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Issue 309
THE MANY MOODS OF COLOR Color is the single most important design element in creating spaces that reflect mood and style. Without color, life would be very bleak. Color surrounds us and defines our world. We are soothed by certain colors and excited by others. We use color to describe our world . . . to change a house into our home . . . to attract attention, make a statement, or blend into a team. We may not always choose things for their color but ultimately we select every item by its color. Color has forever fascinated people, not only in nature but as a symbol and at times as a physical presence. When designing your homes interior, first, choose a style (formal or casual) and a theme for your room (such as American country, English garden, techno modern). With the style and theme in mind, decide on an 'anchor' fabric that has 3 or more colors. Use the background color from the fabric as a wall color. Pick a mid-toned color from the fabric for flooring and large furniture pieces, which could be a solid or patterned design. With the fall season upon us, warm and "cozy" furnishing for the home will be the focus in the interior design industry. Carpet is known for the way it helps to enhance the peace and quiet in a home with its absorption of sound, while offering softness to overall decoration themes. Since more people during these next few months will choose carpet for their flooring, here are some of the top color trends. There are several trendy color choices that are stepping center stage in the carpet industry this fall and winter. One of them is the color of nature. According to Color Marketing Group (CMG), which is the leading international association of color design professionals, this year's color trends are driven by concern for the environment. Botanical greens, sky blues, natural neutrals, and richly ethnic hues are top choices for carpet flooring. Carpeting in natural beige and brown tones are top choices. Besides nature, carpeting that is designed with elegance is well-liked. Subtle touches of green, royal blue, and warm yellows convey elegance in remarkably intriguing ways, causing the patterns on the carpet to capture the look of luxury. Deep, abundant "punch" colors like rich reds and warm, intense oranges mark the look of vibrancy that is often found in the color of leaves that reflect the fall season. Here are some tips for choosing the right flooring for your home:
Issue 310
THE ELEMENTS OF TEXTURE Texture is the surface quality of an object. We experience texture when we touch objects and feel their roughness, smoothness or patterns. Texture is the artist's way of mapping these tactile impressions on to the two-dimensional picture. Texture is created by varying the pattern of light and dark areas on an object. Patterns and textures serve an important function in your decorating. They add interest and character to an otherwise plain color scheme. Your choice of patterns and textures will follow your decorating style, the limitations of your environment and your personal preferences. When we refer to a wood floor's texture, we're usually referring to the amount of grain or "texture" a particular wood floor has. Some wood floors such as oak and pine have a lot of grain, so have a rougher feel or texture then other wood floors such as maple, which tends to have less grain and a smoother finish. Some wood floors are intentionally made to have lots of texture by distressing them prior to applying the finishing coat(s) on them. There are other finishes, such as hand scrapping, that add texture with ‘a little elegance’ to the floor. Different types of finish coatings that are applied to the wood floor can also change the floors texture. For example, a heavy polyurethane finish coating will have a smoother texture than a wax finish might. The texture of a wood floor should be taken into consideration when planning your decorating scheme. As we discussed when we talked about species, the type of wood floor you choose will generally determine the finished look you will get. A rougher or grainier texture will produce a more rustic casual look where a smoother texture will give you a more formal look. By following these rules of thumb you can wisely select patterns to enhance any room:
Issue 311
5 WAYS TO INCREASE THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME Ensuring the highest return on a home is difficult as the real estate market continues to remain slow. In order to make a great first impression and gain home buyer interest, it is important to update your home's cosmetic features. According to experts, the key to attracting buyers and getting the most value for your home is to follow the theory of "what buyers can see vs. what they can't see". Home sellers should make improvements starting at what buyers can see immediately (such as flooring, appliances and new paint) then move on to what buyers can't see (plumbing and electrical upgrades). In other words, before investing in a new plumbing system for the house, change the floors. Most buyers won't even ask how good the plumbing is if they notice a huge stain on the carpet first. The first impression is what gets buyers in the door and interested. Focus your remodeling efforts on the rooms that create the biggest buyer impact. Kitchens and bathrooms are the most important rooms amongst home buyers. Home owners who undertook major bathroom and kitchen remodeling jobs saw between 88 and 91 percent of their costs recouped. According to Bruce Taylor of ERA Key Realty Services, "Kitchens and bathrooms often sell the house." These five improvements will ensure you make the strongest impression on your potential buyers on a tight home improvement budget: Flooring Replace your oudated carpets and tiling. "Floors make a crucial first impression on prospective buyers", says John Spitzer, a principal broker for John L. Scott, "Go to an open house," says Spitzer. "Most people are looking down. The first thing they see is the carpet. They're going to notice the floor way before they notice the windows." Quality wood flooring can bring class and elegance to some of the most outdated homes. Investing $4,000 to $5,000 in new flooring can increase the value of your home by an average of $10,000, doubling the home owner's return on investment, reports Betsy Schiffman of Forbes Magazine. New flooring is a fast and affordable way to increase home value. Unlike room additions and other types of pricey and time consuming home improvements, hardwood flooring installation is quick and simple and often takes no more than a couple days to complete. Painting A fresh coat of paint can work wonders for an outdated bathroom, kitchen or bedroom. Paint over your home's faded wallpaper or old coat of chipped paint with a solid, neutral color. Countertop Space If the countertops in your kitchen and bathrooms are dated and dingy, replace cracked or chipped tiles and re-grout. To really get home buyers' attention, install granite countertops. Countertop vendors and home builders have experienced a boom in the demand for kitchen and bathroom granite countertops. Although it can be more expensive to install, granite countertops remain a kitchen and bathroom favorite because they retain their value better than most home improvements. Appliances After updating your flooring, walls and countertops; your old household appliances may stick out like a sore thumb. Replace your dated refrigerator, oven, stove top and microwave with the latest models in order to match your home's new look. Clutter A free and easy way to spruce up your surroundings is to get rid of all that clutter! Remove any unused appliances and tools from countertops. Everything should have a storage place out of view from potential home buyers; if not, have neighbors keep your clutter for the time being. Issue 312
