Back in (Matte) Black

In early February of this year, the International Builders Show (IBS) in Las Vegas was a showcase of trends and new products put on by an industry buoyed by the outlook that 2020 was going to be a banner year by all counts. Well, nobody could have seen what was coming and continues to unfold today. Despite what feels like a global pause, builders are still building and designers are still designing.

Construction and renovation lead the way to revitalized economies, and there can be no doubt that these industries will become even more important as the global economy comes roaring back to life in the coming months.

Some of what we were seeing at IBS a few months ago is still very much relevant, and an overriding color trend that will continue to grow in popularity is the generous use of matte back in the home. While black has always had an allure and a sophistication, designers tended not to use it as a focus in home decor. However, the availability of matte black as opposed to more glossy finishes is opening a door to integrating more black into interior spaces. Matte black is subtle and luxurious at the same time. It invites touch but – unlike a lot of shinier finishes – it’s easy to live with and keep looking clean.

Two real standouts when it comes to matte black offerings are appliances from Elmira Stove Works and heated towel racks from Amba.

Elmira Stove Works’ retro-inspired Northstar refrigerators in textured black take what’s already a statement-making appliance and ratchet up the cool factor even further. Even more amazing, you can order your Northstar fridge with a factory-installed BrewMaster draft system that includes a through-the-door tap dispenser, coupler, connections, CO2 cylinder, retro-flame splash plate and drip tray. Add a keg of your favorite brew, pull the tap, sit back and chill. And, of course, the keg and fittings can be removed to utilize full fridge functionality.

In addition to fridges, Elmira also offers its ranges, dishwasher and microwave in textured black. These high-performance cooking appliances include sleek chrome accents and classic retro styling for a nostalgic look with modern functionality.



Wildly popular in Europe and now catching on in North America, heated towel racks are a great addition to any bath renovation you’re considering. An Amba heated towel rack isn’t just luxury for the sake of luxury, however. Heated towel racks not only do an amazing job of warming up drafty winter bathrooms and, drying damp towels and clothes, but they can also prevent mildew growth.

A pre-warmed towel and bathrobe can take the edge off of a chilly morning – that’s a given. Beyond that, the sculptural beauty of an Amba heated towel rack can become a bathroom design focal point. The fact that Amba offers their towel racks in a matte black finish makes them a bit of attainable luxury that’s on trend.

Appliances from Elmira Stove Works and Amba Heated Towel Racks stand ready to help you make your design visions a reality as we pick and move toward a “new” 2020.

Choosing Appliances for Your Home: Décor, Priorities and More

Whether you have just bought a home, or you’ve finally got around to starting the kitchen renovation project that you’ve been putting off for a while, choosing appliances with care is crucial. Décor is certainly a factor, and we are going to discuss it, but it shouldn’t be the only, or even the first, thing you consider about a home appliance.

via

What Do You Need?

This is one of the most underrated questions of all time in this department, because people often start looking with a vague idea, rather than a definite one. Don’t make that mistake; list down the following first:

• Which appliances do you need? Not every home really needs a dishwasher, for example.
• Decide on the size/capacity of each appliance, as would be appropriate for your home’s needs.
• Some features are gimmicks, while others are quite helpful. Do your research to determine which are essential.

By the time you have this list, you will be able to save money and select the best appliance for each category.

Prioritize the Essentials

You can perhaps do without a microwave, but having a water filtration system is critical to everyone’s health at home. Visit the Discount Filter Store and check out the excellent whole house water filtration systems they have from international names such as Tier1 and Culligan. Safe drinking water in all rooms, at all times, is a must for big houses, but they also have smaller portable water filters for the kitchen that are ideal for small apartments.

Consider the Climatic Conditions

Speaking of essential appliances, don’t forget about the HVAC system. Decide on the model only after taking into account the climatic conditions first. A house in Fort Myers is going to need a lot of cooling, for example, while one in Aberdeen is going to need a large heat capacity. The more climate appropriate your heating and cooling solution turns out to be, the more you will save on energy bills. Also, you may want to look for a HVAC model that comes with a smart thermostat to further shrink the bills without affecting indoor comfort.

Décor is Easier to Manage than You Think

Try to buy only the most essential and necessary appliances for your new/newly decorated home first, before expanding from there on, following the as-needed rule. This strategy can do wonders for your internal décor because the less appliances you have, the less you will need to worry about them fitting in with the décor. Below are some décor tips to keep in mind:

• Concealed ovens and washers come in all sizes and they disappear without a trace when not in use
• If you feel that the fridge won’t look good as a standalone, opt for an integrated solution during the renovation

Keep a minimalist approach with a focus on the essential appliances first, and you’re all set. You may still need to repaint a wall or add new tiles if you cannot find space for concealment, but that can actually work in your room’s favor.

