Summer is an ideal time to embark on interior renovation projects. With longer daylight hours and a more relaxed atmosphere, it’s the perfect season to update and refresh your home’s interior. Whether you’re looking to enhance your living space’s functionality, modernize your decor, or simply make your home more comfortable, there are numerous summer renovation projects to consider. Here are some exciting ideas to inspire your interior summer renovations.

1. Revamp Your Living Room

Fresh Coat of Paint

One of the simplest yet most effective ways to transform your living room is by giving it a fresh coat of paint. If you love the feeling of summer in your home year round, choose light, airy colors to brighten the space and make it feel more open. Summer hues like soft blues, greens, or warm neutrals can bring a refreshing change to your living room.

Update Furniture

Consider updating your furniture to give your living room a new look. Invest in a new sofa, add a stylish coffee table, or incorporate comfortable chairs. Opt for furniture pieces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, enhancing the room’s overall appeal.

Add New Lighting

Lighting can dramatically change the ambiance of a room. Replace outdated fixtures with modern, energy-efficient options. Consider adding floor lamps, table lamps, or even installing dimmer switches to control the mood of the room. Natural light is also a great asset, so make sure your windows are clean and unobstructed.

2. Modernize Your Kitchen

Cabinet Update

If your kitchen cabinets are looking tired, consider replacing them. Cabinetry is a very important decision in the building or remodeling process. If you haven’t shopped for cabinets lately it can be very overwhelming with all of the design and finish options available since you typically don’t plan to replace your cabinets! We have taken the guesswork out of giving you the basics you need to know before shopping. Cabinets are so important because they keep you organized and they are a major design element in a room. With today’s technology, there are endless finish options and organizational options giving you the opportunity to get a product that fits your style and personality exactly- budget permitting, of course.

Upgrade Appliances

Summer is a great time to upgrade your kitchen appliances. Energy-efficient appliances not only look sleek and modern but can also help reduce your energy bills. Stainless steel appliances are a popular choice for a contemporary look.

Install a New Backsplash

A new backsplash can add a pop of color and texture to your kitchen. Choose tiles or stone that match your kitchen’s decor and are easy to clean. A stylish backsplash can become a focal point and enhance the overall aesthetic of your kitchen. Browse our tile catalog for inspiration.

3. Refresh Your Bathroom

Replace Fixtures

Upgrading your bathroom fixtures can have a big impact. Consider replacing old faucets, showerheads, and towel bars with modern, water-efficient options. This not only improves the look of your bathroom but also enhances its functionality.

New Flooring

If your bathroom floor is outdated or showing signs of wear, summer is a great time to replace it. Choose durable, water-resistant materials like tile, stone or luxury vinyl. These options are available in various styles and can transform the look of your bathroom. Get started by checking out our flooring products on our website.

Add Storage Solutions

Clutter can make even the nicest bathroom feel cramped. Add storage solutions like shelves, cabinets, or vanity upgrades to keep everything organized. Stylish storage options can also serve as decor elements, enhancing the overall look of the room.

4. Transform Your Bedroom

Update Bedding and Curtains

Refreshing your bedding and curtains can instantly transform your bedroom. Choose light, breathable fabrics for summer and opt for colors and patterns that bring a sense of calm and relaxation. New curtains can also help control the amount of natural light entering the room.

Create a Feature Wall

A feature wall can add a focal point to your bedroom. Use wallpaper, paint, or even wood paneling to create a unique and stylish accent wall. This simple change can make a big impact on the overall design of the room.

Improve Closet Organization

A well-organized closet can make your bedroom feel more spacious and functional. Invest in closet organizers, shelves, and storage bins to keep everything in its place. A tidy closet can also make your daily routine more efficient. Your laundry room is another great place to organize as well.

5. Upgrade Your Home Office

Ergonomic Furniture

If you work from home, upgrading your office with ergonomic furniture is essential. Invest in a comfortable chair, a spacious desk, and accessories like a monitor stand or keyboard tray. Ergonomic furniture can improve your productivity and overall well-being.

Decorate with Plants

Adding plants to your home office can create a more pleasant and productive environment. Plants improve air quality and add a touch of nature to your workspace. Choose low-maintenance plants like succulents or spider plants for easy care.

Enhance Lighting

Proper lighting is crucial for a home office. Ensure you have a good mix of natural and artificial light. Task lighting, like a desk lamp, can help reduce eye strain and improve focus. Position your desk near a window to take advantage of natural light during the day.

