Infloormation

Have you ever purchased what you think is just the right chair, rug or accessory, only to bring it home and discover that it’s the absolutely wrong color or tone for the room? No matter how hard we try, color matching in our heads constantly presents a challenge. Well, with a bit of effort on your part, you can create a set of samples for each room to keep you from making those color mistakes.

If you’re moving into a new home or redecorating, take the time to collect everything you need during the installation process. Our installers can leave scraps of carpet, wood or tile when fitting your flooring to your room. Take advantage of these pieces to start your collection of samples. (just wait until they have finished!)

For paint, grab a set of index cards and paint one side of a card for each color in your home. A quick note on the back with location, paint name and brand may be helpful later. Don’t expect your paint chips to work; they rarely match the actual paint color exactly.

For fabric, ask for samples from any curtains or furniture you have custom made. For ready-made pieces, check the hems to see if you can trim a small scrap without doing harm. Your final element is photos of every room from several angles. This enables you capture furniture or features that you can’t sample.

Use a sturdy notebook, large envelopes or photo boxes to hold your samples, depending upon how much and how big your pieces are. Don’t think that bigger is better – use the smallest piece you can that will still give you the color information you need. Remember, this will travel with you as you shop! Now, armed with your sample collection, jump into future decorating or redecorating secure in the knowledge that you have the information you need to make successful purchases easily.

Do you have a friend whose taste you admire and would like to emulate? Why not invite him or her to help you the next time you’re facing a new flooring decision? Another perspective could be quite helpful and open up new possibilities for you. As you consider bringing a friend into your decision-making process, make a plan to ensure that the collaboration will work for you.

To start, consider more than taste. Is this someone you can trust to let you make your own decisions? Or are you going to have to fight for what you want instead of what he or she thinks is the best choice? Do you know exactly what you want your friend to help you decide? Thinking these issues through will help you set ground rules before heading out. Once at the store, let the salesperson know that you brought your friend for advice, and whatever other help you want. This sets the stage for your salesperson, so he or she knows that you are the decision maker. Use your friend to help you consider broader options than you might have looked at alone, and to help focus in on your alternatives by providing opinions you can think about as you narrow your selections.

However, remember that the final decision needs to be yours. If you abdicate the responsibility to your friend, both of you may regret it later. Also, if the process isn’t working, don’t hesitate to end the shopping session and come back later on your own. Bringing a friend can make shopping for flooring both easier and more fun. By selecting the right person and planning ahead, the trip can be a great experience for both of you.

You might think polyester carpet is just polyester carpet, right? Not exactly. There is “old” polyester, PET polyester and PTT polyester. Most of today’s polyester carpets are made from PET fibers, which are basically produced from used plastic soda bottles. While it is true that the PET fibers of today are better than the “old” polyester, they still retain some of the performance challenges for which polyester has been known.

The main benefits of PET carpets are their low price and the fact that when new, they have an unusually soft and luxurious feel. You may hear carpet folks refer to this feel as the carpet having a “good hand.” Two other selling points for PET carpets are their amazing colorfastness and resistance to staining by water-based stain agents. The greatest complaints about PET carpets are their tendency to mat and crush quickly, and the difficulty of removing oil-based stains. In fact, oil-based stains left untreated can actually bond with the fiber and become permanent.

To learn more about carpet and other fibers, please click here.

Applying Basic Feng Shui Ideas to your Home: Part 3 – Change Your Space, Change Your Life

Feng Shui practitioners believe that your physical space affects your life. The right arrangement of furniture and accessories can generate good energy and help you accomplish your goals. In Feng Shui, your home is defined by directions on a compass, with each area reflecting part of your life. For example, health and family is represented by the east side of your home and career is to the north. Books and websites on Feng Shui provide more details on the various categories.

The interesting part of this concept is the belief that creating good free-flowing energy in a space helps you make progress in that area of your life. How does this fit with your home? As a first step, release stagnant areas by fixing problems and leaving space for future plans. For example, if you have a home full of withered houseplants, according to Feng Shui principles those dead plants will reduce the good energy in that part of your home and your life. Crowding your file cabinets with old papers you don’t need any more may be keeping you from opening up the physical space you need to be ready for new career opportunities.

To take the first step in eliminating stagnant areas in your home, take a walk around as if you are a stranger. Do you suddenly notice the old carpet, cracks in the walls, or landscaping that needs to be trimmed or redone? When we live in the same space day by day, we stop registering problem areas.

Whether you believe in Feng Shui or not, taking the time to make simple changes and improvements in your home will make you feel better and more energized, giving you the time and inclination to improve other parts of your life.

Applying Basic Feng Shui Ideas to your Home: Part 2 – Corners and Curves

Have you ever noticed that some people have homes that are welcoming and inviting, while other homes aren’t as comfortable? Practitioners of Feng Shui would say that the placement of furniture and accessories causes the differences. While the practice is complex, there are a number of basic concepts to Feng Shui that can be used in any home.

