Are you a Food Network fan? How about Home and Garden TV? If you enjoy both, consider what would happen if the two channels merged. It would be interesting to see what some of the celebrity chefs would do about decorating.

Bobby Flay has such a distinct style in clothes, personality and food, it’s easy to put some ideas together that would suit him. Living in New York City, his high-rise condo would shine with ebony wood floors. The rich dark tones fit perfectly with his taste – an eclectic mix of vintage mid-century modern and some contemporary pieces.

Flay’s spicy cooking approach can be matched with bold colors. A vivid red tailored sofa sits across from the open kitchen. Several rich yellow chairs sit to one side, with a golden wood asymmetrical coffee table straight from the 1950s linking everything together. Orange pillows and several orange glass bowls bring the room together.

The bright colors echo in the bright red wall behind Bobby’s kitchen countertops, a bright stainless steel to match the pots and pans hanging above. What’s Bobby making tonight? Something from the grill to feed the friends who will be dropping by soon. The space matches the food and the chef – spicy and cool at the same time.

For fans, HGTV and the Food Network have a lot in common. They’re both channels that provide insights to help you decorate and cook better. The connection has grown stronger recently when a major food firm hired several of HGTV’s celebrity decorators to “design” sandwiches for clients on various condiment commercials.

What do you suppose could happen if this trend continues? It would be fun to see what various Food Network chefs would come up with as ideas for decorating.

Let’s start with Paula Deen. Her southern country style would be a great fit with warm heart pine flooring. The glow of wide planks in a rich golden brown matches the color of fresh-made flapjacks and maple syrup, and pine flooring looks more like home with a few spills and small scratches from her dogs’ paws.

The rest of the room is all about comfort and food. Some open shelves could hold her cooking staples, while a big round kitchen table with old-fashioned cushioned ladder back chairs would hole the whole family while giving table space for all the great dishes she whips up regularly. Finish up with some deep upholstered furniture with a variety of country-style patterns, just made for napping when you’re full. With a room like that, let’s hope Paula will invite us over soon!

For fans, HGTV and the Food Network have a lot in common. They’re both channels that provide insights to help you decorate and cook better. The connection has grown stronger recently when a major food firm hired several of HGTV’s celebrity decorators to “design” sandwiches for clients on various condiment commercials.

What do you suppose could happen if this trend continues? It would be fun to see what various Food Network chefs would come up with as ideas for decorating.

Let’s start with Paula Deen. Her southern country style would be a great fit with warm heart pine flooring. The glow of wide planks in a rich golden brown matches the color of fresh-made flapjacks and maple syrup, and pine flooring looks more like home with a few spills and small scratches from her dogs’ paws.

The rest of the room is all about comfort and food. Some open shelves could hold her cooking staples, while a big round kitchen table with old-fashioned cushioned ladder back chairs would hole the whole family while giving table space for all the great dishes she whips up regularly. Finish up with some deep upholstered furniture with a variety of country-style patterns, just made for napping when you’re full. With a room like that, let’s hope Paula will invite us over soon!

When you’re ready to select a wood floor, do you find yourself concerned with whether your choice is environmentally responsible? Well, fortunately there is a simple way to determine that. Look for flooring with the Forest Stewardship Council certification;

An international, not-for-profit organization, the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to protect the world’s forests by promoting their responsible management. With an international presence that extends to over 50 countries and recognition by every major environmental group as well as the Green Building Council in the United States, the FSC is your best source for evaluating your potential wood purchases.

As forests are damaged and destroyed across the planet, FSC and organizations like it work hard to ensure that our children will also be able to enjoy the forested areas we have now. The goal is not to stop cutting trees, but to support responsible harvesting with no hazardous pesticides and no damage to the people who live in the forests.

FSC requires certification to be re-confirmed annually, so it is not possible for organizations to meet the certification once and then go on to break the rules.

How much more meaningful will your beautiful wood floor be if you know that the trees it represents were cut responsibly? If this means something to you, just ask your salesperson to show you products that are FSC certified, and enjoy your floor.

This chart is best used for comparison to show which woods are more relatively stable that others. This means what you can expect as far as shrinkage or swelling. In actuality when the floor is installed and the boards are laid next to each other, this tends to restrain movement so the change would be diminished in a complete floor .

*Note -Although some tropical woods such as Australian cypress, Brazilian cherry, merbau and wenge appear in this chart or have excellent moisture stability compared to domestic oak, actual installations of many of these woods have demonstrated significant movement in use. To avoid problems later, extra care should be taken to inform potential users of these tendencies prior to purchase.

Source: Stability ratings taken from Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (Agriculture Handbook 72, Forest Products Laboratory, Forest Service, US Department of Agriculture; revised 1987)