What makes this room work? It’s the study in contrasts that make a traditional design like this stay new and interesting.

The classic elements such as the design of all the furniture, the moldings and most of the accessories contrast with the contemporary approach to color and design.

Painting the walls this dark green grey provides the first leap from the standard. The fabric choice for the loveseats and drapes also depart from a traditional approach.

The carpet, while traditional in color, departs with its willingness to include pattern. Both the base pattern of the carpet and the overlay of a matching rug with a contrasting border take this room up a design notch. Both the colors and the carpet choices make this room stand out as a fresh take on an old look.

This room shows the power of contrast in design. Taking a chance on a dark wall tone, combining different patterns, and encouraging both very light and very dark elements to interact makes for an exciting room.

Does your home show your more daring side? How about challenging yourself to take some chances with your décor? Even if your taste is traditional, let your creative side experiment. You never know what may happen!

When decorating a room, it’s important to connect the design choices to the architecture of the space. When you don’t, you have a room like this one, where the style choices eliminate the charm and power of the space rather than support it.

What doesn’t work, and what needs to happen to make this room live up to its potential? Start with the easiest and most appalling decision – the valance. The bit of fabric cuts at a point that emphasizes the unfortunate delineation between the lower and upper windows, damaging the drama of the line and adding absolutely nothing to the potential charm of the room.

The black sofa has the power to live up to the space, but sitting alone in the middle of the room, it seems as if the movers set it down and no one has touched it since. It’s too far away from the other chairs to create a conversation center or support the fireplace as a focal point. It also needs some companion upholstered pieces to save it from looking bulky and overbearing compared to the other furniture in the room.

The other pieces of furniture seem to have been set to make it easy to vacuum. The plants feel like space fillers rather than an integral part of the design. The light walls and carpet increase the weakness of the look.

Let’s make some changes. Place a rich gold carpet in a slightly darker tone than the ceiling. Move the sofa within shouting distance of the fireplace, and add a couple of upholstered chairs to make a conversation space around the fire. Take the rockers and move them to the front of the room where their light weight will keep your eyes moving to the back of the space where the action is.

Finally, tear down that valance and consider replacing the ceiling fan with a darker and more significant light fixture. The addition of a rug or two would also anchor the space effectively. Suddenly you have a space that invites you in and makes you feel comfortable.

When decorating a room, it’s important to connect the design choices to the architecture of the space. When you don’t, you have a room like this one, where the style choices eliminate the charm and power of the space rather than support it.

What doesn’t work, and what needs to happen to make this room live up to its potential? Start with the easiest and most appalling decision – the valance. The bit of fabric cuts at a point that emphasizes the unfortunate delineation between the lower and upper windows, damaging the drama of the line and adding absolutely nothing to the potential charm of the room.

The black sofa has the power to live up to the space, but sitting alone in the middle of the room, it seems as if the movers set it down and no one has touched it since. It’s too far away from the other chairs to create a conversation center or support the fireplace as a focal point. It also needs some companion upholstered pieces to save it from looking bulky and overbearing compared to the other furniture in the room.

The other pieces of furniture seem to have been set to make it easy to vacuum. The plants feel like space fillers rather than an integral part of the design. The light walls and carpet increase the weakness of the look.

Let’s make some changes. Place a rich gold carpet in a slightly darker tone than the ceiling. Move the sofa within shouting distance of the fireplace, and add a couple of upholstered chairs to make a conversation space around the fire. Take the rockers and move them to the front of the room where their light weight will keep your eyes moving to the back of the space where the action is.

Finally, tear down that valance and consider replacing the ceiling fan with a darker and more significant light fixture. The addition of a rug or two would also anchor the space effectively. Suddenly you have a space that invites you in and makes you feel comfortable.

Are you feeling a little blue now that the holidays are over? With the cold weather and limited sunshine, sometimes it’s hard to cheer up. Why don’t you do something for yourself to brighten the season? How about redecorating a room in your home?

