How To: Marble Accents

               Trends in home design can be expensive and time consuming. Unless you’re already planning on remodeling your home; you probably don’t want to spend thousands of dollars to tear out and replace what you have with the current trending designs. A good place to start is to find the trends you like and are also cohesive with the current layout and design of your home; then find fixtures and products to incorporate. They don’t have to be big ticket items. The fixtures could easily be few smaller items that make for a huge impact.

                One of the popular trends is marble. Everything from office supplies to back-splashes. There are a few ways you can incorporate this look into your home, some are large scale while others are simple additions. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

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Counter Tops

This might be the most obvious way to add a little bit of the classic stone into the mix. The light color of the stone in large scale will definitely open up any small kitchen or bath.

Accent Wall

Another option of brightening up your living space is adding an accent wall of marble. It’s a classic stone, but still has enough detail to add some visual interest on your walls.

Backsplash

Now if you don’t feel like covering up an entire wall, you can easily add some marble to your backsplash. There’s a bunch of interesting tiles available to choose from.

Image via American Tile Depot

Image via American Tile Depot

Coasters, Candles, Vases and Trays

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Image via Etsy Shop WhitewickHome

A very simple and inexpensive way to incorporate the trend around the house. Just be careful not to overdo it in one room, try keeping it less than four marble-type decor (but also keep in mind the size of the room and your decor).

Clocks

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Image via Society6 by Sarah R Bock

Much like the coasters and candles, this is a very inexpensive option. It’s a great way to add some interest to the walls. Try contrasting it among other frames or a clock with gold detailing and hands.

Coffee Tables

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Image via AllModern

Perfect for adding marble in a larger scale, but without the permanence of a counter top or backsplash.

Kitchen design trends, thoughts and ideas

I attended a seminar last fall that brought together new ideas about kitchen design, from materials, layouts and integrated technology.  Much of the discussion came from  kitchen design shows in Italy and Germany.  One of the concepts I found interesting was leaving out corners, just leaving space.  This sounds odd and in reality this works if you have a large space  I do see clients that are including another room into the existing kitchen area so this concept does have possibilities.   In a future blog I'll have pictures of a project that has no inside corners and incorporates many of the themes of the European design shows.

Mixing textures and colors has already been popular and won't be fading anytime soon. Technology may seem like an extravagance in the kitchen but why if we have smart phones and sonic toothbrushes would integrating technology be a a stretch?.  Enabling different  ways cabinets open, the way a faucet works or lighting that comes on inside your cabinetry just makes life easier.  Bringing the living space into the kitchen with causal seating and flexible movable pieces make socializing with the entire family much simpler. 

If you have an interest in kitchen design trends for the future, I've included a video of the Eurocucina kitchen design show. It's really worth watching.  I hope you enjoy and I'd love to get your feedback so please comment and share.

Kitchen design trends shift gradually, with fresh trends appearing every 2 - 3 years. The trends seen at Eurocucina offer the most cutting edge kitchen design trends in the world right now. We can expect these trends to carry through until Eurocucina 2016, when new takes on design and innovative use of materials will capture designers' and homeowners' attention.

Here's to the future!  Cheers.

Tile, texture and tone sets the mood

Do you ever wonder how much the size of a tile or stone, or even the shape can help create the entire feel of a room?  I love this vignette that demonstrates the different feel in the same tones and how scale effects everything. Also notice the sheen level of each different tile and stone tile, are they casual or formal to your eye?

I like to use large tiles in small rooms for a larger cleaner feel.  With any size  tiles you can develop a pattern that tells a modern or traditional story.  Small tiles with sheen or transparency can make you feel like your at the ocean.

Next time you look at a room in your home, think about not only how you may want it to look but how you want it to feel.  Where will it take you, the ocean or a bistro?

Thank you to Statements Tile and Stone for this great display.

Nancy Dalton