Area Rugs: Artwork for the Floor

Surdel Flooring and Design Centre is having an area rug sale for the month of January, at 50% to 70% off our regular price! Come in soon, for the best selection!

When in doubt as to where to begin a redecorating project, you could start with an area rug and design everything else around it.

A few pointers:

* Dark floors and dark furnishings look more dramatic when set against a lightly colored rug.

* Your rug can be bold and contemporary, even if your furnishings are traditional or eclectic.

* If your furniture is heavily patterned, try a rug that is textured rather than patterned.

*A rule of thumb in a dining room: measure your table's length and width, and add 3 feet all around. That way your chair legs won't get caught on the edges of the rug.

* In your living room the area rug can be smaller. It does not have to go under the furniture. It's edge can be about 3" to 6" away from your sofa.

* I usually say that area rugs are artwork for the floor, but for a real statement, why not hang one on a wall too?

Photo credit: arearugstudio.com.

More About Honeysuckle, Pantone's Color for 2011

After doing my last post I realized the picture didn't portray the right shade of honeysuckle. It wasn't reddish-pink enough. It came across as too mauve, too similar to the "Thrills" gum I used to chew as a kid.

Pantone's Honeysuckle is warmer, with reddish undertones. This picture is a much better example of what the color is supposed to look like. It's fresh and contemporary, but retro too...it reminds me of the shade of lipstick my mother used to wear!

Honeysuckle looks great with black and white as a backdrop, but it's also stunning paired with turquoise or blue. For a truly vibrant punch, add tones of orange and red, wow!

photo credit: from www.apartmenttherapy.com.

Honeysuckle: Pantone's Color of the Year

According to the PANTONE Color Institute, Honeysuckle (Pantone 18-2120) is the color of the year for 2011.

Honeysuckle's reddish-pink tone is youthful, energetic and confident. It gets the adrenalin going. It lifts the spirits during those long grey winter nights. It reminds us of the carefree days of spring and summer.

Because Honeysuckle is such a vibrant color, you don't need much: Try it on a patterned cushion, a small round area rug, an accent chair, a woven throw, a pony wall.

Honeysuckle painted on a wall adds zing to an entrance hall; it stimulates the appetite and conversation in a dining room; it adds a sense of whimsy to a powder room.

Honeysuckle is a great way to accent such neutrals as charcoal, silver, black and white. It adds life to the safe tones we tend to use for the more permanent interior finishes, such as floorcoverings.

Photo Credit: Sterin's Photostream, Flickr Creative Commons.

More Design Trends for 2011

I recently heard on the news that the most googled word this year was "austerity". Interestingly, austerity is a key part of design for 2011: Bare bones, stripped of extraneous decoration, pure, natural, minimal, authentic.

Austerity goes hand-in-hand with classic modernity, a style which symbolizes honesty, quality and consistency.

Austerity is Wabi Sabi, where imperfection, organic individualistic features, and the patina of age are venerated in design.

Austerity is related to the emerging "Slow Movement" which started with Slow Food and has now infiltrated to Slow Fashion and Slow Design. It's about slowing down the pace of trends and emphasizing long lasting quality and craftsmanship.

A new direction is emerging in design, where high tech is combined with old-world craftsmanship, and global know-how is combined with local production techniques.