From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, … Learn More
Capturing the Perfect Pictures of Your Home
From uploading photos to help sell your space or just sharing pictures of your latest home improvement project over the internet, there are … Read More »
Top Flooring Trends for 2020
With the new year, new trends are making their way into the market. Throughout time, many flooring trends come and go. We have seen plenty … Read More »
Pros and Cons of Carpet
Carpet is a timeless flooring option that businesses and homeowners continue to love. It comes in many diverse styles with added benefits. … Read More »
5 Remodeling Projects To Take On Before the Holiday
Is your list of home improvement projects piling up? If you plan on hosting guests in your home during the holiday season you no doubt want it to look its best. Since it can be a huge challenge to get everything done in the nick of time, we’ve created a list of home improvement priorities you’ll need to focus on in order to get your house ready for visitors.
Below are five home improvement projects that will make a huge difference in your holiday season and for years to come.
- Get New Floors: Now is a great time to get new floors! New flooring can change the entire look and feel of your home. Many flooring retailers offer financing programs that can help you get the floors you really want before the holiday. When you get new floors it also provides great timing for changing furniture layouts, cleaning out drawers and cabinets – all good things to do before the end of the year.
- Upgrade Your Kitchen: Since there will be a lot of food preparation during the holidays you’ll want to ensure that your kitchen is both functional and stylish. Now is the time to invest in a new backsplash. Be sure to select a pattern that best represents your personality or that will be a timeless choice for resale, depending on your plans for your home.
- Install A New Stair Runner: Do your stairs look old and tired? Chances are your staircase is in the middle of your home where everyone can see it. Stairs get so much traffic it’s expected that after a while, they begin to look used, worn and even dirty despite regular cleaning efforts. Before your guests arrive, wouldn’t it feel great to update your stairs with a new runner or new carpet? There are numerous style options when it comes to choosing a stair runner. Will you choose a pattern? Or something with color?
- Make Over the Fireplace: Who doesn’t love to gather around the fireplace during the holidays? Give your fireplace a modern look by making an update. You can update the existing tile or stone that you already have. You can add more tile or stone by running it all the way to the ceiling creating a dramatic focal point for the room. You can add or update a mantle and change the look entirely!
- Create A Focal Point in the Room: Why not do something to wow your guests a little and create something that you can enjoy the rest of the year and for upcoming years? Do this by adding a focal point to the room. A focal point could be painting an accent wall a bold color or even a beautiful painting. You can mix prints as well as layer different shades within the same hue.
Give yourself the gift of something new for your home this year! You’ll be glad you did!
Bathroom Remodel Advice
Completing a bathroom remodel can be exciting but can also be a little more complicated than you imagined. If you are not sure about what to focus on when remodeling your bath, you came to the right place! Here is our expert advice on beginning a bathroom remodel:
Flooring
Making sure you consider a flooring material that is water-resistant, scratch resistant and stain-resistant. Water is always going to be an issue in a bathroom when you are dealing with a shower, tub or sink. Make sure you install a durable choice like tile or luxury vinyl to ensure your floors stay protected from water. Natural Stone can also be a good choice if properly sealed. If you love the look of hardwood, but want a flooring choice that’s easier to maintain, consider luxury vinyl flooring. If you choose a surface like tile, don’t forget about areas like the tub splash, sink splash or the entire wall behind the mirror. These are great areas to add a decorative tile to give the room more personality and design.
Storage
Clutter can ruin a functional space, so take this opportunity to install as much storage space as you need to keep things tidy. If there was too much storage prior to your remodel, try sleeker shelving that will still get the job done. If you are working with a spare bathroom that doesnt’ get much use, you can skip the bulky cabinets and go with a more minimal look through open shelves or baskets. These will still hold the necessities for guests while taking up less square footage in the room. The more items guests can see, the more comfortable they will feel using them.
Fixtures
An attractive set of fixtures can amp up the style in your bathroom. To save space in a small spare bathroom, install a pedestal sink with just enough room for overnight guests to fit their travel kits. A claw-foot tub also makes a beautiful statement. For the master bath, try a vessel sink or an undermount sink to create a more unique look. The master can forgo a bathtub and have a beautiful stand-up shower with tile from top to bottom and be enclosed with clear glass doors to keep the room looking spacious.
Lighting
Most bathroom lighting fixtures are set above where you would be standing to look in the mirror. This casts shadows downwards and is not the most optimal use of light for getting ready in the morning. Try adjusting the lighting to eye level on each side of the mirror. In doing so, it will help cast the right lighting for makeup application as well as a morning shave.
Ask for Help
Finally, do not be afraid to ask for assistance if there are parts of this remodel that confuse you. It is better to ask for help prior to installation so you can prevent purchasing materials for the space that don’t serve your needs!
Choosing the Perfect Bathroom Tile
When deciding to begin a bathroom remodel, we get excited to explore all the different ideas that can be incorporated. We look at countertops, sinks, cabinets, bathtubs, but most importantly, we look for the perfect tile. Tile is a timeless bathroom remedy that can functionally enhance the aesthetics of the the room. We generate a theme from what we have seen before and have liked. Maybe you saw a rustic design at a restaurant, or perhaps your friend’s house has a simply beautiful, all-white design. While we search through a plethora of Pinterest pins and available options in a store, you begin to form an idea of the direction you want your bathroom design to go. To help you guide you during your decision process, here are our top three rules to follow in choosing the perfect bathroom tile.
