5 Home Improvement Details That Make All The Difference

There are so many things to consider when doing up your home it’s not surprising that some of the less prominent details can fall through the cracks. But with a little forward planning you can ensure the little details are exactly as you want them to be.

1. Skirting boards

These are not something most people tend to focus on when planning a renovation. Unless they have been specifically detailed early on in the design process, they tend to be left to the contractor to supply.

Believe it or not, there is a lot of choice when it comes to skirtings, from the very traditional to much more contemporary – all of which come in a wide range of heights. This seemingly small detail frames every room so it’s worth making sure it enhances the overall scheme. Ask your contractor to bring you samples to approve before he buys anything or visit a local builders’ supplier to look at the options available.

2. Architraves

The same goes for architraves, the timber moulding that frames your doors and, of course, the doors themselves. Prices and styles vary massively so unless you’ve agreed from the outset what you want it’s worth being specific here.

3. Ironmongery

This is another area which can go unnoticed until it’s too late. Think of the handles as the finishing touches to your doors – so again spend a bit of time making sure the style is both in keeping with your design and comfortable to use. Lever handles are a better choice than door knobs for anyone with concerns about mobility in their wrists or hands. Front doors often come with standard ironmongery so it’s important to know what you’re getting and make any changes in the early stages of placing the order. One practical consideration is whether to go for a key-operated or thumb-turn locking system on the inside of your door.

Safety with children can be an issue here – if they can reach the thumb turn it’s very easy for them to open the door, so a key would be a better option.

4. Tiles

Before your tiler starts, ask them to lay out the tiles as they plan to fit them. Think about how the tiles will flow from front to back and from side to side. In a bathroom, it’s good to centre the floor tiles on the WC and get the floor joints to align with the wall joints.

Keep grout lines as small as possible and depending on the kind of tiles you are using, think about how to finish any exposed edges. Stone, for example, can be polished or bevelled avoiding the need for any kind of trims. Ceramic and porcelain tiles, however, will need a tile trim. I would recommend a square-edge chrome trim over the plastic version; they are more expensive but absolutely worth it.

5. Junctions

Finally, when it comes to combining different floor finishes, try to keep junctions as clean as possible. A little forward planning will mean you can have a seamless joint between timber and tiles, avoiding the need for any kind of metal or timber trim. This is particularly important in an open-plan space with different floor finishes where you want to maintain a seamless flow between the different areas. Denise O’Connor is an architect and design consultant.

Inspired Interiors: Violet Verbena named color of the year

Perhaps the color gray has finally found its match. It seems that gray has been the color of choice for too long — from walls to exteriors, floors to furniture. Taupe is trying to make inroads, but now a moody gray-purple called Violet Verbena has been named the PPG Paints color of the year for 2017.

This smoky lavender tone is a neutral that changes like a chameleon — sometimes gray, sometimes violet —  so you’re not really quite sure what color it is. The home fashion world is seeing a lot of it — malachite wallpaper, Lenox plates, a rolling bar cart, a lattice garden chair, a svelte settee by Cynthia Rowley for Hooker Furniture.

”Violet Verbena is as nostalgic as it is modern. It’s substantial in a world that can sometimes seem so temporary, luxurious in a harsh world that needs pampering and introspective and private in an invasive world,” said Dee Schlotter, PPG’s senior color marketing manager.

Seen on fashion runways and in home furnishings, Violet Verbena was unanimously selected by PPG’s global color experts.

This midtone blend of gray and violet is an evolution of the bohemian, gypsy-jetset consumer lifestyle that has been trending lately.

The gypset consumer is more mindful, more mystic and more deeply involved in spiritual exploration and fascinated with cosmic exploration, Schlotter said. They are drawn to “galactic dark colors that combine deep purples, blues and grays for a futuristic vibe.”

Paired with dark neutrals, Violet Verbena reads gray; paired with whites it looks more purple. Either way, this tranquil lavender is definitely fashion forward.

Using pastels in home decor

What comes to mind when you think of rainbow sherbet? Do you feel a light, cool sense of refreshment? Does it remind you to slow down and enjoy a quiet and delicious moment? Or does it give you a sweet pop of energy? All of these thoughts and feelings came to me when I opened my latest shipment of fabric books. In fact, the mill had named it “The Rainbow Collection.”

You probably remember meeting Roy G. Biv early on in school. The name helps us to remember the basic colors of the rainbow — red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Notice they do not include earth tones, browns and beige. They will probably appear in this fall’s shipment.

The fabric designers who produced the Rainbow Collection must have been on creative overdrive because their color combinations were luscious — even delicious like rainbow sherbet. In fact, the whole collection reminded me of food. Greens the color of chardonnay grapes, pistachios and celery. Greens mixed with yellows like an aisle of gourmet mustards. Lemon yellow, honey yellow, pineapple and corn yellow. There were books devoted to reds, oranges and pinks like nature-made vitamin C, and for deeper contrast, berry blues and purples. There were even colors of what scientists call “moonbows” and “fogbows” — shades of hazy silvers and whites.

Did I whet your appetite? Are you wondering how to use pastels in your home without it looking like a basket of Easter eggs? Let’s first debunk the myth that pastels are meant for baby nurseries and little girls’ rooms. While those are fine options, the uplifting nature of pastels should be available to us all. This can easily be done by choosing pastels that have been blended together, toned (with drops of gray dye) or tinted (with drops of white dye). Such pastels have complexity, dimension and character. They are mature and even cosmopolitan — a measured dye formula can transform baby blue into an edgy color of zinc, for instance.

