If your home has vaulted ceilings in one or more rooms, you know the difficulty you face maintaining the drama a high ceiling provides while keeping the space warm and inviting.

This hotel lobby has captured some of the both goals. Several design decisions made this possible.

First, the layout and architectural features of the space support an integrated room. The two tall thin windows help make the connection stronger and the choice to put oversized crown molding at the ceiling gives it a more significant presence in the room.

Colors are cohesive throughout and help to connect the flooring with the full height of the space. For example, the diagonal squares scattered on the stone floor have a dark taupe tone that is matched by the focal wall to the right and the stairs and railings for both staircases.

Artwork and accessories also work well in this room. The large three-part canvas echoes the shape of the long lean windows and the art’s soft tones provide a connection between all levels of the room without demanding too much attention. The lean plant almost feels like a piece of sculpture, and its height continues the theme of connecting upper and lower areas. Finally, the simple round table mirrors the curve of the stairway and brings attention to people-level.

What ideas can you borrow from this room to combine drama and comfort in your own vaulted-ceiling space?

Do you want to add architectural details to your home while still keeping a contemporary look? Slate can capture attention while still serving as a backdrop to dramatic colors and other design choices.

Take a look at how this grey slate wall provides drama without any color at all. The textures of the tiles capture the light and create the impression of a variety of shades without any actual change in color. The random layout almost makes it look like wrinkled paper, but with much more personality.

Slate comes in so many different shades and colors and this makes it extremely versatile. For example, without moving away from the grey theme, the photo below shows how making a few changes in layout and tone can change the look of a wall.

Instead of random rectangles, the repeating design wraps rectangular tiles around smaller squares. This look gains emphasis with the darker grey elements added to the design. This wall also hints at a bit of brown with some warmer grey tiles added into the mix.

Slate is not limited to grey. Colors range from brown, black, rusty reds, blues and gold. Collections take advantage of the best mixes of stones to create appealing color palettes.

Slate’s versatile nature allows it to work as flooring also. Because it looks even more beautiful when wet, it’s often used as a backdrop for waterfalls and fountains.

Would you like to learn more about this lovely and varied stone option? Our showrooms in Colorado and Nevada have great selections of slate choices. You may find just the right slate to add personality and drama to your own home.

Do you want to add architectural details to your home while still keeping a contemporary look? Slate can capture attention while still serving as a backdrop to dramatic colors and other design choices.

Take a look at how this grey slate wall provides drama without any color at all. The textures of the tiles capture the light and create the impression of a variety of shades without any actual change in color. The random layout almost makes it look like wrinkled paper, but with much more personality.

Slate comes in so many different shades and colors and this makes it extremely versatile. For example, without moving away from the grey theme, the photo below shows how making a few changes in layout and tone can change the look of a wall.

Instead of random rectangles, the repeating design wraps rectangular tiles around smaller squares. This look gains emphasis with the darker grey elements added to the design. This wall also hints at a bit of brown with some warmer grey tiles added into the mix.

Slate is not limited to grey. Colors range from brown, black, rusty reds, blues and gold. Collections take advantage of the best mixes of stones to create appealing color palettes.

Slate’s versatile nature allows it to work as flooring also. Because it looks even more beautiful when wet, it’s often used as a backdrop for waterfalls and fountains.

Would you like to learn more about this lovely and varied stone option? Our showrooms in Colorado and Nevada have great selections of slate choices. You may find just the right slate to add personality and drama to your own home.

Saxony carpets are plush, luxurious and extra soft, made by the cut loop pile method. These carpets are specially designed for extra softness. Available in different patterns and numerous textures, these carpets are made of 100% wool, or by combining silk or linen with wool. This carpet is woven very fine, which makes it quite dense. This accounts for its extra softness and smoothness.

Saxony carpets are generally used in formal areas which require a sober, and solemn appearance, such as office, or a study room. This is also because they are moderately durable and are not suitable for handling very high foot traffic. Saxony carpets have a tendency to show foot prints on them; although it has been rectified in some of the latest Saxony carpets to come out, which makes it easy to maintain and clean.

