Infloormation

Laundry is part of life, and most homes have a simple laundry room with limited space. Have you taken a look to make the most of your laundry room options? This small room works well because it’s well thought out for functionality.

First it’s light and appealing in a simple way. The window adds so much appeal both because of the view and the abundance of natural light. As a room that you walk into and out of constantly, the window reduces your need to turn a light off and on all the time.

The floor is so smart. The small tile mirrors bathroom tile and is neutral enough to provide for almost any color approach in the room. Tile can also handle the potential water issues if your washing machine floods. The second smart decision is the drain in the floor. This will protect the rest of your home’s floors from any machine mishaps.

The simple decision to hang a rod over the machines provides a place for finished ironing or hanging dry any clothes that can’t take the dryer’s heat. A second circular hanging clothes rack over the ironing board handles smaller items. One option offered in this room comes from the window – opening it on nice days can add fresh air when drying clothes.

If you have the room, take advantage of your utility space to add both additional functionality and some design touches to make the room more than just for laundry. If the space is small, look for opportunities to create additional storage for clothes drying and folding. With a little effort, you can make this weekly task both easier and more enjoyable.

If you find your closet a source of frustration rather than pleasure, it’s time to make some changes. Just a few afternoons and a minimal outlay of cash can turn this closet into something worth hanging clothes in instead of a disaster.

This person tried to organize the closet, but shortly thereafter the attempt just added to the clutter. Having a closet that works is not about having enough storage solutions as much as it is about creating and sticking with a plan. Let’s see what can be done.

First, remove all the clothes and accessories from your closet. Drape them on your bed or chairs. If you find items that don’t belong in a bedroom closet such as holiday decorations, immediately find storage for them somewhere else if at all possible.

Sort your clothes into piles for giving and throwing away. If something is debatable, put it in another pile. What’s left is what will go back in that closet.

Now look at the empty closet itself. What can you do to add storage? Take a look at this woman’s closet. The space under her clothes is wasted. Shelves for shoes, drawers, open bins or other storage solutions could make that space useful.

Once your closet is ready to receive clothes again, don’t just hang things up and walk away. Instead, create a plan for organizing your wardrobe to suit your needs. Work clothes could occupy one area and exercise clothes may fit in one or two drawers. Out of season or formal wear may fit in another closet or in an area that is harder to reach.

When you’re done you will reap the benefits of your efforts for years to come. Just remember to stick to your plan and your closet can be a source of comfort and pleasure rather than frustration, just like it is for this man. Doesn’t he look content?

If your home has a single space serving as living and dining rooms, several design choices can enable the space to feel cohesive while separating the functional areas.

This room’s colors and the cohesive design work together so that the space feels integrated. The fabric on the dining chairs is repeated on sofa throw pillows. The material that makes up the base of the dining table also shows up on the small table in the living room.

Flooring choices both connect and separate the space. The wood flooring covers the entire room as well as the entry area, reinforcing the perception of the room as a single space. At the same time, the area rug clearly lays the boundaries for the living area. By choosing a size that encompasses all of the living room furniture, that space is clearly defined without having to use a separation such as a bookshelf or buffet that would take up some of this room’s limited space.

The dining room has several features that define and emphasize that space. The table is the same shape as the available area, and the proportions allow six diners to eat comfortably. The overhead light fixture also says dining room. Finally, the two tall plants create a background for the dining area that is very separate from the living space.

This room provides a good example of making two functional areas stand out in one room. What elements can you borrow to create the same sense of separation in your home?

Your visitors begin to develop their perceptions of your home before you ever open your front door. Your front door is their first impression, so what can you do to make it a good one? How about taking a look at these doors and applying some of these ideas to your own home?

Let’s start with the first photo. This entryway has everything lined up to make it special. The dark color on the door contrasts well with the cream walls, making it a significant entrance. The two-step lighting keeps the actual entrance area bright while the sconces set the outer steps in a light shadow that expands the sense of contrast.

The tiered steps set in brick expand the feeling that the front door is framed by the house itself. Everything about this arrangement draws the eye to the front door as the focal point of the home.

Now, take a look at the second photo. With this brick townhome something needed to be done to emphasize the doors, keep some similar features and yet make them different. Subtle differences in the wood surrounds and the brass door features contribute, but the decision to use two door colors really sets them apart.

Take a step outside and look at your front door. Are you happy with it? If not, consider simple upgrades such as paint, door knobs, or even a wreath. Change your light fixtures to add personality, and take a look at improving the surface of your walkway or entrance landing by using tile or stone to make it more memorable. If you make a few changes, you can really improve the first impression people have of your home.

When you decorate your home, it’s almost as important to consider how each room works together as how the rooms themselves work.

These photos show a home where the transition from room to room is critically important. With French doors set to allow visitors to see four rooms at once, the challenge is to balance variety between the rooms with enough consistency that you know that it’s the same home with the same design aesthetic.  Let’s see what this homeowner did to address this.

First, the homeowner chose mid-tone wood flooring for the entire first floor living area. This eliminates the threshold impact as you move from room to room and creates a cohesive design approach. The next step was adding a number of Oriental rugs. For each red is the primary color, but the amount of red, the size of each rug and the designs vary throughout the rooms. This balance of different and yet the same keeps the décor interesting.

Another choice was to alternate light and dark walls from room to room. The dining room shown in the second photo is a rich red. The entryway is painted white, contrasting with the dark wood paneling in the living room. On the other side of that room, the warm cream tones of the sunroom continue the contrasting design approach.

Finally, furniture and accessories grab colors and bring them across this selection of rooms. The red of the dining room shows up again in the red cabinet that graces the entryway. Once again red comes into view with the chair in the sunroom.

Think alike and yet different as you consider your room transitions and you will add interest and variety to your home.

When you choose new flooring, furniture, paint, home accessories or any other design element for your home, the sheer number of choices can sometimes feel scary.

One trick that can help you find the right option for you is to wait and see which choice haunts you when you walk away.

You may have already made a choice subconsciously, but all the options in front of you make the decision confusing. By walking away and looking at something else, the right selection may just stay in your mind.

By stepping back and letting yourself recover from the confusion of choices you face, it’s much easier to select the one option that you want for your home.

Here are the steps to take to see if you find yourself haunted by the right choice.

• If you’ve narrowed down your search, review each option briefly before walking away.
• Spend some time looking at unrelated options. You may even want to go home and postpone the decision until tomorrow.
• As you think about and do other things, see if one choice seems to stay in your mind. This may mean that you visualize it, or that you find yourself worried that you choice may not be available when you get back.

The value to this approach is that you only have those things you love, that you can’t bear to leave behind, in your home. And as you look at your home and realize that you picked out just the right pumpkin, or home design element, you will not be haunted by the ghosts of bad decisions past.

This room is really more about the people who live in it than about design. Let’s see what we know about these people. They are musical and like books and art. They have either travelled or enjoy buying furniture and objects from other countries. They are drawn to the exotic rather than the standard. These are interesting and unusual people.

What does your home tell people about you? If you like to travel, does it show? Are you a reader or musical? Do your interests come out in your home’s design? A home with personality reflects the owners’ personality as much as their style.

This room actually required restraint to work well, although that’s not obvious at first. The rug, which is a powerful statement by itself, is offset by the neutrals of most of the furniture. By choosing creams and whites for the walls and cream and black for the furniture, the rug as well as the painting on the back wall are manageable.

Another smart decision was to keep art and accessories to a minimum. The black and gold table at the back wall has plenty of space to shine. The artwork is large and limited to one piece per wall area. The most unusual elements, the three figures, were given their own space and stand as a focal point in the room. This goal was helped by the cream box they stand on and the cream piano behind them.

A room with a strong personality can also be charming and inviting. By balancing color with neutrals and intriguing elements with space to let them shine, this room works.

As more and more people work from home, finding space for a home office has gotten more important. If you have a spare bedroom it’s easy to add an office to your living space but if you don’t, where can you set up without interrupting regular living space?

One great option is a formal dining room. You already have a large table for working, and plenty of chairs. The simplest way to make the conversion is to set your laptop on the table and get working.

You can be as basic or as complex as you want. Do you need file space? One simple solution is to pick up a rolling file cart at your local office supply store. Want more? Look for a wooden file cabinet that coordinates with your dining room furniture and will fit in a corner.

Need space for office supplies? If possible, try to find a drawer or cabinet in your kitchen or dining room buffet. Internet access and printing is easy with today’s wireless options. Does your dining room lighting meet your needs? If not, pick up a floor lamp to add the brightness you need.

If you find yourself using the office enough that it’s time to get a comfortable office chair on wheels, be sure to protect your dining room floors. While it may make a great office, you don’t want to do permanent damage to your formal dining room flooring.

When you’re ready for a family gathering, simply move the “office” to another room out of sight, and you’ll be ready to entertain.