Contertops have an enormous impact on the look and feel of your kitchen design, helping set the style and tone for the heart of your home. Countertops these days appear in a wide variety of materials and finishes. Granite, limestone, concrete, butcher block… these are all popular countertop choices these days. Each piece of granite used for your countertop is unique in texture and veining, and enhances your kitchen like a piece of fine art. Granite is a beautiful, quarried stone composed of quartz, mica, feldspar, and other minerals which give it a crystalline appearance and feel. (more…)
Modern Loft Design Tips
Lighting plays a very important role in giving the right look. Lofts usually have cement or unfinished ceilings, so track lighting or cable lighting will work the best. Use the lighting to highlight specific parts of the loft.
Modern/contemporary style furniture works best due to the urban feel of the loft condo or apartment. Natural fabrics (wool, cotton, leather, silk) and neutral colors look great. Metal furniture is also popular for loft living. (more…)
A number of basic design styles apply to everything from furniture to interior and exterior home design. Here are some general guidelines for some popular design styles:
Contemporary/modern design features sleek, unadorned cabinets, plain panel doors and hardware that’s hidden or unobtrusive.
Traditional is more formal and elegant. Raised panel cabinet doors or clear glass panels separated by thin strips of wood are often seen. Rich wood finishes or painted white wood may be accented with sparkle from brass or brass-tone hardware.
Craftsman bungalow houses usually have low-pitched gable roofs with large overhangs and exposed rafters. Under the gables are often decorative beams or braces. A craftsman bungalow commonly has a generous front porch with a roof is carried on square, tapered columns. Stone or brick frequently is used for the porch’s base or columns. Masonry may also be used for a tapered chimney on one side of the house. (more…)
Bathroom storage has evolved from over-the-toilet shelves to today’s sophisticated furniture pieces with pullout drawers and removable trays.
It’s a response to a common dilemma facing homeowners with new or newly remodeled bathrooms: How to provide bathroom storage without sacrificing style.
“In contemporary bathrooms with the sink mounted to the wall, there’s no place to put anything, said Kurt Schnakenberg, vice president of sales for Chicago Brass, a wholesale dealer in Highwood. “It looks great, but living (with) that bath doesn’t work because you can’t perform your daily activities in there.” (more…)
Denise Little decorates her Troy home to showcase art — her art, her daughter’s art, her granddaughter’s art and the art of prominent artists such as Tom Palazzolo, Barry Rowe, John Glick and Camillo Pardo.
“My passion is art, so my approach to interior design is to not let my decor interfere with my art,” says Little, who is a painter, patron of the arts and promoter of artists.
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