While buying a Saxony carpet, take care to notice that there are various types of weaves available, so choose which best suits your needs. The extra softness they offer is useful for home which has toddlers; but before buying, you should check whether the product is non-allergenic or not. The lush, beautiful finish of Saxony carpets makes them one of the most desirable carpets out there. Although slightly expensive, they more than make up for it by providing you with an unprecedented comfort. A Saxony carpet can set the tone of your room. If comfort and extra softness are your priorities, then go get a Saxony carpet for your home and enjoy its sumptuousness for years to come.

With the sepia browns, soft greens and a touch of blue, this scene is not about color, it’s about texture. The house has a roof of varied tiles that provides interest despite the single tone of brown. The wall is the color of old parchment with touches of worn down paint and breaks in the plaster that display the stone base. The magic in this photo comes from how the various textures bring the home and the scenery to life. In your home, texture is just as important as color when you’re decorating. Every type of flooring invites textural contrast in your furniture and accessories. A wood floor warms up with a wool area rug or a squishy corduroy easy chair and ottoman. Carpeting is more inviting when an old wooden chest shining with many years of polish sits on it. Look for fabrics with varying textures to add personality. A throw pillow in figured velvet or embroidered silk can add a touch of elegance to a simple sofa. A knitted throw with fringe can offer the same kind of surface variation as this home’s roof or the bark of the trees. Do you love this photo? Well, while you may not be able to move to Italy and live with this type of scenery, you can warm up your home with touches of the old world textures shown here.

Hartco Flooring is now part of the Armstrong flooring family.  Armstrong Hardwood has a variety of species and finishes and will continue Hartco’s popular hand-scraped wood flooring collection.  Designs and styles include distressed and rustic, exotics and contemporary dark stained flooring. This collection has something for every décor style.

The Armstrong Hardwood collection has hundreds of wood flooring choices, from distressed to fine grain. Oak to maple to walnut and more woods are available in a range of stains, widths and board lengths. One of our favorites in the collection is the Antique Natural Maple. This flooring has the distressed feeling of true antique or reclaimed wood floors. Combined with the durability and technology of contemporary flooring, this antiqued floor gives you the best of both worlds.

Hand-scraped hardwood floors are a popular flooring trend. The term “hand-scraped” refers to the type of surface treatment wherein the surfaces have been carefully sculpted to create unique finishes. Hammered, chiseled or sculpted by artisans using a variety of tools, these floors that have a natural-worn looking appearance. Despite these floors having an aged appearance, they are available in popular colors that suit every décor from contemporary to rustic farmhouse. One of our favorites is the Toasted Wheat walnut. The warm, rich brown has an aged, antique patina look to it. Would look lovely in a kitchen or bedroom.

For more information on these and other Armstrong products visit us online at Carpets N More website.

Do you find that choosing clothes out of your cluttered closet is a source of anxiety? Did you buy some of those hangars that are supposed to save space only to find that your clutter just moved down a few feet? If so, it’s time for drastic measures. Follow these few steps to closet control.

1. Empty your closet completely. Yes, all of it! Now promise yourself that nothing but the best will go back in your closet. In other words, if you wouldn’t buy it – full price – today, it’s leaving your life forever.
2. Sort your clothes and accessories into three piles: keep, lose, or maybe. Take the lose items off the good hangers and put them in trash bags for donating. If you want to take a tax deduction, write down every item as you go (no details, 3 skirts, 5 blouses, etc. is fine). Put the lose bags outside your bedroom door and promise yourself you will not open them again.
3. Take your keep items and check for any washing or repair needs before you put them back in the closet (on your good hangers). As you refill the closet, determine an organizational system that you think might work for you. For example, by season or by purpose (such as work vs. play).
4. Now it’s time to address your maybes. The best way to evaluate them is by trying everything on in front of a full-length mirror. If you really don’t want to try something on, then it’s a goner. If you look at yourself and realize you don’t want to be seen in it, put it in discard. Keep only those things that you would buy again. Put the rest in bags with the other donations.
5. Finally, take a look at your newly-arranged closet. And remember our fundamental rule as flooring people – always keep your clothes hung up, not covering your beautiful floor!

