From the Floors Up

Happy New Year!!

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There’s nothing to learn from today’s post, except that we hope you have had a wonderful 2009 and that 2010 has plenty of good things in store for you as well. There are many reasons to celebrate the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. Whether your good luck tradition includes black eyed peas, cornbread and greens, donuts, ring shaped items or cabbage – we hope you enjoy this holiday and enter the upcoming year with a positive attitude and outlook!

Sincerely,

Shannon and Your friends at Creating Your Space

Interior Finish Selections

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One of our clients, Pierce Flooring and Design had a reader submit a question on their blog about which choices should be made first when tackling a remodeling project. The question is a frequently asked question and one that I would like to add some additional thoughts on. Take a look at their post and below are some additional thoughts.

It can be extremely daunting when it comes to making selections for a remodeling project. Not only do you have to worry about deadlines, backorders, discontinued items, etc, but there are so many things to choose from.

The first and most important thing to remember when making selections for YOUR remodeling project, is that it is YOUR remodeling project. The biggest mistakes I have heard as a former designer were listening to too many friends and family or listening to too many different sales associates opinions and having the project turn out to be a combination look of what THEY all wanted. It’s ok to seek the advice of friends and family, but it’s critical to remain focused on the fact that it’s YOUR project and YOUR home. The selections need to reflect your and your family’s taste, lifestyle and budget. It’s very easy to get persuaded by the advice of people you love and trust, but at the end of the day, ask yourself the question. Who’s going to live there?

Also, be careful of starting the selection process around an item that you saw in your neighbors house or your friends house. Chances are, you have different lighting conditions, different styles and many other variables that will cause that item to look completely different in your home than it did in theirs.

If you aren’t sure where to start, consider hiring an interior designer. Most you can retain by the hour and in the end, designers often can save you money. All it takes is one mistake such as the wrong floors or cabinet colors and the designer fees then look like a bargain compared to the cost of replacement or fixing a mistake. The advantage to hiring a designer is that they can listen to your needs (taste and budget) objectively be the impartial person that takes all of the information about the project (including selections) and puts the pieces together to make sense. Again, the bottom line when working with a friend, a designer or several different sales associates from different stores is that the project needs to reflect your taste and style – not theirs and especially not a combination of theirs! It’s your job to make sure that the end result is the look and feel that you are going for.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN and enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Newell Design

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On a recent “field trip”, Kerry Davis from Creating Your Space and I discovered the fabulous Jeff Newell and his company, Newell Design. It’s been some time since our discovery and this blog post is long overdue. I have started this post several times, but haven’t quite found the most effective and appropriate way to express to you how fabulous, delightful, creative, unique and inspiring Newell Design is.

The best description of the company is the one they use to describe themselves:

“Whether you are looking for one unique piece to compliment a room of existing furniture, or many new elements for a remodel, or designs to fill an entire house, our ability to listen to your needs and tastes, and respond with appropriate and compelling designs can be a great asset to your project.”

The image above is the piece that left us speechless (if you knew us both, you would know that is really saying something!) and our minds racing with ideas. Both having been in the flooring business for more years than we care to count, we thought long and hard about how best to tell you about Newell. We decided that rather than try to express how we feel about them, we would provide you with their website and encourage you to visit, spend some time and create your own impression. We hope you feel the same way. Dizzy with awe, appreciation and inspiration.

After viewing the image above and some pieces in their studio, our focus of course came back to flooring. First came the questions:

  • What floors are deserving of these pieces?
  • What type of floors would best compliment a piece such as the one above?
  • Which do you choose first? The flooring to compliment the piece or the piece to compliment the floors?
  • Does it matter? (because this stuff could make raw concrete look good)
  • HOW DO WE GET ONE?!?

Then after much discussion, we came to some conclusions:

  • These pieces can be the focal point of a design plan or the inspiration for a floor choice. The beauty is, if you have fabulous, existing floors Newell can design something for your space, your floors, your design scheme, your lifestyle and your needs. If you are beginning a new project with a blank canvas, then you get the pleasure of finding mutual compliments.
  • We could envision this piece sitting on everything from wood to stone to concrete.  We talked about wood options from high polished Santos Mahogany to an exotic tiger wood to a wire brushed white washed oak to……..well, we talked about alot. In the stone category, the obvious choices are light colored travertines that are either polished, unpolished or even tumbled. Stones with range and stones without range – it doesn’t matter, but nothing so detailed that the pattern takes away from the attention this piece deserves. My vision so far only includes this piece and an amazing floor – any other piece of furniture that was allowed to accompany this piece would simply be a bonus to the room. Oh, can you imagine the area rug and fabric choices?
  • Which to choose first? It depends on your situation. If you have a room with furniture needs, then you are in luck because chances are your room will be complete before a project that hasn’t been started and you will be sitting back in your favorite chair admiring your new room first. If you are at the beginning stages of a project and have all of the flooring options to choose from AND the need for furniture – then we suggest you call Jeff or his wife/partner Beth to make an appointment and bring an interior designer if for no other reason than to help you focus and make an informed decision because these pieces and the right floor choice will be with you forever.
  • To get started, either contact your local flooring retailer and tell them you have a special project or call/email Jenn at Newell to make an appointment at 303.298.8572 or jen@newelldesignstudio.com. Don’t fret, if you aren’t in Denver, Colorado – they ship. (Although I would recommend getting on a plane. Their showroom is not flashy, it’s their studio where these works of art are created.)

