Posts by creatingyourspace | From the Floors Up

Understanding Your Flooring: Carpet

May 6, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

As most homeowners already know, not all floors are made equally.  From hardwood to carpet, every flooring option gives you a list of different pros and cons.  While aesthetics is an excellent quality in flooring, understanding which floor is best tailored to your needs is the most important aspect.  You would not want to put a floor in an environment if it is not suited for its traffic and lifestyle. 

With a variety of different flooring options on the market, carpet will always be an excellent option for any home. With so many diverse patterns, textures, styles, and looks, you can tailor any carpet to fit the design theme of your room. Not to mention, carpet is highly desired for its affordability and comfort. While functionality, affordability, and durability can all be determining factors in your flooring, we want to help give you a better understanding of carpet and see if it is best suited for your needs. Let’s take a look!

Generalizing all types of carpet is difficult.  Please note that some carpet will be more durable than others.  Different fibers and pile can all result in your carpet’s performance.  If you are looking for a more durable carpet, ask your flooring sales associate to direct you to one. Their expert knowledge of the product line will help you find one that is suitable for your traffic level and environment.

Your carpet cannot scratch; however, you may be able to tear your carpet with enough force.  Some carpet can also lose its resilience and bounce back which will show traffic patterns.

It is not recommended to install carpet in wet areas.  In doing so, it could lead to unwanted molding.

Carpet is considered one of the most comfortable flooring options available on the market. With the right padding, it is excellent for children in case of falls.  It makes the flooring a more comfortable surface to play on as well.  However, in case of accidents or spills, carpet may not be the best for recovering unwanted stains.

While many carpets are treated with premium stain resistors, carpet is not best for rooms you anticipate frequent spills or mishaps.

Carpet is soft, so this can make for a great play area for kids; however, stains and accidents can happen. If not treated promptly, the liquid can penetrate down to the pad, and this can lead to unwanted lingering odors in your home.

Carpet prices will fluctuate from low to high depending on what quality you invest in for your home.  If you are looking for a quick and affordable option, carpet is your best choice.  However, understand the “cheaper” you go, the less durable and longevity you will get from your carpet.

Remember, carpet can be made of different fibers, thicker pile, and even treated with different chemicals. This is a very general and broad view of carpeting. There are carpet solutions with higher durability, less comfort, and even more water resistance. Make sure to check with your carpet representative to discover which options may be best for you. For more insight on different flooring types, make sure to subscribe and check out the rest of our series!

Your Design Forecast for 2019: Trending or Here to Stay?

May 3, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

Design is unique; it provides us with specific guidelines yet encourages us to break the rules. It allows the creativity to be artsier than being grounded in science. We can create beautiful, original designs when we incorporate some imagination to help expand the interior design field. New styles and trends constantly flood the industry. Some ideas and trends are hot, while let’s be honest; some are not. Take a look at some of the latest trends and give us your opinion in the comment section below if these are just fading trends or revolutionary marks in design.

Mismatch Flooring

Traditionally, flooring has been uniform in homes. Sometimes a home features tile in the bathrooms, carpet in the bedrooms, and LVP solutions in the kitchen and living room. The rooms would have a type of transition in the doorway or where the rooms connect to give a clean, aesthetical line. Recently though, people have been going nuts over eliminating the clean transition and having flooring “spillover” into the next room. For example, let us say you had a half bath with tile flooring connected to a foyer with hardwood. Instead of a clean transition in the doorway, the tile will come out into the foyer a little bit to make an asymmetrical connection between the two grounds. Rooms have also been made with very mismatch flooring patterns and tiles to create a unique design. While these are incredibly eye-catching, how long do you think this will stay in the industry?

Copper and Brass Accents

A couple of metals have become very common in the design industry over the last couple of years. Stainless steel appliances entered the market in the early 2000s and stayed as a timeless look for homes. Later around 2015, rose gold became a favorite accent piece and people were thriving to have in their lives. From phones to jewelry to décor, rose gold was marketed hard and became quite trendy. Now, copper and brass are both coming back as classy accent pieces to add to your home. Where traditional sinks, lamps, handles, and décor have gone through metal phases, copper and brass seem to be making a stand. Homeowners are loving these two metals and adding them into their homes as a strong accent piece. Copper and brass were commonly used a couple of decades ago but came and went. Do you think they are here to stay this time?

Wallpaper

If you suggested wallpaper in a design five-plus years ago, you would seem crazy. Wallpaper has been out of style for decades, right? Well, wallpaper with high-quality designs has been coming back into style. Floral designs, geometric patterns, and even agate wallpaper seem to be very trendy lately. Even making their way into many model homes and becoming an option for homeowners to require during builds. Wallpaper may be making a big comeback. What do you think?

Are some of these things just trending or making a strong comeback? What do you think? We would love to hear your opinions and predictions in the comment section.

Retro Versus Vintage Design: What’s the Difference?

May 1, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

Interior Design, architecture, and fashion have been complementing each other for centuries. As new fads come into the industries, designers continue to modify them and create a “new” style. Interior design has gone through many changes, some styles still being staples in today’s marketplace. As themes develop, they create subcategories or can even blend with other trending styles to create something entirely new.