Give the Earth a place in your home

Nothing feels better than dressing with the season or decorating your home to accommodate the change in weather and daylight hours. Not only does wood signify the change of seasons, but if you use it for your flooring, it can signify a change in mood or atmosphere. If this is what you want then there is no better way than with luxury vinyl wooden flooring. Here’s why…

Embrace your dark side

Wooden flooring gives you the ability to make a house a home, with luscious dark and golden tones, you can add ambiance and warmth without having to light a single candle. Dark shades can be accessorized to match any season. Surround yourself with faux fur rugs and potpourri for the perfect winter setting.

Lighten up your day

If your home is hectic and you feel the need to introduce an element of calm, look on the bright side with light wooden flooring. Light beige, golden and even white flooring can all add an element of zen to a room. Expand natural elements with exotic plants and wicker baskets to enhance the earthy tone.

Wood is all-round wonderful

Knowing that the flooring you choose will remain in your home for the foreseeable future adds pressure making the right decision. This is why natural woods are currently on-trend and is here to stay. All wooden-based flooring can be accentuated, and the design patterns are endless. Wood gives your furnishings a neutral backdrop, making them pop!

Less is more

If you’re choosing a patterned flooring style such as Herringbone or Parquet, then it would be wise to choose a painted wall. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a bold colour. Try light golden oak wood strips with a burgundy matte paint for a contrasting theme. This works well with dark wood furnishings, woolly blankets and pendant lighting.

The perfect Luxury Vinyl flooring is waiting for you

Choices are all around you but knowing where to start looking can be the hard part. Amtico offers quality luxury vinyl flooring, with Décor, Signature and Click Smart ranges, both fitting and designing your look is hassle-free. For a design with more grandeur and detail, Luvanto Click and Herringbone will have you designing in your dreams.

6 Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home in 2020

Your home is likely the most valuable asset in your possession. It’s where you eat, sleep, relax, and spend quality time with loved ones. For most people, that alone is enough reason to continue investing in value-adding changes and improvements, be it a fresh coat of paint, some additional furniture or a full-fledged remodel.

Via

But investing in your home doesn’t just make it a more pleasant place to live. It also makes a reliable contribution to your long-term financial wellbeing. History has proven that real estate is a wise investment. It’s more dependable and lucrative than stocks, as well as offering a range of tax benefits.

Make the right improvements and you’ll reap the rewards come the day you decide to sell. Read on to discover six tried-and-tested ways to increase the value of your home in 2020.

Landscaping

Attractive, low-maintenance gardens are a major selling point. This is especially true for the front yard, as buyers value properties with high curb appeal. Tidying up your exterior can make a world of a difference. An affordable and reputable landscaping company such as ALD, Inc can work with you to make the right improvements.

Energy Efficiency

There are many reasons to identify how you can use less power. The most immediate benefit is a lower utility bill. Additionally, you can leverage an energy-efficient mortgage to reduce your rates. The value of your property will also increase, especially if it’s located in a particularly hot or cold region.
Start by switching out old light bulbs for LED units. Double-paned windows and enhanced insulation are also great investments. A programmable thermostat will significantly reduce heating and cooling expenses. While pricey upfront, solar panels are a reliable value-booster. A free energy audit can help you find more solutions.

Visual Space

Increasing physical square footage is usually a costly endeavor. Instead, increase the visual space in your home by making a few clever adjustments. This includes adding mirrors, reducing clutter, and replacing heavy draperies with vertical blinds or shutters. You can also install a few shelving units to clean up and organize busy spaces.

Air Quality

An often-overlooked factor, improving the air quality of your home can make a noticeable difference to its value. The best way to do this is by replacing carpeted floors with tiles or laminate, thus reducing the presence of allergens and contaminants. Hard surfaces are also more visually appealing and easier to maintain.

Ceilings

For added value and architectural interest, consider refreshing your ceilings. This can include removing popcorn ceilings, installing faux beams, adding a new coat of paint, and using beadboard panels to cover unattractive areas.

Bathroom Improvements

Upgrading your bathroom is always a smart move. You can anchor a towel bar, pick up a frameless shower door, retile the floor, replace old wallpaper, prop up a cabinet or install a ventilation fan. Anything that cleans up and modernizes your bathroom is bound to make a difference.

Conclusion

The possibilities are endless here. Take a look around your home and see where you can make an improvement.

