Infloormation

It’s been fairly easy to make the connection between Rita Wilson’s wardrobe tips and our homes so far in our previous posts. Our next tip is a little tougher, but I think we’re up to the challenge. “Enjoy new bedclothes at least once a year,” concerns refreshing our PJ’s or whatever we like to wear at night. Well, our homes can get as tired as our wardrobes if we’re not alert.

First off, do you regularly maintain your home finishes as the manufacturer recommended, or are those instructions filed away never to be looked at again? Put another coat of polyurethane on your wood floors, clean your carpets twice a year, and seal your granite and these valuable products will last longer and look better.

The other factor is regular home updates. This needs to be done much less often than your wardrobe, but it’s an important part of maintaining an inviting home. Have you ever spent time touring open houses of older homes? So often the finishes are original, even if the house is 20 or 30 years old. People moved in and never changed anything again. Setting aside a regular budget amount, no matter how small, will give you the opportunity to redo or replace any home finishings or furnishings as they start getting tired or worn.

Whether we’re talking about PJ’s or plush carpet – pay attention to maintenance and keep your home special and inviting, now and for years to come.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Rita Wilson’s sixth fashion tip focuses on your face: “simplify your makeup if you wear makeup.” When you meet someone wearing too much makeup, it can distract from the face, and the person, underneath. In the same way too much furniture and too many accessories can distract from the wonderful bones of your home.

Is your fireplace hidden behind a chair and a mantel covered with knick knacks? Do you have windows with nice views that are blocked with too much furniture in the way? Does your collection of snow globes cover your tables to the distraction of the rest of the space?

To determine whether simplifying would be useful for you, stand in front of one of your rooms and see where your eyes go. Do they pause at certain focal points, or travel all over the room, never having a place to rest? Too much decoration can move your space from designed to cluttered. If you think you may be too Victorian in your choices, try removing pieces one at a time until your rooms start feeling relaxing and spacious. Maybe you don’t need three shades of eye shadow. Maybe for you, just a touch of blush and lip gloss and you’re ready to go. Find the same balance in your home.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Trying to make your home as exciting as your fashion choices? For a bit of help, we’re looking at some of Rita Wilson’s fashion tips for looking fabulous at any age. On a recent episode of “Oprah,” these tips were used to transform women in their 30’s to 60’s. Let’s see what we can do with some of them when applied to your home.

Tip five, “it’s normal to fear altercations, but not alterations,” talks about having your clothes altered to make off-the-rack fashions truly yours. Have you thought about doing the same thing when finishing your home?

At first glance, flooring may seem to be flooring, but there are so many little touches that can make your home stand out. Take a look at your tile options. Something as simple as placing your tile on a diagonal down a hall can make the space different and interesting. Borders and combining tiles of different sizes can create a feel that belongs only to you and your home. Stretch your carpet options by considering the sculptured choices. A subtle leaf pattern can take a neutral to a whole new level. And don’t neglect the medallions available both in stone and wood. You don’t have to go off the deep end with your choices, just discover those little touches that take your home from standard to unique.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

Actor and producer Rita Wilson has a strong affinity for fashion that led her to work as a columnist for Harper’s Bazaar. In a recent appearance on Oprah, Rita provided ten techniques for improving your wardrobe to look great at any age. Interestingly, many of those tips can be translated to your home décor with just a bit of tweaking. We’ve looked at the first three in previous posts. Let’s take a glance at number four.

4: “Wear comfortable shoes.” Comfort is as important, possibly more important, than style in your home. Think about it. When you get home from a long day, is it more important to see a beautiful home or collapse into a comfy chair? Good news, you can have both. Just make sure you don’t ignore comfort in your quest for style. Before you invest in dining room chairs, sit down for more than a minute. Will those chairs invite conversations around the table that last long after dinner is finished? If you like to take your shoes off the minute you get home, do you have a bench and maybe even shoe storage in your entryway? Decorate your home for the way you live as well as your style.

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

When Rita Wilson appeared on Oprah recently, eight of her ten techniques for our wardrobes also apply to our homes. In this blog, let’s take a look at tip three.

“Your haircut and color tell people a lot about you.” One point Rita stressed with this tip is the value of spending money on your hair, because it’s part of your picture no matter what you’re wearing. A good cut and color lasts for weeks, and is worth the investment. This is even more true with your home. Flooring, cabinets and even window treatments become an almost permanent part of your home, and are the hardest and most expensive to change. So when it’s time to decorate or redecorate, spend your money on getting the best quality you can afford. Furniture and accessories cost less and don’t last as long. They’re easier to upgrade later.

Buying furniture and accessories is shopping, buying permanent elements such as flooring and cabinetry is investing!

To see the other tips in this series, click here.

The big news in laminate flooring this year is Rustics Premium™ New England Long Plank, a dramatic line from Armstrong which offers a hand-scraped, oiled finish hardwood look and the longest laminate floor boards to date – over seven feet.