Now that I’ve shared our experience with you, feel free to share yours with us. Have you heard of Newell before? Seen any pieces in person? Have a project in mind? Were you inspired by the website? What pieces are your favorite? Do any floors inspire you for this style?

PS – If you make it to Denver, check out the Gazelle Desk if it’s still in the entry. Remember that I told you it’s not the altitude that makes you feel the way you do, this piece will take your breath and give you goosebumps that might require medical attention.

-Shannon and Kerry

Question 7 In the Series Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Flooring

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Today we are answering the seventh question in the 1o part series: Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Flooring.

Question: How can I tell what my flooring will look like when it’s installed in my home?

Answer: There is no way to tell exactly what your floors will look like when they are installed in your home, but there are some hints, tips and tools that can help you visualize and get a pretty good idea!

Things to consider:

  • The lighting in the store is different than the lighting in your home. It’s best to take the samples home to view them in your light.
  • The surroundings are different in the store than in your home. It’s best to look at the sample next to your wall colors, furniture and fabrics.
  • Typically, the color of your carpet will look lighter once it is installed. Most carpet selections are made from smaller carpet samples, so seeing the color in a large amount in an entire room or home will make it appear lighter. This is especially true if there are bare walls, windows and no furnishings.
  • To visualize what most floors will look like when installed its best to view them at a distance. Very rarely are you viewing your floors up close so walk away and stand back from the sample to get a more accurate visual.

Tools to help you visualize:

  • Perhaps the best tool to help you visualize is a virtual room designer. (For a dealer in your area, just leave a comment and we will send you a link to a dealer in your area) This allows you to “try on” different floor types, colors, installation directions, etc in a room scene to get a feel for what it will look like.
  • Some flooring retailers have a tool where you can upload a picture of your own room and within 48 hours you will be able to change flooring options with the virtual room designer tool to get a preview of what this will look like in your home. (fees may apply)
  • When trying to visualize what a natural stone floor will look like you can either look at multiple samples or draw a grid on a transparency sheet and lay it over the stone sample. This will show you the range of the stone and what the overall floor will look like.

An important note, when purchasing new floor covering, the job is not complete until the furniture is placed and the pictures and hung back on the wall. It takes all of the furnishings being back in place to give you an accurate feel of what the room will look like. Try not to judge a new floor (or wall color) until everything is back where it belongs. You will be surprised at how much it matters to the overall look of the room when everything is back in its place.

Hunter Douglas Energy Efficient Window Fashions

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Did you know that almost 5% of all energy consumed in the U.S. passes through the windows of residential homes. meaning as much as 50% of a home’s energy is lost through its windows. Hunter Douglas is the worldwide leader in creating innovative, energy-efficient window fashions that can significantly reduce this energy loss, helping you and your family to stay more comfortable, save on heating and cooling costs and contribute to protecting the environment.

Here’s how Hunter Douglas products help conserve energy:

  • Insulation: Reduce heat flow (both heat loss and heat gain) through the windows.
  • Solar Heat Control: Help to control solar heat (heat generated from the sun) by allowing it into your home in the winter and minimizing the amount that comes in during the summer.
  • Daylighting: Enhance daylighting (the use of natural light) by diffusing and dispersing sunlight deep into a room, reducing your need for electrical lighting.

The most recent innovation from Hunter Douglas, Duette Architella honeycomb shades, takes energy conservation to a whole new level. Its patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction forms three air pockets to dramatically reduce heat flow at the window to save on both energy and heating and cooling costs.

What does that mean?

If installed in every window of every American home, Duette Architella shades have the potential to cut the country’s annual energy consumption by 2½%. This may not sound like much, but it’s the equivalent of a 33% increase in fuel mileage for all passenger cars on U.S. roads — which would save almost 450 million barrels of oil annually and reduce C02 emissions by about 200 million tons.WOW! Those are real numbers!

For more detailed “green” product information, visit the Our Products section of the Hunter Douglas website.  Once you select a window fashion, click on the “Hunter Green” tab inside Product Details.

Have you used any of these products in your home? Have you seen a difference?

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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