However, with so many styles available, it can be confusing to tell similar styles apart from one another. Themes like Country and Rustic or Modern and Contemporary become commonly interchangeable words. However, these are completely different design styles with their own unique flairs and looks. Retro and Vintage are frequently used to describe a theme and are thought to be interchangeable. Although, these two designs have a very notable difference. Knowing what style you are trying to accomplish can help guide you when designing your space. Here is everything you need to know about these two styles and their unique differences:

Vintage

Vintage Design is highly influenced by its décor and has a very open color palette. It is reflective of the past and can incorporate many antiques to help strengthen the look. Think of your vintage design as telling a story. You should have elements which represent different eras and past trends. Try to have antiques or incorporate older décor into your home to accomplish this look. Additionally, you will find that Vintage is generally affiliated with the 1920s and its style reflects so.

Retro

Retro, which is short for retrospective, is a style that expresses the 1980s and 1990s. Your space will not feel outdated, but rather feel like a blast for the past. It will incorporate fun, past trendy concepts. Retro can have modern influence mixed into the equation without feeling unbalanced. Retro décor does not need to be outdated but can be brand new purchases reflecting past designs. Generally speaking, retro is newer than vintage and vintage is newer than antique.

Both these reflective styles are fun to incorporate in our homes. Whether you are looking to create a vintage dining room or a retro home theatre, these styles can always feel interesting. For more insight on design themes, make sure to subscribe at From the Floors up.

2019’s Hottest Color Schemes for Summer

April 29, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

Summer is almost here and with it comes an excitingly new color palette. Each quarter has colors which complement the season and can help you embrace the months. Fall is full of burgundies, reds, yellows, and oranges whereas winter decor is embraced with soft whites and spruces of red and green around Christmas. You also may be familiar that pastel colors enhance spring. So, what colors work best for summer?  If we use colors to help strengthen our decor and keep our home lively throughout the year, which colors represent this bright, cheery season. If you are unsure or need a little design guidance, keep on reading!

Bright Primaries

Primary colors like red, yellow, and blue demand attention. Primaries are great at making hard contrasts against one another. Add these energetic colors to your interior or exterior this summer for added flair and spunk. Items like bright red sun umbrellas, blue lounge chairs, and yellow flowering pots can help brighten your space while giving respect to the season. Since summer is upbeat and thrives well with these lively colors, you will be able to enjoy the warmth and your decor with these primary hues.

Soft Pastels

Fortunately, pastels can be carried over from spring and enhance our room’s aesthetics. Pastels are loved for their muted, soft hues that bring a little bit of color to any space. They mesh well with neutrals and other colors to create a timeless design. If you are unsure where to put your pastels, we recommend trying purchasing wall art that can be swapped during the different seasons. Different pastel watercolor prints will make a suitable wall decal during the warmer months while creating a stunning focal point.

Fun Patterns

Adding patterns is another fun way to create a theme during the summertime. There is something to be said about the interaction of repetition in a design. Adding striped or polka dot throw pillows during the warm months can be a seasonal twist on your decor. Repetition with patterns can create harmony in your home while adding interest and style. Try finding matching pillows, curtains, and lampshades to make your home feel like summer fun and balanced.

Coastal Hues

Nothing says summer like the beach. Coastal hues are always great to add to your home during the summer months. Plus, coastal homes have been using this theme for decades. It encapsulates the soothing, warm feels of summer daily. Morph the feeling of your home into a more casual retreat by adding coastal tones: lavender, coral pink, baby blue, and canary yellow. You can even try sprucing up your pool area with some coastal decor and colors for added charm.

Try sprucing up your summer with some of these tropical fun color options. Summer is all about fun energy, and as the days are growing longer, make sure you do not neglect your home’s exterior when designing. Enjoy this summer and stay safe. For more tips and tricks, make sure to subscribe to From the Floors up.

Understanding Masculine and Feminine Design

April 26, 2019 By creatingyourspace Leave a Comment

Designing your space can have many outlets and options to help to tailor your home to your style.  Generally, homes are designed neutral or genderless to help with resell value; however, your home is a personal escape and designing it to your needs comes first.  If you are looking to make a man cave or a female hangout area, there are several ways to go about it.  To help, we broke down some great options to incorporate in your own home to help design these spaces.  

Masculine Design

While both masculine and feminine designs generally accept many of these options, certain elements and colors are traditionally used in masculine design.  Leather sofas and chairs are great additions to help create your man cave.  Colors like blues, browns, and blacks can be affiliated with masculine characteristics. Darker palettes are also typically used. You can give homage to rough or distressed look with natural elements like stones, woods, even metals.  Masculine design can also be associated with geometrical patterns.  Whether used on curtains, paintings, or decor, geometrical patterns are great for forming the space.

Feminine Design

Colors and shades can typically alter a room’s feel.  Lighter shades and pastel tones can be associated with feminine characteristics.  Pinks, whites, and creamy greys can influence a space to feel more feminine. Where hard lines and geometrical patterns flourish in masculine design, soft curvy furniture can be appreciated in a feminine style designed space.  Consider floral and damasks patterns in your feminine themed spaces.  Feminine design can also appreciate good artwork with meaning and portraying an image rather than just shapes. 

Harmony

While both feminine and masculine design can appreciate each other’s styles and no element is distinguished particularly for one over the other, some of these elements can help enhance a style.  Try using these in your own home or mixing and matching to create balance. Both features can help the balance of the other to create a stunning space. Limiting your space to gender-specific décor can hurt your atmosphere.

Allow both designs can be used to help one another. While both masculine and feminine can enjoy both design styles, it can be most beneficial to mix and match. Masculine and Feminine design styles are slowly fading away as we move along in Modern Era. Incorporating both to your space can be truly beneficial.

Understanding Your Flooring: Carpet