FALL IS THE BEST TIME TO FIX UP YOUR HOME Put your home improvement and decorating plans into action before the busy holiday season. This fall, is the time to take advantage of the few free moments the fall season presents and a tackle some of those home improvement projects in preparation for the holidays. The increasing popularity of home improvement and remodeling projects are due to the slowing real estate market and the great value and return on investment involved in home remodeling projects. Typically, homeowners can expect between 80 and 90 percent return on each home improvement investment dollar within the first two years of the remodeling project, much more than what consumers will get back on the latest and greatest holiday toy or gadget. The holiday season is a "natural time to assess your home", says Richard Giss, a partner in Deloitte's consumer business practice. Preparing for guests often leads to home remodeling and decorating efforts. Some of the most popular and profitable home improvement projects include upgrading the kitchen, bathrooms and master bedroom. The holiday season is a great time of year to give the rooms in your home a new look. Just remember that as the holiday season approaches, many other homeowners are doing the same, so early to mid fall is the best time to get a jump on those projects to ensure they are completed in time for your company coming in for the winter holidays. Simple upgrades, such as replacing outdated tile, flooring and appliances, won't only make a lasting impression on holiday visitors, but on a home's resale value as well. Issue 314
YOUR GUIDE TO HARDWOOD FLOORS If you are like most people you probably love the look and charm of a real hardwood floor. For centuries people have used wood floors throughout their homes to add warmth and charm. Hardwood floors never seem to go out of fashion and can add real value to your home. Today, many designers recommend wood floors as the main base-layer and then suggest a rug to enhance the room's overall interior color scheme. Hardwood flooring manufacturers have dramatically improved the finish, durability and ease of maintenance of prefinished wood floors. No more paste waxing your wood floors! With the introduction of engineered wood floors now wood floors can be used in many different areas in the home that 3/4" solid wood floors were never recommended for. It is truly amazing today how many new colorations, wood species, and widths are available to homeowners. Besides the common North American hardwoods (such as oak, maple, hickory and ash), many wood flooring manufacturers now offer exotic hardwood species from all around the World. If you are looking for ways to really express your own personal interior decorating tastes with a more unique looking wood floor you need to go see the exotic wood floors offered by many of the hardwood flooring brands. An extremely popular trend in wood floors today is the handscraped hardwood floors offered by many of the wood flooring companies.. Handscraped hardwood floors are wood floors that have each plank scraped by hand to give a worn or ancient visual appeal to the board's surface. There is also distressed hardwood floors which use machines to give the worn or ancient visual appearance. This adds a lot of distinctive character to each board. Also, because handscraped is done by hand no two planks have the exact same visual appearance. If you desire a more rustic-looking wood floor with lots of character than be sure to see the samples of handscraped and/or distressed hardwood floors before you buy. Solid wood floors have been used for centuries and never seem to loose their charm and warmth. We generally think of solid hardwood floors as a 3/4" thick plank that comes in narrow 2 1/4" strips. This is the classic strip wood floor. Today, manufacturers offer solid wood floors in a variety of widths and thicknesses and wood species. The most common North American hardwood species used for solid wood flooring are red oak, white oak, ash and maple, but you can also get solid hardwood flooring in many exotic wood species, such as Brazilion cherry, tiger wood, Australian cypress and many others from around the World. Engineered Hardwood Floors - are several plies of wood that a glued and laminated together to form a wood plank. They range in thickness from 1/4" to just over a half inch. (Can be installed almost anywhere in the home, including over dry concrete slabs.) Parquet Wood Floors - are a North American term for geometic, rectangular blocks of wood that are either glues or nailed down depending on the type of parquet construction. Floating Wood Floors - are really engineered wood floors that can be floated over various sub-floors, such as dry concrete slabs, OSB, and some types of existing flooring. Floating wood floors are never secured directly to the substrate, just the tongue-and-grooved plank edges are locked together. Many floating wood floors can be installed by either staple-down, glued-down or the floating installation method. Another choice you have to make is whether to want a pre-finished or an unfinished hardwood floor that has to be finished in your home. The pre-finished floors offer a wider variety of wood species and saves hours of labor and cleanup. While the unfinished wood floors allow you to have a really custom, job-site finish and a completely smooth, uniform surface. You also get an extended factory finish warranty with pre-finished floors, but not with most job-site finished flooring. Issue 315
