Perfect Rooms For Adding Focal Points

n n n YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE a design expert to create an inviting living space, but with some simple tricks, you can create a home that looks like it’s been styled by a pro.

One way to make a room feel more inviting and comfortable is identifying a focal point to anchor the decor and create a natural, beautiful flow. Without a focal point, a space can feel awkward and disjointed.

These inspirational ideas for using focal points in three popular living spaces can add comfort and beauty that makes you feel right at home.

Kitchen

As the heart of the home, the kitchen deserves special attention to make it a welcoming space where you can enjoy spending time. Depending on your design, you’ll discover there are numerous ways to incorporate a focal point in a kitchen, whether it’s bold cabinetry, an island featuring a natural stone countertop or stand-out appliances that make a statement.

The wall space is also a smart place to draw visual attention. An accent wall is an option if you have the space, but the backsplash is another spot where you can make a big impact.

Living Room

The main function of a fireplace is to provide warmth, but it’s also a perfect element to use to create a focal point that exudes comfort and style. Make your fireplace stand out while also adding an intimate touch by using brick or stone.

As an alternative, you can accent a fireplace with a bold wall treatment. Floor to ceiling brick or stone converts

Variety of rugs to choose from, in order to get your home ready for the holidays

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an average wall into an eye-catching focal point, giving a room a natural, yet striking, edge.

From handmade to glazed bricks and everything in between, Glen-Gery’s line of more than 600 brick and stone products offers a diverse array of colors, textures and sizes, providing homeowners the ability to emphasize their focal points while also reflecting their desired design aesthetic.

Bathroom

It may be one of the smallest living spaces in a home, but the bathroom sees enough traffic that it’s worth making it a visually appealing place to be. Even with a diminutive footprint, the bathroom presents numerous options for a focal point, from an intricate wall material to vibrant lighting fixtures and everything in between. Given their relative size, the shower or tub may be a practical focal point; the vanity offers similar appeal. If you prefer a scaled but equally impactful approach, consider highlighting a smaller element, like a stunning vessel sink, or an unexpected element such as a brick or stone accent wall. Find more ideas to suit your style at glengery.com.

Create a Look That’s Uniquely You

Your home, and more specifically its style, should be a reflection of your personality. Consider a few ways to get started:

Set the mood

Give careful consideration to the overall mood and atmosphere you want to create for your home, both inside and out. Consider contrasting options like a sleek modern masterpiece or a relaxing coastal-inspired sanctuary. Weighing these kinds of options helps point you in the right direction to find the perfect color scheme and textures.

Mood-board magic

Look to magazines and online resources like social media and design blogs for ideas and styles that resonate with you. Browse freely and dream big at first but be sure to review regularly to identify a common denominator. Ultimately this can help you articulate exactly what you want. You can also explore how different products work in your home by using a virtual designer, such as Glen-Gery’s Picture Perfect.

The real deal

To get a real-life feel for your new space, visit model homes and design centers, and look closely and critically at the colors and materials used. This can provide a tangible sense of how those styles may work in your home. n

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Continued from page 11 in the world know when they were born. We know exactly when we began and why we began and who did it.

In the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington hangs John Trumbull’s great painting, “The Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, 1776.” It’s been seen by more people than any other American painting. It’s our best known scene from our past. And almost nothing about it is accurate. The Declaration of Independence wasn’t signed on July 4th. They didn’t start to sign the Declaration until August 2nd, and only a part of the Congress was then present. They kept coming back in the months that followed from their distant states to take their turn signing the document. The chairs are wrong, the doors are in the wrong place, there were no heavy draperies at the windows, and the display of military flags and banners on the back wall is strictly a figment of Trumbull’s imagination. But what is accurate about it are the faces. Every single one of the 47 men in that painting is an identifiable, and thus accountable, individual. We know what they look like. We know who they were. And that’s what Trumbull wanted. He wanted us to know them and, by God, not to forget them. Because this momentous step wasn’t a paper being handed down by a potentate or a king or a czar, it was the decision of a Congress acting freely.

Our Failure, Our Duty

We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate. And it’s not their fault. There have been innumerable studies, and there’s no denying it. I’ve experienced it myself again and again. I had a young woman come up to me after a talk one morning at the University of Missouri to tell me that she was glad she came to hear me speak, and I said I was pleased she had shown up. She said, ”Yes, I’m very pleased, because until now I never understood that all of the 13 colonies —the original 13 colonies—were on the east coast.“ Now you hear that and you think: What in the world have we done? How could this young lady, this wonderful young American, become a student at a fine university and not know that? I taught a seminar at Dartmouth of seniors majoring in history, honor students, 25 of them. The first morning we sat down and I said, ”How many of you know who George Marshall was?“ Not one. There was a long silence and finally one young man asked, ”Did he have, maybe, something to do with the Marshall Plan?“ And I said yes, he certainly did, and that’s a good place to begin talking about George Marshall.

We have to do several things. First of all we have to get across the idea that we have to know who we were if we’re to know who we are and where we’re headed. This is essential. We have to value what our forebears—and not just in the 18th century, but our own parents and grandparents—did for us, or we’re not going to take it very seriously, and it can slip away. If you don’t care about it—if you’ve inherited some great work of art that is worth a fortune and you don’t know that it’s worth a fortune, you don’t even know that it’s a great work of art and you’re not interested in it— you’re going to lose it.

We have to do a far better job of teaching our teachers. We have too many teachers who are graduating with degrees in education. They go to schools of education or they major in education, and they graduate knowing something called education, but they don’t know a subject. They’re assigned to teach botany or English literature or history, and of course they can’t perform as they should.

Continued on page 22

MayHouse

Collection

MayHouse Collection is a fun, compelling shopping experience with a well curated mix of Home, Fashion and Gift collections. Our Mission To become the ultimate “House” in our community by defining ourselves as a lifestyle retailer dedicated to captivating and inspiring our customers through a unique combination of product, creativity, and cultural/community understanding. We will offer a fun, compelling shopping experience with a well-curated mix of Home, Fashion, and Gift collections. Our Commitment We are committed to being leaders of community growth and betterment, as well as good neighbors. Some of the ways in which we will accomplish these goals are: creating jobs and economic growth in our community, highlighting local brands, partnering with responsible and charitable vendors, contributing to local causes, and running our business ethically and responsibly. Our goals are simple: to serve the community better, to always be relevant in our customers lives, and to form lifelong relationships.

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