Living in the Living Room

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 26, 2012

Our living rooms are often more than just a place to watch television and entertain guests.  For many of us, we do most of our living at home in the living room. These rooms become a media room, home office, dining room and sometimes even a guest room.  While we might not admit it, many Americans eat dinner while watching TV in the living room or family room.  The design trend to open concept spaces that incorporate kitchen, dining and living spaces means more and more of us are spending most of our time at home in one room.

Creating a décor that can work with all these different activities is key.  Furniture arrangements, flooring and materials should all be selected to stand up to the heavy use and high traffic of today’s living rooms. Sectional sofas allow seating for many in a single piece of furniture. Coffee tables that are also ottomans can multi-task as game tables, dining tables and extra seating.

Wireless routers and laptops mean we can telecommute from any room in the home. And more than one family member can be online at a time… so the sofa can become a home office, socializing center and homework space.

Living room flooring should be durable to stand up to all the demands we place on the room.  Stain resistant and stain repellant are key for carpets in high traffic areas.  Hardwoods and other hard surfaces are durable but it is nice to have something softer for impromptu lounging on the floor.

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Kid and Pet Friendly Furniture

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 23, 2012

A full house of kids and various pets can be tough on floors and furniture. Dirty feet and paws, spills and messes can all wreck havoc on flooring and upholstery.  Choosing the right products from the start can be a smart investment.  Looking for materials that are stain resistant and durable can save you the cost of replacing upholstery and rugs in a few short years.

For upholstery in high traffic rooms like family rooms and kids’ rooms, think about using outdoor fabrics. These durable materials are intended to withstand weather and moisture outdoors so they can probably withstand daily life with pets and kids.  The same can be said for indoor/outdoor area rugs. These rugs have come a long way from astroturf. Patterns, colors and materials all imitate the same rugs intended for indoor use, but are more durable.

If you have kids and pets, all white furniture and all white carpet are probably not the wisest choices. Durable cotton slipcovers that can be washed (and bleached if they are white) are great ideas for existing furniture. If you are buying new furniture, ask if they will make a custom slipcover for the sofa or chair. You’ll get twice the life out of your furniture if you can slipcover it to protect the upholstery.

Of course the best defense against kids and pets is quick reaction for dirt and spills. Don’t let dirt get ground into carpet or let spills set.  Picking the right fabrics for kid and pet friendly furniture means you can worry less about jumping on the sofa or forts on the floor.

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Design Trend: Pale Wood Floors

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 21, 2012

Talking about trends in fashion and design can be tricky.  What is a trend in one part of the country might not be popular in another part of the country.  New Yorkers love their black clothes but dressing in all black in Jacksonville might not be as popular. The same goes for design trends.  Mexican terracotta tiles might be all the rage in Phoenix, but you won’t see them in Seattle.  Design trends also move from region to region, with some places being trendsetters and others followers.

This is why we love design blogs and design bloggers who share their current projects as well as what they are loving. These trends are not just seen in the shelter magazines, but in real homes around the country. One trend we are seeing on design blogs right now are pale wood floors.  Of course we’re seeing dark, ebony floors too.

Pale wood floors are showing up in coastal designs as well as Scandinavian influenced style. Farmhouse kitchens and contemporary living rooms can all be seen with pale wood floors. The new pale wood is often limed, a technique that gives the wood a white-washed appearance with a milky white stain that allows the grain and knots of the wood to still be seen.  This adds pattern and visual interest that is not seen in white painted floors.  Pale wood floors can work with white cabinetry in the kitchen and light colored furnishings in the living room. These floors are also beautiful in a coastal style bedroom topped with pale colored area rugs.

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Putting the Family in Family Room

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 16, 2012

We have some ideas to inspire you to spend more time as a family unit.  One of the best ways to create family time is to create a family room that is warm and inviting for the entire family.  Furniture and flooring can go a long way to making the family room a place the entire family will want to hang out.

Starting on the floor, choose a flooring that works for your family’s lifestyle.  Super high traffic areas like family rooms mean you’ll want a durable and stain resistant material. Given some activities like gaming and play in the family room mean sitting on the floor, you’ll want flooring that is also comfortable.  Stain-resistant carpet could be a good choice. So could wood floors or laminate flooring with the addition of an area rug in the seating area.  If you have pets, a wood or laminate floor might be the better choice than carpet.

Ample seating for watching movies, the big game or playing games is also key for a family friendly room. A mix of seating options is always a good idea. Sectional sofas or a pair of sofas in an L-shape creates a nice cozy arrangement for conversation and television watching. Portable seating like poufs, ottomans or stools can be moved around the room as needed, or stored out of the way.

Family photos on the walls and good storage to hide clutter are also good additions to a family room. Make the room inviting and you’ll find yourself and your family hanging out there more often.

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Space Saving Wall Mounted Faucets

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 13, 2012

We’ve talked about design solutions for small bathrooms and powder rooms before. These small spaces need to be functional as well as stylish in a tiny footprint.  For a small bathroom that may not have much counter space, a wall mounted faucet is a good design trick.  Wall mounted faucets can be installed in kitchens as well as bathrooms.

Wall mounted faucets come in as many styles and finishes as standard faucets. They work wonderfully with vessel sinks, which continue to be a big design trend for bathrooms of all sizes. The combination of a wall mounted faucet and a vessel sink saves on counter space—a must for a small bathroom.  Putting the faucet on the wall frees up precious counter space.  And when you have a small bathroom, you will need all the counter and floor space you can get.

This bathroom is a contemporary example of a bathroom design with a wall mounted faucet. Smooth plaster walls and a ceramic vessel sink give the room a contemporary organic feel. Concrete or stone flooring would nicely complement the plaster walls and counter. A floating counter will also free up floor space for storage and make the small room feel more open than a closed vanity would.

Wall mounted faucets are also a good choice for a bathroom with dual sinks.  Anything that creates more counter space in a bathroom is a good design element. Can you ever have enough counter space in the bathroom?

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Glass, Stone and Wood in the Bathroom

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 10, 2012

For some bathroom designs, porcelain or ceramic tile is the material that dominates the space. Tile can be found on the floor, shower, tub surround and even as counter top material. This approach is a classic but it isn’t the only way to cover the surfaces of a bathroom.  Glass, stone and wood are all great choices for today’s bathroom designs and remodels.

Glass in the bathroom can take the form of several different materials. Glass tiles can cover the floor and backsplash. Glass shower surrounds replace shower curtains, and open up the shower space. Of course glass mirrors are a must in the bathroom.  Other places to find glass include glass doors on the vanity and glass accessories.

Stone is another multifunctional material for the bathroom. Stone counter tops of granite or marble are big in the bathroom. Stone tiles for the floor, walls and shower are also beautiful choices. Some of today’s bathroom designs extend the tile all the way to the ceiling to expand the feeling of the room.

Wood is a bit tricky in the bathroom.  Because even sealed wood can still be more porous than stone, wood should be limited in its exposure to water. Wood floors add warmth to a bathroom, especially when they are heated. Wood vanities are typically painted or stained to keep moisture out. A wood bath mat and accessories add an organic touch to the bathroom.

Adding a mix of glass, stone and wood to the bathroom adds more visual interest to the space. And visual interest makes for a better design.

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Using Outdoor Furniture Indoors

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 4, 2012

There is no fast and true rule that outdoor furniture must only be used outside. Unlike most indoor furniture that would not withstand the sun and weather of the outdoors, outdoor furniture’s durability and water resistant nature make it an option for several rooms in the house.

Furniture woven from natural materials can be a nice addition to a family room or casual living room. The woven material will add great texture the space. Wicker or woven abaca are good material choices for using indoors as well as outdoors.  A woven abaca table with a glass top can be a pretty addition to an eat-in kitchen as well as patio.  This living room’s furniture is a great example of how much woven furniture can add to a space, especially one that is monochromatic white.

Metal patio tables and chairs can also be used in the kitchen as eat-in dining options.  If you do use furniture with metal legs or bases be sure to protect your floors from scratches or rust spots with furniture pads.

Indoor/outdoor materials are also great for high traffic areas indoors. Indoor/outdoor rugs can be used in the kitchen, laundry room, or kids’ playroom. They are designed to withstand moisture and liquids, making them easy to clean and maintain.  Outdoor fabric is a good choice for the family room furniture as well.  Outdoor fabric is more durable and will resistant spills and stains of everyday family life.

We’re not suggesting you drag your patio chairs into your living room, but there are a lot of great decorating pieces designed for the outdoors that can be just as beautiful inside.

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Room Do-Over: Starting from Scratch

By creatingyourspace | Published: January 2, 2012

With the New Year comes a desire for a fresh start. For some it may be a personal makeover that includes a fresh diet or exercise plan. For others it may be a makeover of their home.  If 2012 has you looking around your home and plotting remodeling or redecorating projects, you have a lot of company. Perhaps the big addition and new kitchen are off the table, but this doesn’t mean that you can’t tackle smaller projects to update your home.

If you are tackling a redecorating project and not a major remodel for a kitchen or bathroom, you probably have a pretty modest budget. If you are replacing flooring, it can be a substantial part of your budget whether you are doing carpeting or wood floors. Flooring can definitely be the best place to start for a new look for a room. Wall color is the second major way to change the look and feel of a space. Paint or wallpaper will transform your room.

One of the best ways to stretch your budget is to shop your own home for pieces for the newly designed room.  Pull everything out of the room and only put back in what you really love. Then begin shopping around your home for other furniture and accessories to work with your new design, flooring and wall color. You might find a home for your existing nightstand in a kid’s bedroom or swap the bedside lamps for the table lamps in the family room.  The options are plentiful.

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Going Bold with Color

By creatingyourspace | Published: December 28, 2011

Sometimes in decorating, as in life, we have to break the rules. Most designers and retailers will tell you to buy your big investment pieces of furniture in neutral colors that will withstand the test of time. Neutrals like white, cream, tans, beiges, greys and browns are the typical colors for sofas, loveseats and chairs. But what if you aren’t a neutral kind of person? What if you don’t always follow the rules?

Going bold with color on your furniture is something that can bring your personality into your home décor.  If you wear a lot of color in your clothes and accessories, living in a home decorated in neutrals just may not feel like you.  A red sofa might better suit your taste and personality than a neutral grey sofa.

Bold color can be painted on the walls or a single accent wall. Or you can go bold on the floor with patterned area rugs, carpet tiles or paint.  There is no limit to where you can put color. Even color on the ceiling can work. Just like furniture, walls and floors do not have to be neutral.  Accessories like lampshades, pillows, throws and objects are more ways to bring color into the room.

Of course if you do go bold with color, you’ll want to create balance so your space isn’t too overwhelming. White is a great way to balance bold color. And if you get tired of the red sofa, you can always cover it with a white slipcover.

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Caring for Wood Floors and Furniture

By creatingyourspace | Published: December 26, 2011

The wood floors and furniture throughout our homes add beauty and quality to our décor. Wood’s durability lends itself to cabinets, floors and furniture as well as baseboards and molding.  Wood can be stained or painted or left natural with a clear coat to protect it from water and dirt.

Wood furniture should be dusted and gently cleaned with a damp cloth for normal cleaning.  Harsh cleansers and cleaning products should be avoided as they can strip or damage the finish.  If you have questions about the type of finish on your wood, it is best to err on the side of caution and treat it as gently as possible.

For antique furniture, be careful with the finish. For some pieces, the original finish is where all the value lies.  Strip it, and you’ve stripped the value from your investment. Consult with a local furniture restorer or antique dealer for tips on how to care for your antique wood furniture.

Wood floors should be treated much like wood furniture.  Sweeping floors of surface dirt is the first step to keeping your floors in top condition. Properly sealed floors should be able to withstand traffic and the occasional spill.  Simple cleaning products are best.  If you have newly installed wood floors, consult with your flooring retailer on what cleaning products to use and which to avoid.

The beauty and durability of wood can last for generations if we take proper care.  Cleaning and care of wood can protect your investment for the next generation.

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