Decorating with Rugs: the Essentials

Decorating with Rugs: the Essentials

When a room starts to appear dull and boring, replacing a rug might solve the problem. Even though most people see it just as an accessory, the right rug can change the entire feel of the room and set the foundation of the entire design. By playing with its colour, pattern, shape and size, you can add more interest and vibrancy to your space and use the rug to visually tie together various elements, give it a stronger definition and add more warmth and style. Here are several different ways to decorate a room with rugs.

Make Sure to Get the Right Size

It might be tricky to determine the right rug size for your room since in this case, bigger isn’t necessarily better. A rug that is too big can swallow the room and take away from the beauty of your hardwood flooring, and a tiny rug can chop up a room and make it seem disconnected.

The general tip is to pick a rug that is 3 feet smaller in length and width than your room. These bare edges will make the room seem bigger. Dining room rugs should be at least 24 inches wider than the edge of your dining table so the back legs of chairs can stay on the rug even when pulled out to allow your guest to sit. As for runners, they should be about 4 inches narrower and 18 to 24 inches shorter than your hallway, but large enough to have both of your feet on the rug as you pass through.

Use Rugs to Define Areas

Rugs can be a very effective tool in defining spaces, both small studio apartments and large rooms equally well. In smaller spaces, leave a narrow strip of the floor visible to make the room appear bigger and brighter, and in larger rooms, experts’ advice is to have the front legs of your furniture on the rug and the back legs off. It unifies the area without cutting it off form the rest of the room.

You can also use the rug as a focal point and make a strong impact. The trick is to create a contrast by painting your walls in one of the rug accent colours. And, don't think that a rug has to be a rectangle. Sometimes a square, round or oval shape can complement your furniture arrangement better than a classic rectangular one.

Set up a colour scheme

Your rug of choice can be used to set the basis of your colour scheme, or if you introduce it later, it can emphasise and tie in your existing colour scheme. You can use a rug can visually soften the room or add more accent. Bear in mind that achieving balance is the point of good design, so don’t overdo it. If your walls are soft and neutral, go with a bold coloured rug, and vice versa.

Choosing among so many different colours and patterns can be overwhelming, so you might decide to buy your rugs onlinesince there you will usually have a much bigger choice of rugs and more affordable prices. 

Achieve harmony and variety

Rugs add a touch of playfulness and variety to a room, but you need to be careful how you size and position them. If you’re planning on using two rugs, variety will be achieved with different sized rugs. Otherwise, the room will be visually cutin two.

Make sure the two rugs complement each other in style or the final result will be awkward and unpleasant. Too many different styles and patterns will disrupt the harmony. 

Use rugs as decorative tools

Rugs can be great decorative tools if used correctly. For instance, by changing both your pillows and rugs with the changing of seasons, you'll easily transform the room and make it appear trendy and fresh. And if you hang your rug on the wall, you'll have an original focal point.

The bottom line is that anything can work, it all depends on what you find most appealing and what can create the best effect in your home.

Guest Contributor, Lillian Connors

4 Effective Tips On Turning Your Basement Into A Chic Home Office

4 Effective Tips on Turning Your Basement into a Chic Home Office

The basement has the potential to become the favorite room in your household, instead of forever being that odd damp place you visit occasionally to check the water heater and if the mold is under control. Particularly, your basement has the potential to become the home office you always dreamed of, and skyrocket your at-home career in the process.

The possibilities here are endless, as you will be working with a blank canvas of sorts, a space where you are yet to bring a unique, personal setting to life. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the four key tips that will help you transform your basement into an elegant home office you won’t want to leave.

Inspect the space and make a detailed plan

First things first, you need to establish a foundation for your project based on meticulous research. You will need to conduct a thorough inspection of the available space, and most importantly, determine if there are any hazardous materials or air particles residing here. Typically, this will be mold, but you could also encounter asbestos from cracked walls if your house is old, so be sure to bring in a professional inspector.

Next, you will need to brainstorm the layout of your office. Keep in mind that this is not simply a space where you will work – this is a space where you will spend the majority of your day, so it needs to be functional, inspirational, and fully optimized for top productivity.

Make it functional first

When it comes to layouts, there are three key areas you need to consider: the main work and lounge area, the bathroom, and the kitchen. Consider this office space as you would any other, and remember that these auxiliary spaces will prove vital for your productivity throughout the day.

Particularly, you shouldn’t have to go upstairs every time you need to go to the bathroom, so focus on allocating enough space for a small restroom, making sure to introduce the necessary plumbing features. Additionally, consider adding a small kitchen area or even just a mini-fridge to avoid lengthy trips upstairs in the middle of your work.

Pay special attention to lighting

The basement is an inherently dark place, so one of your priorities should be to illuminate the entire area for top productivity and day-long zeal. The basement-office trend has grown widely popular with Australian homeowners, so take note.

In the Land Down Under, homeowners will plan their lighting scheme with the help of an experienced level 2 electrician in Sydney and other remote-work hubs around the country, in order to light the room for minimal eye and mental strain. In the absence of adequate natural lighting, nailing your artificial lighting scheme should be your no.1 priority as well, so be sure to let your electrician in on the project early on.