According to Feng Shui, sharp edges and corners produce inauspicious energy, and adding curves through furniture, accessories and plants can break up that energy and encourage “chi,” or the good energy of nature, in your home. If you spend time in a commercial waiting room, often the cold and uncomfortable feeling of the environment reflects the hard sharp-edged chairs, tables and artwork. On the other hand, if a reception area has plants and soft cushions on the chairs, the space is automatically more welcoming. Many of the recommendations of Feng Shui make good decorating sense.

Are you happy with the feeling of the spaces in your home? Do you find yourself spending most of your time in one room, or do you tend to avoid a room in your home? Take a look at your spaces while considering the balance of sharp corners and edges compared with curves and softer pillows and curtains. What can you do in your home to add curves and softness in every room?

Whether it’s placing a few houseplants in those neglected corners or stretching your style to include a puffy circular ottoman, thinking in Feng Shui terms gives you a chance to make your home happier and more inviting, for you and your family and guests.

Applying Basic Feng Shui Ideas to your Home: Part 1– Clutter Control

Although many people have heard of Feng Shui, most people have little or no understanding of its principles and ideas. Although the concepts are often confusing, there are some basic ideas that can be useful in any home.

Clutter control represents one of the most powerful concepts of Feng Shui. According to the Feng Shui, clutter stops energy from moving freely through your home, creating stagnation. Clutter control, however, doesn’t stop with visible spaces. In Feng Shui, a cluttered closet or cupboard reflects a cluttered mind. Clutter control has to be down to the bone.

This makes some sense. If you spend your time searching for things it wastes energy and time that could be used more productively. It’s actually a variation of that old adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” If you want to pay a bill, wrap a package, or loan someone a book, do you know right where to go or do you have to search? Would you like to be able to find everything in your home immediately? Then you may want to try this clutter elimination process.

Now don’t feel obliged to take the next three months off just to create a completely clutter-free home. Start small, with one area or one activity. Maybe you want to create a homework zone, where your children can find paper, pencils and pens, and art supplies for any school projects. Combine with key reference books and create a space for every child to have a cubby for backpacks and files for homework and notes, and you have taken potential chaos and reduced the stress and time-wasters through organization.

What other areas of your home or your life would you like to clear of clutter? Start with one project at a time, and see what a Feng Shui approach to clutter can do for your life!

Debating between Laminate or Hardwood Floors? Here are Some Questions to Consider.

Wood or laminate? Many people find themselves debating between these two choices. Although the look of the two is fairly similar, there are characteristics of each that will help you discover which is best for you.

As you are making your decision, consider your lifestyle, personal preferences and expectations. From a lifestyle standpoint, a home with children and pets – involving spills, furniture moving and rough play – may hold up better with a good-quality laminate. The strongest laminates withstand the challenges of a busy family and still continue to look good for several decades, and the only maintenance required will be a bit of damp mopping. Laminates also handle temperature and humidity shifts with no problems. On the other hand, while laminates are getting better and better at mimicking real wood, there is a difference due to the pattern repeats that are part of a laminate floor.

Wood floors are beautiful and warm up a home. Over the years, however, even a well-maintained floor will develop scratches, dents and some uneven fading from traffic and light. Many people find this a comfortable patina that adds character to a floor. Wood floors also require more maintenance – such as an immediate wiping up of any spills, and annual applications of wax or polyurethane. Wood floors are also more expensive than laminates, but can last much longer with several sanding-refinishing renewals.

As you make your decision, take the time to visit good-sized rooms with laminate floors, as well as rooms that have older wood floors. Also take the opportunity to talk with us. You will find that we can help you with the knowledge of latest products and insights into which choice will work best for you and your home.

Ready to take a chance on color? Some tactics for increasing your likelihood of success.

Adding color to a room can be a scary process. The first step is selecting your color palette. To get started, wander over to your closet. As you look through your clothes, chances are you will notice that certain colors are repeated from one outfit to the next. Those are your favorite colors, as well as the colors that look best on you. Pick various pieces of clothing that feature three or four of those colors and bring them into the room you are going to redo.

Scatter the clothes throughout the room. Move them around and step back and look. Does that blue sweater really work with your furniture? Perhaps a dark green skirt has tones that are echoed in your tile. As you move the clothes around, subtracting and adding pieces, you will start to discover colors that are going to work well in your space.

Once you’ve narrowed your color choices down to two or three, grab those blouses, sweaters and scarves and head to your nearest paint store. In a few minutes, you will find close matches for your color choices among the paint chips. If you’re thinking of an accent wall, you might find your perfect color right away. (Be sure to buy a small sample container first to test it in the lights of your home before committing to an entire gallon or more.) You can use the other paint chips as color samples as you shop for your newly colorful room

Thinking of accessories or drapes? Fabric to recover a chair or couch? Take a chance on color. You’ve already done some testing, which dramatically increases your chances of getting color right. Call us when you are ready to explore color and find the right floor for you home or office.