Home & Garden Show brings latest trends to Silverdome

By Robin Ruehlen
C & G Staff Writer

» Click on image to view full size « Photo provided by Nancy Rosen The Michigan Home & Garden Show will also offer free educational seminars and how-to demonstrations led by gardening, interior design, home improvement and cooking experts. Photo provided by Nancy Rosen The Michigan Home & Garden Show will also offer free educational seminars and how-to demonstrations led by gardening, interior design, home improvement and cooking experts.

PONTIAC — Tired of snow and dreary weather?

Spring can come early with plans for a new outdoor living space, professional landscaping or a remodeled kitchen or bath — and ideas abound at the upcoming Michigan Home & Garden Show at the Pontiac Silverdome March 9-11.

The annual event hosts all major home product categories — from kitchens and baths, windows and doors to room additions, siding, appliances, fixtures, furnishings, landscaping and decorative accessories, and heating and cooling — and gives homeowners the chance to speak with industry experts.

Garden and landscape design company Superior Scape Inc. in Shelby Township will showcase the best in its outdoor living space design with an outdoor kitchen complete with a gas-burning fire pit, built-in stone benches, grill, wood-burning oven and high-top bar counter.

Owner Terry Newman said the display will also include top-of-the-line enhancements, such as large pergolas, a waterfall and a koi pond, and the latest in paver and wall stones.

“For the past two or three years, outdoor living spaces have really been the trend, and that means taking the kitchen and entertaining area outside,” he said.

“It can be as simple as a $500 fire pit, or go as far as the imagination desires with a complete outdoor kitchen and bar for people to socialize and have cocktails. We’ve done projects that go up to $100,000 with granite countertops and pergolas, fans and lighting. You can really do it up.”

For those homeowners with an interest in landscaping, Newman said there are many new styles emerging for brick pavers that could entice even those who were previously not fans.

“The new styles are sparking an interest in clients who did not care for them previously because they are mimicking natural cut stone,” he said.

“The beauty behind these pavers is they’re actually a concrete product that is so much more durable and consistent in color and texture than natural stone.”

For those who can’t make it to the show, Newman said, people are encouraged to come to the Superior Scape design center and check out the displays and the garden center.

“We meet with our customers and find out what their likes are, so we can put a plan together, or they can come out to our nursery and look at the plants and garden displays to get ideas,” he said.

Work can begin as soon as the weather breaks, which Newman said is typically by the first of April.

“Our busiest time is probably the months of May and June, because everybody wants the job done before the kids are out of school, so they can enjoy the summer months,” he said.

“Outdoor living space and landscaping can take anywhere from four days to three weeks, depending on the scope of the project.”

Also on display at the show will be the Borchert Building Co. of Washington Township, with a wide selection of cabinetry, countertops, glass tiles and more of the latest trends in remodeling, kitchen and bath design.

Borchert sales and design consultant Mari Margaret said last year’s trend was and continues to be clean lines.

“You’ll see a lot of Shaker, Mission-style doors, which are popular for both the kitchen and bath. That style is easy to maintain, because there’s not a lot of places for dust to catch up. Our biggest request from customers are styles that are easy to clean,” she said.

“Plus, it’s very classic look. If you pair a Shaker door with a darker stain like espresso or obsidian, it gives it a contemporary look.”

Margaret said the show display will include the latest door styles, stains, Cambria quartz countertops and glass tiles.

“Glass tile mosaics are popular right now, so we’ll be showing some of that. Another major focal point is our past projects — people love to see our before-and-after displays,” she said.

Although business for Borchert tends to be steady throughout the year, Margaret said, spring and fall are two of the busiest seasons for the design and remodeling company.

“Things pick up in September and October, when people are thinking about entertaining for the holidays and may want to update and renew before their families arrive,” she said.

“There’s also spring fever, when the holidays are behind us and people can focus more on the projects they want to get done inside their homes before work begins on the outside in the summer.”

Margaret said although each project is different, the company generally likes to gives a three- to four-week time period for a bathroom remodel, and four to five weeks for a kitchen remodel.

“It depends on the scope of the kitchen — if someone wants to knock out two load-bearing walls, that’s going to be a little more involved than a typical kitchen,” she said.

“I’ve heard horror stories of kitchen projects dragging out three and four months, so we really do run a very short time period in comparison to other contractors out there, but that’s because of our process. (Owner) Bill Borchert runs a very tight ship.”

The Michigan Home & Garden Show will also offer free educational seminars and how-to demonstrations led by gardening, interior design, home improvement and cooking experts. Decorative home accessories, Michigan landscape and nature photography, and food products will be available for purchase at the Garden & Art Market.

For kids, Twiggy The Water Skiing Squirrel will entertain and teach the importance of life jackets and safety on the water, and the Cran-Hill Family Zone will provide inflatables and a portable climbing tower.

Author Joey Green, who has appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Good Morning America” and “The View,” will demonstrate strange but useful household tips, and Michigan Garden Clubs Inc. will display a flower invitational exhibition of floral design themed “Memories of the Past Forging into the Future.”

Admission to the Home & Garden Show is $10 for adults, $5 for children 6-14 and free for children age 5 and under. Discount coupons for $2 off Friday or Sunday adult admission are available at show’s website and participating Wendy’s restaurants. March 10 is Family Day and includes free admission until noon for children 14 and under, and special activities and demonstrations. Onsite parking is available for $5.

Visit www.SilverdomeHome Show.com for advance tickets or call (800) 328-6550 for more information.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Robin Ruehlen at rruehlen@candgnews.com or at (586)279-1105.