. It installs with a standard finish nailer 10 times faster. Available in four styles and four colours, Evolve Stone complements home styles from traditional to contemporary. www.evolvestone.com

Aluminum siding protects from weather, rust The FastPlank aluminum siding system makes for an enviable, long-lasting exterior. A natural choice for exterior water management, it employs patented technologies to channel water away from the building envelope. The 3/8-inch air cavity exceeds building code rainscreen requirements. It also protects from rot, rust, hail, wind, heat, cold, smoke, and fire. FastPlank is available in five refined standard woodgrain patterns or any custom colour.

It can be installed horizontally, vertically, and even diagonally. www.fastplank.com

Trex Transcend Lineage composite decking Trex Transcend Lineage composite decking offers refined woodgrain streaking and tranquil tones. It’s available in two colours: Rainier, an airy mountain grey, and Biscayne, a light coastal brown. Lineage features nature-inspired looks and clean design, and heat-mitigating technology. It is made from 95 percent recycled and reclaimed content and includes a durable proprietary shell that resists stains, scratches, and mold. Upkeep never requires sanding, staining, or painting.

Spills wash off easily with just soap and water. www.trex.ca

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Accentuate your outdoor space with Yardlight Yardlight offers a series of high-performance accent lighting for your outdoor projects. Use these LEDs to light up areas to ensure and improve safety, create an ambiance, or to accent that perfect outdoor masterpiece. The lights are easy to install and plug directly into the Regal ideas and CrystalRail systems.

Available in white, gold, and blue. www.regalideas.com

LED lighting from Regal ideas Regal ideas’ award-winning LED lighting system is energyefficient and integrated into the company’s railing system, providing an understated look during the day and powerful lighting at night. The low-voltage lighting system is UL/CSAcertified, easy to install, moisture-resistant, and remotecontrolled. With three colour and brightness settings you can light up your outdoors with white, gold, or blue lighting.

No hard wiring is involved; simply plug and play! www.regalideas.com

Trusscore Wall & Ceiling Board and DockDeck Upgrade your outdoor space from under your deck to the end of your dock with Trusscore Wall & Ceiling Board and DockDeck by Trusscore. These lightweight, low-maintenance, and long-lasting PVC products are easy to install and immediately transform any space. Water-resistant Trusscore Wall & Ceiling Board panels are the perfect fit for sheltered exterior spaces — including underdecking — and provide a bright, high-end ceiling finish. Outside, DockDeck by Trusscore is available in two slip-resistant texture patterns, has an open cavity profile that keeps your dock cool in high temperatures and direct sunlight, and is designed to never rot, rust, splinter, or fade. Limited lifetime warranties. trusscore.com

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SHOW REPORT

spoga+gafa roars back as an in-person event After a two-year hiatus, Cologne once again welcomes outdoor living buyers from around the world In June, the Cologne, Germany-based outdoor living trade show spoga+gafa opened its doors to in-person attendees for the first time in two years.

The 2022 show, held at Cologne’s famous exhibit centre, Koelmesse, attracted around 25,000 visitors representing 112 different countries with approximately 1,000 exhibitors displaying their wares to the masses.

As the world’s largest garden lifestyle trade show, spoga+gafa is a must-visit for Canadian retailers who are seeking networking opportunities and need to understand the sector’s coming

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trends. The show offers a glimpse into what can be expected to happen in Canada three to five years down the road, providing attendees a competitive advantage to plan their future offerings well in advance.

The theme for this year’s show was sustainable gardens, so materials that are durable, reusable and that save resources were prominent. Methods to make efficient use of energy and water within gardens were also front and centre.

As always, the latest ideas and innovations in plants, garden furniture, garden technology and grill equipment were all on display.

The show organizers believed it was vital to return to an in-person event given the nature of how these types of exhibits tend to be most successful.

“Trade fairs allow for chance encounters to happen, and they play an important role in the acquisition of new customers,” explains Stefan Lohrberg, director of spoga+gafa.