MAKING YOUR GUESTS FEEL AT HOME IN YOURS To make a great first impression on holiday visitors, it is important to update your home's look and feel. According to remodeling experts, the key to cosmetic home improvements is upgrading what guests see versus what they can't see. Homeowners should make improvements to what guests spot immediately, including flooring, appliances and new paint. A home's high traffic areas, such as the foyer, kitchen and bathrooms, undergo daily abuse from family activities. Replacing stained carpet, chipped tile and grungy, outdated appliances are all simple renovation projects that can make a lasting impression on family and friends. These three improvements will ensure you make the strongest impression on your holiday guests, without breaking the bank: Flooring Refinish or replace your dated hardwood floors, carpets and tiling. Floors make a crucial first impression. When most people enter a home they usually look down. The first thing they see is the carpet. They tend to notice the floor way before they notice the windows. New flooring is a fast and affordable way to make a great first impression and increase home value. Unlike room additions and other types of pricey and time consuming home improvements, flooring installation is quick and simple, and often takes no more than a couple days to complete. In order to get the highest return on your home improvement investments, real estate agents suggest splurging on hardwood flooring. According to a national survey of real estate agents, 90 percent said that homes with wood flooring sell faster and for higher prices than houses without wood floors. Upgrading your flooring to quality hardwood floors is a surefire way to increase the beauty and value of your home. To get more ideas on flooring, visit www.floorsandwindows.com. Painting A fresh coat of paint can work wonders for an outdated bathroom, kitchen or bedroom. Paint over your home's faded wallpaper or old coat of chipped paint with a solid, neutral color. Welcome guests with modest colors such as cool blues, greens, yellows and lavenders to create a relaxing atmosphere, or use bright, bold colors to provide high energy. Clutter A free and easy way to spruce up your surroundings is to get rid of all that clutter that tends to build up in high traffic areas of the house. Be sure every item within view of your guests is put away in its proper place. Remove any unused appliances and tools from countertops. Replace your quirky collections and decor with holiday candles and fresh greenery. Issue 316
CHECKLIST FOR PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS Keep Your Sanity this Season and Plan Ahead to Relieve Holiday Stress Now that fall is almost over, it is time to start preparing your home for the hustle and bustle of holiday visitors. In order to ensure you provide your visitors with a pleasant experience, assess your home for visible damage, dated appliances and home furnishings. Since contractors are bombarded with last minute holiday repairs and renovations, many homeowners attempt to avoid the holiday rush and tackle home improvement projects several weeks before the arrival of holiday guests. Prepare for the holidays and ensure your most popular rooms are ready for visitors by using the following checklist. Enticing Entryway: Establish a place to collect guests' sweaters, jackets and purses. Be sure to clean out the closet or room that will be storing guests' belongings so their items are not lost amongst the clutter. Remember, the entryway will be the first room your guests will view when entering your home. Cast a critical eye and determine whether or not you need to replace your flooring, rugs, furniture, or if you need to touch up the paint on the entryway walls. Don't forget to show your holiday spirit by decorating the entryway with ornaments, sprigs of evergreen and candles. Living Area: Is the carpet in your living room stained or worn? If so, arrange to have your carpets cleaned, or if they are beyond repair, have new carpet installed. Be sure to clean fingerprints and dust off windows and door jams before guests visit. Convenient and Cozy Kitchen: Get rid of any countertop clutter. Remove appliances and tools from countertops and store them out of your guests' view in order to provide more room for entertaining and food preparation. If your countertop space is lacking, consider installing a kitchen island. Make sure your countertops, cabinets and appliances are in good condition and in working order, if not, schedule for their repair or replace them. Bright Bathrooms: Take a close look at the condition of your bathrooms. Does the tile look dingy? If the countertops in your bathrooms are dated, replace cracked or chipped tiles and re-grout. These simple improvements can give your bathrooms an instant facelift. Take a good look at your bathroom ceiling. Is it peeling from humidity? Perform those minor ceiling and wall repairs to avoid the embarrassment of the bathroom caving in on guests. Be sure to set out several hand towels when entertaining so guests do not have to repeatedly use the same wet towel. Show some holiday spirit and consider purchasing holiday theme hand towels. Issue 317
THE LIVING KITCHEN As the kitchen's role in family life has grown, so has its size. The kitchen has become the center of all household activity. It is where families cook and eat, entertain, watch television, use the computer and do homework. Homeowners are snubbing their formal living rooms, dining rooms and family rooms, and instead are focusing their remodeling efforts on creating a more comfortable and open floor plan for their busy family life in the kitchen. Homeowners no longer use their kitchen solely for food preparation and cooking. Instead, new kitchen designs accommodate multiple day to day activities and functions, such as:
The key to creating an open, flowing kitchen space is to expand the room, while combining elements from both the living room and dining room. Some of the latest open space renovation trends include both large and small home transformations. Wall-Free Homeowners are opting to knock down walls in order to design a "living kitchen" that really serves its purpose as the heart of the home. By expanding kitchen space and getting rid of unused rooms, such as the formal dining room and living room, the space becomes more efficient and accessible and it begins to serve as the hub of all family activity. Creating a Cohesive Look When creating a great kitchen, it is important to incorporate repeating elements throughout the span of the new space. Repeating elements create a clean and consistent kitchen look. Several homeowners create unity in their new kitchen design by incorporating new hardwood flooring, tiling, kitchen countertops and cabinetry throughout the large space. Creating a cohesive look throughout the extended room will help to identify your new multi-purpose space as a kitchen, and not a cluttered combination room. Comfort & Convenience Incorporating comfortable furniture and a lounge section in the kitchen encourages greater family and house guest interaction and communication. By adding a lounge to the kitchen, family members and guests can relax after dinner, or comfortably snack, read the newspaper and talk while other family members prepare a meal. Bringing a computer and media equipment into the kitchen also assists in making the space more family friendly. Converting a section of the kitchen countertop into a family media center improves family interaction and increases the likelihood of more family activities taking place in the kitchen. Whether you decide to knock out walls and install new hardwood floors throughout your combined space, or add a plush couch for lounging, an open "living kitchen" yields endless benefits. It provides a room where the entire family can be together and participate in daily cooking, conversation and quality time. Issue 319
NEW YEAR RENOVATION RESOLUTIONS FOR THE KITCHEN AND BATHROOM Beginning the list of New Years' home renovation projects may be just as difficult as all of the other resolutions you promised for the new year, but proper planning and home improvement materials will ensure your renovations run smoothly. According to RenovationExperts.com's 2007 Pre-Holiday survey, the most popular remodeling projects to tackle are those for the kitchen and bathroom. But, before you start pulling up the tile in your outdated bathroom and smashing your kitchen countertops, invest some time in learning about new design trends, the materials that you are going to use and the tools needed to install them. Homeowners looking to purchase new home materials to accommodate the up-and-coming design trends of 2008 are investing in a variety of oversized ceramic tiles and granite countertops. Kitchen Trends: Granite Counter Tops Granite countertops offer unmatched durability and quality in the kitchen and have proven to be a wise investment for homeowners. Granite's longevity and beauty bring a sense of warmth and richness to any kitchen. While polished granite has proven to be a big hit in the kitchen for many years, honed or sanded granite is beginning to make its mark. Polished granite is conspicuous and overbearing in the kitchen. Instead of showy countertops, consumers are leaning toward more subtle and substantial home improvement materials, such as matte granite, in their kitchen. Though honed granite may be popular amongst consumers, it is not entirely the most practical home improvement purchase. Honed stone is generally more porous than polished versions and therefore more susceptible to chips and stains. Bathroom Trends: Oversized Ceramic Tile Large ceramic tiles are gracing the floors of homeowners throughout the nation and can turn the average room to extraordinary. Environmentally friendly and made of clay, ceramic comes in a variety of shapes, textures and colors. Consumers are opting to purchase large and more refined matte and polished ceramic tile styles for a clean and substantial look.The large tiles provide a refined look that is perfect for rooms with water since they are waterproof, stain-resistant and easy to maintain. Before you begin installing large tile, it is important to consider the size of the room you are remodeling. According to the World Floor Covering Association, incorporating larger sizes of tile into a small space may visually increase the size of the room. Large tiles, measuring 12 inches by 36 inches instead of the traditional 12 inches by 12 inches, offer a cleaner surface cover with fewer grout lines and a no hassle cleaning process. Whether you decide to upgrade your bathroom or fix up your kitchen, proper planning and expertise will ensure your next home improvement project is complete efficiently and effectively. Issue 321
FAMILY FRIENDLY HOME DECOR TIPS Along with the vitality and liveliness children bring in to a home, they also bring great energy. Often times, children's energy can lead to broken vases, stained carpeting and scratched flooring. Parents often times feel that they must sacrifice their designer taste and style to transform their home into a 'jungle gym' full of child proof appliances and cheap furnishings. Decorating your home to accommodate children doesn't have to mean giving up rich fabrics and decorator hues for a collection of cartoon characters and primary colors. There are plenty of functional home décor materials to fit your taste and the wear and tear of a busy family lifestyle. Creating a Kid Friendly Color Palette Before you start decorating your kitchen or family room, consider how often you and your children use that particular space. If the room is a high traffic area, consider using neutral, organic colors like taupe, light browns and greens. These neutral colors camouflage dirt and the everyday deterioration of your active lifestyle. If these organic hues seem dull, incorporate bright shades by adding colorful home accessories like throw pillows and area rugs. A few accent colors are quick, simple, low maintenance ways to liven up even the dullest room. If the room you are decorating is considered an 'adult only' space, splurge and experiment with rich decorator hues and color palettes. Creating an 'adult only' room allows you to have at least one area that you can decorate exactly how you want, without the possibility of your hard work being at risk. Installing Long-Lasting Floors When selecting carpet flooring for your home, opt for darker colors. Dark carpeting disguises grape juice and mud stains better than light carpeting. Save the lighter colors for adult zones like the bedroom or home office. If you're in the market for hardwood flooring, select something more durable that can withstand roller skates and soccer cleats. Bamboo flooring has proven to be a more durable alternative than oak or laminate flooring. Bamboo also accepts a large variety of stains, making it a versatile flooring option that can be blended to match almost any interior color palette. All wood flooring will eventually scratch, but bamboo can easily be refinished, unlike laminate flooring. Extend the life of your carpets and hardwood flooring by investing in wool area rugs that have been treated to resist stains. Hooked wool rugs are great for high traffic areas where kids walk, play and eat because they offer easy spot clean up and very little maintenance. You can find durable rugs in all sorts of stylish patterns and colors and they can be moved around to designate areas. Toss one in the kids' play room, or underneath the coffee table to preserve your home floors. Incorporating Durable Fabrics Though dining room chairs upholstered in silk may look great now, they will not look as attractive after a few meals with the kids. Instead of purchasing couches and chairs upholstered in high maintenance materials, like silk, select durable fabrics such as cotton and ultra-suede that can withstand daily activity. Consider the fancier fabrics, such as chenille and crinkled velvet, for accent pillows and throws. Velvet and chenille have a more formal feel and are more durable than silk. Couples don't have to surrender their style when they have children. There are plenty of attractive and substantial home décor solutions for the busy family lifestyle. Transforming your home into something more stylish and family friendly is simple when you invest in the right home décor materials. Issue 322