Summer is the perfect time to focus on interior renovation projects that can transform your home. Whether you’re updating your living room, modernizing your kitchen, refreshing your bathroom, transforming your bedroom, or upgrading your home office, these projects can enhance the beauty, functionality, and comfort of your living space. By taking advantage of the longer days and warmer weather, you can make significant improvements that you’ll enjoy for years to come. Happy renovating!

Are you tired of looking at your old exterior light fixtures, or you are putting your house on the market? Whatever the case, replacing the exterior light fixtures can transform your home quickly without taking a big hit to your wallet. To help, we have listed some tips below that should make the refresh much easier while allowing you to have fun while doing so. Let’s take a look!

Proper Size

Often times, homeowners make the mistake of choosing a fixture that is too small. Please keep in mind that if you are replacing commercial builders’ light fixtures, they will use fixtures that are on hand or too small to save money. The general rule of thumb is if you are replacing two fixtures on either side of the front door, the fixtures should be ¼ the height of the front door. If there is only one light, purchase a fixture that is ⅓ height of the door.

Style

You may want to change the fixtures to an industrial- or modern-style fixture, but you must stay with the overall style of the home. If your home is a mid-century modern home, then stick with those types of fixtures. If you are not sure about what fixtures go with what style of home, simply google it, look in magazines, ride through neighborhoods, or visit new home construction communities. Also, regarding the color of the fixture, stay with the matching door’s hardware (a dark bronze for a dark or black look). Dark bronze goes great with ranch- and traditional-style homes. Chrome or stainless is a popular choice in modern design.

Light Output

Lighting output is often overlooked and is a significant factor for how the fixtures will look when lit and for safety reasons. Pay attention to the type/kind/wattage of the bulb that the fixture recommends, the number of bulbs required, and what type of glass bulbs (like clear or opaque, etc.). By using the recommended bulbs for the fixture, it will certainly enhance the beauty of the fixture and provide a well lite pathway when dark.

Do you have any tips that you would like to share with other readers? If so, be sure to leave us a comment below in the comment section.

These days, homeowners are eagerly tearing the plaster off their walls and leaving the brick beneath it exposed. Whether you have a rustic brick, stacked stone, or an easy to install veneer, you can create a feature wall by highlighting it with lighting. However, simply uncovering a wall or installing a brick or stone veneer is not enough to truly capture the masonry effect inside or outside the home. To help, check out these five ways that you can emphasize exposed brick or stone to its fullest:

Wash Lighting

If your exposed brick or stone walls have some imperfections, you can create a smoother look with a wash lighting effect. A wash lighting effect is often used on different types of surfaces. This effect is done by moving the lighting source a bit further from the wall than you usually would. In essence, creating some distance between the bulbs or fixtures allows the light to spread out evenly. As a result, you will see that the cracks and mortar joints look more filled. That being said, if you decide to create this effect, it is important to get the spacing just right. If the lighting fixtures are placed too far from the exposed wall, you will cause a distraction with dark and bright spots.

Graze Lighting

The best way to highlight natural exposed stone or brick is with the graze lighting effect. Grazing is a method in which the source of lighting is installed directly above the wall so that the light washes down the wall. You will have to play around with this lighting arrangement because the results are dependent on the texture of the wall.

Uplighting

We are used to seeing the light illuminating upwards. That is why uplighting creates such a dramatic lighting effect. Lighting a stone wall from the floor up creates great emphasis since it is unexpected. Uplighting is the reverse effect of grazing, and it will bring out the texture of masonry. This type of lighting effect will also reflect light across the entire room, which adds additional comfort to the space.

Sconces and Pendant

Recessed lighting fixtures such as sconces and pendants can help you showcase masonry features. Sconces push light both up and down the wall providing a grazing and uplighting effect. Pendant lights add a beautiful glow whileLED strips will illuminate the wall.

Are you feeling inspired? Let us know which of these four ideas you like best in the comment section.

Are you shopping for lighting fixtures for your home? If so, then you may want to consider pendant lighting, which is suspended in the air via a chain or cord. Pendant lighting has become trendy because it is generally less expensive than chandelier lighting, and it does not take up much space. Some of the benefits of using a pendant light over traditional lighting sources include:

• Pendant lights serve as great focal points. So if you are interested in adding subtle drama to your living room or bathroom, a funky designed pendant light will bring some emphasis to the area.
• If you need to save on space, then pendant lights are necessary because they do not use floor space, and they do not require something to be propped on like a table lamp.
• You can purchase pendant light in a variety of colors and styles.

When purchasing pendant lighting fixtures, you will have to consider a number of factors such as:

LED or Standard Light Bulbs

There are pendant lighting fixtures on the market that only take LED light bulbs and traditional bulbs. LED bulbs are extremely durable and more efficient than standard light bulbs, making for great task lighting. However, LED bulbs are more expensive than traditional light bulbs.

Hardwiring or Plugin

Plugin pendant lights are easy to install. However, you will need to use a longer cord or an extension cord to pull off this look. On the other hand, hardwiring your pendant light will provide a clean look. However, hardwiring is labor-intensive, and if you are not handy, you will need to seek help from a professional. If you desire the pendant lighting fixture that you selected to be permanent, then you may want to opt for a hardwiring installation.

Materials and finishes

Most pendant light fixtures on the market are made with plastic, glass, metal, and cloth finishes. Glass and metal finishes reflect light, which means that more light will be distributed across the room. Plastic pendant lights are cost-effective, but they wear easily. Cloth pendant lights collect dust easily and are best used in areas like the living room where cleaning is done on a regular basis.

All in all, our best advice to you is to be sure to shop around before settling on a pendant light fixture for your room. There are a variety of styles out there. You just need to find them.

When decorating your living room, homeowners often place a priority on selecting the right upholstery, wall color, and curtains, but the same emphasis should be placed on using a good lighting scheme. After all, the living room is where you entertain guests, hang out with family, watch television, and read books. Lighting is essential for both function and the overall look of the room. It also sets the mood in the room. Since the living room is likely the first room that your guests will enter, you want to make sure you are setting the right tone. Here are tips for effectively lighting up the living room:

Layering Lighting

A pleasant living room lighting scheme uses different types of lighting that sit at different levels within the room and work together to add warmth and intimacy. You can layer lighting by using multiple lighting fixtures within the space. For instance, in addition to overhead lighting, you might want to include lamps on the end tables. Opt for dimmers since they allow you to control the level of lighting in the room according to the activity that’s taking place.

Additionally, there are three lighting strategies that you can implement in your living room:

Accent Lighting

Accent lighting is suitable for accentuating specific areas of the living room. If you want to bring attention to an architectural feature such as the fireplace or a piece of artwork, accent lighting is the best way to go. Use recessed adjustable light fixtures that highlight the area of interest. Accent lighting should illuminate as much as five times more than the other lighting sources your use within the room.

Ambient Lighting

Ambient lighting will provide overall illumination in the living room area. You can use overhead lights such as a chandelier, mounted wall fixtures, or a lamp. Ambient lighting is crucial because it is the general source of lighting and must be of quality. Be sure to look for high-quality pieces that add your room’s overall lighting.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting adds some visual interest to the living room. You can use unique table lamps, hanging pendants and other decorative lighting fixtures to add that extra hint of coziness. Additionally, decorative lighting adds more personalization to the room. It is your chance to add a little bit of style and flair to your living room design.

Finish off your living room design with window coverings and floors from Carpets N More. With a wide selection of products available at reasonable prices, you are sure to find something you absolutely love. Visit us today for more information!

Lights amplify the energy in the room. LED strip lights are great to add to your space but should be used subtly and to highlight focal points, not to cover the room. They can be a great remedy to enhance a room with dark walls or be used to show the depth of wall art. LED light strips can be done very tastefully when applied correctly and should be reinitiated into your design theme if not there already. Here are five great ways to add LED lights strips to your home:

Under Cabinetry

If you need task lighting in your kitchen, consider installing LED light strips under your floating overhead cabinetry. It will allow light under your cabinets which can help keep your room from feeling overshaded while you work in the kitchen.

Behind Your Television

Another great place to put LED light stripping is behind your television. It will enhance your entertainment stand’s overall aesthetic look while also visually adding depth. The human eye is naturally attracted to the concept of depth which will make you entertainment stand look great all the time.

Behind Wall-Mounted Artwork

If you have artwork on a wall, consider install LED lights being them. It is a great way to make artwork pop and become a focal point of the room. Plus, it is also a great trick to use on dark walls to make the room still feel well-lit and energetic.

