A Few Ideas for the Master Bedroom

This bedroom I designed for my busy professional clients has some good tips everyone can use to create a retreat from the hectic lifestyles we all have.
Notice the wall color. That is the biggest use of color in any room. Shades of turquoise were used that are very tranquil and peaceful. That is how we started. The fabric is an understated stripe-nothing busy or too active-great for a bedroom where you want to relax. There was no bedskirt used to keep the look very clean and straight lined. But we did go all out with lots of soft decorative pillows. That is in keeping with the simple luxury of the bedroom. The lamps allow for nighttime reading in bed that is easy on the eyes because they are at a good height.
The result is a retreat from the world! What can you apply to your master bedroom?

Let's Talk Floors

What to use especially in a kitchen? We all want the best of both worlds - a really nice look with lots of durability to handle all the household traffic, even the family dog. I will help you know what you need to look for when you are floor shopping for all your rooms
Linoleum or vinyl floors are by far the most popular. They wash up nicely and leave no traces of most common household spills. There are many colors available and some styles even mimic the look of tile and marble. So far so good! Here is what you need to know if you are considering vinyl. The different grades of vinyl will have different depths of the pattern. Inexpensive grades will show the black backing where there is wear or where a gouge has occurred. Higher grades of vinyl have more depth of the pattern so as wear and tear occurs; there are more layers of the pattern underneath before the backing layer starts to show. Good subflooring is a necessity to avoid cracks and bumps. This type of flooring is expensive to install properly but will ensure you many years of use.
Hardwoods and laminates are becoming very popular for kitchens as well as the rest of the home. The look of wood can warm a kitchen and goes with all styles. Hardwoods have all the wonderful variations and grains nature provides. They must be properly sealed by a professional for use in the kitchen and have their own variety of cleaning and care products. This is a value added product for your home. Laminates are a faux wood with a huge variety of widths and stains available. They install right over an existing floor. The one thing you must be careful of is dropping blunt and sharp objects on the laminate. It will leave a gouge. Clean up is a breeze and the look is really nice!
Let’s talk about maintenance for your flooring choice. Remember that grit from outdoors sticks to the soles of shoes and can be very abrasive to a floor. Use lots of washable, rubber-backed rugs at all entrances to your home to catch most of that grit. High traffic areas in the home benefit from rugs also. Everyone go and check now to see if you are using leftovers from wall to wall carpeting as little rugs. If you find it, get rid of it as soon as possible! The hard woven backing of carpet is abrasive to all floor types, even carpeted ones.

Let's Talk a

Highlight an Area in your home

This was a great little wall that looked into the family room and was just begging for a special treatment. The artwork had wonderful clay tiles on the roofs and in the accents. So we painted the wall in a bright clay called Warm Terra Cotta from Behr. The look is knock-out. Look around your home for that special area- such as the wall around a bay window- that would look good with an accent paint.

Every Man Needs His Space

So often when designing our interior spaces, the choices in styles, colors, fabrics, and furnishings are geared towards the woman of the home. With Father’s Day coming up, this is the perfect time to discuss designing spaces that appeal to men.
Men often feel pampered and comfortable in spaces that are linked in some way to their interests or hobbies. Some people call this using a “theme”. Working with a theme offers a great starting place. Choose the theme elements carefully and deliberately so as not to go overboard with the interpretation of the theme in his space. Use the “feeling “and “sense” of the theme without being too obvious. Do not repeat the theme everywhere. Just add subtle cues. Here’s how:
Let’s say for example that your husband (or dad) loves to refurbish old cars. One way to work with this hobby design would be to place within the space a major piece related to old cars. This could be an attractive and well-made model car on a stand, or a beautifully framed picture of a classic car.
You would then take design cues for the color and texture of the rest of the room from this major accent piece. If for example, the framed art had beige, blue, and red as the main colors, use those colors elsewhere in the room. You could paint the walls in the space a deeper version of the beige. Add a sofa upholstered in a neutral brown or beige. Leather works so beautifully in masculine spaces. You could also place a dark blue or red accent chair in the space, again picking up the colors from the picture. The key to great seating in a man’s space is comfort over beauty (although you CAN and should have both).Next, use various hues of the beiges, blues and reds from the picture as throw pillows for the sofa. This adds pattern, texture, and warmth to a room cooled by leather.
Finally, add one or two accessory pieces based on the hobby or object of interest without going overboard. He will both be very happy in his new spaces.