With the right pastel combinations, you can create a sea-breezy living room, a tranquil bedroom, a white kitchen that always looks clean (even when it’s not), or a sun-shining breakfast nook. You can create a home office that reduces your stress or boosts your energy, whichever you prefer.

The way you start is to determine the effect you want to make. If you’re going for drama, add black. Even if your upholstery, draperies and walls are pink, black will transform all that sweetness into serious glamour — especially if you throw in a bit of crystal and white faux fur. Like yellow and black, this chic color combination was a staple in early 20th century Paris. But if you prefer a more modern or masculine version, pair any citrus yellow with gray instead.

You can also use pastels as you would neutrals. Think of them as softer versions of other colors but watered down to almost non-colors. As such, they will neither overwhelm nor underwhelm your room. Once you’ve chosen a pastel or two or three, go back to your desired effect. Add walnut, cherry or mahogany wood to create a more traditional room. Add pine or painted wood (especially chipped or distressed) and targeted fabric patterns to get a country cottage, beach house or vintage look. Or, for an industrial effect, add metal and abstract art. If you live in an Eichler home or are a fan of midcentury design, you’re in luck. Pastels are signature to this era so feel free and confident to use them.

If you prefer a darker color scheme, you can still use pastels. Just stick to one overall color and incorporate its varying intensities along with an unnoticeable dab of neutral for relief. For instance, if you like purple, use a range of near-black to lavender. Or navy blue to wispy sky blue, eggplant to dusty pink, or emerald green to sage.

The bedroom shown in the photo shows another way to use pastels. It’s a little more challenging. Choose two complementary or contrasting colors and a neutral. Then, carefully mix patterns and textures to create a landscape of interest. Although this room is colorful, it is also soothing. All of the fabrics came from my Rainbow Collection. The colors of the headboard and footboard, the pillows, and one rug are toned orange and toned blue. The geometric and floral patterns could have been conflicting had not their colors and intensities been the same. The discipline in this design is in using solid colors everywhere else, including the second rug. The white acts as a unifying accent and gives the eye some color relief.

The next time your interiors feel drab or heavy, think of switching to rainbow colors, especially pastels.

Patti L. Cowger is a Napa-based interior designer and owner of PLC Interiors. For information about her design services, visit her website at plcinteriors.com; call 707-322-6522; or email plcinteriors@sbcglobal.net. Demystifying Design appears every other Saturday.

Making home decor a decade-long project

WICHITA, Kan. — Wichita wife and mother Jenifer Sauer, 37, is a sponge for beautiful design that she incorporates into her house in east Wichita.

“I wish I could change my house every six months, because I like so many things,” she said.

But she knows she can’t do that, so she prioritizes. She and her husband, Joe, bought their ranch seven years ago, and Jenifer expects that getting the house done the way they want it will be a 10-year project.

Here are places she goes for inspiration, projects that she’s accomplished, and ways she organizes and charts her ideas.

Her style: “Transitional — traditional with more straight lines — and somewhat eclectic, though, because I like the juxtaposition of different styles against each other.”

Organizing on Pinterest: “I’m a Pinterest addict. It gets to where I can’t believe I have so many pins. I use Pinterest to study groupings and to get an idea of how things should flow.” She searches for terms such as “white galley kitchen” and “gray and white transitional bathroom.” “When I find things I’m going to use, I put them on Pinterest to keep me organized.”

Make your own pins: When Sauer sees something she likes in a magazine, she takes a photo and makes her own pin with it so she can keep things together on Pinterest. “It’s really easy.”

Pinners she follows: Nelson Designs and Social Manor, plus Nell Hill’s, Social Manor, Sita Montgomery Interiors out of Salt Lake City, Chrystie Vachon’s Designer Decor Knockoffs, Claire Brody’s copycats on a budget, Joanna Gaines, the Property Brothers.

Magazine subscriptions: House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Veranda, Architectural Digest, Traditional Home. “And I kind of steal ideas from (catalogs) Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware and Ballard Designs.”

On Instagram: Some design sites have better Instagram accounts than Pinterest ones. She likes Sita Montgomery Interiors and One Kings Lane on Instagram.

Ideas she’s gotten from Pinterest: empty frames filled with chicken wire for hanging children’s artwork; a giant ornate frame turned on its side with smaller framed mirrors from Tuesday Morning hanging inside; a wall of clocks in the kitchen dining nook (that don’t necessarily keep the correct time); a table centerpiece that is a long narrow trough filled with pinecones, greenery and flameless candles, for example, for the winter and can be switched up seasonally.

Favorite room in the house: The hall bathroom, the only room that has been taken down to the studs under Sauer ownership. “I used Pinterest to put together my ideas and see products. Some of it then I was able to track down. Sometimes things are a couple years old.” An arched mirror carried by Lowes had been pinned “a million times, but they stopped making them.” She then obsessed until she eventually found another company that was making them, and Sharon Nelson at Nelson Designs in Wichita, her husband’s aunt, was able to order them for her.

For the girls: Sauer also used Pinterest to decorate her daughters’ room. She saw sunburst mirrors and ordered one to go above each bed. Her 12-year old wanted lots of color with a Moroccan theme, and Sauer balanced it out with white.

For the boys: For her sons’ superheroes room, she decorated soft-sided storage bins with masks of superheroes that she found in the Target dollar section. She removed the strings from the masks and hot-glued the masks to the front of the bins.