While the show has traditionally been held in early fall, it was shifted to June this year to better align with attendees’ seasonal purchasing requirements.

This trend will be reprised next year, when the spoga+gafa is scheduled from June 18-20, 2023. www.hardlines.ca

spoga+gafa’s Garden Unique segment featured options that will inspire you to help you create individualized backyard spaces for your customers.

Social media BBQ influencer Straus na brasa was among the highlights of the BBQ Around the World segment.

Family-owned, 35-year-old, Barrie, Ont.-based Napoleon created plenty of buzz with their BBQ barn.

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SHOW REPORT

The latest BBQ trends were sure to spark some tasty ideas.

Attendees could meet with key stakeholders in the BBQ section.

High-quality garden furniture was the focal point for the Garden Unique section.

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2012-29071_Taiga_Hardlines_FastPlank_Ad_9x10.875

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OUTDOOR Q&A

Interview with a style setter We talked with MARC ATIYOLIL, one half of the The Marc and Mandy Show, to get his take on what’s hot in the Outdoor Living category—and what’s going to be hot tomorrow Marc, outdoor living spaces are now an extension of indoor living spaces. Why has this happened?

The trend had been growing from year to year—but the pandemic really highlighted our need for an extension of our homes. When real estate prices soared during Covid, many homeowners started looking at how they were using the square footage in their homes. They realized that they could further extend their living spaces outdoors to create a better quality of life. Gone are the days of renovating the home and whatever is left in the budget gets spent on the backyard. Now we are seeing homeowners opting for long-lasting quality finishes such as composite decking and maintenance-free, high-quality railings like the ones seen in the Regal ideas range of products.

And there’s a lot of cooking equipment moving outdoors, right?

Just as we saw over a decade ago, when our kitchens became entertaining kitchens, we are now seeing our backyards becoming outdoor entertaining kitchens with appliances such as smokers, infrared rotisseries, premium grills, outdoor refrigeration and a full prep area.

What are some of the hottest new design trends for backyards?

One of the hottest trends for backyards that Mandy and I see is mixing and matching different materials, textures and colours. We are very much seeing “exterior design” being treated like the interior where a colour scheme is chosen and we layer different textures, colours and patterns to create a cohesive yet dynamic look.

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Marc and Mandy have been hosting their hit show for seven seasons. Topics include home décor, parenting, food, fashion, fitness, and wellness.

Greenery and gardening have taken the world by storm and designing an outdoor space is that perfect blend of mixing greenery into your design aesthetic. Black is still the hottest colour in any design style. It pairs beautifully, whether it be a contemporary or rustic setting. I love doing a neutral deck board and pairing it with a black Regal ideas railing.

COVID restrictions encouraged some people to make a paradise out of our spaces out back. Have Canadians forever changed how we look at our back gardens and outdoor spaces?

Yes! I don’t think that we will ever fully forget that feeling of serenity and calm when we step outdoors into our backyards. So much of what is happening in interior design is about bringing greenery and vegetation into our homes and it’s a

natural progression that we will be bringing some of our comforts from our interiors to the outdoors.

To wrap up, Marc, please give us one more outdoor living trend.

Connecting with nature—whether it be from a cottage or a cabin—with a view! During the pandemic we saw many Canadians investing in rural properties as many of them were working from home and the distance from the office to the home no longer mattered. With these types of properties, the view is of upmost importance and the trend that we’re seeing is a seamless, unobstructed view from our decks and entertaining spaces without compromising safety.

Check local TV listings to watch The Marc and Mandy Show or view on demand at MarcAndMandy.com and on Roku. www.hardlines.ca

ORDERED @ SPOGA+GAFA THE WORLD’S LARGEST TRADE FAIR FOR GARDEN LIFESTYLE

COLOGNE, 18.–20.06.2023

Koelnmesse Inc. North American Subsidiary

+1 773 326 9925 | d.stern@koelnmessenafta.com

www.spogagafa.com

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