Outfitting your Bathroom with Gorgeous Color
Your bathroom is one of the few places in your home where you can relax without having to be interrupted by the world! Your bathroom is the first and last room you see in the morning and evening and it should be inspiring, relaxing and invigorating! One of the best ways to make your bathroom your sanctuary is with gorgeous color. Depending on your personality and decorative style you can determine which colors make you feel alive or relaxed, it’s all up to you! Look at these simple tips to create a bathroom that you will love waking up and retreating to nightly.
What colors inspire you in your bathroom?
Image via: Robin Ivy Photography
Match your bathroom color with your lifestyle:
Are you a morning riser who loves to greet the day with an invigorating work out and energized spirit? Then a bold purple, orange or yellow may be the perfect color to outfit your bathroom in. While if you would prefer to gently be awaken and your bathroom is your spa oasis in the evening, natural muted tones of greens, browns and soft blues that remind you of nature could be more your style. Remember your bathroom should be an extension of your personality and how you love to live in your home.
Invigorating or soothing colors?
Image via: Artistic Design and Construction, Inc
Choose colors that spark sentimental memories:
Your bathroom is an emotional room, meaning the ability to feel safe, relaxed, energized and all the other emotions you feel in your bathroom can largely come from the colors you choose. If you had a wonderful exotic vacation with your family – try using a teal blue for your walls to bring back the crystal blue waters! While if you have always loved the traditional feel of your parent’s home, try using classic dark wood cabinetry and subtle color tones to bring nostalgia into your bathroom. The options are limitless and the colors you choose can change with bath linen, window treatments, and subtle decor… not just your wall color!
Create a bathroom that reminds you of the past
Image via: Henderson Design Group
Adding color to your bathroom is the perfect way to get your mood ready for the upcoming work day or to bring a close to a challenging day with the kids! Whatever feel you’d like to bring to your bathroom, use these helpful color tips to bring about a beautiful bathroom experience.
Designing an Outdoor Summer Kitchen for Entertaining
The weather is getting warmer and all we can think about is how to spend more time outdoors, soaking up the sun and enjoying nature. Entertaining in the spring and summer months is always enjoyable and is enhanced with a summer kitchen. A summer kitchen is an outdoor structured area that houses a grill, preparation area, and often includes a sink, stove, refrigerator and other kitchen amenities. If you want to entertain this season and have the cooking and preparation just feet away from the outdoors, here are helpful tips for designing your summer kitchen.
Make use of your outdoor home with a summer kitchen
Image via: R.J. Gurley Custom Homes
Assess your entertaining lifestyle:
Your outdoor home may have a family full pool on the weekends or you may just entertain a small intimate gathering every now and then. Depending on how often you plan on entertaining can help decide the summer kitchen that fits best. Smaller summer kitchens can just have a grill and small preparation area. Larger outfits can take up considerable amount of room on your outdoor patio and be adjacent to dining and a pool for example. Assess what parts of your outdoor home you’d like to dedicate to entertaining – then determine how much cooking, what types of food you prepare most and if you need a full kitchen outdoors. If your summer kitchen is located near your indoor kitchen, possible a grill and sink are all that is needed.
Assess your entertaining lifestyle
Image via: Jon Luce Builder
Add your own personal style:
Your summer kitchen should have all of the personality of your indoor kitchen but with a nod towards interacting with nature. If your kitchen needs to be covered, consider adding an architectural element such as an arbor, a trellis covered area or even extending your main house roof to enclose a major summer kitchen addition. Once the area is covered, colorful patio furniture, natural plants, and plenty of entertaining and conversational seating areas are a must.
Personalize your summer kitchen
Image via: Kim Sargent
Your summer kitchen should be an extension of your personal design and entertaining lifestyles. Use these design ideas to help guide you. Consider hiring an outdoor kitchen specialist to help plan out your area as well as choose the right amenities for your budget. This season, enjoy your outdoor home with the addition of a summer kitchen.
Decorating Your Home With Modern Bookshelves
There used to be a time when a bookshelf was only found in the study or den of a home and the books weren’t very interesting to look at! Encyclopedia’s and hardback books lined bookshelves with not a mention of adding decoration to the interiors they graced. In today’s modern interiors, bookshelves have become less of a backdrop and more the highlight of any room. From expansive walls and highlighting architectural elements to tasteful additions to a bland wall. Take a look at these inspiring literary ideas for your favorite books.
Make your bookshelf a focal point of your interiors
Image via: Abramson Teiger Architects
Highlight your favorite interior wall:
While your favorite wallpaper or wall paint may be a great highlighted accent wall, but a bookshelf that consumes your favorite area can be even more inspiring! While books look great the shelves serve a functional purpose too – housing your literary collection, beautifully. Another idea for your home is to highlight architectural elements in your home with shelving. There is a plethora of modern bookshelves in furniture stores, and many of which you can assemble yourself! Consider placing books near a picture window, architectural columns, or anywhere in your interiors that needs a new focal point.
Bring your favorite decorative items into your bookshelves
Image via: Paul Davis Architects PC
Store your favorite decor along with books:
While books are the focal point, remember modern bookshelves can come with multiple display areas to show off your favorite memorabilia, photographs, art collections, and seasonal decorations. Arrange items by color, size, theme or randomly put items in spaces that appeal to you. One trick designers use: Place books in varying orientations, laying down, sitting up, along with decorative housewares and collectibles to make a themed tablescape. The options are limitless and your bookshelf can make all the difference.
Divide your space with book shelves
Image via: Hedrich Blessing
Use these bookshelf inspiration ideas to separate different rooms of your interiors, to create a focal point on a bare wall, or create a handy place to house your memorabilia and decorative items. See how your bookshelves just got a new function and a new look in your favorite room.
For more living room ideas, click here.
Choosing The Right Backsplash For Your Design Style
Whether you are considering a bathroom or kitchen remodel or you are planning for a new look for your home – a backsplash can make all the difference. Depending on your design style and architectural details of your home will help steer you in the right direction. From super slick and modern glass tiles to eclectic and rustic mosaic tiles, the world is your oyster when it comes to choosing the right backsplash. Here are a few ideas to help you choose the perfect one for your kitchen or bath.
Choose a backsplash that stands out or blends beautifully with your interiors
Image via: Kitchens By Design
Take on the life of your kitchen or bath:
Cues from your current kitchen or bath will give you a great start. Cabinetry color and style, countertop material and the architectural style of your room will give a sense of a backsplash type to choose. For white kitchen and baths a simple marble or lighter color tile is classic and timeless. While if you are pairing with dark cabinetry and dark appliances, look to rustic mosaic tiles in natural colors to coordinate the look. Decide if you want a deep contrasting color between your counters and cabinetry for an eye-catching appeal or prefer a more subdued and neutral look to your room.
Natural tone mosaic tiles pair beautifully with dark wood cabinetry
Image: Design To Live LLC
Match your design style to your backsplash
While you may think that your home is separate from you, it actually isn’t. Our homes are a direct reflection of our personal design styles and how we love to live. If you are a bold and eccentric individual who loves a walk on the wild side, why not opt for a dynamic backsplash that has whimsical colors and patterns? Glass tile and even etched glass with pre-painted sculptural designs may be just for you!
Have a bold personality? Show it off in your backsplash design
Image via: Sheila Addleman Photography
Your kitchen and bath backsplashes can be a focal point of your room or fine detail that blends into its surroundings. Depending on your design style, architectural style of your current cabinets and counters and your love for design, let these tips guide you. Tile, glass, porcelain, slate and so many materials to choose from for your backsplash, you will love the possibilities!
For more kitchen and bath ideas, click here.
Choosing the Right Desk for your Cramped Home Office
For most people their home offices are a room of the house they wish they had more space in. Whether you have to share your home office area with the laundry room or living room, or your furniture is too big for the space, a cramped office is not a productive room to work in. The most important piece of furniture is your desk; it is command central and can make the difference in how much work you can get done and how well you can maneuver around your office. Try these tips when choosing the right desk for your cramped office.
Choose the perfect desk – even if you share it with family
Image via: Oak Hill Architects
Choose a desk that fits your space:
Many times we choose a desk from another room, or even from another home before we assess how much space we truly have in our home office. If you are sharing a room with another multi-use room such as a living room or laundry room, consider measuring the space first. Then shop for a desk that will fit the space comfortably, but still will leave at least 24 to 36 inches in front of the desk to access with your chair. If you need a corridor or walking space around the desk, factor in at least 18” for a comfortable fit in your office. Consider these dimensions in shared offices as well.
Choose a desk that fits the space in your home
Image via: Meyer & Meyer, Inc.
Choose a desk that is versatile:
While it would be nice to say that every desk will suit everyone’s needs, but the reality is: your office desk will be used for more than one function. For some it will be a craft table, a folding clothes table, a surface for the mail, and a place for your kids to do their homework. Choose a desk that has storage, and the ability to transform into a multi-functional workspace. Many do it yourself desks that you assemble can satisfy many needs, and are ideal for spaces where the table needs to move. Consider more permanent furniture desks in rooms that you have more space and moving the desk often is not necessary.
Versatility is essential for a multi-purpose desk
Image via: Case Design/Remodeling, Inc.
Your desk should be a functional workspace and still make your small office feel great. Use these helpful tips when choosing your next desk. It may be the difference in you completing all of your work and you feeling uninspired to get any work done!
For more small space living ideas, click here.
