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Monday, 30 July, 2012
Strike me Pink! Or orange or yellow or green or....
Colour is all the rage and for those of us that who are unafraid or have limitless funds there are many ways to throw bold colour into our homes. Many of the brilliant solution dyed nylon carpets come in vibrant colours like the Sweet Gum Tree range or the good old wool axminsters of yester year, everything old is new again. Cork tiles have re-emerged as a popular choice for today, and rather than the sombre gold’s of the 70’s and 80’s, these can now be coloured to any Resene colour. They can be used in checks, stripes; your imagination is the only limit. Coloured Cork samples can be found at any Flooring Xtra store.
But if you like to play it safe you can still have the latest and greatest trends by creating a neutural background and adding well chosen colour accessories. Dont forget neutral does not mean cream on cream on cream, but rather anything on the road from white to black, including every tint and shade inbetween.
For example; imagine a living room with good lighting and plenty of windows. It is quite common for people to use dark colour flooring, charcoal or dark brown carpet, wood or wood look like floors. We could paint the walls in popular colours like, Spanish White, Tea etc then on one wall we splash out and use a bright paint colour or wallpaper, one could even use the colour of the dark carpet to extend up the feature wall. How’s the picture in your imagination so far? Let’s now put your lounge suite or dining suite in the picture, again it’s neutral in colour. Now we bring everything to life by adding colour in a single lounge chair and colourful cushion, a colourful or textured rug, or how about any one of Eunice Taylors ceramic lamp bases which can be coloured to any Dulux or Resene colour. Most good lighting store will have the drum lamp or light shades which can be also coloured to almost any shade imaginable.
So go now and have fun with colour.
Friday, 20 July, 2012
INVISIONING YOUR NEW LOOK HOME WITH CARPET SAMPLES
"It's much easier for me to make major life, multi-million dollar decisions, than it is to decide on a carpet for my house. That's the truth."- Oprah Winfrey. Well if Oprah and her entourage of interior designers and consultants find it hard to select carpet, then what hope is there for us mere mortals?
To help you make the right selection, here are a few suggestions for viewing your selected carpet samples which will ensure you make the best decision for your lighting and decorating conditions.
- Near an external ranch sliding door where natural light pours into the room.
- Under a leg of a table or chair to check for compatibility with timber finishes.
- Against a skirting board or painted wall where the sample will complement the finish.
- In a hallway that has wall lights, this is the hardest light to cast shadows.
- Up against any existing flooring, do the patterns or textures match?
- Draped over stairs where you can see how the riser shadows the tread.
- Under any full- length curtains, check the impact texture and pattern have on the sample.
- Where a combination of incandescent, halogen and fluorescent lights are in the same room, place your sample directly under the light shaft.
All the best with finding the right fit for your home- remember that your local Flooring Xtra consultant is always a good sounding board to bounce ideas and thoughts around with!
Tuesday, 15 May, 2012
Wallpaper your Splash Back
I hear you saying “that’s not going to work” but you can indeed use wallpaper on your splash back. When I talk about splash backs, I am referring to the wall behind you hob and above your sink. When we are stirring the soup or scrubbing the pots, we are often looking at a boring tiled surface with grungy grout.
At the moment I am into using amazing printed wallpapers behind LEAD FREE toughened glass (the lead free avoids the green tint of normal glass which can distort the colour behind). With only requiring one roll, for most jobs, you can afford to go mad with colour, design and price. Today’s Kitchens are quite sleek and functional, but sometimes they need an extra punch to bring them alive. This option is an easy change a few years down the track, just choose a new paper. If on the other hand you have a painted glass splash back you only get one shot at the colour and will need all new glass if you ever want to change it. I often use Harlequin wallpapers as they have a vast range of colours and designs from super traditional to ultra modern, but any others will do the trick too.
Benches and cabinetry are usually quite plain, so when choosing your splash back wallpaper be sure to take into account the type of flooring you will be using, to get the look right. For instance, an ultra cool foil paper in a retro design is probably not going to work with a rustic timber floor. You will probably have to consider a sleek tile or tile look vinyl floor to make this look work. If you do have a rustic timber floor and you would still like a funky modern feel, you could use a bold colour retro floral.
So get out there and check out the wonderful world of wallpaper.
Cheers Mike
Wednesday, 07 March, 2012
Introducing Mike Coley
Interior Designer Mike has been beautifying spaces for 30 years. Specialising in residential projects, from villas and cottages to contemporary homes, Mike is equally at home creating amazing environments within boutique cinemas, hair salons and cafes.
Describing his approach and ethos as 'Your style by design', Mike believes in gaining a thorough understanding of his clients’ personality. "The challenge is then to interpret that within the design concept so the space created reflects who the customer really is, while keeping things functional to suit individual lifestyles" he says. A welcome addition to the Flooring Xtra team, Mike will share his ideas exciting, inspiring and informing you about the world of possibilities available to you when designing your home from scratch, or when redecorating and renovating. Mike will cover the myriad of functional and fashionable flooring options available to you, share tips, tricks and designer know-how on colour, tone and texture so you can achieve the look you are after and a décor to die for!
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