Tag Archives: Home Decorating

The ABC’s of Arranging Vignettes

“Vignettes are usually small displays, but can have a big impact on a room or entryway. Here are several examples to give you some ideas of how to add just the right touch in your home.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

In the world of interior design, a vignette is a small, pleasing picture formed by grouping several objects — think of it as a pocket-size table arrangement that tells a story about you and your home. A vignette is a harmonious tableau made from a variety of items, rather than a large collection of similar articles (for example, clocks or toys), which would require a different display strategy.

Vignettes can easily be reinvented to suit your whims — a change of season, a new find, a gift and a special occasion are all good reasons to refashion your mini displays. There’s a knack to making these small scenes look effortlessly composed and eye catching. So take a look at how to build delightful vignette worlds with this easy lesson.

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“A” Is for “Anchor”

Choose an item as the center of interest, the “hero” of your vignette. Pick something you love to see every day and that expresses your personality and that of your home. It will be the first point on which the viewer’s eye rests.

A very small hero would be swamped by other objects in the group, so choose a statement piece with visual weight and height, like this dramatic starburst mirror.

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The anchor may also be a minigroup of similar things. These three vivid orange vases instantly capture attention.

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An “A” Formation

Assemble your pieces and then superimpose an imaginary “A” or triangle over them. Use this visual structure to prevent a long skyline effect, which would scatter focus, and to carry interest around the frame. Positioning the shortest objects toward the outer edges will help form your “A” shape.

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A dear little “A” for a bedside table.

Salt Interiors

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Despite breaking the “A” rule, linear arrangements can work beautifully if there is a strong relationship between the objects and some contrast.

The serpentine curves of the women in these photographs are duplicated in the central sculpture and contrast the precise angles of the frames, while the heights of the pieces differ and black and white has been carried throughout.

Highgate House

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Asymmetry

Sorry, all you neatness nuts, you may have to loosen up. Pairs placed symmetrically give the impression of an altar and can look very stilted and formal. We want the opposite: an unstudied gathering (only you know you have been to ABC vignette class!) that moves the eye around the articles. Deconstruct a too-tight structure by moving the items of a pair closer together or taking one of them away.

This arrangement avoids the symmetry trap through the use of two paintings above the sideboard that, although similar in style, are still different. Underneath, smaller pieces have been placed at differing heights: three clear jars varying in size at one end and a lower stylish dish at the other.

Highgate House

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“B” Is for “Background”

Your display’s backdrop is a vital part of it. Complicated wallpaper can cause visual chaos behind intricately patterned objects. And a vignette featuring, say, orange, may pick an argument with a red or green wall. Backgrounds act in a positive way when they unify the vignette.

Here a white wall and linear moldings echo colors in the collection and the credenza’s horizontal detail.

Martha O’Hara Interiors

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Mirrors make an effective background and animate a vignette by creating depth and perspective while also magnifying color and light. In this corner the features of the reflected room enter the vignette.

Garrison Hullinger Interior Design Inc.

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The surface under your vignette is part of its background, too. Elaborate marquetry or grained timber can detract from a display with lots of detail. Try not to overload a distinctive surface; keep shapes and colors unfussy.

The gorgeous cabinet in this photo holds a simple yet elegant and clean-cut array of objects while showing off its stunning timberwork.

Ethos Interiors

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Balance

Several objects of similar height or color placed at one end of a table or bench create an unbalanced look. A lopsided placement needs variety within it and visual connection to the rest of the surface. Balance it with a tall central object, such as a painting or sketch, and a secondary grouping opposite. This picture shows how.

AS you see it!

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“C” Is for “Commonality”

Give the members of your vignette a reason to be together. Relate them by color, texture, theme, shape and/or pattern. When one or more of these elements is repeated, the eye travels enjoyably around the vignette.

This is one of my favorite vignettes — a picture in green, white and natural wood. I love how the floral theme is made intriguing by the scale of the close-up in the background. It makes me want to lean in for a closer look.

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Contrast

Play with contrasts. Think of fresh flowers highlighting the patina of an antique bronze bell, or a delicate woven basket beside a heavy glass bowl.

The unexpected bonsai, crystal lamp and sharp modern table offset this distressed Italianate wall finish with its bold flourishes.

Lavender Hill Interiors

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A tiny burst of contrasting apple green enlivens an uncluttered blue and white bedside vignette.

Massimo Interiors

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Coziness

Pieces spaced evenly over the whole surface lose their connection to one another and may end up looking as if they are set out for a garage sale. Snuggle them up to one another and let some of them touch.

If your vignette is on a central table, check it out from all angles and tweak anything that looks awkward.

Newhook Design

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Keep articles visually linked. Hang a painting or mirror low enough so some of your objects encroach on it but don’t hide it. It will then be a cohesive part of the arrangement.

Jennie Hunt

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I love this fine Oriental-style table and great wall texture, but I’d like to bring these charming objects closer together.

Tip: When you are happy with your vignette, take a photo, so if you have to rearrange it for cleaning, you can replace everything easily.

Sweet William

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Cost

Vignettes are a wonderful way to give every room character, and they need not cost the earth. Collect flowers from your garden, a vintage shoe, pretty glass bottles or an attractive feather, or reframe old photographs or wallpaper offcuts. Hunt through your house and see what treasures you can find.

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By Janet Dunn, HOUZZ and Lifestyle magazine contributor

6 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Garage

“Garages fulfill so many different needs beyond parking a car. If you’ve been wondering how to make better use of your garage, this article might just be the inspiration you need.”

Ed Johnson & Denise Buck – DC Metro Realty Team

Your garage might be a scary, junk-filled spot that you’d rather forget about. But, you’re missing out on some prime room real estate there. To up its appeal — and its utility — consider these ideas.

1. Paint It a Cheerful Color
Designer Annie Selke turned her mundane garage into a reflection of her. “Why feel like a cave dweller,” she says. “You can have a girly garage.” She applied stripes to the walls with leftover paint from the other rooms in her house. Courtesy of Annie Selke

2. Fake a Mudroom
If you spend more time coming through the garage than your front door, set up a central spot to store shoes and hang coats. For her garage “mudroom,” Toni at A Bowl Full of Lemons built a wall organizer, added wall and shoe baskets, and accessorized with a large wall clock. See the rest of the makeover here. Courtesy of A Bowl Full of Lemons

3. Don’t Forget About the Floors
Your floors don’t have to be a dull gray. Experiment with patterns or different hues, like A Beautiful Mess’s Elsie Larson did in this space. (We also love her hyper-organized, super-colorful utility wall.) Tour her organized garage. Courtesy Elsie Larson/A Beautiful Mess

4. Turn It Into a Craft Studio
This may not work for most people, but blogger Rachel Mae Smith didn’t own a car, so she created a crafting retreat out of the run-down garage joining her San Francisco apartment. See more of the transformation here. Courtesy of Design Sponge

5. And Remember to Look Up
Since floor space is, well, for the cars mostly, install overhead storage. Jen of I Heart Organizing built custom upper cabinets that are 4-feet deep to stash large storage bins and other miscellaneous items. To style the space, she added beadboard panels, painted the doors blue, and installed pendant lighting. Tour her garage. Courtesy of I Heart Organizing

6. Set Up a Garden Station
No garden shed? Ashli of Mini Manor reserved a small spot in her garage for a mini gardening command center. Take a look at the rest of her house. Courtesy of Mini Manor/6th Street Design School

Originally Published on Yahoo Makers, By Sarah Yang

Ideas for Easygoing Summer Parties

“It’s Summertime, so move your party outside! It’s not as hard as you might think if you just plan a little bit. Here are some great ideas to get started.”

Ed Johnson & Denise Buck – DC Metro Realty Team

Summertime calls for a distinctly unfussy approach to entertaining, and thankfully so — because who wants to sweat over planning a summer soiree? Make things easier on yourself by hosting outdoors instead of in, getting guests to pitch in and embracing low-key, budget-friendly decor. From DIY flowers and quick extra tables to a beachy outdoor bar, these 20 ideas will make your party planning easier.

Corynne Pless

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1. Whip up an extra table with sawhorses. Short on outdoor dining space? Hunt down a few sawhorses and top them with a length of board as big as you want your table to be. You can paint the board, cover it with a cloth or butcher paper, or leave it as is.

Corynne Pless

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2. Fashion a wooden crate into a drinks container. If you line it with plastic, any old crate can be a rustic-chic open-top cooler for keeping soda and beer on ice. It won’t keep it cold as long as a real cooler, but it should do the trick at a party.

3. No crate? Use whatever you’ve got. An old wheelbarrow, a garden cart, an enamel bucket or even a toy dump truck can be lined with trash bags and filled with ice to make an impromptu drinks cooler.

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4. Give your outdoor bar a tiki makeover with a palapa roof. Search for “palm leaf thatch panels” to find a source and tack a few lengths of the grassy stuff to the roof of your outdoor bar or shed to give it some tiki bar style.

Celia Bedilia

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5. Dress up candles with woodsy details. Curl a wide green leaf and drop it into a glass jar —then fill the jar with water and float a tea light on top. Or use lengths of birch bark (available at craft stores) to wrap the outside of a jar or candleholder, and fasten them with twine.

6. Make beachy candles with mason jars and sand. Filled partway with sand, a mason jar of any size can easily become a chic candleholder. To make hanging lanterns, wrap the mouth of the jar with flexible wire and hang the jar from the branches of a tree. For safety, use battery-operated candles for hanging.

Atlantic Archives, Inc.

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7. Use soda bottles as vases. A row of tall, slender soda bottles lined up in the middle of a table makes a pretty (and supereasy) centerpiece. Just plunk one bloom in each vase, and you’re done! Try gerbera daisies, cosmos or sunflowers.

Soapstone Werks

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8. Involve your guests. Have them help squeeze lemons for fresh lemonade, let them take a turn cranking an old-fashioned ice cream maker or send them into your garden with clippers to pick a bouquet for the table.

Bruce Clodfelter and Associates

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9. Seat everyone at one big table. Who wouldn’t love coming into a backyard set up like this? Put two or three tables together if you have to — the dramatic effect will be worth the effort.

Corynne Pless

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10. Use old crates as trays and servers. Vintage wooden soda crates make the perfect receptacle for toting glasses, vases, napkins and other essentials out to the garden. Or use one to dole out flatware, standing utensils upright in simple mason jars.

Cassie Daughtrey Realogics Sotheby’s Realty

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11. Boost ambience with lanterns and signs. Flank the entrance to your party area with a pair of big lanterns and lean a sign nearby — it can announce the menu or simply say, “Welcome!”

Cassie Daughtrey Realogics Sotheby’s Realty

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12. Greet visitors with a pretty porch for the Fourth. A great big galvanized tub of red geraniums and a waving flag make a cheerful entrance to this home. Keep the patriotic spirit going with Americana-style cushions on a classic porch swing.

