There were a lot of unexpected twists and turns along the way until we finally ended up with this Pinterest-worthy white oak ceiling in our dining room. Remember, we’re updating a 1970s home for our family of 5 with all of its charm and some of its quirks in tact.
Read MoreLike many secondary bedroom closets of the 1970s era, Cline’s closet was basically filled at the bottom with an HVAC box and had an ordinary rod for hanging clothes. Not cute and definitely not the best use of space. We knew this closet had unmet potential and we set out to find it.
Read MoreCall us biased, but we whole-heartedly agree that hardwood flooring projects belong at the top of the list. When remodeling or building a new home, flooring choices take center stage. The impact of your flooring choice will be felt for decades and is key in achieving a well-designed and high performance interior.
Read MoreAs an owner of two home construction and design service-based businesses, The Hardwood Co and 2540 Love, and also a homeowner myself that has remodeled our own homes a time or two, I now know what to look for when hiring a contractor. I haven’t always followed my own rules and I’ve been burned. Don’t get burned. Read below.
Read MoreWe love a light, natural white oak floor but when refinishing, we’re often working with red oak as that’s a common hardwood floor choice. A few years ago I was working on a design client project and knew I wanted a light natural white oak floor but the existing floors in the 1950s home were red oak. After lots of research we decided to do a custom mix of 2 stains to try to hide as much red as we could. Since then, we have done quite a few floors using this custom mix and love the results. I do want to say, it doesn’t completely hide all the pink, especially if it is a select or #1 wood but if your heart is set on light floors and you don’t want to rip out all of your red oak (which I ALMOST NEVER (I’ve learned to never say never) would recommend ripping out real, solid wood) then this is the best method we have found to achieve that light look.
Read MoreTa Da!!! We are ALMOST finished with our back foyer and I cannot believe it! We still have to put the final coat of matte water-based poly on our 5” white oak select hardwood floors. It’s so hard to get to our own floors when we’re doing everyone else’s every day, but we’re hoping Tom can find a little time to squeeze our own house in soon.
Read MoreAre you in the middle of a home improvement project and feeling stuck when it comes to design or just being able to pull your vision together? I understand! The decision fatigue we experience can keep us from pulling the trigger on design choices and purchases. There are just too many options and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But maximizing your home’s potential and creating relaxing spaces for your family to come home to is important. Instead of becoming another stressor, home can be a place you never want to leave. But, making your house a home takes time. Scheduling a virtual design call with me can help you take the guesswork out of designing a room that’s optimized for your family’s enjoyment. You’ll leave our FaceTime call armed with a plan and a list of sources.
Read MoreWe’re often asked to perform magic. It seems many homeowners with existing red oak hardwood floor would prefer to go lighter, brighter and achieve a “white oak” look instead of the typical red oak look which tends to read orange. We’ve mixed and experimented and mixed and experimented some more. We’ve developed a special stain mixture that takes a lot of the red and pink out of red oak floors. What’s left is an updated + fresh finished look.
Read MoreCreating a home that provides comfort, safety and enjoyment for your family is a priority. That's why we offer LVP as an option to you. We know you have many factors to consider when making flooring decisions, including cost, maintenance, and aesthetics. Explore our Flooring Shop to see all of your LVP options and consider booking a virtual design consult here if you need help deciding which particular floor will work best in your space.
Read MoreWe will forever and always be fans of solid, site-finished hardwood floors. They are classic and add so much value to a home. However, it should be noted that engineered hardwood floors have several benefits, as well. Let’s chat about each!
Read MoreAt the beginning of the year, we touched on hardwood flooring trends for 2021 and herringbone topped our list. I’ve wanted to incorporate a little herringbone into our homes for years and finally included it in our design plan for our current remodel. Our Part 1 of 2: the inspo, the history and the install.
Read MoreSince purchasing our home last fall, we knew one of the first things we wanted to tackle is the stairs. The dark basket style iron balusters, and red oak treads, handrail and posts were just a little too formal for me. Our goal was to lighten up and comfy up this house and if we want that vibe, the stairs have to go.
Read MoreHardwood floors are timeless. They’re classic. They add to a home’s value and give the sense of strength and stability. We’re big fans of hardwood floors, obviously. A few things to consider in the care of hardwood floors—we’ll call them ‘essentials’—-will keep your floors looking fabulous for years to come.
Read MoreOur client wanted a total transformation of her living room, from dark & heavy to light & bright. So, naturally we decided to refresh this room with paint. It provided such a nice blank canvas for us. The room felt 10x bigger, too! This young family uses this room a lot throughout the day and the goal was to make it a space where they could relax and recharge. One of the pieces we brought in was an art ledge that Tom designed and built. It would serve to ground the main wall and provide a focal point of art and interesting textures.
Read MoreMany homes with existing hardwood floors have oak, red oak to be specific. We’ve found that most homeowners would like to get rid of as much red as possible when refinishing. Many times they want to go light (more on that look here). However, after much discussion and inspo sourcing with this homeowner, (more info on our virtual stain consultations here) we knew we wanted to do the complete opposite and go dark. The warmth of the rich brown tone complemented the neutral design scheme so well, as you’ll see. We used a water-based polyurethane to achieve a matte finish. Water-based poly also has no VOCs and a quicker drying time than oil-based polyurethane. Check out this blog post for more on water vs oil poly here.
Read MoreWhen we bought the Matlock house we knew we wanted to transform the “church room” into a multifunctional bonus space. We tried to make every inch of space functional and take advantage of every nook and cranny for built in storage and use. It wasn’t until we started demo that Tom had the idea of adding a shed dormer and built in beds in the bonus room.
Read MoreYou’ve likely heard the phrase ‘keep it simple’ and it’s a perfect motto when it comes to cleaning your hardwood floors properly. There are just a few guidelines to remember when cleaning your hardwood floors and we want to share our top three tips with you today.
Read MoreWe gave our sofa a makeover! We paid $300 for this sofa at a Pottery Barn outlet in 2007. She served her time, but that microsuede fabric and dark frame and legs were ready for an update.
Read MoreWhen we remodeled the Matlock house in 2016, we installed 3 1/4” white oak #2 throughout. Because 3/4” solid hardwood floors can be refinished, we had the opportunity to change up the space 3 years later by refinishing floors to achieve a warmer and more natural white oak look. The benefits of 3/4” solid hardwood floors include durability and timelessness, as well as providing the option to refinish when you desire a fresh, updated aesthetic.
Read MoreYou may have heard for years now that white oak is what you want, whether it’s for your floors, cabinets or ceiling but do you know why? Let’s explore some of the differences between red oak and white oak and dive in to the information you need so you can make the very best choice for your home and lifestyle.
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