Welcome Mat: Win a bathroom makeover

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the name of The Cotswold Cafe at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House. 

Win a bathroom makeover

Is your bathroom an eyesore? Hopelessly outdated? Homestyle and the Novi Home Show are here to help. We are teaming up on the 2017 Battle of the Bathroom contest that will give one very lucky reader a modest bathroom update. Send an email with your full name and a bathroom photo – make sure “Bathroom Contest” is in the subject line – to Homestyle Editor Jodi Noding at jnoding@detroitnews.com, explaining why your bathroom needs a makeover. One reader will win a new toilet, bathroom vanity, sink, and shower and bath faucets from Infusion Kitchen and Bath Showrooms by Etna Supply, valued at more than $9,000. KDI USA will assist with installation. The winner also receive bathroom design advice from the American Society of Interior Designers’ Michigan chapter and a customized painting treatment from Faux Couture. Entries are due by 11:59 p.m. Jan. 24. The winner will be announced on Jan. 27. Every entry will receive two free tickets to the Novi Home Show Jan. 27-29. Employees of any of sponsoring companies are prohibited from entering. Go to http://www.novihomeshow.com/ the-novi-home-show-winter.html for full details.

Maryland man wins Ann Arbor ‘Urban Oasis’

A Maryland car salesman has won HGTV’s 2016 “Urban Oasis,” an adorable bungalow near downtown Ann Arbor with two master bedroom suites, soaring ceilings and massive screened porch. Brandon Hickson-Hamilton of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, who works as a sales consultant for an auto dealership, won the 1,500-square-foot house and all of its furnishings in late December. It’s valued at $700,000; he also won $50,000 from Quicken Loans. “When I got the call from HGTV, I really thought it had to be a joke,” said Hickson-Hamilton in a press release. “I just couldn’t comprehend how I could be the winner out of all the people who entered.” And a lot of folks entered: nearly 52 million. Hickson-Hamilton, who entered twice a day, plans to visit his new home with his husband this month to check it out. HGTV will announce its next “Urban Oasis” in a few months.

English Gardens hosts

house plants seminar

House plants aren’t just pretty to look at; they clean the air, filtering out certain pollutants. If you need help figuring what houseplants are best for you, English Gardens is hosting a free seminar at 1 p.m. at all of its stores on Saturday called “Live Healthier With House Plants.” What are some good house plant options for improving the air? Try snake plants, spider plants, pothos, aloe, weeping fig or English Ivy. Call your local English Gardens for store locations.

Ford House closed through Feb. 10

If you were hoping to visit the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House this month, you’ll have to wait. The beloved home of auto tycoon Edsel Ford and his wife Eleanor is closed through Feb. 10 for restoration projects. The house will reopen on Feb. 11. Plans are moving, meanwhile, to bring some major changes to the Ford House grounds, including building a new 40,000-square-foot visitors center and a 17,000-square-foot administration building. The changes also include expanding the popular Cotswold Cafe to add 50 percent more seating and creating an eco-friendly parking lot. The plans, which would mark the biggest changes to the Ford House in 25 years, will go before the Grosse Pointe Shores Planning Commission for its approval on Jan. 10.

Full service design-and-build showroom to open at MDC

Lori and Doug Gardner have come a long way since starting their building and remodeling business in their home 24 years ago. Now, the couple has opened their own 1,700-square-foot showroom, Gardner Builders Inc., at the Michigan Design Center. The showroom features Cambria countertops and backsplashes; Grothouse wood surfaces; and Rutt Handcrafted Cabinetry. Gardner is one of only two Michigan distributors of Rutt, which is handcrafted in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. “All our displays feature the most requested options such as specialty drawer inserts, in cabinet lighting and under counter lighting and custom drawer pulls,” says Lori Gardner. She says although they feature Rutt cabinets, they are a full-service design and build company that can handle any remodeling project. To celebrate their grand opening in Suite 106, an open house will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. Jan. 25. Guests are asked to RSVP. Call (248) 258-5885.