Beckwith Interiors

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13. Give guests a healthy option with fresh flavored waters. Fill a big drink dispenser with ice water, flavored with fresh ingredients for a healthy thirst quencher on hot days. Try lemon, lime or orange slices; fresh mint leaves; cucumber rounds; or berries.

Cassie Daughtrey Realogics Sotheby’s Realty

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14. Place your table in the shade. There’s nothing worse than trying to enjoy a lovely meal al fresco when the sun is beating down on you! Keep your guests comfortable by pulling the tables under the shade of a tree or awning, or invest in some umbrellas.

Cottage Home, Inc.

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15. Make a plan to keep bugs at bay. If you have a water feature, make sure you regularly treat it or skim it to keep mosquitoes from breeding there. If the bugs are bad in your area, plan your event for a less buggy time of day or hold it on a screened-in porch, where your guests can enjoy a fresh breeze without getting bitten.

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16. Create activity zones to keep large parties moving. Setting up several distinct areas can help a large gathering feel more manageable, as your guests will naturally be drawn into smaller groups. For instance, you could set up a dining table, a fire pit circle, a porch lounge and an outdoor bar.

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17. Collect thrifty party supplies. Avoid last-minute stress by keeping an entertaining cupboard well stocked with mason jars, florist’s buckets, table linens, candles and serving containers. Many times you don’t even need to buy these things — save pretty old jars to use as glasses, washed-out tin cans to use as flower containers and even old bedsheets to use as outdoor tablecloths.

Celia Bedilia

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18. Go wild with your arrangements. Plucking flowers and foliage from your own backyard is cheaper than buying them, and it can be more fun, too! Push yourself to look at your garden anew and clip a little something unexpected to tuck into your bouquet. Dandelions look charming in mason jars, flowering chives are utterly romantic, and an artichoke would make a dramatic centerpiece in a mixed floral bouquet.

19. Hang flowers from a tree. Use a drill to punch two holes in a washed-out tin can and thread wire through the holes to make a hanger. Fill your cans with cut flowers and hang them from a tree around your outdoor dining table. Leave the cans plain or dress them up by tying on strips of pretty fabric.

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20. Consider the arc of your evening. Moving your guests from place to place is a great way to keep the evening moving along — and keep folks talking. Start with appetizers and drinks on the porch, move into the backyard for dinner, gather around the fire pit for dessert, and carry mugs of coffee on a postdessert walk to the water or somewhere equally pretty.

Originally published on HOUZZ

Modern Edible Garden Styles

“It’s always nice if you can add some edible plants to your yard, deck or garden. We usually have a few herbs ready to go that we can use while cooking. These ideas take it to a whole new level, so you may get some new and different ideas.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Clean unadorned lines and an open, spacious feel are the hallmarks of modernist garden design. Food gardens —with their exuberant growth and chaotic medley of species that can go from tiny seedlings to an overgrown jungle to half dead and decrepit looking over a six-month period — seem like a contradiction to the contemporary look that is so prevalent in landscape design today. But that need not be the case. With careful plant selection and the right hardscape materials, incorporating edibles into your modernist landscape is easier than you might imagine.

Whether you’re designing a landscape for a backyard in Southern California or a rooftop in Manhattan, the same concepts apply: Place sprawling vegetable gardens in contemporary containers and leave lots of empty space around them so the eye has a place to rest.

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Consider metal planters. Cor-Ten steel planters, like the circular ones pictured here, have become widely available in recent years and are a contemporary alternative to the traditional wood box planter.

Note the clean lines around the garden made with edging, a wide pea gravel path and the cool-toned painted fence in the background. These all maintain the modernist look in a yard that features a sprawling vegetable garden front and center.

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One of the wonderful things about Cor-Ten steel is its ability to bend. Modernist design often juxtaposes straight lines and fluid, organic shapes in interesting ways to create an overall design that is abstract but visually compelling.

Farmscape

Corrugated steel containers also fit the modernist aesthetic well. Livestock watering troughs, which come in many shapes and sizes, can be almost-sinstant vegetable planter — just drill ¾-inch drain holes every 12 inches or so in the bottom, fill with planting soil and you’re ready to go.

Here, the long lines of the oval containers create a striking futuristic design on this Los Angeles rooftop. Again, minimalism is key — the designer used nothing but the containers and cool, neutral-toned hardscape materials to create a clean, orderly feel.

NATALIE SERDIUK

Modernism has nothing against symmetry, but “orderly randomness” is also frequently used. This fenced-in vegetable garden in Berkeley, California, becomes an abstract work of art when viewed from above.

Clean Cut Landscape

Get creative with wood. Wooden vegetable planters will also work in a modernist garden if designed in the right way. One simple key is to avoid using ones with a lip that extends over the top edge of the planter. The lips are the horizontal wooden boards that often cap the vertical wooden sides of wood planters, but they go against the modernist emphasis on clean, unadorned lines.

This design includes a lip, but the lip is set over the inside of the planter to maintain the clean outer line of the cubes. The lip serves a practical purpose as a place to sit or rest tools on, which is helpful in an edible garden.

ModernBackyard

Use glazed pots. Traditional terra-cotta pots go great in a Mediterranean edible garden but are a poor choice for a contemporary garden. Glazed pots, especially those with a tall, thin profile, fit the modernist look much better. Use them for herbs, vegetables or berry bushes.

See how to grow a patio-perfect berry bush

Rosangela Photography

Don’t forget fruit trees. Fruit trees often give off an old-fashioned vibe, but there are ways of getting around that. These pleached apple trees (Malus domesctica, USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone) are a great example.

Pleaching simply means to train a row of trees or shrubs into a flat shape by tying and interlacing their branches together. It is similar to espaliering, in which individual plants are trained to grow on a flat plane, usually a wall. Pleaching and espaliering are high-maintenance approaches, but they’re a sure bet for getting fruit trees — as well as edible vines and shrubs — to conform to a contemporary design.

Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Choose edible species carefully. Clutter is the enemy of modernist landscapes and the reason that edibles, especially vegetables, are not often included in them. Even the most unkempt vegetables, liketomatoes, can fit the part if surrounded by the right hardscape elements, but another approach is to choose edibles that match the contemporary aesthetic.

Asparagus, for example (which is a perennial vegetable for USDA zones 3 to 10), has a tidy appearance, with wispy fronds that are reminiscent of ornamental grasses and other species often used by modernist designers. Eggplant is also a tidy plant, and its smooth, oblong fruits look fantastic in a glossy, glazed container.

The Romanesco cauliflower and red chard pictured here are an example of the abstract artistry found in some vegetable combinations, which are quite stunning when incorporated in an edible modernist garden.

AMS Landscape Design Studios, Inc.

A good rule of thumb for modernist design is that at least half of the garden be devoted to static architectural shapes, such as hardscaping, cropped turf and neatly clipped shrubs, as opposed to plants that change significantly throughout the seasons (like perennial flower borders).

In that vein, you may want to limit your use of edibles in a modernist landscape to a small portion of the nonarchitectural part of the design. That way the food plants will form a counterpoint in a balanced larger picture, as the bright yellow lemons do on the left side of this garden.

Originally appearing on HOUZZ

7 Repairs That Add Value to Your Home

“Whether you are preparing to sell your home, or just doing regular maintenance, these repairs will not only increase the value of your home, but help it retain it’s value over time.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – Dc Metro Realty Team

While purchasing a house may mostly be about having a place to call “home,” it can also be seen as a lifetime investment. Making a few repairs—and even some cost-effective renovations—can not only skyrocket your home’s value, but can make it a more enjoyable place to live. We tapped into our network of Pros to uncover seven of the most valuable repairs you can make for the long term, whether or not you plan to sell in the future.

1. Fix Up the Exterior

As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression, whether it’s with your new neighbor or a future buyer. Repairing any broken doors, damaged screens, or cracks in your front walk can really make a difference. You might want to consider having your siding pressure-washed, your trim repainted, or your landscaping spruced up.

(Credit: EpicStockMedia/Shutterstock)

2. Repair the Roof

Having a roof over your head is a moot point if that roof is in need of repair. A roofing contractor can make quick work of damaged or missing shingles, clogged gutters and detached flashing. While you’re at it, schedule a chimney cleaning—when’s the last time you had your flue inspected and swept? (Hint: You ought to have this done once a year.)

(Credit: Ruta Saulyte-Laurinaviciene/Shutterstock)

3. Address Plumbing Issues

If the roof doesn’t leak, neither should the plumbing. Hire a plumber to fix those slow drains, dripping faucets and poorly functioning water heater. Keep in mind that you may benefit most from installing a completely new water heater, especially if yours is 10 to 15 years old or more.

(Credit: Chalermchai Chamnanyon/Shutterstock)

4. Improve Interior Walls

If you’re looking to sell your home, you want a potential buyer to be able to visualize living in your home. And while you might love your unique color scheme (we don’t judge), you may want to consider painting your walls a more neutral palette. Ask your painter to patch any holes and sand down the walls while they’re at it to get the best effect.

(Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock)

5. Replace the Flooring

Do you have scratched or buckling hardwood floors, outdated vinyl tiles from the 1970s, or carpet so dirty you can’t remember the original color? One of the fastest and easiest ways to reinvigorate your home is to replace the flooring. With so many options today—stain-resistant carpet, wood-look vinyl flooring, eco-friendly bamboo or cork—you’re sure to find a floor that you and future owners will love.

(Credit: photobank.ch/Shutterstock)

6. Renovate the Kitchen

You’ve probably heard it before: The kitchen sells the home. This adage is absolutely true, so if you’re looking for a larger renovation, start with the kitchen. New appliances, refaced cabinetry and stone countertops are a few of the most popular kitchen modifications that will help increase the value of your home.

(Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock)

7. Update the Bathrooms

If your bathrooms look like they belong in the 1980s, it’s time for an update. You can go as low- or high-budget as you like, so talk to your contractor about where to spend your renovation budget to get the biggest impact. New fixtures and updated tile could be all it takes to bring your bathroom into the 21st century.

(Credit: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock)

Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services — especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.

8 Cheap & Easy Ways to Update Your Bathroom

“When we list a home, we usually do at least some of these. Buyers are always impressed with updated, clean, fresh bathrooms. However, DON’T do #7! It looks great at first, but just doesn’t hold up.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – Dc Metro Realty Team

Of all the rooms in your home, the bathroom may be the most frequently visited. With all that use, it’s easy for your bathroom to become a victim of wear and tear, but keeping it up to date can be done quickly and affordably. Here are nine easy ways.

1. Paint Your Walls

A fresh coat of paint in a modern color can liven up any room, especially your bathroom, and is an easy DIY. You can make a bold statement with a vivid and rich color or keep with a crisp pastel or neutral color for a clean, bright feel.

(Credit: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock)

2. Replace the Mirror

This may be the easiest fix for your bathroom. With an abundance of mirrors on the market, have fun choosing one that reflects not just you but your personality. Place multiple small mirrors together in a collage or use an oversize ornate one. The best part is that you can switch the mirror as often as you like.

(Credit: Ioana Davies (Drutu)/Shutterstock)

3. Replace Your Grout

Grout grows dull so slowly that it can be hard to notice it change. But over time it dirties and loses its appeal. Whether you do it yourself or hire a professional, replacing your grout can give your counter, bath or shower a new lease on life without completely redoing the room.

(Credit: CSImagemakers/Shutterstock)

4. Switch the Lights

If you look around your bathroom and think to yourself that it needs to be brighter, or that the light fixtures don’t quite fit in, you can change them out as quick as anything. Brass wall sconces are a fun and modern take on vanity lights, and a dainty chandelier will upgrade any bathroom lighting fixture.

[ Click to find the right contractor for your lighting project now.]

(Credit: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock)

5. Install a Vanity

Stores like Home Depot have wonderful prefabricated vanities that you can install yourself. Not only do they add sophistication and completely change the look of a bathroom, but they also add storage.

(Credit: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock)

6. Refinish Your Tub

Refinishing your bathtub is much easier and cheaper than replacing it altogether. You can buy all the tools separately or in a convenient kit if you want to do it yourself, but since this takes a little bit of skill to get an absolutely smooth finish, we’d recommend bringing in a professional.

[ Time to update your bathroom? Click to find the right contractor for the project now.]

(Credit: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock)

7. Replace the Toilet Seat

Skip the terry cloth or faux fur covers your great-aunt used to spruce up the porcelain throne. Instead, replace the seat all together. If you have a screwdriver, you can easily replace the lid and seat to make it look like new.

(Credit: Thanaphat Somwangsakul/Shutterstock)

8. New Plumbing Fixtures

While this upgrade can fall into the more expensive range, an elegant, quality plumbing fixture will enliven your bathroom for years. Show off your personal style with brushed nickel, a farmhouse-style faucet or vintage-inspired fixtures that will last.

(Credit: Gyorgy Barna/Shutterstock)

9. Add Texture to Walls

If your walls look flat and boring, consider adding paneling like wainscot or beadboard. You can apply it to all of your walls or just one as an accent point. Paneling a wall adds dimension to your bathroom.

(Credit: Iriana Shiyan/Shutterstock)

Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services — especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.

5 Things to Consider about Wood Floors

“Often our Buyers and Sellers will ask us what type of hardwoods are best to install. The answer like most things is ‘It depends’. Different rooms have different uses and can require different woods. Floors can also set the tone for the room, so you need to give it some thought. Read these tips for some things to think about before making the final decision.”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Homeowners evaluating new flooring owe it to themselves to consider the benefits and beauty of wood. Wood floors are comfortable, durable and surprisingly affordable, and nothing quite compares to the character and warmth they bring to every room in the house. While there are a myriad of choices available, not every type of wood flooring is suitable for every application. If you are shopping for a wood floor, here are five things to keep in mind.

Type of Wood Flooring
There are primarily two types of wood flooring products—solid hardwood and engineered hardwood. Solid wood flooring is milled from solid wood logs, and is joined with a traditional tongue and groove along both the long and short edges. Solid wood is available prefinished or unfinished, in strips and planks ranging in thickness from 5/16″ to 3/4″. Strips are 1-1/2″ to 2-1/4″ wide and planks are 3″ to 8″ wide.

Engineered wood flooring is comprised of multiple layers of plywood and composite material, and topped with a layer of solid hardwood. Engineered wood flooring comes in thicknesses ranging from 3/8″ to 3/4″ and from 3″ up to 10″ wide; the hardwood layer on top ranges in thickness from .6 millimeters to 4 millimeters.

While both types offer the same beauty of real hardwood, the primary difference between solid hardwood and engineered flooring is in the floor’s composition. “Since solid wood flooring is subject to expand and contract relative to a home’s humidity it needs to be installed on the ground floor or above grade,” explains Bill Schlegel, Chief Merchandising Officer for Lumber Liquidators. “Engineered flooring, which is more stable due to its multi-ply construction, can be installed on all levels of the home,” adds Schlegel, “making it perfect for basements and bathrooms where dampness and moisture can be issues.”

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Choice of Wood Species
There are many different woods used in flooring, but some are harder and therefore more durable than others. “Day to day wear and tear is what concerns most people when shopping for a wood floor,” says Schlegel, “and the benchmark for hardness in the U.S. is Red Oak.” While Red and White Oak are the most common domestic wood floors, Hickory and Maple (harder than oak) and Walnut (softer) are also popular choices. Top selling exotic woods such as Brazilian Cherry, Brazilian Koa and Cumaru are among the hardest species available. “Naturally, the harder the wood, the better it will be for wear and installation in high-traffic areas of the home,” Schlegel notes.

Grain, Color and Appearance
Because wood flooring comes in so many different species, styles and finishes, it is fairly easy to select a floor to match any room décor. If you have a country-style interior, wide plank floors with highly defined wood grains and a distressed appearance will be a good fit. For Colonial homes, consider wide, random plank width flooring in Oak and Maple. For traditional interiors, hardwood flooring in widths of 2-1/4″ to 3-1/4″ in Oak, Maple or Walnut, or parquet flooring, will be smart choices. Virtually any type of wood can be used in a contemporary setting, depending on what stain or finish is used—for example pewter, dark charcoal or whitewash finishes can transform any wood species into a modern masterpiece.

Casa de Colour Select Pewter Maple Hardwood Flooring

Casa de Colour Select Pewter Maple 10032461-crop

Type of Finish
The finish is the real determining factor in the overall appearance of a wood floor. The same wood species will look completely different finished in a clear gloss, versus a distressed, hand-scraped or wire-brush finish. “There are different gloss levels and finishing techniques that change the overall look of the wood floor,” Schlegel notes. “Our Bellawood solid and engineered wood flooring in a mid to high gloss looks completely different in a low gloss matte finish,” explains Schlegel; the latter imitating the look of an oil-rubbed European finish, but without the constant care and maintenance. Distressed, hand-scraped or wire-brush finishes will also be something to consider when shopping for a wood floor.

Flooring is sold either “unfinished” or “pre-finished.” Unfinished floors are sanded and finished on-site, which provides for a consistent seal and prevents dirt and moisture from penetrating the seams between boards (floors typically receive one to three coats of sealant). Pre-finished flooring is factory-applied in a controlled setting, and typically receives seven to eight coats of sealant. “I definitely recommend pre-finished flooring, because it ensures a superior and consistent finish, and comes with a warranty,” Schlegel asserts. “All Bellawood pre-finished flooring comes with a 100-year, transferable warranty, which can be a selling point to future buyers—since the warranty transfers to the new owner.”

Cost and Installation
The cost of wood flooring depends on the type, the wood species and the finish. Typically, solid prefinished wood flooring runs from $2.49 to $12.69 per square foot. Prices on engineered prefinished wood flooring range from $1.69 to $8.79. The average cost of installation usually runs about half as much as the flooring but depends on the type of flooring and installation for your home.

Both solid wood and engineered wood flooring are installed by nailing, stapling or gluing planks to a subfloor. There are, however, a variety of new “click” engineered products available that can be installed easily and “floated” above the subfloor.

“Installation can definitely be an expensive proposition, especially with unfinished flooring,” says Schlegel, “but competent DIYers can save money by doing the job themselves and purchasing prefinished flooring.” Lumber Liquidators offers all of the tools and materials that a homeowner would need to install a wood floor. He adds, “I recommend saving money on installation and buying a better floor.” This article is sponsored on behalf of Lumber Liquidators. Its facts and opinions are those of BobVila.com.

7 Ideas to Help You Use Your Outdoor Space

“When done right, you can expand your current living area. You’ve probably got a backyard, or a deck, and you’re just not sure what to do with it. Take a look and get some ideas that can work for you!”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

When your mom told you to turn off the TV and play outdoors already, she knew what she was talking about. Hanging outside is good for our mental and physical well-being.

As adults, having an outdoor retreat adds an economic component: Upwards of 80% of homebuyers said patios and front porches are “essential” or “desirable,” according to the “What Buyers Really Want” survey from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

So how come when we move into our dream home, we hardly ever use our decks, porches, and patios?

An anthropological UCLA study, described in the book “Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century,” blames our fascination with digital devices — tablets, computers, televisions, games — for keeping us cooped up. The UCLA research participants spent less than half an hour each week in their outdoor space. And these were Californians.

So this summer let’s make a pledge to pay more than lip service to outdoor living so we can be happier, create lasting memories, and generally take advantage of what home has to offer.

1. Go Overboard on Comfy

Comfy outdoor seating on a home patio
Image: Liz Foreman for HouseLogic

When you step into your outdoor space, your first sensation should be ‘ahhhh’. If you’re not feeling it, then your space is likely lacking the comfy factor. Comfy is easy to achieve and can be as low cost as you want. Start simple with a cushion or two or even a throw. Some other simple strategies:

Make sure your outdoor seating is as cushy as your indoor furniture. Today’s outdoor cushions aren’t the plastic-y, sweat-inducing pillows of the past. Plus, they can handle a downpour and spring back once they dry.

Lay down outdoor rugs so you’re just as comfortable barefoot as you are inside.

Give yourself some privacy. Create natural screens with shrubs, bushes, or even bamboo reeds. Or install prefab screens from your local home improvement store.

2. Create a Broadband Paradise

Our devices and electronics have conspired to keep us on lock down. Since we’re not about to chuck our digital toys, boot up your outdoor space so you can keep texting, posting to Instagram, and watching cat videos.

Wireless outdoor Wi-Fi antennas provide an extra boost so you can stay connected.

A solar USB charging station keeps your gizmos powered.

Wireless speakers make it easy to bring your music outdoors, and mask a noisy neighborhood.

An all-weather outdoor TV lets you stay outside for the big game.

3. Blur the Line Between Indoors and Out

Creating a seamless transition between your home’s interior and exterior isn’t as simple or low cost as adding comfort, but it’s the most dramatic and effective way to enhance your enjoyment of the space. Plus, it can increase your home’s value.

The most straightforward, cost-effective solution: Replace a standard door opening with sliding or glass French doors.

Use the same weatherproof flooring, such as stone tile or scored concrete, outside as well as in the room leading to your backyard oasis.