Called ‘New England Long Plank’ because it emulates the look of single plank, centuries-old reclaimed hardwood, the floor’s real-life counterpart would be extremely expensive.  The collection was inspired by today’s demand for a time worn look with a matte finish, minus the high price tag. These textural surfaces have the depth, feel and realistic looks of a well-worn floor.

“While the long plank, oiled finish look is gaining in popularity, a lot of people get locked out of this category because of price,” said Milton Goodwin, vice president, Armstrong Laminate & Ceramic.   “Long planks in real wood also can be challenging to install because of the potential for warping.  Our exclusive Lock&Fold® makes installation easier.”

With Lock&Fold the panels do not have to be tapped together; simply fit the tongue-and-groove panels together, fold them down and lock them into place.  The collection offers a 30-year residential and a 5-year light commercial warranty. Colors include Coastline Clam, Boston Tea, Maritime Gray, and River Boat Brown.

IT’S NOT JUST WOOD DESIGNS: NEW PRODUCTS EMULATE NATURAL STONES & CERAMICS

The new Armstrong Laminate Stones & Ceramics collection offers a Limestone in Linen Sand and Tawny Beige, as well as a new Slate inspired by Natural Vermont Slate, in five colors, including Ivory Sand, Pebble Dust, Ebony Mist, Natural Beige and Grey Stone.

Sure to be laminate’s next best seller, Weathered Way replicates the look of tumbled stone in a random block format.  It is available in four colors: Antique Cream, Euro Terracotta, Roman Grey and Earthen Copper.  All floors in the Stones & Ceramics collection can be installed using angle/angle installation; no glue required.

“With continued improvements in design and technology and a growing assortment of products, ranging from long planks and new looks in  stone and ceramic, Armstrong’s newest laminate innovations are ideally suited for people who are looking for high style at a great price,” said Goodwin.

The new collections are available now at flooring retailers nationwide. For general information, or to locate an Armstrong dealer, visit http://www.armstrong.com./flooring/products/laminate

 In a recent blog, we took a look at the first of a number of wardrobe tips Rita Wilson presented on Oprah and how we could convert that tip to decorating advice. Her second tip is just as valuable when applied to your home.

 Her second tip is “trust your own personal style.” Does your home reflect the real you, or are you looking at leftovers inherited from relatives whose taste doesn’t match yours, or purchases made because of good prices, or simply because it was there when you needed it? If so, what can you do to make your home more your own? Spend some time figuring out the main characteristics of your personal style – color, furniture type, flooring or window coverings. Are you a shutter person living with curtains? Do you dream of wood floors but live with carpeting? Make your decisions, build a plan, and then set a budget. Slowly but surely, your home can become a clear reflection of your taste.

 If you found this idea helpful and would like to see some other wardrobe ideas applied to your home, click here for some of Rita’s other tips.

Are you satisfied with the clothes in your closet but not the look and feel of your home? You might want to consider applying some fashion tips to your living space. On a recent appearance on Oprah, actor, producer and Harper’s Bazaar style columnist Rita Wilson provided ten tips for looking great. Let’s take a look at two of them from the perspective of your home.

Tip 1: “if you haven’t worn something in a year, get rid of it.” You may take this approach to your closet, but have you ever considered the same approach when looking at your home? Take a walk around your space with fresh eyes. Are there elements of your home that are worn or out-of-date, that you haven’t really looked at in a year or more? Perhaps replacing various elements might make your space seem fresher. Are you satisfied with your flooring in every room? Your window coverings? What about your furniture? What do you want to change to bring your home up-to-date? Make a plan for updating your home regularly, as you probably already update your wardrobe.

Making a major change such as flooring in an established room can seem overwhelming. Often, people find themselves redecorating with a new version of what they already have, just to make the decision process easier. Are you facing this dilemma and not sure where to start? We’ve discovered one way to explore your options while watching the first episode of this season’s “Design Star” program on Home & Garden Television.

The episode featured a “white box” challenge. The 12 design contestants were each given a small white space holding only a white bed, bookshelf and nightstand. They were asked to transform the rooms into bedrooms that represented the style and personality of one of the other designers. After watching the show, it made sense that we could create our own versions of white boxes in our own homes. By removing the distractions of our current décor as much as possible, we would have a clearer room for evaluating flooring, as well as a clearer head for making a new flooring decision.

Ready to consider a change? Let’s start by removing all of the room’s accessories and easily moved furniture. You may want to cover any pieces that are due for replacement with white sheets. Now you have your own version of a white room. Walk through the space, considering it from every angle. Take photos to bring to the store with you. If you have samples or photos from magazines to help you visualize flooring possibilities for the room, bring them into the space and look at them with your new floor in mind. Lay down any samples you may have, step back and see how they “feel”.

Making a flooring change is a challenge, but giving yourself a blank slate when considering your options makes the decision easier and more fun. Without the influence of past decisions, you may find that you are ready for a bigger change than you thought!

If you’d rather play virtually, try our virtual room designer here!