FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Hanging pictures in a room is one of the last and final details of decorating a room that make the whole design scheme come together. Picture placement can tie everything together in a room or if not done properly, it can make a room seem disjointed. Here are a few simple tricks to hanging pictures.

Hang pictures at the right height

Often, people hang pictures too high or think the picture needs to be hung in the center of the wall despite the furniture around it. Pictures should be hung at eye level – unless eye level is for a 7′ tall person! As a general rule, I always tell people to hang a couple of inches lower than they think the picture needs to be hung and it usually turns out great. Sometimes, small intimate areas call for pictures to be hung much lower than eye level. Judge each space separately.

Look at a room as a whole and as smaller areas that make up a whole room

When hanging a group of pictures, think of them as one large picture and hang them accordingly. Don’t worry if you have odd or even numbers of pictures or if all of your frames don’t match. This is an evolved and eclectic look and shows that everything was not purchased at the same time all from the same store!

When hanging small pictures, be sure to hang them in a small “area” rather than one small picture on an entire large wall. Use pictures to fill in spaces like between a lamp and the edge of a high back chair. On the same note, don’t hang a picture that is too large in a small area that could use a smaller picture or a group of small pictures.

Before putting the first nail in the wall

Sometimes it is helpful to place the picture on the floor or lean it against the wall it will be placed on. If hanging multiple pictures, arranging the grouping on the floor will help you with spacing and the overall size of the grouping. If you don’t have room to arrange the pictures on the floor, use craft paper to make templates for the wall. Simply trace the pictures on to the craft paper and cut them out. You can use museum putty or painters tape to attach the templates to the wall.

Measure twice, nail once!

When hanging, don’t measure the frame to determine where the nail goes. Instead, place your hand behind the picture with the wire in the position it will hang and mark the spot with a pencil. This will tell you where the nail needs to go. The nail does not go on the pencil mark, but the bottom of the hook goes at the pencil mark. (unless you have a picture hanger that only requires a nail without a hook)

When you go to place the picture on the wall, place your hand with your palm facing the wall and your hand between the wire and the wall. Feel for the hook with the palm of your hand and place the wire on the hook. This is a lot easier than trying to “catch” the wire on the hook blindly!

Not all pictures have to be hung on the wall. For example, they can lean up against the wall while resting on a mantle. They can sit in an easel (floor or table top style). They can be rested on the shelves of a bookshelf. The possibilities are endless and are different for different room settings.

The key is to judge each space separately and place the right size picture for the space it will sit in as well as the whole room. Keep in mind, too that you can move pictures around from room to room to get an entirely different look without investing more money. The only investment you have is your time and maybe some putty and touch up paint!

Have fun with hanging pictures. Put them in unexpected places. Don’t get stuck in a box and think that only one picture is allowed per wall and it has to reside in the center of the wall. Experiment and see what happens!

Choices Driven by Concern for Economy and Optimism for the Future

What colors are in store for us in 2009? According to Color Marketing Group, the top choices have been influenced by both our concern for the economy and our optimism about the future.

Color Marketing Group, the leading international non-profit association of color design professionals, has been accurately predicting color trends for more than 45 years. CMG predicts more evolution than revolution in color trends for the coming new season.

“We’re finding comfort in colors that are familiar, and yet, at the same time, we’re embracing colors that make us happy — especially as accents,” said executive director, Jaime Stephens. “Everyone’s concerned about the economy, yet the spirit of the country coming together after the election is powerfully reflected in these choices.  Also, the demand for colors and products that reflect an environmentally ‘greener’ world goes way beyond a trend. It’s now ‘a given.’ “

According to CMG, look for these color trends in 2009:

Purple, Purple, Purple! – Emerging as a hot fashion color last fall, purple is not just a fad — it’s an entrenched trend, strongly influenced by the election. (After all, red plus blue equals purple.)  Look for a greyed-out violet that works equally well as an accent or a neutral, as well as redder, plummier purples and bluer-influenced fuchsias in a huge range of products.  Purple is 2009’s “must have” color.

Blue is the New Green – Various greens have symbolized “green living” over the last few years, but in 2009 the “green” environmental message is delivered by the color blue. There are watery blues, sky blues and a whole range of blues that now represent our commitment to living on a greener planet.

Cooled-down, Greyed-out Browns and Greys – Complex neutrals satisfy our urge toward classic colors in an economically challenged time. They also bridge the area between black, which seems harsh, and brown, which doesn’t seem strong enough.

Yellow for Energy – The neutrals may have greyed, but look for lots and lots of bright vivid yellow to give us energy as we re-build the economy.  It’s the stand-out accent color for 2009.

Bright Accents from India, China, and Turkey – The exotic has become the familiar. Oranges, turquoises and teals, reds, and yellows will abound in hues from far-away countries that now seem very near. They are the optimistic touches we crave.

White is now a Business Color – Technology has produced amazing new (and very practical) finishes, which helps explain why white is showing up everywhere, even in corporate board rooms. The contrasts are all in the finishes: matte versus gloss; shine and shimmer on reflective surfaces; textured whites versus smooth — all washable and cleanable. White also represents purity of thought, motive and result – exactly what we want from businesses now.

The Return of the “M” Word – It’s mauve. Remember mauve?  An old color that looks new again, in dusty violet shades, mauve works as an accent but also serves now as a neutral, punched up by those bright Asian accents (orange, turquoise, teal, red, and yellow.)

About Color Marketing Group

Color Marketing Group forecasts color trends up to three years into the future for its members, many of whom must plan ahead for product, space and materials introductions. For more information: www.colormarketing.org.

Bear Creek Bronze produces solid cast metal tile, cabinet hardware, switch/outlet covers, address items and even customs.

Proudly made in America their decorative tile collection is available in 5 distinctive metals; Bronze, Copper, White Bronze, Yellow Brass, and Aluminum. They also offer 4 different hand worked finishes; Burnished, Polished, Brushed, and Oil Rubbed Bronze. With currently 39 unique tile designs they offer well over 600 different styles to choose from. They also specialize in having the custom capability of reproducing virtually anything from corporate logos to original designs in all of their metals and finishes.

Their foundry has been in business since 1921, producing the finest sand castings in the industry. At the turn of the century, a desire within the company emerged to shift the focus from manufacturing components solely for industrial markets, to designing and casting decorative embellishments for residential and commercial applications. Thus the Bear Creek Bronze product line was created.

Bear Creek Bronze is a family business located in historic Independence, Missouri. They are very proud of our family oriented environment. Being a family business, they see to it that every customer has a pleasant experience in dealing with them no matter what it takes.

It’s a little-known secret that all of their products are handmade using only the finest alloys that contain no less than 95% recycled material. Since all of their products are fully renewable and recyclable, they can be reclaimed and re-melted into other castings at anytime.

For those of you out there that don’t find floor covering fascinating and spend your weekends on Google to learn all you can about floors, here’s a run down of the basics. This information may help you understand about your options and what you need to know when you decide you want new floors.

1. The main categories of flooring are:

Carpet

Vinyl or Resilient Flooring

Hardwood

Laminate

Ceramic or Porcelain Tile

Natural Stone

To learn more about these categories and to see different styles see the information outlined on our parent site or just click on the link above.

2. Technology and design styles have had significant influence on flooring. Other than the basics flooring types listed above, there are also styles of cork flooring, bamboo flooring, glass tiles, stainless and other metal tiles, rubber tiles, natural fibers like seagrass and sisal and many others – even paper!

3. Not all floors are acceptable on all foundation types.  For example, most solid hardwood floors cannot be installed on concrete slabs. Be sure to know your foundation type before you start shopping.

4. Flooring is measured and sold either by the square foot or the square yard. Be careful when comparing prices that you are comparing apples to apples. If a hardwood tag says “$4 per SF” and a carpet tag says “$18 per SY” and you don’t see the one letter than distinguishes the two, you might think the hardwood is less expensive than the carpet.

5. Allow a retailer give you an estimate on your room size to determine how much flooring you will need rather than building your budget from your own measurements. For example, if you have a room that is 13′ x 13′ you will need different quantities for different flooring materials. Some items are sold by the box and carpet and vinyl are sold from a roll that could be 12′, 13′6″ or 15′ wide. Since you have to buy items that are sold by the box by the full box (and take the waste factor, pattern match and pattern repeat into consideration) and items sold on a roll by their given width you could need anywhere from 190 SF over 300 SF for a room that actually measures 169 SF.

6. Different floors are made for different lifestyles. For example: You may love hardwood, but if you have large dogs hardwood may not be the best choice for you. If you have dark hair, white bathroom floor tiles might not be the best choice for you.  If you have small children and pets, white carpet may not be the best choice for you.

7.  Keep transitions to other rooms in mind when choosing flooring. Floors have different finish heights and those heights can vary depending on your subfloor. Floors with different finish heights will need to be treated with a transition strip. Transitioning from a (low) vinyl/resilient floor to a 3/4″ solid hardwood floor can be significant. Transition strips are no big deal, if you know in advance to expect them.

8.  Keep resale in mind. Because floors like hardwood, ceramic tile and natural stone are costly and rarely need replacing due to wear, consider how long you are going to live in your home before choosing your floors.  Your favorite color may be blue, but a house full of blue floors may be a turn off to a potential buyer. If you do choose to express your style with a house full of blue floors, be sure that you won’t tire of looking at the same color after a while. However, I am definitely not suggesting choosing all beige floors for resale purposes!

9. It is important to consider maintenance. If you don’t like to clean, there are flooring options with very little maintenance that also stand up to heavy traffic and pets.

10. Floors come in a variety of different styles and that means that they also come with different budgets. Be careful when shopping that you don’t rule out a particular flooring type because of the first priced sample you see. There are some vinyl floors that are as expensive as a hardwood floor and there are prices ranges within each type of flooring that can be as much as $20 per square foot.

The floors in your home are a big decision. They take more wear and tear than most any other item in your home. Other than your walls, your floors consume the majority of the square footage in your home. Choose a floor type based on the fact that you will probably live with it for a very long time!

Window treatments are more than just decorative. Here’s what you should know about Hunter Douglas energy efficient window treatments:

They help insulate against cold:

R-Value is a measure of a product’s ability to resist heat flow, which is especially important in the cool winter months. They higher the R-Value number, the more insulation it provides and the better it is at reducing heat loss.

A bare, low-e double-glazed window has an R-Value of about 3.5. Add a properly installed Duette Architella 1 1/4″ honeycomb shade with Panache opaque fabric and the R-Value peaks at 7.86, more than doubling the energy efficiency and reducing heat loss by over 50%

Window treatments act as insulation:

In the winter, as much as 40% of the heat that escapes a home flows through the windows. During the summer, heat from the sun’s rays coming through the windows can make it harder to keep a home cool. Energy efficient window treatments can help decrease heat loss and heat gain, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs.

Some window treatmetns are more energy efficient than others, so make sure to check a product’s R-Value and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) rating.

This will help you save money on utility bills, conserve natural resources, lessen fading of carpets, fabrics, artwork and wood.

Reduce solar heat gain:

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) is the amount of solar heat that passes through a window, where 0=none and 1=all. The lower a product’s SHGC, the less solar heat it transmits, which can help a home stay cooler in the warm summer months.

The SHGC of a bare, double-glazed window is 0.76, which means that 76% of solar heat is transmitted through it. Add a Duette Architella 1 1/4″ shade with Elan opaque fabric and the solar heat gain coefficient drops to 0.15- only 15% of the solar heat is transmitted.

Filter Natural Light:

UV exposure is not only harmful to the skin, it can also damage furnishings, floors and fine art. Most HUnter Douglas products have fabric options that filter out 99% of these harmful rays in the closed position.

Many Hunter Douglas window fashions, including Silhouette window shading and Luminette Privacy Sheers, filter out as much as 86% of harmful UV rays in the open-vane position.

Trying to sell a home in todays market is tougher than ever. Home staging is a proven method to selling homes more quickly. With the state of the economy, it may be hard to justify spending the money on a home stager. Below are some hints and tips to help you stage your own home.

First, make a good impression at the front door. Keep the entrance to your home neat and inviting. Make sure the mat is in good condition, the door hardware finish is not worn, the plants have been watered, etc.

Once the potential buyer gets through the front door, continue the good impression by making sure to rid your home of clutter and unnecessary items. It is a good idea to remove most of the personal items like family pictures or  kids school drawings from the fridge. You want the potential buyer to feel like they are in a home environment, but not so overwhelmed with knick-knacks that they can’t see the structure of the home. Removing your personal items will help them be able to visualize their things in the home.

Remember that less is more. Think of when you see a model home. Only the basics and necessities made the cut. Remove any unnecessary furniture items, pieces of artwork or collectibles. The goal is for each room to be open and inviting and not too distracting.

If you have a junk room or room without a purpose, while the house is on the market try to make this room have a purpose. Organize the room so that a potential buyer can visualize that same room for their purpose. Let’s not neglect the garage either. A cluttered garage says that it is not large enough to hold the necessary items. This will translate to the new buyer. Try not to pile everything you remove from the cluttered interior into the garage. Renting a storage space for a few months may be worth the cost.

When the house is being shown, open all of the blinds and window treatments as well as overhead lights and lamps. The brighter the house seems, the more appealing it will be.

It can be very difficult, but try to remove emotion from this process and think of what you would need to see in order to visualize your personal items in a home.  Often when you think you have de-cluttered enough – you can stand to go one more round and de-clutter again!

For more tips from HGTV on staging your home, click here.

My question to each of the vendors was “What is your most popular product or what are you seeing as current trends?”

Here’s what I found:

Cabinetry - Colors like cherry nutmeg with onyx or coffee glazes, truffle and chestnut

Hardwood - Hand distressed boards

Tile - Neutral tiles with decorative accents

Walls – large scale and oversized patterns and texture

New vs. Replacement vs. Refurbish – Instead of spending the money or the expense on the environment, people are looking to refurbish rather than replace

Colors - warm and rich, darker finishes especially with floors and cabinetry

Personalization – a lot of the vendors commented on people wanting something unique and different such as wall coatings and tile

It was refreshing to see all of the color and custom products currently on the market. The vendors were all very enthusiastic despite the state of the economy!

At Safecoat®, protecting personal health has always been the companies first priority. That’s why for over 25 years they’ve been working to develop the safest, highest quality and least toxic paints and building products. Today AFM safecoat is the leading provider of environmentally responsible, sustainable and non-polluting paints, stains, wood finishes, sealers and related green building products.

The Safecoat® difference is their products don’t just advertise that they are “No VOC’s”, they take steps that go much further to protect your health. How do they do this?  In addition to meeting the highest standards of environmental responsibility, they also eliminate toxic ingredients such as solvents, heavy metals, chemical residuals, formaldehyde and other harmful preservatives. A “safe coat” is actually created for products from wood to metal to concrete, carpets, and much more to reduce toxic emissions into the air you breathe.

One of the products in the AFM Safecoat®  line is The Ayurveda Essesnce Color System.

The Ayurveda Essence color system consists of 108 carefully chosen colors in 3 groups of 36 creating a very distinctive pallet. To keep the format simple, they created three micro palettes that correspond to the three major constitutional types of East Indian medicine: vata, pitta, and kapha. The colors are separated energetically. That means whether the colors are hot or cold, warm or cool, calming or stimulating, uplifting or grounding, moist or dry, etc. For example, deeper, darker colors suggestive of moisture can create balance.

For each micro palette, the starting place on the color wheel was chosen for the strongest balancing effect: violet for the vata palette, green for the pitta palette, red for the kapha palette. Each palette is skewed accordingly to maximize balance. Vata is balanced by earthy colors that subdue hot and cold, pitta is balanced by cooling, complex colors, and kapha is balanced by stimulating and warming colors.

Click here to see examples of the color system. Its colors are striking and well balanced.

Safecoat® offers other products such as : paints and primers, stains and sealers, clear finishes, natural penetrating oil, natural oil wax finishes, natural thinners and cleaners and carpet care.

For a dealer in your area – click here.

Below are some different tile applications for fireplaces. These are just a few of the options that can be used for tile or stone on fireplaces. The design options are limitless! There are many, many tile and stone choices as well as many types of fireplaces.

Tile or stone can be installed from floor to ceiling and on the hearth. This adds height to the room and the fireplace. In this application, the fireplace becomes a focal point of the room. 

Mosaic tiles can be installed in corner fireplace applications. Tiles that are the same color throughout or are made of natural stone do not have to have bullnose trim pieces. This tile is not installed all the way to the floor; instead, it stops at the base board so that the tile of the trim on the floor is not interrupted.

Tile can be installed from the floor to the hearth and from the hearth to just above the fireplace box itself. Optional surfaces can be installed above the tile for a finished look without using the same material from floor to ceiling. This fireplace also becomes the focal point of the room.

Tile or stone can be installed on just the face of the fireplace with or without a mantle. This tile does not wrap around the sides of the fireplace. It is just used on the face of the fireplace. If using a natural stone or a tile that is the same color throughout, a bullnose trim piece is not needed at the top or on the sides. If a tile is used with a different color body that the face, a cap or bullnose trim piece will need to be used.

This week ends the shower design series. This week we have seen beautiful showers and baths and noted design elements about each. Of course, we saved the most unique for last.

Things to note about this shower:

• The designer of this shower took a “regular tile” and turned it on the diagonal. Not only did they turn the tile on the diagonal, but added a glass mosaic on the diagonal as well! What a fantastic design!
• The shower floor tile coordinates with the wall tile.
• The bathroom floor tile is the same as the wall tile in the shower. The floor tile is best to be simple and restful so that the pattern in the shower stands out as the focal point in the room.
• The edges are finished with a trim piece called bullnose to give a professional clean, finished look.
• The shower door allows the pattern to be seen an enjoyed through all of the glass.
• The tile in the shower runs all the way to the ceiling. This allows more of the pattern to be shown and the walls of the shower to appear higher.
• The corner shelf is not white. Instead, it coordinates with the wall tile and blends with the tile. This makes the corner shelf be less visible so that the pattern is the focal point.
• The shower head falls in the middle of one of the rows of decorative glass. In this case, it was more important to keep the pattern rather than to arrange the pattern around the placement of the plumbing fixture.