Office Update: Part 2 Flooring

The floor.  Now that is a special problem unto itself.  Originally the room we call my office was an outdoor patio.  It was probably enclosed in the 60’s and done fairly well, except for the wiring, I mentioned in Part 1.  The skylights were a wonderful addition as well as a beautiful large window, looking out onto a small private patio.  The problem was the fountain that had been installed in the floor under the large window; a questionable addition at best.  UGH.  Wiring, again, and plumbing, not to mention the recess in the tile floor.

When we had tenants, the fountain had to be covered for safety reasons.  When we moved in, I wanted the raised tile covered curb knocked down, so the floor would be somewhat flat, giving me more useable floor space.  I put a large area rug over the floor and moved in.  All fine, until we were ready to deal with that room, and all of its various elements.

Well, as the Walrus said, The Time Had Come, to talk of many things: not shoes and ships and sealing wax—- primarily, that floor.  Having been in the flooring business for many years, I knew what would work and what wouldn’t and, what I wanted verses what would work.  I had thought of several options, but many of my brilliant ideas were more money and work than I wanted to deal with.  

First things first, that fountain had to be filled in.  It took several hundred pounds of gravel, brick, cement and finished off with a smooth concrete surface.  Having been an outside room, and sitting on a cement slab, it would be unwise to continue the solid hardwood floors that exist in the rest of the house.  An engineered floor would be ideal, except that today’s engineered floors are all much wider and more “modern” than what we currently have.  I wanted to continue the look of the narrow strip flooring, but did not want to use solid flooring (unwise on a slab foundation) and have to stain and finish it to match.  Laminate floors, don’t offer the more narrow boards either.  Luxury Vinyl Tiles, nope, what it boils down to is I am out of fashion!  Too traditional.  Nothing new here, move on.

In the final analysis I chose to cover the now flat tiled floor with two 8X11 area rugs.  I decided on indoor/outdoor rugs made of polypropylene, certainly not my first fiber choice, but under certain conditions, it is best.  I had a beautiful wool rug that faded terribly from skylight exposure and somehow a moth infestation.  I’m guessing it was moths, but fortunately they stayed with this one rug, and none of the other wool rugs.  Polypropylene is a manmade fiber that does not fade and insects are not interested in it; although our cat might enjoy it for sharpening her claws!  The rugs all but cover the entire floor and add a bright and interesting pattern.  While the rugs are not necessarily a permanent solution, they are a happy solution for now, and much less expensive than flooring I did not love.  But I do love the room now.  Problem solved. 

A Trip Back in Time

This is one of my favorite times of year because the Pasadena Showcase House Tour is running through May 17th.  I have been visiting this showcase for decades and always marvel at what designers can come up with in new and inventive ideas of the designers; I do not always agree with what I see, but I usually come away inspired.  This year was no different; there were some likes and some not so much.

One of my favorite rooms was the Artist’s Retreat.  I nearly gasped when I saw the quiet color palette, the same palette that I planned for my new office, and some of the same materials.  The designer who was responsible for this particular room, used very expensive oak planks on the walls and spaced them tightly together, while my plan is to use wide pine planks with a shiplap look instead.  Cost is always an issue for me.  I loved the use of cork for the floors, they actually looked like travertine.  I had planned to use travertine, but I think cork is the way to go.  With advances in the use of cork, you can find it in a variety colors.  You can mix and match to create designs such as the harlequin pattern in this room.  Cork is warm, quiet and renewable, therefore a very “green” product.

Another take away from this year’s house was the liberal use of Edison light bulbs.  No doubt you have seen them in many magazines, brochures and other advertisements.  One of the designers commented that the Edison lights used in the room he designed were from a local and well known lighting shop—Lamps Plus.  I guess even showcase designers have to find savings where they can.  Edison lights were used throughout the house in a variety of designs from industrial to elegant.

Pasadena Showcase House 2015, from Google Images

The color palette for this year’s house has some of my all time favorites and some new colors from Dunn Edward’s newest collection that I have already used—it is good to know I’m on trend.  There were some pretty bold colors but they were well balanced in the private rooms upstairs where the family stayed, while the more public rooms were much more neutral but had accent colors repeating some of the bolder colors used upstairs.  I found it to be a good exercise in the use of the color palette keeping it unified without creating a rainbow effect.

Pasadena Showcase House 2015, from Google Imagaes

As I mentioned, there were some “misses” for me.  I felt some of the bathrooms were a bit overdone with the use of stone, and I love stone in a bathroom; but I felt there was too much pattern conflict.  There certainly were a lot of bathrooms to choose from, something for every taste, and I had some favorites there too.

You can go online and see some of the photos from the Showcase House, this year and past years; but if you have a chance you should go and see it for yourself this year’s Tudor style house designed by Fernand Parmentier in 1910.  There is always something gained, besides the benefit to children’s music programs throughout the community that the Showcase House funds.

Mixing Patterns is Okay

Most people consider mixing patterns too daring. Many see it done in magazines and see that it works, but have a hard time accomplishing it in their own home.  Mixing designs is all about color and scale and of course the homeowner’s comfort level, which is why neutral rooms are so comfortable for most people and why decorating out of catalogs is so popular.

People that like change are more comfortable with bold moves and color choices;  If you think decorating is done only once,  and you never to change the decor, or at least not for change for several decades, read on; you may be intrigued enough to make a change or two.

Rooms that are painted different colors can avoid the “rainbow” effect, by unifying the rooms with a similar color or the same color in a different value or intensity.  The same is true for mixing patterns.

People that feel bold color is too stimulating for them, can still mix patterns, but in more subtile colors and thus create texture.

The rooms illustrated here are a good example of color and pattern.  The common color used in these two rooms is bold blue in the rug under the table and in the seating on the left, but the blue is not overpowering, as it is not on the largest surface, the walls.   A calm sage green in the living room allows the sofa to be a bold accent, and the rug with the pops of color, including blue, continue to unite the room.

Moving to the dining room, the same blue is repeated, but in a different pattern, a trellis pattern.  The walls are a warm golden color, which is repeated in the circles of the rug in the living room, along with a pillows on the sofa.

The previous rug in the dining room was darker and hid a myriad of sins from pets, but  it didn’t make the dining table stand out, even against the colorful walls.  Now the table stands out as well as the painting, that relates to the rug under the table as well.

The large pieces of furniture are not patterned but solid, allowing pattern on the floors to work, nor does the floor dominate the room because it is typically below eye level.  Patterned pillows relieve the solid pieces giving them a little notice and allowing more color relationships.

Additionally, this room is clearly a mix of periods: the architecture is 1930s complete with arches and rounded edges.  The furnishings have a decided contemporary feeling, but the only contemporary piece is the sofa, the club chair is from the 1950s and the dining table is from the 1920s, and the coffee table is from the 1920s, but they all work in harmony because of color and scale.

You can make small changes using less bold colors to begin with and build on your design as you feel more comfortable.

Stripes Add Interest

 I find that stripes add interest in many different mediums throughout the home, from pillows to upholstery and carpet-- I don’t mean just area rugs, but broadloom carpets as well.  Stripes can be bold, or soft and subtle by using neutral colors, and still add interest and energy to your living space.  Not only will they add to your decor, but they tend to hide a myriad of traffic wear and just about anything else an active family can inflict.

The infusion of stripes to a decor of either plain or printed fabrics helps break up the predictability of solids and patterns--adding a bit of a surprise, if you will.  Keeping color as the unifying element will give your room the cohesive look that you need for good design.

Stairs lend themselves to stripes in a most interesting way.  Take a plain, straight staircase, mostly hidden from the public rooms, usually closed in with walls on either side, essentiality a hall straight up to the upper living quarters. Carpeted stairs are always more quiet, and should be considered with an active family.  By adding striped carpet to just the staircase, you can easily be coordinate two disparate carpet styles or colors, if the stairs connect to carpet on both upper and lower levels.  Of course, if you have hardwood, tile or laminate in the room at either end of the stairs adding, carpet of any sort will not be much of a design issue.

Adding a striped carpet will give your room an energetic boost while keeping the appearance of stairway wear and tear to a minimum.  Keep in mind that carpet warranties do not cover hallways and stairs; so adding striped carpet will disguise the wear and tear an active family imposes on such such a highly used traffic area.

Subtle stripes on walls is another easy decor addition that can be achieved with either wallpaper or paint.  Painting wide vertical or horizontal stripes using the same paint color or similar but changing the finish to one set of the stripes will give a room a touch of interest without overpowering the rest of your design.  Of course if bold is what you are after, that too is easily achieved.

Striped bedding, drapes, shades and upholstered pieces can  give a room the same energy as flooring and wall color.  Always vary your scale when mixing prints, and stripes and remember to keep your colors related in some way for a cohesive look.

Contrast Adds Drama

While it is true that high contrast will add drama to a room, it is wise to consider how you use contrast.  A painted accent wall is fairly easy to change should you decide you cannot live with the drama the color created, but a floor or a tiled backsplash or shower enclosure is a bit more complicated in terms of expense and time invested.

When you are considering changing something more permanent in your home, like flooring and counter surfaces as well as backsplashes and tub/shower enclosures, try less contrast.  You will be living with these changes for a long time and a classic surface in these areas will serve you better.

Think of all the homes built in the early to mid-20th Century; for the most part, these homes were built with hardwood flooring.  Over the years, as wall to wall carpet became popular, these floors were covered with soft, colorful carpet.   Today, that carpet is considered undesirable and old fashioned.  Carpets in older homes are routinely being  pulled up, exposing those now treasured hardwood floors.  If the wood is in good condition, a simple sanding, staining and fresh coat of polyurethane to preserve its beauty for another half century or more.

Choosing a new color for the floor will be important and fairly permanent.  While it may be tempting to add or stain a border or pattern, think in terms of long term use and how you will feel about such a contrast as a wide, light or dark border verses a solid-colored floor.  An exception to this rule, would be if the floors cannot be successfully refinished, but can be painted instead; then I’d say, go ahead and paint a fun harlequin pattern or boarder.  While the traditional black and white pattern is always popular, you can use softer colors for less contrast, like shades of grey or spa colors like blues and greens; even shades of beige would be a calm and peaceful color combination. 

Tile and natural stone is an expensive and fairly permanent surface for kitchens and baths.  Tempting are the bright colors and fun patterns, but again, consider how long it will be in style, staying classic is wiser.

Unless your home is clearly in a particular style like a Spanish Revival or Spanish Colonial, the use of colorfully patterned tiles might be a bit risky.  Adding cute “accent tiles” to a kitchen backsplash will date your renovation very quickly and reduce its value at resale time.

If using these colorful and playful tiles is something you have your heart set on, use them in less permanent ways.  For instance you can make tile trivets and hang them on the backsplash to add some personality without risking the need to tear it out once you tire of it.

When considering high contrast, think about how long you will live in this home and consider the home’s style.  High contrast will give you high drama, but you can enjoy soft contrast too and it is often easier to live with in the long term.