A new coat of paint and maybe new carpet or a rug can make a big difference in a space. Although most people think of redecorating as a spring or summer activity because of opening the windows to let the strong smells dissipate, that problem is gone.

Many of today’s home products are completely or almost smell-free. Those strong odors came from volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that were part of the products. However, as consumers developed an interest in buying products without VOCs, manufacturers responded by developing more and more options that don’t force you to leave windows open. Today, making a low or no-VOC choice won’t limit the colors or styles you want for your home.

To discover more about how you can redecorate a room and keep your windows closed, talk to one of our salespeople. We’ll help you fix up a room that will chase the winter blues away!

Do you wish to utilize all the available space of your home, even outdoor space? Below are some questions to ask yourself before you start:

Q1. How much useable space do you have to work with?

Really consider the useable space available. You may have an acre of space in your yard, but if 75% is a steep hill plunging into a creek and 25% is relatively flat…you really only have the 25% of flat yard available to work with.

Q2. Do you know of anyone (family or friend) who has special needs and might be frequenting your place?

For instance…your mother comes over every Sunday for dinner and is in a wheelchair. Take into consideration how a wheelchair or walker would handle on your lawn.

How would a wheelchair user get from inside to your outdoor kitchen? Are there steps leading down to your yard? If anyone has special needs, a smooth transition from indoors to outdoors is required.  There are great natural stone and outdoor tile options that allow this transition to happen.

During the design planning process remember to be realistic and consider who will be using the space!

This is the month for Surfaces, the largest flooring event in the world. As all the newest in flooring is presented, demonstrated and sold, it’s worth taking a few minutes to consider how flooring started and how far we’ve come.

Bill Bryson, the author of a number of books including the best-selling A Walk in the Woods, recently wrote a book about the origins of everyday aspects of our homes, called At Home, and in it, he talks about the origins of flooring.

When people first started building homes, the focus was on protection from the elements rather than comfort. Flooring reflected that. You would find dirt floors in almost every home in the 1600’s, and in rural England and other parts of Europe, dirt floors were common until the early 20^th century.

To provide some protection from the cold and dust, the wealthier households spread rushes over the dirt, with a new layer about twice a year. Unfortunately, they often didn’t remove the old rushes, which left plenty of space for insects and even mice and rats.

Once wood and tile floors became more common, carpets began to appear. However, these were so valuable that they were almost never laid on the floor to be walked on; rather, people hung them on the walls or placed them over tables. Because of transportation costs and limitations, the wood, tile or stone used for homes and floors was all local. This is one of the reasons why in England, most floors, moldings, and furniture were made of oak.

Today, instead of cutting rushes when you want new flooring, you can visit our showroom and choose carpeting, tile and wood from around the world. Rather than having carpets too valuable to walk on, you can warm your feet on them in every room in your home. We’re happy to have a hand in making flooring a source of pleasure and style rather than just the basic protective covering it once was.

Pets are members of the family. Like all other family members, pets create unique cleanliness issues that are battled daily. No matter if your pets stay inside; or are allowed to go outside they constantly shed hair and dander. Don’t allow this battle to become overwhelming. There are some things you can control to help with this never-ending battle.

1. Use washable fabrics for upholstery and drapery. Expensive, delicate fabrics are not practical in a house with pets. Don’t allow yourself to become stressed with constantly protecting expensive luxurious fabrics.

2. If pet hair is an omnipresent entity within your house, a cheap, low power vacuum is not going to help. You’ll need high suction vacuums that may cost more, but will remove more amounts of pet hair embedded in carpet and upholstery.

3. Carpet on the floor where pet traffic is high, is never a good idea. If you have the choice of choosing the flooring, select tile over carpet (carpet can be stained) and wood floors (can be scratched by pet claws). If you don’t have the option to choose your flooring in theses high traffic areas, buy inexpensive rug runners that can be replaced once they become worn out.

