Carpets N More

If you love this color, there’s good news for you this year. Pantone, the company that provides color palettes to manufacturers, graphic artists and designers has selected a pinkish red, called Honeysuckle, as its color of the year for 2011.

When Pantone highlights a color like this one, you will soon see it in a variety of consumer products. From fashion to furniture, designers and manufacturers focus on color trends and recommendations.

If you want to bring this color or any other light bright tones into your home, you can’t do better than a light wood floor such as this one as the foundation. You can see from the photo that light pinks and blues work beautifully with this floor.

This particular floor is a maple hardwood, but bamboo would also complement the colors. If you want your color options to change with the trends, the seasons or your own mood, this floor is a good start. Add in furniture with washable white slipcovers and other neutral shades, and then use pillows, throws, area rugs and accessories to focus your color choices. By changing out a handful of easily-replaced elements, you can create an entirely new feel for any space in your home. This is a perfect option if you love color but don’t want to settle for just one combination.

Light wood floors are a perfect choice for the changing needs and desires of children. Beautiful in a nursery, this wood floor grows as the child does, allowing for dramatic variations in color and style over time. Even a dramatic adolescent choice of black for the walls would be softened to some extent with the light floor.

If you’re looking for flexibility and durability, consider the advantages of a light wood, bamboo or laminate. It will provide the range you need to make décor changes over time.

Porcelain tile is the hard working chameleon of the tile world. Known for its durability, porcelain tile is denser than ceramic tile, making it more resistant to stains, chipping and temperature changes. It is a great choice for flooring throughout the house and is a popular choice for kitchens and baths.   Porcelain tiles come in an almost infinite number of sizes, surface textures, and colors.

Size

Porcelain tiles range from 1in. x 1in. to 20in. x 20in. squares, the classic 2 x 3in subway tile to uniquely shaped modern tiles.  When considering what size tile to select, think about how the tile will function in the space. Do you want a strong pattern? Choose smaller tiles. Do you want a more uniformed look? Select larger tiles so there will be fewer grout lines.  You may want to do a mix of sizes, large squares with smaller accent tiles to give more interest to your floor or backsplash.

Texture

Porcelain tile is available in everything from high gloss to matte faux-travertine textures.  Rough textures faux-stone porcelain tiles are a great option for a shower or bathroom floor. Porcelain tiles are a popular option for a kitchen floor because of their durability and easy maintenance.

Color

Like ceramic tile, porcelain tile comes in a rainbow of hues.  Solids, speckled, and stone patterned tiles mean that you will easily find a porcelain tile to match your home’s style and décor. Many of today’s porcelain tiles are almost indistinguishable from stone.  You can find choices from travertine to marble to linen in a variety of colors.

Italian provincial furniture captures the rustic elegance of the Italian countryside. While it is often mistaken for the curvier and more decorative French provincial, this style boasts straight legs and classic lines with painted areas. It is often created in white or ivory with a pecan fruitwood finish. It looks lovely in either a formal or semi-formal setting with fine wood or travertine tile floors in a creamy white.

Here is a mini-glossary of key terms for Italian Provincial furniture:

Acanthus:  A type of leaf detailing seen in classic furniture. Look for it on carved wood furniture, metal bases and in mirror frames.

Armadio: A storage cupboard with doors, more commonly called by the French name, armoire. It works nicely for extra storage of linens, toys, sweaters or televisions and electronics.

Credenza: A buffet table with doors and shelves.  Traditionally used in a dining room, these work great in a living room or family room under a flat screen television.

Cassone: A low, usually wood, storage box.  It’s perfect for keeping blankets at the end of the bed or shoes in a mudroom.

Commode: A chest of drawers.  Think outside the bedroom for creative uses like in an entry with a mirror above or for storing games in the family room.

Console: A hall table, sometimes with a lower shelf.  Consider one for the entry with a mirror above it.

Gilt: Gilt refers to something being gilded with gold.  Look for giltwood mirrors to add sparkle and glamour to a bedroom, bathroom or foyer.

Gueridon: A small table with straight legs and often small medallions at the top.  Use these as a side table or even a bedside table.

Millefiori: Literally means “a thousand flowers” and is a pattern most commonly seen in Murano or Venetian glass works.  Millefiori bowls or vases make colorful accent pieces.

Pietra Dura: An inlaid stone table top.  Pietra Dura tables usually have metal bases, making them perfect for an outdoor living space or garden room.

Q:  How do I know if the tile grout in my kitchen is protected and how do I remove stains from it?

A: If you happen to have ceramic tiles, good news because ceramic tiles are relatively easy to clean given that it has a glossy or semi-glossy finish. Even latex paint that has dried can easily be removed with a fingernail. However, there is a major difference between the tile surface and the tile grout. Grout happens to be porous that is why it is more prone to stains. This is where grout sealants come in. Grout sealants are applied to your tiles after installing them. This can help reduce the porosity of your grout. It also helps prevent the settlement of moisture underneath the tile and protects the surface from stains.

To see if your grout is still protected, test it. Simply put a few drops of water on the grout joint. The water drop should not soak into the grout. If the grout absorbs the water, then it means it isn’t working. Usually, grout sealant lasts for one to two years at the most.

Two of the best mild cleaners you can find in your home for grout are simply baking soda and water. Apply the mixture with a soft toothbrush. This can be helpful in removing food, wine and coffee stains. But as for difficult stains, it is always best to apply grout colorant. Before attempting to do this yourself you’ll want to consult with one of our tile specialists.

This room from The Fairmont Orchid hotel in Hawaii demonstrates elements of a traditional style with a hint of its location in the floral elements. By taking a look at the design choices in this room, we can see how location shines in this space without losing the classic feel.

The strongly-defined molding supports a traditional look. This daylight photo doesn’t show it, but the design of the molding at the top of the wall would allow lighting to wash down the walls. Between the molding and chair-level wainscoting, simple grass cloth wallpaper creates an echo of the islands. The oil painting on the right is classically designed while adding still another floral element to the room.

The best melding of classic and island comes from the dramatic rug. Designed and sized to fit the room, the large flowers throughout are not something you would commonly see on the mainland. The colors are reflected in the furniture and the rug itself has a flexibility that allows room renovations and style updates without replacing it. This is definitely a case where the rug makes the room. Everything else comes a distant second to its attention-getting style.

Do you like a traditional approach yet want to find ways to reflect your region? Use decorative elements to bring your part of the country into your living room the way this space does.