When you look at this sweet, winter-shrouded home, it has all the cozy essence of a Thomas Kinkade painting.  But it’s actually a real homestead in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  This is the original location of a small cottage industry that started out as Historic Floors of Oshkosh. Founded by Tom Peotter and Lee Bettes in 1992, these gentlemen worked from the basement of their home specializing in wood floors and specialty floor products for historic home restorations. But you can’t keep exceptional craftsmanship a secret for very long.  Their focus expanded to the new home builder market, and they soon outgrew the meager surroundings of their basement business.

Today, they are known as Oshkosh Designs and their expanded company is located in Winneconne, Wisconsin.  What a great story!  And what a great line of products these two gentlemen originated.  It has since expanded to include intricate floor medallions, hardwood floor inlays, wood floor borders, and parquet floor tiles.  Some of their specialty products include intricate wood mouldings for fireplaces and chairrails, decorative stair treads and risers, backsplashes and even ceiling treatments.  The medallions are categorized by themes and encompass everything from animals to sports.  Other themes available are music, botanical, tropical, compass/stars, and even nautical.  If you don’t see something already templated among their collections, their artisans will work with you to create one of your own.

When Oshkosh outgrew its grass roots beginnings, the move to a bigger location brought with it advancements in production and technology.  The company implemented laser technology, allowing it to specialize in even more intricate cutting.  Later, they started using water jet technology to incorporate stone, recycled glass and non-ferrous metals into their classic designs.  You can imagine the unique projects Oshkosh Designs has attracted over the years, given these capabilities. I first learned about them through Galleher in Southern California, who is the Distributor for this line in California, Arizona and Nevada.  I definitely decided I needed to share this discovery with you, and I hope I’ve captured your interest enough that you will do your own research at oshkoshdesigns.com.  The website will direct you to a distributor in your own area, and even give you a direct contact number for Oshkosh.

The menu of contrasting materials these craftsmen utilize is intriguing. They’ve mastered the art of combining contrasting natural hardwoods, stone, marble, leather, brass, copper and aluminum. For the consumer, this means you have a diverse number of material combinations to choose from to produce your very own “work of art” for your floor. These medallions are appropriate for residential or commercial applications, so if you own your own business, imagine how awesome it would be to have your company logo crafted into a medallion!  These unique medallions feature the Oshkosh exclusive Artisan™ Finish.  This is a top quality sealer plus a top coat of a cross-linked semi-gloss finish.  This protective coat adds exceptional durability.  Oshkosh offers a “matching” warranty to the manufacturer’s warranty (that being the warranty offered by the hardwood manufacturer providing the wood field floor). 

In this 21^st Century, it’s a fact that we’ve lost a lot of the “American-made” pride and craftsmanship that used to be the hallmark of quality products. I see a company like Oshkosh Designs working hard to bring back that pride and establish a true American brand—a brand with value and longevity.  We can all be encouraged that fine craftsmanship is not a lost art.

There are few greater annoyances—more than annoyances, really—than discovering scratches, scuffs, dents and other damage to new wood flooring. Makes you feel like beauty has become the beast.

Fortunately, avoiding damage is possible. It’s a matter of taking a smart first step when you buy flooring. Look for products made to resist everyday assault from dog claws, grains of sand, dining room chairs, high heels, and such. Brand-name companies continually work to harden their finishes.

Anderson Hardwood has built its reputation on floors that stand up to punishment while also attracting attention through the natural appeal of wood. Specializing in popular dark floors, the company offers exquisite products in oak, maple, hickory, cherry and birch. The company makes planks up to seven inches wide and some are hand-scraped, which makes for a memorable finish.

Homeowners can be confident that these will stand up to abuse because Anderson floors are made from the hardest part of the tree. Compared to wood flooring sold strictly on price, this makes their pecan planks 102 percent harder, maple planks 77 percent harder, and oak planks 41 percent harder.

Not strong enough for you? Anderson has now added a new finish called Luster-Lock Ultra, a proprietary smooth, glossy surface. This formula makes the floor six times more scuff- and abrasion-resistant than competing finishes.

Based on performance of the new finish, Anderson is doubling finish warranties on their 3/8-inch, 5-ply products to 30 years and their 1/2-inch products to 50 years. Smooth-faced products also get 30-year finish warranties and solid-textured floors get 50-year warranties.

No more beast. Just beauty.

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There’s more late-breaking news about Anderson Hardwood flooring:

1. All Anderson flooring is now GREENGUARD Children & Schools certified, which guarantees products will contribute to good indoor-air quality. For certification, flooring was tested for the presence of more than 10,000 different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to make certain that formaldehyde is present only in exceedingly small amounts (less than 13.5 parts per billion). To maintain the certificate, flooring is regularly retested.

Go big green!

2. Flooring in the Tropical Reflections collection features Anderson’s exclusive PermaColor natural aging process. This process creates a deep, high-gloss finish without the use of stains, solvents or chemicals.

Breath easy, people.

In my last Floor Talk entry, I introduced eight of the fourteen new colors for 2011 and 2012 home interiors’ palette.  Hopefully that blog piqued your interest, and, as promised, here are the remaining seven colors that round out the color forecast.

Orange will become much more user-friendly as we edge towards 2011.  The new orange is called Rio-Stat, giving a nod to Rio de Janiero and the honor that city has won to host the future Summer Olympics.  Rio-Stat has a hint of brown to keep it interesting and soft.

The purple family has been pretty quiet the last several years.  Well purple lovers will be pumped to know that future color directions include TWO new purples.  Violet Satin — a soft pastel purple suitable for major interior use, and its counterpart Gotham, which goes deeper and richer.  Expect to see both of these colors used together in the same room for the perfect monochromatic color scheme.

In Part I of the Color Visions ‘expose’, you read that blues were taking on important duty—that of carrying on the message of sustainability.  Given that fact, in addition to Perpetual and X-Hale (which were previously announced) a softly shaded, misty blue named Bar Harbor is also on the color horizon.  This color is going to excite a number of product manufacturers.  Look for Bar Harbor to come alive in technology products, new car introductions, and of course, home interior goods.  Crossing the line to the gray family, we were desperately in need of a true neutral gray.  It’s more difficult than you would think to devise just the right formula to produce an interesting neutral gray, but this has been accomplished with the introduction of Stratus.  As wood floor manufacturers are intently at work creating gray-toned hardwoods, Stratus will become the perfect interior companion.

The color countdown is nearly complete.  You now have learned the names of 13 of the 14 new color introductions.  Number 14 is a classic–always present in the palette—but because of its heightened importance, needed to claim a slot in the 2011/2012 palette.  By definition, this particular color ironically represents the total lack of color.  I’m referring to black, wearing its new stage name of Bon Noir.  It is a classic, without a doubt, and will be employed in some amazing finishes, including pearlized versions, velvety matte versions, and of course (in the case of automotive) executive gloss black. 

Now that we have the words to represent these new colors, here are the definitions and color chips for each of the V.I.P. “fourteen”.

Click here to view the forecast color card

It’s been a while since I’ve talked to you about color—one of my favorite subjects. Life, in general, doesn’t offer us too many free gifts, and color happens to be one of the most amazing. All we have to do is open our eyes to accept and appreciate it. As children, we were instinctively attracted to bright colors, making sure we used every Crayola in the box for our innocent works of art.  So why, as we go through life, do we become somewhat jaded about color, electing to surround ourselves with safe neutrals rather than the colors that are saturated with personality?  Take a look at the color of cars traveling down the highway around you.  You are going to be shocked at the overwhelming number of white vehicles, followed by black and then silver.  “I don’t want to make a mistake…”  “I’m thinking of re-sale value…”  “It’s just safer to go with what everybody else does…”  These are the reasons (or should I say excuses) we use as justification. 

During May of this year I was fortunate to attended the Spring conference of Color Marketing Group International.  I love this group, because I’m surrounded by fellow color professionals who understand the power and psychology of color.  Fashion, interior design, automotive, recreation, graphic design and technology are just some of the fields that are represented at these conferences.  Three days of intense “hands-on” workshops produce forecast colors that are the guiding light for color palettes two to three years out.  That’s how far in advance Fortune 500 companies need to know color directions in order to bring their new products to market—in the right colors!  You might not be aware of this, but color directions always reflect what’s going on in our society and in our lives.  For instance, during the depths of this recession, colors took a serious turn, showing undercurrents of browns and grays in almost every hue.  What I saw coming out of CMG’s Spring conference this year, however, was a huge shift in direction on the color compass.  Colors are brighter, clearer, and more optimistic.  The undertones are now light and airy and colors are reflecting… HOPE.

Let’s talk about just a few of the emerging colors for 2011 and 2012.  The strongest new color in the palette is Rasplendant.  Picture frosty raspberry sherbet on a hot summer’s day–that is the jazzy new fuschia hue that’s making fashion waves and interior headlines.  It has the WOW factor and adds a bit of sparkle to any room.  I originally predicted Rasplendant would play a supporting role for interiors (accessories, etc.), but I believe I was mistaken.  I am seeing this delicious new color commanding attention in fashion, and playing a starring role in interiors already.  If you want to add drama and fun to your interiors—be on the look out for Rasplendant. 

Green has had a good run, wouldn’t you agree?  So, is it leaving the palette?  No—but it is morphing into a fresher version.  Rain Forest is the newest green, favoring all the lushness and richness of its namesake.  And two highly popular greens, Oldensage and Seacrest are carrying forward to the next two years as well.  But green is about to be rivaled by another hue that can carry the sustainability message just as well, and that would be blue.  Several new blues are making their debut and one in particular. X-Hale, is a favorite.  For those of you who remember your Dad’s or your Grandpa’s 1957 Chevy, this new color was stolen right from that classic car.  It’s bright, it’s contemporary, and it’s the perfect vivid mix of blue and green.  You cannot look at this color without feeling happy.  X-Hale represents a simpler, happier time, when our nation was in a serious growth mode and all things were possible.  Now who wouldn’t want a slice of that 1950’s American pie? 

One more blue gracing the new palette comes from military inspirations.   That is Perpetual.  This color is deeply steeped in tradition, reflective of quiet reserve, honor and endurance.  What a great tribute (through color) to the dedication and sacrifice our country’s military makes for us on a daily basis. As a nation, we have every good reason to want this color in our future palette.  The message is clear. 

Yellow is back, and not as the muted yellow-gold from the past several years, but as a crystal clear, liquid yellow that embodies pure optimism.  Italians traditionally serve a signature icy liqueur after every dinner (whether you order it or not, I discovered) called Limoncello.  In Italy you must eat and you must drink—it’s a prerequisite if you are to enjoy what life has to offer.  Limoncello represents the best of Italy and the Italian people’s gregarious nature.  So it would seem that our new yellow happens to be well-named.  It too represents a bit of over-indulgence and pure fun.

Reflection is the next color joining the palette–one of the favorite colors that emerged from the Color Conference.  This is a cameo color that speaks of simpler days.  (Do you see a theme developing within this palette?)  It’s a warm neutral (pink+peach+beige) that is fresh and youthful.  Both Fashion and Interiors will embrace it as a priority player as we near 2011.  Reflection actually originated in the contract segment of the market and now is crossing over to residential.

Well, this is a great start to the Color Visions story for 2011 & 2012.  But this story can’t be told in just one chapter (or should I say blog).  So stay tuned as this evolving tale of color is ‘to be continued’.  More color neophytes soon to appear on the radar scope will be revealed in my very next blog–that’s a promise.

Good design is all about solutions, and here’s a solution worth sharing. Glass tile is a shining star in both commercial and residential designs, bringing color, light and translucence to any interior.  Getting creative with glass tile nets big results, but can also net some installation headaches as well.  The crystal clear elegance of glass requires a grout that can enhance its beauty—and I believe I’ve found it.

StarGlass™ translucent grout from StarQuartz, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, offers the solution.  Regular grout products used in glass tile installations can bleed under the tile and give a muddy, irregular appearance.  StarGlass™ is designed to let your glass tile be the star, because it enhances the look of the glass.  Besides being translucent, it’s three-dimensional and reflective.  The secret ingredient to this grout is a round glass bead aggregate that combines with a urethane grout binder.  What a brilliant idea!  It brings out the beauty of the glass (or metal) tile without weighing it down.

The manufacturer states, “StarGlass™ can be used on vertical or horizontal surfaces for both interior and exterior tile installations.  Approved uses include grout for ceramic, porcelain, glass tile, metal tile, or natural stone tiles.” 

Here are some of the interesting features/benefits that I discovered:

• Pre-mixed, ready to use
• Excellent chemical, stain and mildew resistance
• Semi-flexible, low shrinkage, and high crack resistance
• No color fading, streaking or shading—even when wet
• Fast, easy clean-up when compared to epoxy and cement grouts
• Proprietary coloring system
• UV stable colors (non-yellowing)
• Self-sealing (no sealing required)
• Non-sag formula for vertical surfaces
• Installs up to 50% faster than other grout systems
• Contributes to LEED credits
• Contains over 80% post-consumer recycled content

Pretty impressive line-up of features, but most important, we finally have a product specifically designed for glass tile installations.  It’s possible your tile setter hasn’t even heard of it yet, but be persistent if this is what you want in your home or office.  A little research and your professional will be a convert too.  I believe in this product—to the point where I have specified it for a vertical glass tile installation in a commercial design I am working on.  With this product discovery, I brought something new to my company and to our installation crews.  StarGlass™ may now become a star player for all of our future glass installations. 

Before I close, let’s talk color for a moment.  This grout comes in 15 amazing colors (Diamond, Onyx, Opal, Jade, Bronze, just to name a few). The colors are gemlike and almost dance with reflective qualities. You can see the entire color line on their website, www.starquartz.com—and you need to know that Daltile is the national distributor for this amazing new product.  What fun!