Design
The first step is that you will need to select a design style that is meaningful to you. Decide if you want dark or light tiles, ceramic or stone, a lot of character or simple, textured or smooth. Perhaps you want a patterned tile to be the focal point of the room. Try not to select more than three tile types in your bathroom. It’s not cost effective and as a general rule, too many styles can feel busy and chaotic. To make your design feel more uniform, you will want to pick a primary tile and secondary tile. Your other tile choices can be used for trim, accent, and added character throughout the room. Use accent tiles to create a dramatic effect or a custom look on the floor, in the shower, around the tub and even as the sink or tub splash.
Scale
If you are stuck on the size tile, consider the relative scale. If you select a 12×24, you can use it to accentuate the length of a room or give interest to the space. You can use more uniform and symmetrical options like 12×12, 16×16, 18×18 or 24×24 tiles if your bathroom has multiple fixtures to cut around in a small space. If you go with a larger tile, it can make a small room feel larger. Don’t be shy about using a large format tile in a small space, but be careful not to go too big in very small spaces, or it can look out of balance. Another general rule of thumb to consider is to never put larger tiles on the walls than the tiles on the floor.
Maintenance
Ask about the maintenance for different types of tile or stone. Be sure that the maintenance of the products aligns with your commitment to maintaining the product! Glass tiles are beautiful and can make great for accents but require a little more maintenance to keep them clean and bright. Look into some mosaic glass designs to add even more character in your showers or bath and only add a small amount of overall maintenance.
Picking the perfect tile can be fun. Trust your instinct, but do the math. Take the time to create a rough layout to make sure the size and pattern of the tile make sense for the layout of the space. Tile can be a significant investment so lean on the experts to help guide you. With these simple guidelines in mind, you are ready to create your bathroom that feels like your own personal sanctuary!
Ways to Use Patterns in Your Home
Many designers use different elements to help create a well-balanced and aesthetically-pleasing space. While the design may seem to be somewhat subjective, these elements can help create some backbone to the science of creating your design. For instance, designers try to incorporate lines, space, forms, light, colors, textures, and patterns. In particular, using patterns in your home is a great way to create a uniform atmosphere. Patterns are used to visually connect non-similar items and allow them to communicate with one another. Repetition can draw attention and add a dramatic effect; however, there is more to patterns than just buying a polka dot throw pillow. To help, here are some great ways to use the element of patterns in your home:
Herringbone
Traditionally, we install flooring all running the same direction. For example, consider plank flooring systems; they may run all vertically down a hallway. However, some hardwood floors, tiles, and vinyl plank flooring choices can be installed in a herringbone pattern. This pattern is when every other board is facing a 90-degree angle from its adjacent board. It can help create a very visually-encapsulating design via your floors. Using a herringbone pattern can elevate the look of any space.
Textiles
Textiles are another area to add patterns. Think of two striped throw pillows lying on a bed. These two throw pillows can complement one another. However, now envision having window treatments with the same striped patterns on them. This now takes two separate areas of the room and allows them to communicate and complement each another. You can go a step further and add a rug to the room with the same stripes to help create a very well-balanced and uniform space.
Curvature of Furniture
With all of that being said, patterns do not need to be just polka dots, stripes, or repetition in geometrical shapes. The curvature of your furniture is another opportunity to create a pattern. If you have very square and boxy furniture, they can complement each other. Likewise, if you put round and curved furniture in a room, you should add more curvature to the design. A room with a circular window, circular table, and curved sectional will visually complement each other.
Artwork
Your artwork can also create patterns in unique ways. While placing a patterned picture on the wall is the easy way to create this, you can go a more advanced route. Consider the image in the picture. Perhaps, you have artwork of a garden. Now, if you add floral print pillows and curtains to your room, your picture will still flow with the pattern.
There are thousands of ways to explore patterns. Think outside the box and do not neglect this powerful tool when creating your home design. What are some of your favorite patterns to use? Let us know below in the comment section.
Expert Tips for Choosing Your New Floors
The time has come and you are ready to replace the floors in your home. After a lot of thought, you are prepared to transform your home. Before you begin, we recommend giving serious consideration to the rooms that you are going to be updated. Below, we have shared a few tips to help you get started. Let’s take a look!
Inspiration
Determine what style you love the most. Do you lean towards traditional, contemporary, transitional, industrial, eclectic, or maybe another design theme? If you are unsure, you can read design magazines, browse Pinterest, scroll through online boards and blogs, and attend home shows for inspiration. Also, consider visiting new home models that are open to the public. This is a great way to see everything new and current in today’s market.
Lifestyle and Function
Lifestyle and function are considerations that are most often overlooked! There are many factors to consider after…is it pretty? Are there children and pets in the home? Do you spend a lot of time outside? Do you have a pool? Is your yard grass, natural, sand, rock, or mulched areas? Think about the outside debris that is tracked inside of your home. Are you a clean freak or a hit and miss housekeeper? Does anyone in the home suffer from allergies or asthma? Once you gathered answers to these lifestyle questions, make sure you choose a floor that will withstand and last according to your household. If you are unfamiliar with the choices that match each type of lifestyle, no need to worry! We have an expert sales staff ready to answer any and all of your design questions.
Lighting
Lighting, natural and artificial, affects everything in the home from flooring to paint to fabric and even furnishings! The best advice for choosing your flooring regarding lighting is to take samples home and lay them out on your floors. Take a look at how the sample looks in daylight and in the evening with interior lights. This will help with not only color, but with surface finish, and the texture of the floor. You will be surprised how much lighting can affect the overall look of your home!
We hope these tips help you make a more informed decision when it comes to your next flooring project. Remember to lean on the pros. Share information about your style and how you live. Then, shop and buy with confidence that you will have floors you will love for years to come.
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