THE DECORATING ADVENTURES OF AMBROSE PRICE

April 15, 2010

By Lucie Grys

Born and raised in Fortune, Newfoundland – a fishing town with a population of 2,000 – Price learned the tips and tricks of decorating from his late mother, Greta. The youngest of six children, his flair for design has brought him rock-star status at home. When he turned 18, Ambrose packed his bags and moved to St. John’s where he studied mathematics at Memorial University. It wasn’t his skills at number crunching but his knack for decorating, event planning and entertaining that he put to good use, and he was able to pay for his education by working as a local designer and decorator.
Fast-forward a few years to HGTV’s Designer Superstar Challenge – a design reality show featuring 10 hopeful contestants in their quest to becoming the design equivalent of Canada’s Next Top Model. Ambrose Price impressed the judges, producers and television executives with his quick wit and clever design ideas. He says that being a finalist on Designer Superstar Challenge “taught me and challenged my design ability and way of thinking. In the end, I realized I did have the talent that I have always been questioning.”
His new HGTV show has already created a real buzz. If Rick Mercer had a decorating show, this would be it.
For first-time homeowners, Ambrose sets out a few of his own tried and true tips:

FURNITURE Ambrose Price knew he wanted a blue sofa for his new 600-sq.-ft condo. “I searched the city high and low for a blue sofa,” he says. Finally finding one at a great price, he advises people to “think about what it is that you really want and go out and find it.” Walking into an empty space can be really overwhelming when you first move in, but he advises against rushing out and buying everything all at once. “Take your time and use the economy as your excuse for not having an instant model suite,” he laughs. “I don’t think anyone expects you to have the perfectly designed place as soon as you move in anymore,” Price encourages.

COLOUR When it comes to paint colour, Ambrose says, “a large percentage of first-timers are probably going to be in their place anywhere from three to five years. The reality is that they will probably sell, so I would suggest not to go too bold with colour and stay as neutral as possible.” Even though you might not want to think of the resale value of your first place as soon as you move into it, you also won’t want to
go through the hassle of repainting
or restaging it, so sticking to softer colours makes sense.

KITCHENS If you’ve just plunked down a tonne of cash on your first home, chances are there isn’t a lot left over in the budget for the kitchen makeover of your dreams. Instead of tearing out the old cupboards, Price suggests adding moulding and new knobs to freshen them up. He also suggests replacing an old countertop while keeping the footprint of your kitchen intact, so you don’t have to pay big bucks to change plumbing or gas lines.

STORAGE As Ambrose knows all too well, storage is a big concern – especially if you have just moved into a postage stamp-sized condo without a storage locker. “Because all of my clothes take up my closet space, one of my favourite furniture pieces is an ottoman with storage. The top has a soft side that I can flip over to a hard surface that makes it a great coffee table,” he says. Ambrose also has a dining table that can extend from three sq. ft. to three ft. by six ft. – making it a great option when he entertains friends and family.
Watch Ambrose Price on HGTV Canada. Visit the HGTV Canada website at www.hgtv.ca for show times and dates.

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