HOW TO CHOOSE WIDE PLANK HARDWOOD FLOORING Choosing wide plank flooring for your home invites imagination and forethought to find the wood that most appeals to you. All wood is beautiful. Trust yourself to make a few simple choices, and then trust your flooring consultant to verify your selections. Visual appeal hallmarks wide plank flooring Choose a wood with the hue, grain, and finish that appeals to you and that will enhance the light and decor of your room or home. The appeal of your new flooring is the most important quality to consider. Visualize whether amber, blond, tan or deeper hues would best show in the room’s light and would best blend with or accent your furnishings. Do you prefer the look of clear wood, planks with exuberant grain, the occasional accent of knots, or a lovely burling pattern? Lighter woods like pine, birch, white and red oak, or hickory can open up a smaller room or give a more airy feeling to a dimly-lit room. Darker woods like walnut, stained or deeply-hued woods such as cherry, can look more elegant and formal. They also suit the quiet seriousness of a study or office. Solid wood ensures enduring quality and beauty Oak has been the standard for durability, however all solid wood plank flooring is durable. Each of the many beautiful woods available will last generations. Also, if you select wood harder than oak, whether maple, birch, or ash, it is more of a challenge to finish, and you may want to leave it natural. If you want to adjust the hue of your flooring with stain, select oak, a softer hardwood, or pine. If you are seeking a bright, warm Early American look in your home, wide plank heartwood pine exudes the welcoming, rustic appeal of a lodge. Plank width provides an extra measure of uniqueness Decide on a plank width that suits the size of the room. 5-12” or 12-16” planks look in proportion with medium or larger rooms or to evoke the Colonial era. The beauty of knots or burling will show to greater effect in wider planks. Narrower-width planks with lots of grain or color variation can exactly complement a smaller room but look busy in a large room. Solid wood grading satisfies any budget Once you have selected a wood for its appearance and appeal, select a grade that fits your budget. You may admire the clearest wood. Or you may have a nostalgic yearning for more or fewer knots. Wood milled for vertical grain is harder than that with open grain. Buy the highest grade you want to afford. Luster, versatility and protection-to-last highlight the finish Choose a finish that will enhance the brightness and tone of the wood as well as preserve it. Tung oil is best and easy to maintain, but there are other finishes, as well as stains to adjust your floor’s hue. Remember that proper finishing of wide plank flooring enables it to function effectively for any usage, including that in your kitchen. With these considerations in mind, take a few moments in the room or rooms you are going to re-floor and actively imagine the wonderful transformation you are about to make. From a good vantage point, relaxed in a comfortable chair at a time of day when the entire room is in its best light, use a set of printed or actual wood samples to make some comparisons. Look at your first sample and note its characteristics. Is it light or dark? Is it amber, roan, tan, or coffee? Does it have grain, burling, knots, or is it clear? Make a mental picture of the sample, then look out across your room and imagine it covered in that wide plank flooring. By working with each sample and sensing your responses to it, you soon will know the wood or woods that hold the most appeal for you. Issue 323
FLOORING BASICS Flooring can be one of the biggest expenses in furnishing your interiors, making it well worth all the planning time and attention you give it. But before you even begin to decide among the colors and textures you would like to use, consider the basics. Almost any flooring can be applied to a solid concrete floor, provided a moisture-proof base is applied. But if your base is a suspended timber floor, for instance, quarry tile cannot automatically be applied; you need to check the floor loading first. Another consideration is the use of the floor. For a kitchen you will want a floor covering that is easy to clean and resistant to water and other spills. Hallways and playrooms will have to absorb more abuse than bedrooms, so a more durable flooring will be required in those areas. Very hard floors can be cold and tiring to stand on for long periods of time. Resilient floors such as vinyl (a/k/a linoleum) or soft floors such as carpet are best in work areas. Be safe. If you are using a hard floor treatment such as ceramic tile, slate or marble, your floor can be quite slippery when wet. If you add a throw rug over any of these floors, be sure you have a non-slip underlayment with them. And do not polish under these throw rugs, either. Also, in our cool Colorado climate, hard floor treatments can become quite cold in those winter months. If you are building a new home, consider using radiant heat to warm those tiles. However, if you are adding tile to an existing home, you may want to opt for a system that is installed on top of existing sub flooring such as Nu-Heat. Noise is another consideration. Ceramic tiles, stone, marble, quarry tile and even wood floors can be very noisy. Cork, rubber and vinyl have good sound absorbency. And cushion-back vinyl is quieter than flat vinyl. There are underlayments that can be applied before tile is laid, however, to absorb sound between floors. In other words, someone walking on marble on the second floor would not be heard by the party on the first floor if a sound-absorbing underlayment is in place. The hard floor, however, is still noisy in the room where the person is walking. Keep in mind, too, that noise can be transmitted through walls. Insulation can be added between the walls for sound absorbency. If you have a small house or apartment, consider carrying one floor treatment of the same color throughout, breaking only at the kitchen and bathroom areas. Also, plain colors give a room more "space" than a pattern. And the solid color is easier to decorate around as well. In a larger house, if you choose to change color and/or flooring between rooms, picture how the transition will look when the doors are open. In changing from one type of flooring to another, envision the change of one material to the other at the threshold. Will it be a smooth transition? Will all the colors coordinate? Will all the colors fit into a general scheme? If you opt for a patterned carpet, be honest with yourself: Do you want the pattern because you like it, or because it will camouflage dirt? If the latter is your real reason, please reconsider. With that motive in mind, you will most likely clean your carpet less often and that's not good for the life of the carpet and not good for the cleanliness of the air in the room. And the truth of the matter is that a dirty patterned carpet looks just as dirty as a solid colored one that has also been neglected. If your motives are altruistic, then go ahead and pick a pattern. But be careful. If the pattern is overpowering and it is the first thing that strikes you when you walk into the room, you may have a difficult time decorating around it. Issue 324
RESTORING LUSTER TO STONE FLOORS Do you have a marble, granite, quartzite or limestone floor? Has it lost its luster? Do not worry as help is on its way. First let's get the negatives out of the way. Do not use vinegar, no matter how diluted, as a cleaner. Vinegar is acidic and that acid will etch the stone. Same goes for tub and tile cleaners and any cleanser that contains acid. It is best not to have the luster restored by means of re-crystallization or vitrification because these processes are acid based. So what's the big deal with acid? Marble and limestone are made up of a compound of calcium carbonate along with other minerals. Scientists have deduced that when the stone mixes with acid, this calcium and carbonate bond is broken. Once this compound is destroyed, calcium ions are released by the stone, producing a new compound, calcium fluorosilicate, forming an impervious film on the stone which blocks its pores. If the pores are blocked, the stone cannot breathe so moisture is trapped inside the stone and it will begin to rot. Well, now that the don'ts are out of the way, let's get to the do's. There is a natural process that all quarries and fabricators use to polish stone floors. Even if the stone floor has been destroyed by acid, this process can and will erase all etchings and scratches and put shine back into the stone. The first step is to remove all waxes, acrylics urethanes or any re-crystallization or vitrification the floor might have. An impregnator is then applied which will protect the stone from spills such as water, coffee, colas, etc. The impregnator seals the floor, yet lets it breathe. Don't ask. I don't know how it can breathe yet be impregnable. Somehow, though, it works. What if the flooring has an unpolished look? This process is still the answer. The only difference is the end product is a matte finish instead of a glossy one. Stone floors are beautiful, but very expensive so you will want to be sure they are protected in the best way possible. After the floor is protected, maintenance is simple. Dry mop the stone daily. That is all that needs to be done. Recoating, waxing and later stripping the accumulated wax is all eliminated. If something spills, simply blot with a paper towel -- always blot -- never wipe because wiping will spread the spill. Rinse the area with water and blot again. Issue 325
UNDERSTANDING ORIENTAL RUGS Chose carefully and your Oriental rug can provide a lifetime of satisfaction. Your Oriental rug can be a long-term investment that pays off in style and function. Here, some Oriental rug basics. What does handmade mean? "Handmade" can mean many things. Price and quality depend on a number of factors. Hand tufted: A tufted rug is made using a mechanical tufting tool that secures and inserts the yarns in the backing, often canvas. Since the tufted yarns are not securely enclosed by a "knot," the backs of these rugs are usually sprayed or painted with adhesives to secure the pile yarn. These rugs can not be truly called "oriental rugs." Hand knotted: In a hand-knotted rug, each yarn is individually tied in a knot by the weaver. Each knot of yarn is tied securely around 2 or 3 strands of "warp yarn," which is the vertical yarn set up initially on the loom as the basis for the rug that will be woven upon it. This is a completely hand-made process, no mechanical tools are used. A hand-knotted rug will be more expensive than a tufted rug. In addition, a hand-knotted rug made in the "crossed" style of weaving is more time consuming and durable (and expensive) than an uncrossed rug. Shearing: After the rug is woven, overall shearing of the pile is done by hand, to an even depth, or to variations of textural depth specified by the designer. Shapes within the overall design are usually incised, cut around carefully by hand to create dimension and clarity of design. Knot count: refers to "knots per square inch." The more detailed and complex the design, and the finer/thinner the wool, the more knots are required for clarity of color and design. High-quality rugs usually range from 50 to 100 knots per inch. Imagine the work that goes into that kind of hand weaving! Knot density will affect the cost of the rug. Where was the rug made? You’ve heard of a Persian rug or a Chinese rug or a Tibetan rug--all of which fall into the Oriental rug category, which covers rugs from China to Viet Nam, Turkey to Tibet, Iran to India. The finest Tibetan rugs are hand knotted in Nepal and India, often by organizations that employ local families in the rug-making process. What is it made of? Materials: Many Oriental rugs are made from wool and/or silk. As the basis and primary material, wool is the most resilient, comfortable and durable material to use in these rugs. To add variations of color, texture and design, silk is often used as a "highlight" accent. Another interesting and durable material that is used for textural and color variation is the fiber called "Allo," or Himalayan Nettle plant. Oriental rugs often incorporate hand-dyeing and hand-carding as part of the weaving process. Should I order a rug sight unseen? Time: As with all custom furnishings, high-quality rugs take time to produce. If you don’t find what you want in stock, you can order a rug and expect delivery in about four months. Customizing your rug will take longer and will usually carry a surcharge because with each change that is made a new "graph" or design pattern needs to be made by the manufacturers prior to starting the rug. Additional fees may also apply when you ask a designer to create custom variations and color specifications. Strikeoff: This term refers to a sample size rug, made in order to confirm colors for a custom order. Usually these samples are from one foot square to two feet square. There is typically a fee for creating the samples, since yarn has to be dyed and the piece has to be woven as if it is a miniature rug. The design on a strikeoff, however, is not of the entire rug but rather of a corner piece or other segment to show yarn types, colors, and weaving style. Pros and cons: Although there is a nominal additional cost, and many weeks added to the production process, you will have an actual piece of rug to see (and keep), that has your custom color selections incorporated in it. This can be particularly helpful if you will be shopping for other furnishings for the same room or adjacent areas. Issue 326
DECORATING WITH TILE Fired clay tiles, still a popular flooring choice today, had their origin as many as 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt. They exploded into the Western world during the Middle Ages — rust-colored tiles were quite popular in the in ancient monasteries in England, while artisans in Spain and Portugal added a colorful touch by hand-painting the tiles in bright colors to suit their sunny climate. It seems hard to believe that messy, sticky clay goes through a metamorphosis and becomes a beautiful floor that is so long lasting. The changeover process is accomplished when the clay is fired to high temperatures in a kiln. Originally the clay was hand-molded into wooden boxes and left to dry. Once dry, they were fired in a kiln. Our current technology renders that process old fashioned. Mechanical presses use dust-dry clay instead of wet clay. These tiles are sometimes called terracotta, meaning burnt earth. Quarry tile is basically the same thing (quarry meaning "square" from the French term quarrel). Terracotta and quarry tile last a long, long time, since they have no pattern or paint to wear out. The joints between the tiles can add or subtract from the appearance of the floor. If they are too wide, they can overpower the tile, which in some cases might be good. For example, let's step out into the patio for a moment. If you want an old world look, use a thick 2- or 3-inch-wide grout filling between the terracotta tiles. If your breakfast room is adjacent to the patio, you might want to continue that patio floor into that room. On the other hand, if the tile is what you want to emphasize, the grout should be minimal. Still another idea is to use a colored grout that is different from the color of the tile. You will end up with a checkerboard pattern in the room. That can be quite complimentary to the rest of the decor. Example: White tile with blue grout will blend well with a blue and white motif used in the rest of the decor. If you are doing this in the kitchen, you might take it a step further and tile and grout the kitchen counter the same as the floor. Contrasting color grout, however, should not be used with irregular edged tiles. The irregularity in the tile will cause an uneven grout pattern that will look messy. Square tiles can be laid square or in a diamond pattern. The diamond pattern uses more tiles, and creates more waste, but adds drama to the floor. To add even more interest, you can create a tile border that is a different size or shape tile than the rest of the room. Or it can be the same but of a different color. Where do you put the border? Anywhere you like. Try the border two feet in from the walls. Or if the border is in a passage area where there will be no furniture, perhaps a circular pattern will look good. If there is furniture, border around the furniture. Anything goes, as long as you like it. Issue 327
MOM'S CORNER AWAY FROM CHAOS Home is a place to go and recover from the daily grind, but for most mothers, home and family life is the source of stress. A mother's day seems endless, full of demanding work schedules, caring for children, preparing family activities and more. After this busy holiday season, take a few moments to kick your feet up and truly escape from your hectic schedule by creating your own private corner, away from chaos. Establish a No-Kid-Zone Seek out the most private corner or room of your home, whether it is the bedroom, guestroom or home office, and announce to all family members that the specified area will be off limits, ensuring that you are not disturbed. Selecting a quiet space that is far away from the high traffic areas of your home will help keep your mind focused on the present moment, not on the future and your overbooked calendar. Calming Colors Create a calming color palette in your private space by using cool colors that represent natural landscapes. Just like nature, these natural colors exude a sense of peace and tranquility, which will help you unwind. Popular cool colors include soothing blues, greens and violets. The colors you use to decorate your home tend to impact your mood, energy level and even your appetite. By selecting cool blues, light greens and violets you can potentially soothe your senses. Warm Flooring Incorporate flooring that will compliment your wall color. By maintaining a simple color scheme, you can avoid strong color contrasts which can be distracting. In order to create a calm feeling, mimic nature and use darker color on the floor and lighter colors on the surrounding walls. Install soft carpet, or lay down a simple area rug, but be sure to stay away from patterns because they will be too lively and busy for a tranquil space. Visit www.floorsandwindows.com to find a large selection of carpets and area rugs that will help complete your calm corner. Smooth Fabrics Soothe your sense of touch by banning abrasive fabrics, like polyester and wool, and opt for soft velour, cotton and chenille pillows and throw-blankets. The feeling of soft smooth textures will suggest serenity. Soft Lighting When lighting your space, keep in mind that dark wall and flooring colors will tend to absorb light while the lighter colors reflect it. Invest in a few lamps with tungsten light bulbs and create a warm glow throughout the room. Tungsten bulbs create a soft, gold-tinted light that will ease your eyes. A quiet and private space will help you eliminate the distractions of your every day role as a mother and caretaker. Enjoy your escape, but don't leave the kids unsupervised. Delegate another adult to watch your children so you can successfully clear your mind and feelings of motherhood anxiety. Issue 328
THE INSIDE STORY ON CARPETING Need to replace that worn, stained carpet in your house. Carpeting has changed drastically over the past several years. In fact, the options can be a bit overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know. THE INGREDIENTS Carpeting, no surprise, is indeed fabric. And, as in the fabric world, there are different ingredients that go into it, either natural or synthetic. NATURAL FIBERS Wool is top of the pops natural fabric-wise, in terms of wearablity, holding dyes well—and it cleans up in a jiffy. Wool is a staple yarn (small strips spun together) so it can fuzz up a bit and pill (think of your favorite old wool sweater). It’s not hypoallergenic, which means you might sneeze a bit if allergic to wool. SYNTHETIC FIBERS Synthetic fibers can be broken down into four categories: • Acrylic is made to replicate wool but, fooled you, it’s not. Acrylic is also a staple yarn and can pill and fuzz. Acrylic is color fast and resists stains and sun bleaching. It won’t give you the hives as wool can, but is a bit harder to clean. • Numero uno in the wall-to-wall carpet world, nylon is the defending champ due to its ability to just say "no" to stains, static electricity and wear. Nylon is a continuous filament or a yarn that starts out as chemical stew and is then extruded, stretched into fibers. Its nature reduces shedding and it absorbs dyes well. • Olefin/polypropylene is great—if you happen to own a professional baseball team: it makes great indoor-outdoor carpeting. • Polyester is another staple yarn that wears well and won’t make you sniffle. It handles sun well but is a bit more difficult to clean than nylon or wool. It is not as resilient as those mentioned above and has a tendency to lie down on the job. In other words, it crushes underfoot and doesn’t bounce back as well as the others. THE BACK STORY Carpeting is tufted, meaning its unceremoniously punched through something called primary backing. A secondary backing is then applied over this to make sure those little fabric buggers don’t escape out the back way. Backing is generally made of either natural fiber such as jute, or polyester. Woven carpets that are made by weaving the top and backing together into one piece don’t require backing. PADDING Padding is primarily meant to keep your carpeting from disintegrating on contact with air and comes in many type and thicknesses. Since padding will have an impact on how long your carpeting lasts, it pays to find the right kind for your carpeting. Felt padding is made of animal hair or jute (the glossy fiber of certain Asian plants—Corchorus olitorius and C. capsularis—for all you botanists). It is quite pricey and works well with woven carpets. Urethane foam is the most common form of padding and comes in many densities. When shopping for it do the Mr. Whipple and squeeze the Charmin out of it to check how dense the