Introduce your personal flair and brand

Designing a home office is a wonderful opportunity to make the space an extension of your personality, and a setting where your brand’s colors and stories can come to life. To that end, you want to choose a color scheme that will influence your mindset in a positive way, and introduce various decor elements on your desk, the shelves, and the walls that will speak to your heart and mind.

However, refrain from cluttering the space too much, as physical clutter can quickly become emotional stress. Stick with a couple of personal belongings on your desk, add vibrant artwork on the walls to give the room a sense of class, and allocate the rest of the space to storage – you are going to need it.

Transforming a basement into a home office is a unique project that requires careful planning, as there is plenty that can go wrong along the way. With these tips in mind, though, you will have no problem designing a basement office that is clutter free, functional, elegant, and a natural extension of your true self.

Guest Contributor, Chloe Taylor

Tips on Choosing the Right Color for Your Bedroom

Tips on Choosing the Right Color for Your Bedroom

How do you paint a room that bookends your day? Bedroom is more than sum of its parts, its function is something sacred – to offer you a moment of respite from daily woes and comfort you when you feel the most vulnerable. In fact, it is a place where you should be able to feel the most vulnerable without any reserve. This is why it is so important to choose the right colors for this area – because you will wake up to them every day and they will be the last thing you see each night. With that in mind, here are the tips on choosing the right color for your bedroom.

It needs to be calming

Calming color scheme is the top priority and the tip you’ll get from basically anyone if you ask them about bedroom aesthetics. Now, the idea of calmness can vary from person to person, but it would be safe to say that you should definitely go for serene composition. In other words – no distinct contrasts. Just make the lines and tones blend into each other and complement each other’s level of warmth. The question of whether you should go for lighter and darker tones is mostly dependent on you, but darker ones are usually recommended for the bedroom.

Dark and calming nuances

Dark colors are actually a good go-to option if you want to create a truly calming and comfortable bedroom. However, these dark colors should not be too harsh or bold. Go for some nice pastels like charcoal, olive, deep violet, navy or silver tones. The best variant is to either go for gentle blue-steely tones with a pinch of milky gray if you want a cold scheme, or olive-celery sort of green that can be a good basis for a room that aims for organic and warm tones. Line your room with furniture that has white skeletons in order to add some crispy visuals and a sense of space to your bedroom.

It needs to be done right

After you have created a hypothetical arrangement of colors for your bedroom – preferably a collage you can actually show to professionals – you should seek out high quality painting services that can bring your vision to life. The last thing you need is a messy environment which cannot be fixed, so avoid doing this all by yourself. Lines that are drawn sloppily can also impact the levels of your anxiety in the long run. You might not notice it at first, but it is one of those things that creeps into one’s mind slowly and insidiously.

If your bedroom is small…

Still, if your room is already cozy when it comes to space, the darker colors (which are there to create a comfortable and cozy atmosphere) might not be the best solution. If your bedroom is small, you should consider lighter tones and start with a white basis. According to the type of bedroom you want to create (warm or cold) you can choose a white with a bluish hue or the one with a warm creamy dash. The brighter tones will add a sense of airiness and brightness to your bedroom, almost without fault, so it is a risk-free and solid solution.

The window conundrum

The windows in your bedroom are a tricky element – you’d want big windows for bright mornings and sunny afternoons, but you’ll also want to minimize the presence of light if you want to sleep in. In that case, you will get the best of all worlds if you installed bigger windows but also added some solid shutters which are easy to manage. You will also want to install windows which can be easily opened and don’t let any bulky furniture block them. You will want to have an option to let the fresh air flow through your bedroom whenever you need it.

If you followed at least a few of these tips on choosing the right color for your bedroom, you should end up looking at something truly aesthetically pleasing – a place that, as far as palette of colors go, suits your sensibilities and makes you feel content. Even though people have different ideas of comfort, they all share this deeply-rooted yearning to have a safe place where they can rest, and with just the right combination of colors on your hands, you too can have a bedroom of your dreams.

Guest Contributor, Diana Smith

Home Maintenance List

Home Maintenance

Home ownership is one of the greatest feelings. Maintaining your home is another thing. You either like doing it or you don't. Only a handful of people genuinely enjoy it, the rest of the population looks at it as a chore. We understand why we need to maintain it. Your home is like a baby. If you take care of it and properly maintain it, it will grow up to make you proud. If you maintain your home things will last longer and when it’s time to sell it, you’ll hopefully get a good return on it. If you neglect it, everything starts falling a part and it will cost you more in the long run. Don't wait till the last minute to start taking care of things. Here’s a break down to make it easier on you:

Monthly

Replace HVAC filter

Flush toilets and run water in unused bathrooms

Clean garbage disposal

Clean kitchen drain

Quarterly

Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors- at the beginning of each season

Check your sump pump

Check your ejector pump

Semi Annual

Clean gutters 

Deep clean your house at least twice a year to get rid of things you don’t need

Annual

Schedule HVAC maintenance

Schedule Plumbing maintenance

Replace smoke detector and carbon monoxide batteries

Flush your water heater and remove sediment

This list should make it easier for you to maintain your home. Have your phone calendar remind you when to check certain things. Send yourself monthly notifications, this way you wont forget. If you have any questions regarding your home maintenance, don't hesitate to ask us. 

-Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing