Mother Nature inspires ‘new neutral’ home design trends (BPT) – Many interior designers gravitate toward grays or whites as a starting point when building a home’s look and feel, but a new trend is emerging. Homeowners are getting back to basics and finding ways to bring the outdoors in by using neutral earth tones as their blank slate. These wood tones have become the “new neutral” for those beginning their brand-new home design. No matter your style - modern, eclectic or anything in between the toned-down hues of natural-looking wood surfaces are the perfect starting point for building a versatile, relaxing and high-end look in your home.
with flooring like Lumber Liquidators’ Claire Gardens Oak hardwood, which features an organic oak grain where no two boards look the same. The textured grains pair beautifully with greenery (faux or natural), and the neutral color complements a variety of earthy paint palettes.
Woodland oasis
Wood is the perfect element when deciding to bring nature into your home - whether on the floor or on It’s all natural the walls, as an Finding inspiration accent or as a from nature can create headboard. Feaa more calming retreat in our hectic, constantly turing a variety of wood elements connected lives. Start with a neutral and natu- in the décor itself ral palette in the home as can also allow the first step to designing you to play with your oasis. Incorporating mixing different grains, colors and textures colors found in nature can act as a reminder to throughout the home disconnect and recharge while still maintaining a seamless overall design. in your home.
Stay grounded Include a variety of textures from the ground up to transform your space and make it unique. From flooring to décor, finding ways to pull in elements from Mother Nature will turn your home into your haven. Bring out your home’s natural beauty
Light and airy To make small spaces feel more open, be sure to accentuate natural light by incorporating mirrors. Try and keep your space clear of clutter and add natural foliage and plants to improve air quality and mood. Installing long, wide planks of flooring
will also make your room feel larger.
Branch out Starting with a neutral, earthy color palette means you have plenty of room to play with color - be it bold, muted or a reflection of the world around you. Include colorful accent pieces that remind you of the perfect fall foliage, a day at the beach or spring’s first blooms. Natural inspiration provides a world of possibilities.
Let locations inspire design Homeowners looking to add flair to their homes can find inspiration anywhere. Style can even be tailored to reflect places homeowners have visited. Whether they call to mind the narrow streets of London, the sand-bleached beaches of a Caribbean island or the urban buzz of New York City, designs can
reflect one’s travels and evoke some of the same feelings homeowners got when visiting their favorite places. Professional interior designers often pull inspiration from unique places, and so can homeowners who love to travel. Those who want to illustrate their wanderlust through their home’s decor can consider these tips.
Work with colors
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Think about the colors that signify a particular locale and bring those hues into the space. The color palettes of the beach, for example, include grays, beiges, blues, and greens. The popularity of gray-tone neutrals allows homeowners to bring in these colors as a neutral backdrop, and then add a splash of whimsy with a few decorative accents.
put heavy emphasis on natural materials. Items like bamboo, sea grass, stones, and woven baskets can invite the outdoors into a home.
Embrace the vibe Urban centers are awash in energy and color. This spirit can be reflected with modern architecture, bold prints, metallic accents, and innovative lighting.
Pick an inspiration piece
Homeowners can direct their focus to one particular memento from a vacation or excursion. A vivid piece of artwork, a piece of furniture, a sculpture, or even a wardrobe element can serve as a catalyst for an entire room. Use this piece to match colors and textures. Remember, to evoke the spirit of an area when decorating, keep Try natural it subtle. Too many materials details or over-the-top replication might seem Vacation hotspots like one is dressing a like Hawaii, Southern California and other ar- stage set rather than his eas of the Pacific tend to or her home.
Fire safety tips that could help save your life (BPT) – Having working smoke alarms in your home is as important as wearing a seatbelt in your car. It’s a necessity that protects you and your loved ones. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), approximately three out of five home fire deaths occur in residences with no working smoke alarms or without any smoke alarms at all. These cases can be avoided as smoke alarms are accessible and easy to install. Smoke alarms serve a critical and life-saving purpose, sounding when smoke is detected to give people the most time possible to escape and call for help. The NFPA shares that the risk of dying from a home fire is cut in half if working smoke alarms are in place. However, only 23% of Americans check their smoke alarms monthly, according to data from a new survey conducted by UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI). Smoke
alarms with dead, missing or disconnected batteries account for a significant number of fire tragedies, and according to the NFPA, 46% of nonworking smoke alarms are due to missing or disconnected batteries. While an unexpected chirp - beep, beep, beep - from a smoke alarm may sometimes be a nuisance, the need for working smoke alarms is critically important. Forty years ago, people had around 17 minutes to escape their home in the event of a fire. Today, due to synthetic materials, furniture, more spacious floorplans and lighter-weight construction materials, people now have three minutes or less to escape their home. Smoke alarms give the earliest possible warning that there could be a fire. New technology has made smoke alarms better at differentiating common smoke from cooking, and an actual, potentially life-threatening fire. While it is
difficult to eliminate all nuisance chirps, the next generation of alarms will greatly reduce nuisance alarms due to cooking - the leading reason for a smoke alarm to be disabled, according to the NFPA and Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). This practice is extremely dangerous. “Simply put, the complacent ‘it won’t happen to me’ approach many take when it comes to fires can have significant consequences today,” said Steve Kerber, vice president, Research, UL FSRI. “Working smoke alarms are an easy and effective safeguard to protect you and your family, and with new technology greatly reducing nuisance alarms, we’re hoping to see significantly fewer disabled alarms in the field when responding to fires.” Smoke alarms help save lives. Here are helpful fire safety tips to follow:
Install working smoke alarms on every level of the house, in every sleeping room, outside each sleeping area and in the basement. • Position smoke alarms on the ceiling or high on a wall. Smoke alarms should be at least 10 feet away from the stove.
• Working smoke alarms will continue to provide protection through the end of their 10-year life span. At the end of the 10-year span, install new alarms with enhanced technology.
• Test all smoke alarms once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
• Create an escape plan, practice it with your immediate and extended family and caregivers, and act on it when an alarm sounds.
• Don’t disable your smoke alarms.
• Close Before You Doze. A closed door
can be an effective barrier against deadly levels of carbon monoxide, smoke and flames, keeping rooms survivable for longer. • Get down, get out and stay out if a smoke alarm goes off in your home or building. For information on the technology advancements behind these life-saving products and for more fire safety tips, visit smokealarms.UL.org.
Basement remodeling tips A basement remodeling project can add valuable and usable space to a home. For many years, homeowners overlooked the potential of a basement remodel, perhaps thinking it would not be a smart return on investment. But that’s no longer the case. The latest “Cost vs. Value” report from Remodeling magazine says the average basement remodel can cost around $61,000 with a 70.3 percent recoup rate. In addition, HGTV says architects and contractors indicate the cost of redoing a basement is roughly one-third to one-half less than the price of putting an addition on a home. Before remodeling a basement, homeowners should think about how they want to use the space. Homeowners also must focus on some potential obstacles in a basement that will need to be addressed so that
the area can be as functional as possible. Basements can be chilly and damp. That means moisture issues and heating and cooling needs must be addressed prior to any construction. Homeowners may have to consider the installation of a dehumidifier and run venting through the basement to allow for proper climate control. If a basement takes on water, either through the walls or a concrete slab, a professional waterproofing company can come in and fix these issues so they will not damage drywall and flooring afterwards. The presence of insects and pests also must be addressed. Exterminators can help homeowners figure out which insects are in their basements and how to make the space less hospitable to these unwelcome guests so that the room will become comfortable
for human occupants. Space is often at a premium in basements, which may contain HVAC units, water heaters, filtration devices, ductwork, pipes, and the other appliances. Qualified contractors can suggest solutions for cordoning off appliances and camouflaging pipes and wires so they won’t detract from the finished product. However, building access panels into the design will make it easier to service or repair features as necessary. Homeowners also may want to wrap pipes before drywall is installed to quiet noisy drainage pipes. Uneven basement flooring will need to be smoothed out and flattened before carpeting or tile can be laid down. A self-leveling underlayment can be applied to fill in gullies, while larger crack and holes will need to be patched. Once the structure of
the basement is addressed, then the design work can begin. Many professionals advise against drop ceilings, which can take away from ceiling height and look cheap. Basements can be dark, so the addition of plenty of lighting can help brighten the room. Small basement
windows can be replaced with larger ones to add more light as well. Homeowners can mimic built-ins and architectural details from elsewhere in the home so the basement is aesthetically cohesive and doesn’t seem like an addition. Bookcases and shelving can add valuable storage
space as well. Decorate the basement with bright, neutral colors so they make the space feel more inviting. With some effort and financial investment, basements can be as beautiful and functional as other rooms in a home.
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