product is. If it flattens easily between your fingers, there isn’t much there but air. Rebond is recycled urethane leftovers scrunched together. It’s available in your basic plethora of thicknesses and you should shop for it as you do for urethane foam. In other words: squeeze away. PILES OF STYLE There are tons of wall-to-wall carpeting styles to pick from: Berber Invented by the Berber of Seville (joke), Berber carpeting (at right) is made up of rows of fabric loops that can all be one length or different lengths. It’s tough stuff, too. Keep in mind that you will see the seaming in Berber more than in other styles. It also crushes underfoot and doesn’t rebound well from foot traffic. Cut-Pile Cut-pile is created by lopping the tops of carpet loops and creating two separate yarn tufts. There are a variety of cut-pile styles: Plush, Saxony, Velvet and Cut and Loop. Velvet is thick and cushy but it shades, or leaves footprints after having been walked on. Saxony fibers (twists of fiber) behave as unruly split ends and have to be heat set (ouch) like your perm. Plush is what is probably under your feet at the moment (a common flat cut) and Cut and Loop is just what it says Issue 329
CREATING A HARMONIOUS HOME LIFE If you haven’t had your head in a bucket for the last three or four years, I’m sure you’ve heard the term Feng Shui. If you’re like many of us, you’ve heard about in all kinds of instances but most often in terms of someone decorating their home. It’s actually kind of funny that this has become such a run away success. Especially when most people who are talking about it really know as little about it as you do. The term Feng Shui literally means wind and water. Not really decorating terms. At least they weren’t until recently. Suddenly almost every home has some sort of water feature either inside, outside or both and wind chimes and pinwheels as well. In fact sales on those items have probably reached record proportions at some point in time over the last few years. Feng Shui is about arranging items in your environment in a specific manner in order to achieve a harmonious surrounding. It sounds really complicated and yet when you think about, it makes perfect sense. Clutter causes chaos. A clean environment enhances peaceful thoughts. Colors affect mood, it makes sense to surround yourself in colors that will ‘boost’ (for lack of a better word) the mood or tone of the space they occupy. More importantly than anything, you want to be comfortable in your home. You want your home to represent you, to be an accurate representation of you, to be your oasis from the chaos of the world outside your home. Feng Shui can help you achieve the balance and harmony that is lacking in the world outside your home. A Feng Shui decorator of mine gave me a tip or two for decorating a home if you have the time to listen. Her first Feng Shui tip is that there are no hard and fast rules as far as colors go, or really any part of Feng Shui. It really comes down to eliminating the things within your home that engender negative reactions and replacing them with items that bring out peaceful, harmonious, and constructive thoughts and emotions. Second, the goal of Feng Shui is to bring harmony into an environment if your attempts at Feng Shui are not making you feel better, then perhaps you need to take smaller steps or you need to reconsider the step you’ve just taken. Her third Feng Shui tip is this, don’t be all or nothing about it and don’t attempt to force it on others. Try adding a pillow or a painting that isn’t quite as prominent as painting a wall. This will help keep the peace and harmony among your family. After all, the ultimate goal of Feng Shui is harmony with your environment. Issue 330
ILLUMINATE YOUR HOUSE WITH LIGHTING Lighting is an important element of a home as it not only illuminates the house but also brings changes in the one’s mood. Home interior lighting involves selecting and fitting light fixtures depending on the utility purpose of the room, cost, power consumption and many other factors. Home interior lighting can be considered as an outlet for our creative mind as it gives many choices of light fixtures to choose and experiment with. It is always advisable to have the basic knowledge about light fixtures before starting on the home interior lighting project. This is a knowledgeable consumer who is well educated in residential lighting finds it easy to select both high quality and cost effective light fixtures for the best home interior lighting. The choice of light fixtures available in the market has multiplied recently with new innovations and improvements in the field of home lighting. Hence it is best to get some knowledge and information in the field to be aware of the latest and the best models and options. Whether it is a matter of replacing the already existing lights with more cost effective fluorescent bulbs or arranging for a fresh home interior lighting it is always better to get some idea of the options before making a purchase There are many choices of light fixtures for home interior lighting like pendant lantern, landscape lighting etc., In order to reduce the energy consumption a combination of ceiling fan and ceiling light together is also available. The interior should have light fixtures in such a way that it blends with the lifestyle of those who live in the home, while outdoor light fixtures should invariably be weather resistant. There are basically three types of lighting. One is the general or the ambient type which replaces sunlight by illuminating the entire room. The second one is task lighting which provides light for particular tasks like reading or cooking. As this light is meant for specific purpose care should be taken to ensure that it is bright enough to avoid eye. It should also be free from glare and shadows. The third type is accent lighting which is used exclusively in artwork, cabinets or in the beams of the ceiling so that it enhances the effect of the architectural features of the room. A combination of all these three types will serve as the best choice to illuminate a room effectively. Outdoor lighting is as important as home interior lighting for it not only enhances the aesthetic beauty of the house but also provides the safety and security. There are a variety of outdoor light fixtures and you should be able to select the most appropriate one that matches the total appearance of your house. Once you have made your decision on the appropriate light fixtures it is advisable to consult your builder/remodeler to ensure that there are no restrictions such as insulation, height of the ceiling or ductwork on the type of fixture selected for the specific room. After fixing the light fixtures the next step is to select the bulbs. Fluorescent bulbs are the best choice as they are comparatively cheaper than incandescent bulbs and have longer life. Home interior lighting is an interesting part of home making as it deals with the best and visible part of any home and if done proper care and appropriate light fixtures the effects will be excellent. MORE ARTICLES TO COME! |
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