4. As far as décor is concerned, you might want to design your pet’s sleeping and eating areas with mats and bowls. While shopping for these, keep your house’s décor in mind and buy accessories that would fit in, not stand out.

5. A toy box with a lid to house all of your pet’s toys.  This can be anything from an attractive basket to a trunk type box. Buy a toy box that will blend in with your décor. A box that can be closed off from your pets will allow you to keep a handle on the amount of pet toys laying around. If the toy box is open to your pet, you will find yourself constantly picking up toys and your pet dragging them all out again!

Pets are members of the family. Like all other family members, pets create unique cleanliness issues that are battled daily. No matter if your pets stay inside; or are allowed to go outside they constantly shed hair and dander. Don’t allow this battle to become overwhelming. There are some things you can control to help with this never-ending battle.

1. Use washable fabrics for upholstery and drapery. Expensive, delicate fabrics are not practical in a house with pets. Don’t allow yourself to become stressed with constantly protecting expensive luxurious fabrics.

2. If pet hair is an omnipresent entity within your house, a cheap, low power vacuum is not going to help. You’ll need high suction vacuums that may cost more, but will remove more amounts of pet hair embedded in carpet and upholstery.

3. Carpet on the floor where pet traffic is high, is never a good idea. If you have the choice of choosing the flooring, select tile over carpet (carpet can be stained) and wood floors (can be scratched by pet claws). If you don’t have the option to choose your flooring in theses high traffic areas, buy inexpensive rug runners that can be replaced once they become worn out.

4. As far as décor is concerned, you might want to design your pet’s sleeping and eating areas with mats and bowls. While shopping for these, keep your house’s décor in mind and buy accessories that would fit in, not stand out.

5. A toy box with a lid to house all of your pet’s toys.  This can be anything from an attractive basket to a trunk type box. Buy a toy box that will blend in with your décor. A box that can be closed off from your pets will allow you to keep a handle on the amount of pet toys laying around. If the toy box is open to your pet, you will find yourself constantly picking up toys and your pet dragging them all out again!

What makes this bedroom’s design feel cohesive and inviting? To create a cozy environment, it’s important to think inside the box.

Every room has six surfaces: the four walls, the floor and the ceiling. You need to take all six into account when you’re planning a space.

This bedroom has every element needed to make a room feel comfortable. The oak-brown carpeting is almost an exact match for the warm brown walls. Cream and brown bedclothes stay in the same color family while using texture and pattern to keep the room interesting.

The most exciting design decision, however, is the ceiling. By choosing a very dark brown combined with the cream-colored wide crown molding, the sixth surface moves from an afterthought to a powerful design feature.

This is an old fashioned room, from the plates on the wall to the furniture and accessories. But the ceiling is daring and takes the space out of great-grandma’s house to a bedroom that would work in an expensive country inn.

Look up. Are your ceilings white and forgotten? Next time you redo a room, work with all six sides of your box.

Have you already purchased your calendar for 2011? Or possibly you use Outlook or another computer-based calendar system. Whatever choice you make, now is a good time to set up your plans for next year. Listing birthdays, anniversaries and family holidays can help ensure that you will be ready for each event as it comes along.

When people put their calendars together, there is one part of the family that is often left out – the family home. While we need annual physicals, our homes need annual maintenance also. To make sure that you take good care of your home this coming year, how about listing your home’s maintenance schedule on your calendar?

Should your stone floors be sealed this year? What about your granite countertops? How often do you have your carpets cleaned? Do any rooms need repainting? Don’t forget the annual checkup for your heating and air conditioning system. From cleaning out your gutters to checking the lint trap in your dryer, keeping track with your calendar will enable you to make sure your home is properly maintained.

Like remembering Aunt Miranda’s birthday with a card, paying attention to your home takes a burden off your memory and ensures that you remember every important maintenance event. To make your life easier, you may want to include contact information for any outside help you may need.

Use your calendar to plan the next year for you, your family, and your home, and you will be ready for a very good 2011.