Neat Interior Life Hacks - How to Avoid Mess

Image by Photographee.eu

I’m pretty sure most of us wonder why everything looks so beautiful in the photo from the net. But when you look around - it seems that there’s just a mess. Therefore, I’m going to write about how interior little stuff could affect our evaluation of ‘neat - not neat’.

So let’s talk about the mess, its components and how to minimize it at home. And I’ve got some pictures from the net, magazines and movie screenshots to illustrate my thoughts. The main enemy of order is clutter. And here we’re faced with the first paradox: the larger space, the easier is to maintain it! Yes, a big house gets dirtier than an apartment. It’s more difficult to get rid of it. But in case of a mess, it’s much easier because mostly it’s not difficult to find a place for all the stuff in a large room. Here, of course, it would be great to add a piece of advice like this: ‘That’s why you have to sell out your one-room apartment and buy a three-story house in the country.’ OK, but now let's look around and evaluate our space, how big it is and what it’s filled with.

The smaller your living place, the stricter you should be with the number of items that are in sight. Let's start with the first eye-catching spot - the hall. What is usually in the hallway: hat and coat hooks and shoes. The smaller the hall, the fewer clothes should be on the hooks. The clothing - all these jackets and coats - hanging on top of the other seems like cluttering up space. So there must be a minimal amount of stuff. And everything else - put in a closed wardrobe. The exact same rule works with shoes. It’s better to put all the shoes in a cupboard. It gets you very disciplined: get changed, clean and put away. Well, if you don’t have time for all of that, do it at least till the evening then, put it in the cupboard so that it doesn’t pile up.

Another trouble of the anteroom is the small racks where all unnecessary stuff is stored -  notes with phone numbers, keys, cards, ads, and many others you don’t even remember and need. I’ve got a large entrance hall but there’s not a single horizontal surface in it, with the exception of the windowsill where I could put on some things. This immediately makes you not to leave a bag in the hallway (and women tend to use more than one bag), but take it to its place and unpack it right away.

I totally understand that in cases of lack of space this seems like "getting juice from a stone," But I think it might be helpful to take into account for those who just started renovating and furnishing the housing.

Here’s an example of a failed anteroom - a lot of open space but there’s nowhere to put things away. As a result, all stuff will be hanged on the hooks and small garbage - on the shelves, and the hallway will end up with an untidy look.

Image by Photographee.eu

A very important element of order in the house is visual cleanliness. I’m into minimalism in everyday life. The most efficient fighter of the mess is an empty horizontal surface :) For instance: there are always lots of bottles, tubes and other unnecessary stuff collecting on the washbasin and on the bathtub. I have only a piece of soap on the basin.

And all other cosmetics I keep in a basket putting it in the cabinet, taking it out only at the moment when I need it.

This rule works not only in the bathroom. Here’s a kitchen for example. Ideally, the working surface in the kitchen should be completely empty. When there is not enough space or it isn’t thought over, lots of household appliances, knives, jars, cups, pots, and others are getting to pile up on the working surface.

Look at this picture. It’s already over packed, and it seems to be in order and neat. And if you suddenly need to take a pan in sight, or get your fruits dried, or put a pile of magazines with recipes on, throwing a potholder or a towel in a hurry on the table ... in sort words - as soon as any other item appears above this order, the general view turns into a mess.

Well, I believe that household appliances should also be hidden, and have to be taken out of the box only when you need it. All these food makers and blenders that are in sight - it seems to an overall feeling of disorder.

In living rooms, empty horizontal surfaces are also important.

Parquet with no carpet, long podiums, a reclining chair, a table where nothing is set, a bedside table or a chest of drawers where things are only inside but not outside. All this makes a feeling of cleanliness and neatness, even in small rooms.

In general, the less free space you have, the less small details should be in the interior. All sorts of figurines, vases and more - all this looks good in large spaces. Here is a good example: a coffee table with a shelf, but the top is still an empty horizontal surface.

An interior with lots of details in a small room works only if you are as hung up on cleanliness, as Sheldon Cooper. And even in this case, there’s too much ‘visual noise’ that seems like a mess.

Image by Spotern.com

And here’s the interior that for most people may seem boring.

Image by Jamie Hooper

But don’t forget that we don’t live in the picture. Any home decor will be surrounded by details of our real life. Here’s a magazine or an unread book. There’s a fruit basket. The sweatshirt was left on a chair. And if you have kids, then the various lego details, baby crayons, kid's bedtime storybooks are everywhere, as well as other pleasant little stuff would become vibrant colorful memories in your life. And if your interior is full of small details, then all these little things will seem like a mess right away. But a laconic and "boring" interior would easily endure such an "overload."