From the Floors Up

Hanging Art on the Walls

By Leave a Comment

16545017_SThere are a few things in decorating that can intimidate most of us homeowners. Major investments like flooring and appliances can give us pause on making the right decision for the money and our lifestyle.  Another one of the biggest decisions is choosing what to hang on the walls.

Why is art so intimidating? Is it the expense? The worry that we like the “wrong” kind of art? Not knowing what to buy or where to buy it?  Art for the walls of our homes doesn’t have to be expensive art bought from galleries and auctions. While it is wonderful to collect art, decorating our walls doesn’t need to be a huge investment in the art market.  The best rule for buying art is to buy what you love.

If you buy art that you love, it will make you smile whenever you walk into the room.  Art can also be much more personal. Framed family photos and heirlooms are lovely hung in large groups or enlarged. You can have them printed in all black and white for a cohesive look.  There are even companies that will print your photos on canvas to make your photos really feel like works of art.

Creating gallery walls is a wonderful way to display art.  As opposed to one large piece over the sofa as was tradition, creating a space to display a number of works is visually more interesting. Mix in fine art with family photos and children’s masterpieces for a personal wall of art.

Design Inspiration: Blue and White China

By Leave a Comment

Design inspiration can come in the form of many things.  You can find rooms to inspire you on blogs, on TV, Pinterest, and in magazines. Taking inspiration from different elements in a designer room allows you to create a room that’s uniquely you.  Other design inspiration can come from objects.  A painting, a fabric, a piece of china can all inspire a room design.  One classic source of design inspiration is blue and white china.

Blue and white china has been inspiring interiors for hundreds of years. First imported from China, blue and white porcelain was coveted throughout Europe. It created a design craze that resulted in Europeans replicating the porcelain and colors into their own unique designs.  You’ll find blue and white porcelain, ceramics and pottery from a number of European countries, including Holland, England and France.

Both the color and patterns of this famous china can inspire design throughout the home. Textiles and rugs are two of the many design elements influenced by blue and white china.  Patterns and colorways replicate the designs on the china. Wallpaper is another place you’ll find blue and white inspired designs.

Porcelain and ceramic tiles used for floors and backsplashes are other materials inspired by blue and white china. Delft tiles from Holland date back hundreds of years and are still being produced today. These can be used in kitchens and baths as accents or backsplashes.

The classic combination of blue and white can work in any decorating style from traditional to transitional. Look around your home for objects that inspire you.

Adding Pops of Color

By Leave a Comment

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.

Professional Kitchen Designers

By Leave a Comment

For a full down to the studs kitchen remodel or an update, working with a professional kitchen designer can be a great idea. Professional kitchen designers can help you design your dream kitchen or choose new countertops for a quick update.

 

Flooring, counters, back-splashes, cabinets, appliances and lighting can each change the look and feel of a kitchen. On their own they can update the kitchen; together they will give your kitchen a whole new look. Selecting a single one of these to work with your existing kitchen can be tricky. Choosing a combination of new counters, cabinets and flooring can be downright daunting. Enter the kitchen designer.

 

Kitchen designers can help you select a stone backsplash that coordinates with granite counter tops that also work with your existing cabinetry. Larger guts and remodels can be planned by a kitchen designer to change not only the look of your kitchen but its functionality.  These designers can recommend changes to floor plans that can up the function of your kitchen without expanding the floor plan.  For major projects an in home consultation to take measurements is a must.  Even for surface changes, a home appointment should be done for measurements and color samples.

 

To hire a kitchen designer you can begin by asking friends and neighbors for recommendations who have recently remodeled their kitchens. If there is a local kitchen showroom, visit and ask for a consultation. Get several estimates before deciding to make sure you find the right kitchen designer for your home and budget.

Home Storage Solutions – Vintage Schoolhouse

By Leave a Comment

For mudrooms and playrooms, vintage schoolhouse style storage can be a great option for stylish storage. Storage containers such as lockers and cubbies can make charming storage in the home as well as the school room. Vintage style metal lockers are great for corralling coats and backpacks in a mudroom or casual entry. Cubbies that hold cloth bins or baskets can be used for everything from shoes to art supplies, and recycling to toys.

 

Older homes and homes in colder climates tend to have mudrooms. These are small rooms off of a kitchen entry or side door that allow you to shed coats and wet boots before entering the rest of the home. Some older homes have mudrooms or vestibules at the front door before you enter the foyer. These spaces tend to be more casual than formal with rows of pegs for coats and a place for umbrellas and shoes.

 

If the mudroom is large enough a narrow locker or set of lockers, like seen here, they can hide the clutter of coats and keep shoes off the mudroom floor. Wet shoes and should be kept on trays to prevent puddles on stone or wood mudroom floors.

 

Lockers and cubbies are also great for playroom storage. Colorfully painted lockers can brighten up the space as well as provide much needed organized storage. Cube bookcases can be used instead of school cubbies. Fill them with baskets and cloth boxes to keep small items for spilling over. Cubes can be painted or left natural.

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.