From the Floors Up

5 Remodeling Projects To Take On Before the Holiday

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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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?
  4. 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!
  5. 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!

Adding Pops of Color

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If you follow design shows on TV or read design blogs (like this one), you’ll be familiar with the beloved “pop of color” used by designers.  The pop of color is that burst of accent color that adds life and energy to a design.  It can be a single color, contrasting colors, or multicolored. These pops are typically accent pieces and accessories.  Even a large piece of furniture in a color can be a pop of color if it is in a neutral space. More commonly the pop of color is something small that can easily be swapped out for another object, should the mood strike.

In this living room, predominate colors are neutral.  Neutral color upholstery on the chair, neutral wall colors, and the neutral carpet make for an almost monochromatic room. The dark brown TV stand/cabinet creates a focal point for the room.

While layers of tonal colors can feel sophisticated and chic, interest in this room comes from the small pops of color.  The purple accent pillow on the chair and area rug add a nice layer of color. The green and red bottles as décor on the TV stand/cabinet also add more depth.  Any of these colors can be swapped out and the effect would be the same.

Art on the wall introduces other colors to the room and becomes its’ own pop of color. The fact that the painting colors don’t perfectly match the other accent colors makes the combination more interesting and less matchy-matchy.

Take a Moment to Stop and Look

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22231427We can learn a lot about this particular scene from this photo. You can tell the street and buildings have been there for a long time, and are still regularly utilized. It’s also easy to appreciate how lovely the view is through the archway. For the people who live here, however, they probably just walk through without noticing the details.

How many times do you walk through your own doorways without looking? Let’s get inspiration from this photo to make sure we’re paying attention to the views our home provides.

First, notice the focal point of this photo – the doorway at the end of the street. Everything in this photo pulls us toward that door. The street, the sidewalks and the building lead our eyes to the back. In the same way, your flooring can draw the eye into a room, particularly when tile or wood provides a line for the eye to follow. Be sure the room has something worth looking at, a focal point.  It could be a piece of art or a fireplace.

Another reason this photo is inviting comes from the contrasts. A white building, a dark door with all of the shadows and textures along the way come to life as your eye ventures down the street. Are your rooms designed to be interesting to people as they walk in?  Consider having contrasting colors to give your room more character.

We may not have the cobble stone streets and old world buildings to garner attention, but our homes can take inspiration from this photo. If you pause in your own archways or doorways, you will see what kind of view your home provides.  We sometimes forget to stop and take a good look at our surroundings. Even the smallest details can make a big difference in your room’s appearance.

Dazzle Guests with a Welcoming Entry

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Create a welcoming foyer, entry or even mudroom to greet you and your guests. A colorful entry makes for a cheerful greeting at the end of a long day or at the start of a party. Here are a few tips for decorating your foyer, entry hall or mudroom.

Light the space well. A chandelier, pendant or small ceiling fixture is a must. The size of the entry will dictate the size of the lighting fixture. Scale is important. If you have a double height entry, a larger chandelier or cluster of pendant lights works better than a flush mount ceiling light or diminutive chandelier. Smaller lights on a console, side table or even shelf create warm ambient light and balance out overhead lighting. A pair of lamps or a single lamp would both work. It all depends on the space.

Pay attention to the walls. Artwork and mirrors bring life to any size space. Artwork can be a great conversation starter as well. Mirrors reflect light and therefore double the light in the room. A mirror in an entry is also great to check clothes, hair and face as you dash out the door in the morning.

A table as a landing space is also key. Bowls, boxes and drawers can all hold keys and miscellaneous items we carry with us.

A cheerful colored area rug or runner finishes the design. Find a rug that works with your existing flooring and has your homes colors in it. Decorating begins when you open the door.

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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