4. Light the Way

Solar pathway lights Image: Liz Foreman for HouseLogic

When the sun goes down, don’t be left groping for your wine glass. Outdoor lighting dresses up your home’s marketability and appeal (exterior lighting is buyers’ most wanted outdoor feature, according to the NAHB study), makes it safer, and lets you spend more time outside.

Use uplighting to highlight trees, architectural details, or other focal points.

Add sconces or pendant lights to make evening entertaining, grilling, and reading easier.

Illuminate walkways, rails, and steps with landscape solar lights.

Hang fairy or string lights to set an enchanting tone.

5. Make Your Mark

Pavers in a home's yard Image: Liz Foreman for HouseLogic

Let your style dominate your backyard space.

Paint a faux rug with your favorite colors.

Create a path made with colored glass, brick, or other interesting found materials.

Craft a one-of-kind outdoor chandelier.

Build a pizza oven, custom seating, or other feature you crave.

Add personal décor that makes you happy.

In fact, make your outdoor retreat an ongoing project where you can hone your DIY skills.

6. Don’t Give Anyone an Excuse to Stay Inside

Outdoor space with kid-friendly playhouse and DIY chalkboard Image: Tasya Demers from My House and Home

Your outdoor space will magnetically draw family and friends if it has features they find appealing.

A fire pit is a proven winner. Food and fire have brought humans together since the dawn of time.

Give wee ones the gift of magical thinking with an outdoor playhouse.

Add whimsy with a chalkboard fence that both kids and fun-loving adults will enjoy.

Add a doggie window in your fence to entertain Spot. Installing a dog run may even boost your home’s value. FYI: It’s been said that pets are one of the top reasons why people buy houses.

7. Rebuff the Elements

Canopy over a home deck
Image: LizMarieBlog.com

Hot sun, rain, wind gusts, and bugs are the archenemy of good times. Here are tips and strategies to help you throw shade on Mother Nature:

Install an awning, canopy, or pergola. It’ll make it easier to read your Kindle or iPad and keep you dry during a summer shower. Look for products with polycarbonate panels, which block UV rays, too.

Rig glass fence windscreens to the keep your BBQ fires burning.

Screen in your porch or deck against bugs. But screening will be for naught if you forget the slats between wood planks. Cover the floor with outdoor carpet or staple screening to the underside of floorboards.

By Deirdre Sullivan, Originally appearing on HouseLogic

9 Creative Ideas for a Small Front Yard

“So much of the time, ideas for lawns are really designed for larger yards. Here are some special ideas for smaller yards!”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

(Credit: jessicakirch/Shutterstock)

Just like the first impression you make when you meet someone new, your front yard introduces you and your home to first-time visitors. You want the landscape to look appealing and express your style even if the area in front of your home is small.

Whether your house is located close to the street or it’s in a subdivision with a small rectangular plot in front, you have a myriad of ways to create the impact you desire.

1. Nix the Lawn

Instead of mowing a small parcel every week in the summer, substitute with lush, tall ornamental grasses alternating with perennial flowers and small trees just inside your fence line. Try feather reed grass, fountain grass, switchgrass, purple millet or fiber optic grass, all of which require little maintenance.

(Credit: JPL Designs/Shutterstock)

2. Install a Path

Create a walkway with sliced wood, pavers or stepping stones. Surround the short trail with brightly colored perennials and place a birdbath, chairs, small bench or other focal point at the end of the path. You can also design the same type of walkway, only let it lead to your front door.

(Credit: goldenjack/Shutterstock)

3. Plant Vegetables

To have a bounty of food throughout the year, make the entire yard into a vegetable and herb garden. Or, use a combination of pots and hanging planters for your bounty and a fenced-off area surrounded by a white or other colored low picket fence.

(Credit: vilax/Shutterstock)

4. Create a Desert ‘Scape

You can make a small patch of yard look bigger by including a few well-chosen attractive elements. Add cacti of varying heights amid light or dark gravel. When the cacti bloom you’ll want the colors to contrast with the gravel. Other low-growing succulents easily accessorize small front yards, and work especially well in arid regions.

(Credit: karamysh/Shutterstock)

5. Fill in With Ornaments

Instead of buying plants that require lots of attention and may be hard to grow, fill in the landscaping with garden ornaments. Yard art comes in every size and shape imaginable from gnomes to fake decorative rocks where you can hide an extra house key. Find what appeals to you and reveals your personality.

(Credit: apple2499/Shutterstock)

6. Fashion an Alcove

Showcase a small area of the yard with a pergola, water fountain, koi pond or bench where you can read in the shade. This gives a perception of depth and makes the location both charming and functional.

(Credit: Natalia Bratslavsky/Shutterstock)

7. Landscape With Planters and Baskets

Add depth and an illusion of more space by choosing planters of different heights, and by also using platforms under the pots. Line a sidewalk or walkway with different types of containers like wrought iron, ceramic and baskets. Place some color-producing plants and some greenery in the pots for a no-hassle way to make your front yard your own.

(Credit: 1000 Words/Shutterstock)

8. Give Your Garden a Zen Spin

An Zen-inspired yard equates with minimalist and clean lines. With fewer plantings required, mid-sized evergreens work well in the back and dwarf varieties of trees in the front. Potted bonsai trees and landscaping rocks disbursed throughout the dwarfs increase the Zen look. Add mulch, which keeps down the unwanted weeds, saves water and decreases the need for upkeep.

(Credit: Delpixel/Shutterstock)

9. Edge with Ornamental Fencing

Keep your design simple by erecting a low fence around a tiny yard. That way your home appears farther from the street than it really is. Then, plant colorful perennials and annuals that bloom at different times of the year so you almost always have bursts of color welcoming visitors to your home.

(Credit: romakoma/Shutterstock)

Originally by Pro.com

Pro.com is a website founded in 2013 by service industry entrepreneurs and former Amazon executives to simplify home services — especially research on contractor fees and qualifications.

9 Ways to Spice up Your Kitchen!

“Tired of your current kitchen? These ideas are different from what most of us think of. Everything from accent colors to mixing cabinet styles. Take a look and get inspired!”

Denise Buck & Ed Johnson – DC Metro Realty Team

Freestanding cupboards, mix-and-match colors, contrasting textures, individual drawer pulls — kitchens can be as creative as their owners. If sleek, clean-cut units don’t get you excited, take inspiration from these nine ways to get a more varied look in the kitchen.

1. Mix cabinet styles. This kitchen’s cabinets are all the same trendy gray, but they sidestep predictable symmetry because two pieces are different styles. They work together, but their drawers have different depths and storage options. A rail for pots and pans creates more variety.

Glenvale Kitchens

2. Feature a key piece. To keep things interesting in a kitchen with matching cabinets, add a standout storage unit. It could be a plate rack or a bright or weathered dresser. It will break up the rigidity of a single-finish kitchen and let your personality shine through.

Redesign London Limited

3. Work in an island. For impact in a large kitchen, an island needs to be a “hero” piece that can carry the space. This weathered central island doesn’t conform to any norms. Along with the industrial storage on wheels, it adds just the right amount of character.

Compass and Rose

4. Try an urban loft style. A strong dose of industrial style livens up this slim kitchen. Wood, metal, gray paint and ceramic surfaces mix easily, thanks to similar tones. Then there are the contrasts: Bare bricks are mirrored by glossy metro tiles, waist-level units by a taller cabinet. Matching kitchen pieces in this space could have looked too uniform; these look freed up and innovative.

The Freestanding kitchen company

5. Go two-tone. A blend of two shades — palest green and natural bare timber — brings a breath of fresh air to this kitchen. Tongue and groove cabinets and two types of handles are extra custom twists.

Hill Farm Furniture Ltd

6. Compare and contrast. A creative kitchen doesn’t have to be off-the-charts unusual. Simply combining two tones, two surfaces and two heights does the job. Carefully crafted finishes give the space a quality feel.

Blakes London

7. Cast it in monochromes. The dark-on-light color scheme here adds visual interest, and the contrast of raw, waxy timber and smooth marble creates a look that’s unique.

Mad About Your House

8. Add your own handles. This kitchen works its magic with off-the-shelf Ikea units with tactile leather handles. They handles are eye catching and pleasant to hold — significant, when you consider how often they’ll be used. Open shelving on top combines with a stainless steel countertop that wouldn’t be out of place in a chef’s kitchen.

Aura Construction

9. Pare it back. This converted industrial warehouse is a dramatic space, so the designer wisely didn’t try to make the kitchen steal the show. Zinc-colored doors inside pale frames, metallic tones and a pared-back 1960s vibe for the furnishings help this kitchen work in its setting — proof that statements don’t always have to be shouts.

By Jo Leveers, Houzz contributor

DC Metro Info – Events, Info & Real Estate Trends

Keeping You Informed About Where You Live

Tag Archives: Home Decorating

The ABC’s of Arranging Vignettes

6 Ideas to Make the Most of Your Garage

Ideas for Easygoing Summer Parties

Modern Edible Garden Styles

7 Repairs That Add Value to Your Home

1. Fix Up the Exterior

2. Repair the Roof

3. Address Plumbing Issues

4. Improve Interior Walls

5. Replace the Flooring

6. Renovate the Kitchen

7. Update the Bathrooms

8 Cheap & Easy Ways to Update Your Bathroom

1. Paint Your Walls

2. Replace the Mirror

3. Replace Your Grout

4. Switch the Lights

5. Install a Vanity

6. Refinish Your Tub

7. Replace the Toilet Seat

8. New Plumbing Fixtures

9. Add Texture to Walls

5 Things to Consider about Wood Floors

7 Ideas to Help You Use Your Outdoor Space

9 Creative Ideas for a Small Front Yard

1. Nix the Lawn

2. Install a Path

3. Plant Vegetables

4. Create a Desert ‘Scape

5. Fill in With Ornaments

6. Fashion an Alcove

7. Landscape With Planters and Baskets

8. Give Your Garden a Zen Spin

9. Edge with Ornamental Fencing

9 Ways to Spice up Your Kitchen!

Share this:

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Share this:

Share this:

1. Fix Up the Exterior

2. Repair the Roof

3. Address Plumbing Issues

4. Improve Interior Walls

5. Replace the Flooring

6. Renovate the Kitchen

7. Update the Bathrooms

Share this:

1. Paint Your Walls

2. Replace the Mirror

3. Replace Your Grout

4. Switch the Lights

5. Install a Vanity

6. Refinish Your Tub

7. Replace the Toilet Seat

8. New Plumbing Fixtures

9. Add Texture to Walls

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

1. Nix the Lawn

2. Install a Path

3. Plant Vegetables

4. Create a Desert ‘Scape

5. Fill in With Ornaments

6. Fashion an Alcove

7. Landscape With Planters and Baskets

8. Give Your Garden a Zen Spin

9. Edge with Ornamental Fencing

Share this:

Share this: