From the Floors Up

Color Pallet: Zebra Candy – Gray, Lavender, Plumberry, Onyx, Aqua

By

We love this look because it accomplishes something that’s quite challenging. It manages to look refined and classy while still being oodles of fun! The trick is balance! With too much of the fun stuff, such as the zebra pattern and the candy colors, the space would feel more like a teenager’s bedroom. With too much of the staid gray and traditional molding, the space would seem stuffy and boring. The lighthearted details would become irrelevant if they there less predominate amidst the gray. 

To help you accomplish this look we are going to break the elements of the room down in sections because it’s often easier to understand them that way. If you happen to be a novice, this approach will make learning our design a breeze! Just read the bullet points for each aspect of the décor and extract what works best for your personal vision.

The color pallet: Lavender, Light Steel Grey, Plumberry, Onyx, Pastel Aqua

What makes the colors work well together?

  • Plumberry and aqua are complimentary because the Plumberry has a red undertone and the aqua has a green under tone (red and green are complimentary.)
  • The lavender also hints at a Triadic color scheme. This is three colors on the color that coordinate nicely because they equally spaced apart on the wheel.
  • The onyx and light steel gray are a perfect base for the candy colors because they are bold and straightforward. Thus they don’t muddy the overall effect.

What makes it classy and refined?

  • Straight lines
  • Geometric shapes
  • Limited use of pattern
  • Simplicity
  • Fresh flowers
  • Traditional molding
  • The light steel gray

What makes the room fun and whimsical?

  • The zebra pattern
  • The spunky floral arrangement
  • The pop of candy colors

What makes the room glamorous?

  • The shiny, onyx furniture
  • The grand gray walls with detailed, traditional molding.

What gives the room some edge?

  • The shiny, onyx furniture with sharp corners

How To Make A Terrarium

By

A huge trend in interior home design for 2015 is adding a terrarium to your décor. We love this idea because it is an easy, low maintenance way to incorporate plant life. Some individuals could seemingly grow a rose out of stone, but most of us are a bit challenged when it comes to caring for and maintaining plants. Terrariums are simple and nearly self sufficient. More importantly they get huge points for detail and visual interest because you can get quite creative with the type of glass container you use, and the plant options make for a long list. Want to take it one step further in terms of fun? Throw a party and invite your friends over to spend the afternoon making terrariums together!

GLASS CONTAINER

Open or Closed: Determines the kind of plants you can use, and how self-sufficient it will be.

  • Closed (or nearly closed, such as with a narrow opening) are lower maintenance because the water condensates and the plants naturally re-filter it. Works best with moisture loving plants, such some of those mentioned below (philodendron, moss, bromeliads, etc.)
  • Open – requires occasional watering, works well with houseplants, succulents, and cacti.

PLANTS

Examples of well suited plants:

  • Bromeliads
  • Succulents
  • Cactus
  • Ferns
  • Baby’s Tears
  • Moisture loving plants
  • Philodendron
  • Most house common house plants

MATERIALS

You will determine amounts to purchase according to the size of the container. Terrarium materials are ALL about layering, so be sure to consider this important technique.

Where to buy: plant, craft, or pet stores

 How it’s done

  • Layer 1 – Rocks, at the bottom for drainage.
  • Layer 2 – Thin layer activated charcoal.
  • Layer 3 – Soil, enough for plants roots.
  • Layer 4 – Plants, be patient and shop as necessary to find the right size. You can trim and split so size allows for growth. Don’t allow them to touch the inside of the glass or they’ll turn brown.
  • Layer 5 – Moss or Pebbles: moss around the sides of the plants for closed (or nearly closed) containers, thin layer of pebbles for open containers. These are used to retain moisture.

LIGHT

Last but in no way least, determine how to best provide the terrarium with crucial sunlight. It will thrive near windows and on window sills in the winter, and then you might have to move it a little further away from the sun in warm months. Remember, glass magnifies heat and it may overheat and dry out.

That’s it! Now enjoy, and mist occasionally according to the needs of the environment you created.

2015 Decorating Trend Examples

By

If you’ve recently caught up on all of the design and decorating themes for 2015 you might now find yourself at a loss for examples. Themes are useful as overarching guidelines, but executing them stylishly is another thing entirely. So, if you’re ready to dive in, just refer to our newest list regarding trends: Decorating Trend Examples! Enjoy!

Translation of 2015 design themes

  • 3D based pattern – raised, geometric tiles painted in a contrast color; repetitive use of a figurine
  • “Nature meets science” – furniture such as an end table made of both dark wood and metal; full saturation latex paint on raw wood blocks as a accessory decoration; Nambe bowl filled with wood chips; crystal decanter transformed into pendant lighting with raw and apparent wiring
  • Futuristic – acrylic and plastic high gloss furniture such as a coffee table in trend color white
  • Geometric shapes – hexagram shaped accessories such a pendant light fixture
  • tilted or lopsided – floating end tables that appear to be off balance
  • Suspension – pendant lamps, plant life/terraria, modern chandeliers
  • Contrast – bold, form-based, sculptural texture, combined with sleek modern lines; natural surfaces such as wood combined with synthetic acrylic paint
  • Mixed metals – breaking the old adage that only one metal source looks smart – instead, use several such as gold, silver, brass, copper
  • Bleeding, blotting – dip dyed textiles such as pillows and throws; an area rug that mimics a geologic earth feature such as striated rock; oxidized metals
  • Minimalism – clean horizontal lines in furniture and artwork; large scale, unfussy patterns

Plant and animal life

  • Kelly green plant life – ferns, etc.
  • If you’re considering caring for a new pet – tortoise in a well designed glass enclosure that includes real plant life
  • Terraria – macro plant environment in glass, suspended from the ceiling or sitting on table
  • Flowers – orchids, carnations

Color

  • Pantone color of the year – Marsala 18-1438 – earthy and sophisticated wine hue
    • Rooms really well suited to this color  – kitchen, dining room, family/living room
    • Best colors to coordinate with Marsala – deep navy, midnight blue, raspberry red, light plum, soft lavender, powdery pink, flesh tone neutrals, soft aqua
    • Tone and vibe of a room  with Marsala – natural, grounded, earthy, robust, rich, sophisticated, stylish, hearty, glamorous, warm, inviting
  • Pop color – Use something offbeat such as yellow or aqua, and rather than use it on just anything you find, use it emphasize something in the room that you feel is a stand out piece, give it purpose 

Essential Steps To Make The Perfect Bed

By

Oh how beautiful the beds in catalogs are! You know, the catalogs they send that feature page after page of the perfect looking bed. The one that is so inviting you wish you could jump right into the pages and land on the glorious pillows and covers. But once you’re done perusing the photos, and you walk into your bedroom you think, “Well, at least the sheets are clean and the bedspread isn’t wadded up on the floor!” It’s time for a change. Take that ideal bed out of the pages of a catalog and make it your own. We’ve got the few tips you need to pull it off like a pro. Here’s how:

  1. Buy good sheets! Yes, we know, they aren’t flashy and fun like a new comforter, but you simply cannot have the perfect bed without good sheets. You likely already know about thread count, but it’s not the only important factor. Buy high quality, natural fibers. No synthetics. Find a cotton blend that is excellent quality, such as Egyptian, and combine that with a decent thread count. Your bed will feel just like a fancy hotel, and the bonus is that good cotton sheets will also wear in and get softer over time.
  2.  Own at least two sets of sheets for your bed, when you’re budget allows for it. They’re like clothes for your bed and you don’t own just one outfit right?
  3. Purchase three more layers: quilt/coverlet, bedspread/comforter, duvet. It’s so fun to do this part of the shopping!
  4. Once your sheets are on the bed, lay the quilt or coverlet on top.
  5. Then, fold the top sheet and quilt back, 1/4 at the top.
  6. Next, fold the duvet in thirds and lay it across the bottom of the bed. Pretty!
  7. Buy pillows. Don’t hold back. Buy good ones, and buy pretty ones. It’s a bedroom for goodness sake! You need: Pillows in pillow cases, euro shams, and decorator pillows. Stack from back to front – pillow case, sham, decorator. Two rows for a queen bed and three rows for a king bed.
  8. Mix up textures and patterns. Give your bed a 3-D look by using obvious texture. Such as, a faux fur pillow and a ruched bedspread. If you mix patterns, use different scales. So, for instance, mini gingham and a medium scale paisley. One is a smaller pattern than the other and this makes it look interesting!

Room Design Inspiration: Butterfly Love – Mountain Cabin

By

If you are searching for a way to design a room but you can’t seem to dream up anything exciting, you’ve possibly hit a creative block. The most likely culprit for your lack of inspiration is that you’ve run out of magazines and websites to search for ideas. Time to change it up! Instead, try decorating a room inspired by something other than a photo of a room. For our example we are going to reference the artwork below. We will use the image of the butterflies in the shape of a heart on a natural stone background to help guide the way we would design a room. Just follow our bullet point list to learn how this method works.

 

The color pallet: Sky Blue, Butter Yellow, Carnation Pink, Mahogany Brown, Kelly Green, Light Purple, Taupe

What vibe or central aesthetic is suggested by the artwork?

 

  • It’s an excellent reference for a space in which you want to create a sense of nature (especially woodland themes,) color, vibrancy, and femininity.

 

What spaces might it be well suited to?

 

  • This design idea is quite versatile because it would work well in many spaces. We especially like it for: bedroom, living room, den, or bathroom. It could also translate well into various climates and surrounding eco-systems, but we think it’s a great match for mountain homes, cabins, urban areas surrounded by the outdoors (such as Colorado) and even beach abodes.

 

What makes the colors work well together?

  • They are all medium to dark saturation which means none of them are near the lighter part of the color spectrum. Because the tones have similar vibrancy they have equal presence. Meaning, no one color dominates despite the fact that they’re all rather bold. 
  • The neutral browns serve as an excellent grounding color so that the various colors don’t look out of control or disorganized.  The browns are also very earthy colors, rather than designer synthetic hues, and this lends well to the theme of nature.

What finishes or textures would we suggest?

  • Brown wood – mix and match colors and species; floors, ceiling beams, furniture
  • Linen textiles – ex. curtains, table cloth
  • Hard surfaces – natural or traditional; stone tiles, concrete, granite, ceramic pots
  • Cashmere or cotton throws, brown leather furniture, textured throw pillows in various colors

What accessories would we suggest

 

  • Decorative balls in natural textures and stone
  • Butterfly and entomology artwork
  • Netted items
  • Plants and trees – indoor species or artificial

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!

Recent Comments

Subscribe

Enter your email address to receive new post notifications via email.