Kitchen Designs

The galley, or corridor, kitchen has two straight runs on either side. Typically the sink is on one side and the range is on the other. The drawback to this design is traffic flow.




The U-shape evolved as storage needs increased. It provides a massive expanse of counter and storage space as well as great flexibility. The G-shape is the basic U with another little leg.



To really break up the different areas of the kitchen, consider a zone design. In this kitchen, a separate work station exists for cooking, eating and even cleaning, allowing space for several helpers.



The three points of the frequently mentioned work triangle are the range, sink and refrigerator. Appliances can be broken up with the classic shapes.



For more privacy when cooking, choose an L-shaped layout which forces the traffic out of the work area. For more interaction with family and guests, try an L-shape with an island.

Mood Changing Color

Also known as ochre, this shade is warm and welcoming. With just a hint more orange than mustard yellow, it's a nurturing tone that is commonly used in gathering areas such as kitchens and dining rooms.



Red-violet tones are a bit less serious than violet and blue-violet hues and are excellent for informal or playful spaces. The red undertones make this color somewhat feminine and youthful.



Red, the color which the eye most recognizes, is associated with movement, speed and excitement. Studies have proven that viewing red results in an increased heartbeat.



Of all the colors in the color wheel, orange is often considered the most flamboyant. Orange spaces are fun, happy and unapologetic. People who use this color for their interiors can be characterized as warm.



Often used by designers and architects to capitalize on the availability of a home's natural light, white also symbolizes purity.




Although black symbolizes both power and authority, it's usually the color east likely to be used on interior walls. This stems from the fact that black also implies submission. By the way, my favorite color is black.



Associated with romance, pink has long been a preferred color of women and girls everywhere. Certain shades of pink, when paired with otherwise masculine colors, can create a gender-neutral space.



Many men choose brown as a favorite color. It's also a go-to choice for designers looking to create an organic or earthy aesthetic.



Gray is often thought of as timeless and practical; however, too much gray leads to a feeling of old age or nothingness. Add bright colored accessories to make the gray pop.



This color combines the dependability and wisdom of blue with the royal richness of violet.

Backsplash Designs

Add a little sparkle to your kitchen. The metal tiles add an industrial edge and luminescent backdrop to the crisp white surroundings. Stainless steel backsplashes are eco-friendly, easy to keep clean and look especially gorgeous in contemporary settings like this.

Nothing is more eye-catching than a sparkling mosaic backsplash. Designer Linda Woodrum created this kitchen's focal point by combining reclaimed stained-glass tiles in gray, white and yellow to create a stunning, detailed backsplash against the entire back wall. The colorful glass tiles complement the dark wood cabinetry and the kitchen's overall urban edge, while also integrating a bold dose of color to match the golden-yellow work island.

To add some visual eye candy to her brand-new kitchen, RMS user cc_insidearch used gold glassed-curved tile to create a basket weave-patterned backsplash in the cut-out of her back wall cabinet unit. With bright backlighting and a reflective granite countertop, the glass tiles' iridescent finish appears especially sleek and shiny.

To prevent this Mediterranean kitchen from feeling ancient Old World, designer Sarah Barnard used a modern backsplash technique, embossed concrete, to add a contemporary edge. A wide range of imprinting tools and embossing skins can be used to stain, stamp or add texture to concrete, creating a variety of classic appearances. This particular patterned backsplash suits the rich wood cabinetry surrounding it, and it also blends well with the other hues and materials within the room.

To create a rich and natural look in this country-style kitchen, designer Joel Snayd used Carrera marble with a stunning pattern for the backsplash and countertops. The veins in the marble prevent the kitchen's all-white elements from appearing washed out. Considered a "living surface," marble can easily chip, crack and will acquire a patina over time, so proper care is essential to keep it looking beautiful.

Custom and Comfort

This traditional neutral master bedroom is complete with matching lamps. A touch of black in the lampshades anchors the space and adds the right touch of elegance and drama.



This bedroom addition opens out to the desert floor where the homeowners enjoy coffee with the Arizona wildlife. Mechanized window shades are recessed into the soffits to provide blackout or translucent light control. A base of neutral colors (paints, fabrics, carpet) is balanced with varying textures and patterns to create a calm, harmonious interior space. A new gas fireplace, recessed TV, lighting, sound and windowcoverings are controlled via remote from the bedside.



Custom pieces can make a big statement in a room. This hand-carved, mahogany mirror frame was specially commissioned to artisans working in the mountains of Colombia.



This dramatic, custom-designed master bedroom features an oversized diamond-tufted leather headboard that sits in a niche. The espresso-colored Wenge flooring is carried up the wall frame through to the custom bed. The bone white headboard is a sharp contrast against the rich wood floors and walls, creating a sense of luxury.



The Buddha cutout and shoji screens slide together to cover the window completely, or slide apart to become large blank canvases reflecting the 'being" and "nothingness" of Zen.



Speaking of Zen, I love this closet design. The walls in this luxurious, Asian master suite closet were rearranged to resemble a spacious high-end boutique. The custom cherry cabinetry by Irpinia Kitchens adds to the elegant look.

Alluring Azzurro

From a distance, the Azzurro Collection might actually appear to be made of woven linen, such is its intricacy and palpable tactility. Any one of the more than 40 designs positively begs to reach out and be touched.




And the exotic nature of the prints might suggest linen as well, evoking, as they do, a sense of the bygone days of colonial Britain. But this is a new era and it takes a wise use of an old reliable material to create the dazzling reproductions of Azzurro.




This vinyl wallpaper on an unwoven backing comes in rolls of 10 x .7 M., sufficient dimensions to adorn the walls of an Italian villa or a Bombay flat. Each design in the Azzurro collection plays with shadow and light. There are vibrant purples dazzled by streaks of white; a dizzying and dazzling masala of reds, yellows, blacks, blues, and greens; and, my favorite, a burnished blend of earthy browns, burnt oranges, and floral yellows—evoking, ever so subtly, the wondrous striations of a Bengal tiger’s stripes.




About the Manufacturer: Èletis was established in 1988 when the company’s founders perceived a niche just ready and waiting to be filled: “colorful and innovative wallpapers which we felt were missing.” The company’s product line thus includes the fanciful and the fantastic—everything from stripes and geometrics to patterns and solids, in all the colors of the rainbow and many more besides: “Our strong passion and distinct look are recognized worldwide and this has allowed us to develop rapidly.”

Sofa Styles

Sofa Style

The style of a sofa is generally determined by three things: the arms, the back, and the legs or skirt. Certain arms and backs connote modern or traditional styles, but the way a sofa is upholstered and trimmed can also great influence its appeal. In addition to a glossary of terms describing backs, arms, seats, and legs, we’ve compiled some of the most classic and well-known styles.

English or Club

This sofa has a slightly rounded arm set back from the front of the seat, often with a tight seat and slightly rolled back, no skirt, and low, turned legs on castors.

Tuxedo

In the tuxedo sofa, the arms are as high as the back. It usually has fairly clean lines with straight or slightly flared arms. Some people find a lower arm more comfortable for resting, but with the right pillows, the tuxedo can be very cozy.

Camelback

A more traditional, formal style made by Thomas Chippendale in the 18th century, the camelback sofa has a tight, serpentine back, high rolled arms, often a tight seat, and sometimes exposed legs and stretchers.

Knole

Based on an early to mid-17th-century sofa made for Knole, a house in Kent, England, and a classic of English country houses, this sofa has a straight, high back and angled arms that can be adjusted to open out or stand up straight (once useful for keeping out drafts). The back and arms traditionally connect with finials wrapped in cords.

Cabriole

The back of this 18th-century Louis XV–style sofa curves into the arms in a continuous line. It usually has wood trim and carved wood legs that may be curved. This example is a more clean-lined take on the classic form, which would have more downswept, curvy arms.

Lawson

The Lawson has a low, squarish back, with arms that are lower than the back. The form can have square or rolled arms.

Chesterfield

The Chesterfield conjures visions of English libraries or men’s clubs, with its tufted back, high rolled arms, and sometimes tufted seat. It is often upholstered in leather.

Midcentury Modern

These sofas have straight, squared lines and a very streamlined form, with low, often squared legs.

Sectional

This modular seating is configured from components that include armless sofas, as well as end and corner units, ottomans, and sometimes even recliners, sleep sofas, or chaises. Its style is usually clean-lined and modern.

Bridgewater

A Bridgewater sofa has low, set-back arms and an elegant profile. It is usually skirted and sometimes has a softly rolled back.

Watch the video for how to shop for a sofa:

Archipelago

As I’m always eager to extract every ounce of meaning from the given name of a product—especially if it’s evocative in the least—the new Archipelago fabric by Designtex sent me off to my virtual glossary,

Diva Pendant

Northern Light’s Diva Pendant Lamp Evokes the Golden Age of Scandinavian Design

Now that said “Golden Age” has ever come to an end, but designers Natedal and Egset have a professed a definitive objective of “paying their respect to the proud Norwegian heritage of wood lamination craftsmanship, and at the same time challenging or reinventing how this material can be used.”



The unique shape of Diva is achieved through a rather simple trick: 32 subtly-bent laminated strips are set one just below the next, thereby achieving a dynamic and fluid aesthetic that’s palpably feminine and beautifully strange.


That last descriptor is nothing but complimentary, as “strange,” in the best sense, implies unprecedented artistic achievement—the kind of formal innovation that shocks us from complacency and into an appreciation of something heretofore unseen.

About the Manufacturer: Oslo’s Northern Lighting has tapped into the singular atmospheric quality of Scandinavia’s rarefied latitudes to create a lighting line “inspired by the unique Nordic nature, culture and society and the very special natural light.” Peopled by “fiery souls who are fascinated by the mood-creating possibilities of light,” Northern Lighting offers a diverse and distinctive collection, including work by the iconic interior architect Gerhard Berg and the accomplished artist Anu Moser.

Organize and Unclutter

What do you love about these rooms? Uncluttered and Organized should be your answer.

Everyone has lofty ambitions of home organization, but not many can accomplish it. We all say that one day we will get organized, and then before you know it ten years has gone by and everything is still a mess. And what happens if all of the sudden you decide to move? How will you approach this situation now that the clock is ticking? Bring on the migraines.

People who manage to stay organized have never experienced this sense of panic, and they are lucky. But how do they do it? What is their secret? Well, a select few are just naturally good at keeping things in order, but most require the helping hand of a self-storage facility. Renting a self-storage unit is by far the best way to keep your home clutter-free.

It always seems as though there is never enough room to put all your belongings, probably due to the fact that people don’t have the heart to throw away items that were once precious to them even if they serve no purpose now. Even if you are living in a mess, you still can’t find it in you to throw anything out. That being the case, most people’s best scenario is a clutter-less home with an overstuffed garage.

Instead of spreading the mess of a renovation all over your house, or in your garage, rent a small unit from one of your local self-storage companies. Keep all of the things you can't get everyday use of out of the way until you have found a purpose for them. Placing your unused items in cheap storage units can help cut down on the visual chaos of a messy house, and it also gives you an opportunity to take a mental break from the stress.

Listed below are a few tips for achieving home AND garage organization, the divide and conquer way.

• Step One. Before you can conquer, you must divide. This means separating the “keepables” from the “unkeepables” and using a judicious eye to identify belongings that should be given or thrown away.
• Step Two. Conquer. Identify what you need and segregate what you don’t need. These are the items you’ll be putting into storage.
• Step Three. Pack things logically. Don’t just throw everything into a box. By packing things in an organized manner and labeling boxes, you’ll make it much easier to find something.

Putting the home you're living in in order can be one of the most stressful things you do as an adult. However, you can minimize the chaos and relieve some of the tension in your home by taking advantage of cheap storage units.

This article was written by Matt Schexnayder. Matt is on the SpareFoot marketing team and writes for the SpareFoot blog. SpareFoot is the largest online marketplace for self-storage with more than 5,000 self-storage facilities listed nationwide. SpareFoot offers consumers the most complete comparison shopping experience in the storage industry and has been a big part of the national moving and storage industry for over 3 years.

Matt Schexnayder has been our guest blogger today, thank you Matt for a great article!