Luscious laundry rooms

I don't know about you, but laundry is not one of my favorite chores. But if the atmosphere was more enjoyable, it wouldn't be quite so hard to drag myself into the laundry room. These rooms on the Ava Living website are enough to make anyone want to separate whites and darks and dig for missing socks...








Aren't they romantic? It's hard to imagine anything dirty going on here.
Just a little inspiration for your weekend!

Thanks,


Sunshine


HomeWerks, A Design Studio

Mini-Remodel

We started a small remodel a few weeks ago. Instead of replacing all the cabinets and countertops, the client chose to take out a wall and install an island an open a few more walls. The rest of the kitchen and flooring will follow in a few years. This a good example of prioritizing and working within a set budget.

These days it's common for an island to be a different color than the rest of the cabinets so it won't stand out later that the project was done is phases.

Here's the before:






Here's the almost finished after:




Big difference!!!!!


Thanks,


Sunshine


HomeWerks, A Design Studio

Seamless sink...

There is a new sink on the market that has been called "revolutionary." The Affluence Seamless Sink is making waves in the kitchen and bath industry. It won the prestigious Best of Competition at KBIS (Kitchen and Bath Industry Show) 2009.

People are talking about it because there is no seam around the drain. Typical sinks have an unsightly seam around the drain fitting. This spot is notorious for catching all sorts of debris and breeding germs.





The new Affluence Seamless Sink eliminates the problem area. It makes for a much more streamlined look and is much more attractive as well as sanitary. Just look at the difference.




There are also more problems the Seamless Sink addresses. The strainer basket fits in both sides of a two bowl sink. It fits in the drain and the garbage disposal. Installation of the drain and disposal is reduced by 20-60 minutes and is very easy. There is a video on the Affluence website that shows the install complete in 90 seconds.

If you are remodeling your kitchen, this is one product you definitely need to consider. It will make cleaning much easier. Once it catches on with designers and homeowners, it will be a very hot product.





Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio

Choosing the right paint color......

If you have ever painted a room, you know just how daunting it can be to get the color just right. You go to the paint store thinking it will be a simple task- bring home some yellow paint. But when you get there, you are overwhelmed by all the choices. Yellow isn't simply yellow. Do you want butter, honey, camel, orange or wheat yellow?

If you are lucky enough to find the right color, when you get it home and on the walls, you start rethinking your color choice- somehow it just isn't quite right. With all that in mind, here a few tips to help you get it right and not be afraid to tackle that next painting task.

First, you need to know a little about color schemes. There are many different color harmonies, but three of the like most common are monochromatic, neutral and complementary. Which one you use depends on the mood you would like to convey in the space.

Monochromatic is created by one color in different shades, as in light blue, blue and dark blue. This creates a very unified look and makes a room appear larger. Monochromatic is also the simplest color harmony, but that doesn't have to mean boring.

This room is a good example of a monochromatic color scheme. It uses varying shades of yellow.







Another popular color harmony is neutral. This one is achieved by using combinations of gray, black and white, but can also be brown, tan and beige. Sometimes accent colors are added to provide interest. These rooms are usually crisp and relaxing.


This room is a great example if a neutral color combination with an accent thrown in for some excitement.








A Complementary color scheme is one that uses two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. The most popular combination is red and green. But there is also blue and orange and yellow and purple. But these combinations can be altered by using varying shades of the colors. One color should be dominant and the other color can be a lighter intensity to soften the contrast.

This room uses the red/green combination, but in varying shades and intensities.






The best combinations use at least three colors and sometimes
four. One color is used and a dominate color and the accent colors draw attention to the details.
In this photo, the dominate color is red and the yellow and blue stand out and make the ottoman and pillows the focal points.













Now that you have an idea about color schemes, it's time to find just the right shades. Nowadays it is easier to match paint to your sofa rather than painting your walls and then trying to find a sofa to match the paint. There are literally 1000's of paint color choices while your accents and fabrics allow less choices. Most every paint retailer can now custom match a fabric or color that you bring into the store. That way you know your are getting the closest match possible.


It is also worth while to invest in a few cans of paint samples. They are usually $3-$5 and you can try out several colors on large patches of wall to really get the true feel of the color in the room. The little bitty paint chip may look great in the store, but once you paint half the wall at home, you may realize you made a mistake. The paint samples help prevent major headaches and regret!


You can also go online and try a paint tool. Sherwin Williams has Color Visualizer. You can pick what type of room and add colors to the furniture, trim, wall and ceilings to get a feel of what your room might look like. Benjamin Moore also has a visualizer but you can upload your own photos and apply color them.

Experts say the least expensive way to make the biggest change in a room is to change to wall color. It's the biggest area in the room and make the largest impact. Don't be afraid to be use bold colors. Hopefully this article helped out a bit. But if you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!!

Thanks,

Sunshine

HomeWerks, A Design Studio