From the Floors Up

How to Clean Three Different Types of Countertops

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The kitchen is the heart of the home, yet it also can be home to a lot of messes. In fact, we are continually preparing and eating food on our countertops. Countertops can easily be a focal point in many kitchens. Because of their showcase quality, it is essential to help keep them clean for hygienic and longevity purposes. However, not all countertops are alike. Some cleaning materials used for one countertop may ruin your beautiful countertop. To help, here is what you need to know about cleaning some of the most common countertop selections:

Granite

Granite is one of the most common, prestigious countertop options. To clean granite countertops, start by mixing dish soap with warm water. Soak a rag in the solution and wipe away any residue or debris from your countertop surface. You can also dilute a solvent like an isopropyl in water to disinfect your countertops. Put into a spray bottle and spray counter after it has been dried. Use a paper towel to wipe countertops dry.

Marble

Another great natural stone is marble. This porous rock can be cleaned very similarly to granite. Use dish soap with warm water to remove residue and debris. However, be very cognitive of using any acid-base cleaner on marble. This soft rock can easily be etched. You should also be cognitive of staining. Both granite and marble countertops should be sealed annually to prevent damage.

Stainless Steel

Use a microfiber cleaning cloth and warm water to wipe down your countertops. Many manufacturers make specific products for stainless steel counters. Once you apply the approved cleaners, make sure to wipe your countertops dry. Stainless steel can easily show water spots and cleaner residue if not dried thoroughly. You can even use lemon juice to help clean these as well. They will not rust or corrode at all.

Cleaning your countertops is just another way to take pride in your beautiful kitchens. Make sure if you have a porous countertop that you have it resealed as recommended. Every countertop has different benefits and cons. Cleaning each one can have its set of rules to follow. Make sure you do the right method of cleaning to get the most longevity out of your counters.

Choosing a Theme Style for Your Home

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Now that you have a new home, you can officially begin designing it. However, you may quickly realize that there are hundreds of design themes. How do you choose the right one? Rustic, Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern, and Shabby Chic are all great styles. Yet, choosing the right one can be hard. There are several great tools to help you narrow down the right choice for your own home. Here are the best ways to help guide your theme selection:

Personal Touches

Cabinets, flooring, and countertops are already tailored to the look you want! Instead of dwelling on what style will work best, simply add your own personal touches. Vases, pictures, throw pillows, wall art, and décor are all great ways to make a house your home. Interior design is expressive and a chance to individualize yourself. Take advantage of the opportunity and embrace your internal design desires.

Architectural Features

Another significant guiding factor in designing your space can be complementing your architectural influences and home’s surrounding environment. For instance, many homes in Arizona are designed with southwestern design themes. This factor is a great design style to emphasize your own design and help bring to life. You would want to try to incorporate rich textures and earthy tones into your atmosphere. Woven fabrics, suedes, and leathers can also be facilitated to amplify this effect. These are some great tools used to create a Southwestern atmosphere.

What You Already Own

You should also allow your current furniture and belongings to help guide your theme. What kind of preexisting furniture are you bringing into your new home? What colors, fabrics, rugs, pictures, and décor did your old design have? If you did not have a very balanced design, you could begin to look for what works together and creating a design. Perhaps, you have had a very eclectic design but notice many earthy tones in half your furniture. This factor is a great start in transforming your space into a Rustic design theme. You can slowly replace the odd and unmatching décor and furnishings to create a new theme.

Designing your space should be fun and expressive. In fact, it is the best part of making a house your home. What design tricks do you plan on using in your new home? We would love to hear from you! Let us know below in the comment section.

Feng Shui: A West-Facing Front Door

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Where most styles of interior design focus on functionality or aesthetics, Feng Shui has an entirely different approach. Feng Shui is about creating harmony and peace in your home by incorporating elements of nature. Ancient Chinese philosophers studied nature and its elements to come up with five main categories: wood, metal, fire, water, and earth. Feng Shui is the practice of placement.

Creating Feng Shui

The art of decorating with Feng Shui comes down to a nine segmented map. This map is referred to as the Western Bagua Map. It breaks down your home into nine different sections. Eight of which are at each direction of your home: north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, and west. The last sector is the middle of your home. Each direction has elements that best work at letting energy flow into your home.

West Corresponds with Metal Element Colors

When properly incorporating Feng Shui, every direction has a purpose. The west section of your home is 247.5 to 292.5 on a compass. This section is best for metal elements. Metal can be represented through white or gray. Painting your front door these colors can help positive energy enter your home.

Avoid

The counterpart to metal is fire and water. Both of these outdoor elements can hurt metal. Thus, it is best to refrain from using these colors on the west side of your home. Fire is represented by red, orange, pink, and yellow. Water can be represented by blue or black. Keeping the doorway and entrance as white or gray as possible is vital. You can even change out your door handles to a more metallic metal look as well.

Feng Shui is the art of placement. It does not prioritize looks and functionality over proper energy in the home. Incorporating the many philosophies of Feng Shui takes time. Do not be stressed to accomplish it all at first. For more understanding of Feng Shui, make sure to subscribe.

Feng Shui: An East-Facing Front Door

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Achieving Feng Shui in your home is done through many tricks. This belief is to slow down the energy from the outside world and help bring it into your own home. Feng Shui maximizes the elements of nature by finding a balance to bring qi into your home. We can start mastering Feng Shui in our interior design simply by applying different colors to our front doorway entrances. If you have an east-facing front door, here is what you should know:

Creating Feng Shui

In Feng Shui, there are five elements of nature. These elements express the energy we look for in our homes. However, having the wrong energies next to each other can create bad energy. Bringing that energy in from the outside starts at the entrance of our homes. Even the color of our doorways can make an impact.

East Corresponds with Wood Element Colors

Feng Shui has many intricate ways of incorporating elements into interior design. There are eight directions in which a doorway can face. Each doorway has a corresponding element in which it thrives. East facing doorways correspond with wood elements. True east will read between 67.5 to 112.5 degrees on a compass. Therefore, it is best to paint these doors green or brown. Having the correct color can allow energy easily to enter the home.

Avoid

For every corresponding element, there is a counterpart. Wood can be damaged by fire or metal energy. So, it is important to stray from having certain colors present at these entrances. Avoid metal colors like gray or white. You should also stay away from fire colors such as red and orange. Avoiding these colors can make the energy most prevalent at these doorways. It is also suggested to test out paints during different times and seasons of the day. Certain paints can look different in certain lights.

Adding this element of Feng Shui to your home is just one more way to master your design. There are so many diverse ways of bringing positive energy into your home. Do you use Feng Shui philosophies in your own design? Let us know in the comment section, and for more insight on design, make sure to subscribe.

Feng Shui: A South-Facing Front Door

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Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy that incorporates bringing positive energy from the outside world into our homes. This positive energy is referred to as qi. There are several elements of energy the outside world provides in which can be facilitated in our homes. Water, fire, earth, metal, and wood are all elements that help balance our home’s energy. In order to master Feng Shui, there are thousands of techniques that can be used in your home. From the color of your doors to where you place your furniture in your home, these factors can all have an influence on your home’s qi. If you have a south-facing front door, here are the colors you should consider painting it:

Creating Feng Shui

Doors can be crucial factors used in Feng Shui. Each direction can have an influence on Feng Shui. South is read on a compass 157.5 to 202.5. There are eight directions in which a door can face. South means the best energy for your door is fire energy.

South Corresponds with Fire Element Colors

South doorways are in correspondence with fire or flame energy. Fire energy is revitalized by wood energy as well. With Fire energy, warm-tone colors like red, orange, and yellow can be very impactful. You can also evoke energy from the flame energy by using purple or deep pink. When trying to captivate the energy from wood, consider using colors like green or brown. Your best options are to go with the fire energy, but wood energy colors can be great accents for the doorway or as your second option if needed.

Avoid

Flame energy does not do well with north-facing energy. North energy is water energy. Keep away from using watercolors such as blue or black. Earthy tones as well can be destructive to the powers of fire. Keep away from earthy tones as well.

Learning to master Feng Shui is a great and fun way to incorporate this ancient Chinese philosophy in your own home. There are hundreds of methods for mastering Feng Shui. For more insight, make sure to subscribe!

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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