In Display Nooks

Display nooks and bookshelves naturally hinder the flow of light. If you notice that your display shelves are not getting adequate lighting, install LED lights strips subtly to shine down on each shelf. It will make your display items look more intriguing and help keep dark areas looking fresh and well-kept.

Outdoors

Have you considered embedding light strips into your outdoor planters? It can turn your boring outdoors into a luxurious, contemporary oasis. Doing this can not only keep the outdoors lit at night but can make your plants look mesmerizing throughout the evenings.

If you think LED strips are outdated or not for you, consider these stylish trends. LED lights are design tricks that can help revamp any room and make it feel livelier. For more great tips and tricks, visit us at Carpets N More.

Whether you are moving, remodeling, renovating, or installing new light fixtures, it is important to understand all of the different lighting options available to consumers. Today, we are going to focus on kitchen lighting. The lighting inside of kitchens is imperative for a successful meal. You need to be able to see what you are doing whilst in the kitchen. To help you find this perfect balance, we have created a guide of the most popular types of kitchen lighting. Let’s take a look!

Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is an easy way to add glamour and luxury into a home. If you are not familiar with the term, recessed lighting is hidden in the ceiling in little tins to create a more spacious feeling. Most homeowners install recessed lighting for their beauty as well as their easy to clean nature. The only issue with recessed lighting is that you will need enough space above your ceiling for installation. They help to create a beautiful atmosphere but they are not solely used to light a kitchen. 

Pendant Lights

For a more stylish approach, homeowners have shifted gears towards pendant lights. Not only are they stylish, but they are extremely functional. They help provide a closer light to areas which in essence, provides better visibility while cooking. The only issue homeowners find with pendant lights is that they hang low from the ceiling which could potential get in your way while cooking. 

Surface Lights

Surface lights are referred to as the “mushroom” or “bubble” light fixtures in homes. They are placed directly on the ceiling and provide an ample amount of light. They are in fact, easier to clean than the two previous lights mentioned. The only issue homeowners have with surface lights is that they are very visible. If you do not like the look of them, we would not recommend choosing them. With recessed lighting, you have a hidden light source and with pendant lights, you are provided a stylish approach to lighting. Whereas with surface lights, they are kind of just there.

If you are remodeling your home, be sure to keep us in mind for new flooring. We would love to help you complete your home with beautiful floors, cabinets, windows coverings, and countertops. For more information on our vast selection, please visit our website here.

The lighting in your house can affect various aspects of your home. The color of your walls can be dramatically impacted by a simple change in your light fixtures. You may even notice the impact lighting has on your furniture or even your flooring.

The way you style and arrange the lighting in your space should ultimately improve the mood of your space. Careful adjustments to your lights can potentially make a tremendous impact on the rooms in your home. To help you adjust your home’s lighting, we have three tips.

Tip #1: Use Ambient Lighting in Your Darker Spaces.

Ambient lighting is where the lighting bounces off of the ceiling to create a brighter and more open room. To master ambient lighting, you can line a track of lighting on top of your fireplace mantel or bookshelf. You want to place the lighting millwork somewhere that the object does not meet your ceiling (i.e. a mantel or bookshelf).

Another option is to paint your walls with a light, soft color. If you choose this route, you will use floor lamps or wall-mounted lights to complete the ambient lighting effect.

Tip #2: The 30-inch Rule.

Chandeliers can be a breath-taking light fixture that you can include in your dining room or front foyer. But with a love of chandeliers, needs to come with a knowledge of chandeliers. If you plan on using a chandelier in your dining room, you need to allow 30 inches between the table and the bottom of the light fixture. The “30-inch rule” will ensure that you can always see your family while at the dinner table. Plus, it gives you room to place a vase or other decor pieces in the center of the table. Once you have the height down, be sure to include a dimmer switch for your chandelier. The switch will allow you to have the maximum amount of control for each special occasion.

Tip #3: Better in Twos.

It is relatively important to master the look of your foyer. It is the first thing guests will see when entering your home; therefore, you want the area to be well-lit. While deciding on the light fixtures for your foyer, remember that lighting is better in two’s. Place two identical light fixtures on either side of a dresser or table. On top of the table, you can place a mirror to reflect the lighting. This will spread your lighting throughout the room and open the area up to your guests.

We believe that great lighting can improve the look of your already amazing flooring from Carpets N More and who does want that? For more tips and tricks for the home, be sure to check out our other blog posts!