Treading in Color

#1 Removable Wallpaper This surface material is easy to apply and therefore easy to change when you feel you need to. Accent wall seem like to much? Consider lining the back of a bookshelf instead. #2 Live Plants Live plants can help bring life and happiness to a space, and good for your health to boot! #3 Window Treatments These should be hung a couple of inches ABOVE window including trim. If you are able to, extend the hanging rod past the window on both sides. This creates the illusion of a bigger window and allows more natural light into the room. #4 Adding Texture and/or Color There are a few ways to do this. One could be bright pops of color in your accent pillows or with a plush throw blanket. Another way may be to add woven baskets to your plants or add storage for your magazines. #5 Lighting Don't forget to include all three layers of lighting to your room.      A Ambient (general/overhead)      B Task     ...

So  wallpaper is making a comeback? Well my mindset on this has always been negative. In my line of work I OFTEN come across those with wallpaper removal horror stories and I am trying to advise them on all things with removing wallpaper,  DIY . That being said, wallpaper has changed. a lot! Gone are the borders and nautical prints. It seems to be used as more of an accent, whether that be one wall or the backing of a bookcase, bold or soft. When I first moved into my home 10+ years ago every room was covered in wallpaper, no joke! I hated it!! Plus, long story short we moved into an older home (plaster walls) that had been moved onto a new foundation after our city suffered from a flood. Because of this, there were cracks above doorways and had we tried to remove that paper we would have ended up damaging the walls and potentially needing to then re-drywall, which as first time homebuyers we couldn't afford to do. So what did we do? We primed and painted over ALL OF IT!...

If you didn't see this post via Domino magazine I felt it true enough to share- This Material Is on the Brink of a Major Comeback, Says Leanne Ford. It is a more cost  effective option to stone with a fairly similar look. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Like all great design trends of the past,  Formica  is poised for a comeback. The easy-to-clean material that once comprised almost every private and public countertop in America is in the middle of a renaissance, and guess what? It’s honestly more beautiful than ever. In lieu of pricey stone and granite, laminate is quickly becoming the It material for budget-conscious home renovators. Just ask designer and renovation expert Leanne Ford of HGTV’s  Restored by the Fords , who collaborated with Formica on a curated  capsule collection  that launches this month. “I blame landlords for giving laminate a bad name,” Ford says with a grin. “There are really modern, clean options to play with outside ...

A trend we keep seeing in the interior design industry is two-toned cabinets. I feel I can add value to this trend as I am a strong believer in this trend but not necessarily by choice. My husband and I did a kitchen remodel a few years ago only by the idea of a fellow co-worker and now good friend. Although I work with a lot of talented designers, this one in particular was extremely talented with kitchens. She was able to see past my small, outdated kitchen to the beauty it is today and believe it or not she  chose two-toned cabinets for me. I left the design (mostly) in her hands. I had white painted cabinets previously-both uppers and lowers and had mentioned my complaint of my lowers never staying clean! At the time we had a large dog and two small children so the white seemed to always look dirty! Her solution-a darker cabinet base and I've never looked back! With appliances moved around and a wall removed (some sweat and tears) I LOVE my new open kitchen!! Cabinets, ...

Okay friends, I have this talk daily while at work...DAILY. In case you didn't know, I live in North Dakota and in ND it feels like winter 9 months out of the year! Maybe that's an exaggeration But truthfully when it does snow, it doesn't melt. It is cold enough here for the snow to stick around for awhile. Ok ok moving on...the trend that's still hitting hard up here is gray. Grays are hard no matter what because of how they change with lighting but can be difficult especially when you want gray to feel warm. So here's my spiel, if I said it once I'll say it again- builder beige from 10 years ago→ 'Greige' BM Stone Hearth →traditional "cooler" gray            GOLD                                                                                    ...

2019 is just around the corner and trends for the new year are starting to rise to the top! Benjamin Moore went a lot more neutral for 2019 with AF-690 Metropolitan. The thing I like about this "neutral" is that it still has color! In case no one told you, color can be neutral!! I love that color is popular on every surface not just your walls but in draperies, islands and even woodwork! I think if color is a little out of your comfort zone then start with a smaller space like a bedroom where you can close the door and not see it at all times of the day. I personally like a darker color for a bedroom. I think it's easier to bring color into the space when you have pillows, bedspreads and rugs as examples to play off of. When in doubt it's just paint, so go ahead, step outside of that comfort zone and go darker than you normally would!

I recently read that the #1 design mistake most people make is...CLUTTER. I was kind of surprised until I started decorating for christmas in my own home and realized how much STUFF I had! So this year I decided less is more. Of course we still put up a tree but I usually over-decorate my mantle and this year I'm keeping it simple. I have a good friend who is a true hy-gee' decor lover and is always stressing that "less is more." She's always getting rid of STUFF and a lot of the time I'm very envious.                                                      So I think that might be my goal this coming year- getting rid of STUFF. Even though my kiddos are still young, it might be a good lesson to learn! It just seems impossible sometimes while working in the design world. I love everything and enjoy changing it up often. I need t...

Did you know we install glass showers @ Sterling Carpet One!? You may have noticed that shower doors are looking more minimal than ever these days. This is because designers are now embracing the sleek, less-is-more look of frameless shower doors. These stylish new door types leave excessive metal hardware and framing out of the equation, letting showers blend in more seamlessly with the rest of their surroundings. (Domino magazine) The other FANTASTIC part of the equation is that our designers can help with it ALL! Our designers can help choose the tile, grout color, to heat/not to heat floor and even accent tile for a little bling or more storage options! Clean Crisp whites are what's trending now- Adding Glass doors and a walk in shower is a way to update a forever bathroom by eliminating the bathtub. I also think they allow for a lighter brighter space which can be good for smaller spaces.  Moral of the story: Looking to update? Remodel? Stop in to Sterling Carpe...

I'm cheating a little this month because Benjamin Moore just released it's color of 2019 last week and I'm a little taken back. This color was a drastic change from 2018's Caliente Red and for those of you that thought the "gray trend" was almost over, think again! Introducing Af-690 Metropolitan, this is a color from their Affinity Collection and to me it is a cooler gray.    With this decision they wanted to choose a quiter color compared to years past and I think they hit the nail on the head. What do you think of it? Maybe  you should see the color in person before making that decision! Metropolitan has a bluer undertone and for us up North who like a little warmer color I actually prefer Af- 685 Thunder, but I'll let you be the judge of that for yourself.