FloorTalk – for all the latest flooring fashions

Submitted by Annette M. Callari, Allied ASID; Chair Holder CMG

The floor covering industry is gearing up for one of the major trade shows of the year—Surfaces 2011–to be held in Las Vegas in late January.  I observe this trade show with a reporter’s mindset, so I can discover the best new products and bring them to you via FloorTalk.  Manufacturers are excited about the debut of their new products, and sometimes they are willing to give me a sneak peek as to what’s coming.  Good news for us that Emser Tile has done just that.

Stone and porcelain floors have a natural beauty that is unique and singular only to them.  The clean, concise looks are the reason why consumers gravitate toward these materials.   The longevity of the product is a secondary benefit, as these floors maintain their good looks for decades.  But I don’t want you to overlook a way to personalize your choice of floor.  Listellos are a designer’s best friend when it comes to customizing floor designs for our clients.  The extraordinary beauty these tiny accents can add to a floor is staggering.  You can take a travertine, limestone, or porcelain floor to a new level, simply by using your imagination and putting listellos to work for you.  Design a perimeter border, create a faux ‘area rug’ in a room; surround a treasured piece of furniture with an artistic listello.  All of these ideas are the way to create a room with character.   Here are a few extraordinary possibilities:

Introducing TEXTILE from Emser Tile.  These high profile listellos can support both contemporary and classic interior design.

Here we see PIEMONTE, a stunning mosaic of natural stone and polished accent stones. There are even matching corner pieces to complete your design.

STRANDS is one of my favorites.  The linear design in pencil thin strips gives an urban chic finishing touch to your beautiful hard surface floor.  This pattern is available in both the dark (shown below) and a light version as well.

ECLIPSE offers two well-designed choices:  Sun Listello pictured left, or Moon Listello shown below.  Again, corner pieces are available to handle right angles with grace.  The combination of smooth, solid color tiles with a patterned inset adds high style to this choice.

I truly hope you are as captivated by these designs as I am–something truly different and well crafted to inspire you.  If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to install new flooring in 2011, well I can’t think of a better starting point than right here, right now, with one of these “made for you” listellos.  Happy New Year!

For more information on flooring visit the World Floor Covering Association’s Consumer Carpet & Flooring Guide.

Submitted by Annette Callari, Allied ASID; CMG

The countdown is on and Christmas is a nod and a blink away.  My Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving, only because I really needed a head start on this holiday.  And, having found a realistic “fake” tree (oxymoron, I know), I can safely keep it up for the better part of a month without it becoming a fire hazard.  I love sharing new ideas with you at this time of year to jumpstart your creativity and holiday spirit.  So here are some Yule ‘embers’ to stoke your creative fire:

Let some fresh holiday colors add surprise to your living room or family room.  A stroll through Pier 1 Imports ought to give you adequate temptation.  Their selection of toss pillows suits the season beautifully.  Color Marketing Group International states that the hot 2010 colors for Christmas include pairing red with white (still pretty traditional) as well as red, white and silver.  But purple and silver are debuting as the surprise color combo for Christmas 2010!  Get crazy and choose some mix and match patterns for a quick holiday makeover—and the more glittery the fabrics, the better.

Auto-timed flameless candles have to be the hot item of the season.  These frosted white glass candles will glow for five hours every day, and can be programmed to turn on automatically at a specific time.  No more worries about having little ones around live candles with these.  They look like the real thing, flickering and mesmerizing your guests, without requiring 9-1-1 to be on auto-dial.  Costco stores are offering reasonably priced sets that include many different sized candles.

Let’s not forget a tried-and-true idea for holiday room makeovers.  Room-sized area rugs in holiday themes are an amazing makeover trick.  What a great way to add a burst of color to your room (and protect your broadloom carpet or hardwood floors from party spills at the same time)!!!

Here’s an idea that needs to be repeated for new readers.  I have yet to find a tree skirt that will fit the huge trees I decorate.  Fabric-by-the-yard to the rescue.  Fabric stores always stock up on glittery fabrics for Christmas, and gold, silver, red or ivory are exactly what you need—right off the bolt.  (You might check your local Walmart to see what they are offering in fabrics.)  You can finish off raw edges with pinking sheers to avoid ravels, but just tucking edges under to give a soft finished edge will work just as well.  Great solution—low cost investment, and one you can reuse next year as well.

Do you have a large rectangular Tupperware container?  If so, you have the mold for a stunning holiday centerpiece for your table.  Pine cones, small pine boughs, tea light candles, holly berries (or beads) and a silver ornament or two are all you need.  Place items snugly in the container, fill with distilled water and freeze until solid.  Just before dinner, defrost enough to release from container onto a silver tray.  Surround with greenery or fresh flowers, and prepare to be proud of yourself.  Be sure the tray has enough of a lip to catch any excess water as the ice block melts.  Just remember to refreeze or dispose before lights out that night.  (Complete instructions can be accessed by Googling “Fire & Ice Holiday Centerpiece”.)

I could go on for pages, but less is more when it comes to decorating wisely.  So let me know if any of these Christmas gems work for you.  FloorTalk always encourages comments (be kind—it’s Christmas), and I do want to hear from you—especially if you’ve got a gem of your own to share.

                                                  Happy Holiday.