Has one of your children suggested that he or she temporarily move back home? This can happen for a number of reasons. It may be to reduce expenses while returning to school or after a layoff. It’s a good way to save money for a down payment on a home, or pay back some debts.

This can work very well, but don’t jump into it without some planning and discussion of expectations. This situation is not the same as it was when your child was in high school. Work together to figure out ground rules that work for all of you. Let’s consider some issues you may want to address.

First, agree on a plan for the stay. This should include specific goals, a timeframe, and the amount of money your child will save or use to pay debts. The next part of the plan is specifics on what expenses the child will cover and any responsibilities taken on around the house. It’s important not to slip into the old parent-child relationship. This means that parents do not do their laundry or clean up after them. Include real consequences for not meeting the plan, up to and including having your child move out.

Determine which space or spaces will be given to your child for the duration of the stay. You do not have to give your child his or her old bedroom if it is not convenient. It would be good if the space includes a private bathroom. Don’t feel obligated to redecorate in any permanent way for his or her stay. Leave the flooring, but you may want to encourage the addition of an area rug to personalize the space. Paint, some of their own furniture and art will help make the space theirs.

Finally, don’t expect to exert the same kind of discipline that you used when your child was young. It is no longer appropriate. However, you do have the right to ensure that your comfort and convenience are not affected. Be sure to request notice about which meals he or she will be home for, and ask them to stay quiet if coming in late in the evening.

With these issues covered, you are all in for a more pleasant time while sharing your home with your child as an adult.

As parents age, eventually you may have to help them re-design their lives. Health issues can make it hard for a parent to continue to live independently, but personality, emotional and financial factors may eliminate the possibility of assisted living or other institutional options.

If you’re considering bringing one or both parents into your home, making a few plans first can help this transition work well for everyone involved.

To start, make sure your family member or members have a realistic understanding of the situation. If possible show them the space they would have, and get measurements to keep their furniture expectations realistic. Let them redecorate the space to make it their own.

Be sure to do a safety check on your home before your parent or parents move in. Look for tripping hazards such as rugs without non-slip pads. If possible, carpet their space. Carpeting is the safest flooring for the elderly because it cushions falls. You may also want to add safety bars to showers or bathtubs.

If you can, provide a bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room to ensure enough privacy. It’s generally a good idea to include a television in their personal space so that there will be no program debates among the generations.

Plan to provide additional storage space for valued possessions. Remember that something that may not seem valuable to you may hold special memories for a parent. If you need to, rent storage space to hold their things until they’re ready to let them go.

Above all, work to keep the lines of communication open. There will be challenges, but with effort you will all find the time together to be rewarding.

Many people would rather stay within a budget with their basement spaces, but that doesn’t mean that the look can’t be design-rich. Take a look at this lower level room. The solid-surface flooring takes on a personality of its own that perfectly suits the very modern persona of the room.

The most powerful design feature in this room is the suspended staircase. By opening up the stairwell, the homeowners have taken their basement from an unnoticed space and turned it into an exciting addition. The metal and wood staircase has a double value thanks to the light super-shiny floor. The reflection of the stairs actually acts as artwork underfoot.

The rest of the room keeps to the modern tone. A wall of contemporary images in matching frames provides an inexpensive but dramatic attention-grabber as you descend into the room. The conversation area is defined by the white sofa and loveseat and the daring zebra rug. A black and white theme continues with throw pillows and a series of vases.

Other than the addition of the stairway, this room was not expensive to create, but it has a high-priced impact. The reason for that comes from the powerful design that moves this room from basement to an exciting part of the total home.