Six style tips to prepare your home for the holiday season

(BPT) - Bored with the whirlwind of red and green decor that inundates every home during the holiday season? This year, more homeowners are thinking beyond the traditional when decorating for winter celebrations. Expert insight into the year’s top decor trends can help anyone create impressive, elegant holiday style with minimal effort.

“Red and green will always be classic, but when it comes to holiday decor, rules are meant to be broken,” says Kirsty Froelich, design director for The Tile Shop. “Anyone can use inventive color schemes, fun patterns and smart home updates to create spaces that embrace the essence of the season.”

Froelich notes six top trends to keep in mind when decorating for the holiday season:

1. Feel festive with florals
An easy first step to bring your home into the holiday season is to add festive fresh or dry floral arrangements. Evergreens and poinsettias always convey the essence of the season, but blooms in hues of rich purple, crisp white and even funky fuchsia will add cheerful energy to any room. A small floral arrangement on a bathroom vanity, for example, adds warmth and color — a particularly nice touch if you’re hosting guests.

2. Beautify with backsplashes
Tiling your backsplash is an easy update that instantly upgrades a kitchen or bar space, and serves as a great conversation starter for guests. A backsplash also can be a relatively inexpensive project with a stunning impact.

3. Be merry with metallics
To create a show-stopping visual effect, use metallics in details throughout your home. Chrome and nickel are hot, and there’s a current resurgence of brass and gold. If you have metal in your backsplash tiles, add a centerpiece in the same metal to tie the entire room together. Keep in mind that less is more. Thoughtful touches of holiday decor will have bigger visual impact than an overload of figurines and frills.

4. Get jolly with geometric patterns
From gift wrap to seasonal fabric, geometric patterns are on trend for the upcoming holiday. A gorgeous geometric tablecloth is the ideal backdrop for a big family feast. Geometric mosaic backsplashes leave a lasting impression during the holiday season and into the new year. Finally, geometric wrapping paper in vivid colors like teal or chartreuse, make for an extra stylish tree.

5. Wow with window treatments
Don’t overlook the potential of your windows when adding holiday pizzazz to your home. By using fabrics that feature a festive theme or pattern, you can easily create temporary window treatments that bring a space together. Simply visit your local craft store, pick out a bolt of two of fabric that blends with your holiday aesthetic, and have the appropriate lengths cut. Then simply drape and enjoy.

6. Give your fireplace a facelift
A fireplace is the quintessential gathering spot for friends and family during holiday celebrations. A sleek stone makeover will update any drab or dated fireplace into a stylish focal point in your home. Add extra ambiance with candles, flowers and other simple decor on the mantel to make the space feel special.

“There’s no better time to let your home shine than the holidays,” says Froelich. “Adding holiday greenery, a few metallic touches and whimsical window updates will make your home feel festive. Now’s the perfect time to get that tile project done that’s been on the back burner, so you can show off your hard work and the amazing new space to all visitors.”

For more home design inspiration as you prep for this holiday season contact the staff at Interior Surfaces. Give us a call at 614.761.7856 to make an appointment to meet with us at 4353 H Tuller Road, Dublin, OH 43017.

Floor your house guests with creative design twists

(BPT) - Hardwood flooring brings enduring beauty, charm and value to a home. Not content to keep a good thing underfoot, inspired homeowners are now finding new and creative locations to use it for a dramatic effect.

Using hardwood flooring on walls and ceilings is becoming an increasingly prominent trend. The rationale goes beyond aesthetic. While the wide variety of colors and finishes do provide myriad design options, hardwood flooring is also very durable and easy to maintain.

Here are just a few of the many considerations for creatively using hardwood flooring:

1. Deck the walls.

Just like floors, there are a multitude of colors, patterns and finishes that can be installed on walls. After choosing the hardwood to match your decor, design a layout for how high you want it to go and how you want the planks positioned. Choose a horizontal layout for a traditional look, or go with a vertical or diagonal layout for a more distinctive statement. It’s important to decide this in advance to avoid wasting materials.

2. Ceilings to look up to.

If you want your ceiling to take center stage, it’s best to keep the floor neutral and muted. For cohesion, use the same tone on both the ceiling and floor. In an all-white room, try a wooden ceiling with a matte finish for a complementary look.

3. Make more of less.

Hardwood flooring accents can help you make the most of a smaller space. In the bedroom, place hardwood flooring around and above your bed to create a headboard. This creates a familiar look and ties a room together without taking up extra space. Another idea is to use hardwood flooring to create an accent wall. This makes the room feel larger by focusing attention to one wall.

4. Choose the right flooring.

It is important to choose the right hardwood flooring for specific applications. Lighter-weight products – usually 5/16-inch to 1/2-inch thick – are easier to install and keep in place over time. Flooring types and textures such as acacia or handscraped styles add a distinctive character to rooms. The team at Interior Surfaces can help you choose the right flooring.

Creative options still abound if you’re a homeowner who literally remains grounded with their flooring. When deciding how to decorate an expansive room, for example, different colors or species of hardwood can be used to section off separate areas – especially in open spaces commonly found in loft style and other contemporary construction.

Imagination is ultimately the only limit for homeowners and the staff at Interior Surfaces are here to help! Give us a call at 614.761.7856 to make an appointment to meet with us at 4353 H Tuller Road, Dublin, OH 43017.

Dress up your Floors with Top Tile Trends

(BPT) - If you are renovating any area of your home, it may be time to try something new—such as bringing tile into main living areas in addition to your bathrooms and kitchen. New designs, styles and technologies are making tile the most versatile and accessible flooring material.

“Tile has always been durable and easy to maintain,” says Kevin McDaniel, director of product development and design services for a leading tile retailer. “Tile has a long life span and classic good looks, making it a favorite flooring of choice wherever homeowners need a floor material that’s both practical and beautiful. Even more design options are available now, making tile a smart floor surface in virtually any room of the home.”
Homeowners, builders, designers and product developers are thinking outside the box when incorporating tile into renovations and new builds. From bringing tile flooring up the wall, to using the same tile flooring across multiple rooms, they’re working with tile in non-traditional ways. Here are some top tile trends to consider for your interior design project:

1. The look of real wood with a rustic finish. Many of the larger-format faux wood tiles mimic the look of real hardwood floors. Less expensive and more durable than real wood, these tile floors are practical yet beautiful choices for active households with children and pets. Details evoke the character of real wood, right down to the nails. “Rustic faux wood is making a huge splash because of its warm, earthy coloring and unusual time-worn finishes such as aged paint, a finish hard to achieve with real wood. I foresee it continuing to be a very popular design trend,” McDaniel says.

2. Those longer tile planks. While standard square tile sizes will always have their place in home décor, rectangular tiles – otherwise known as planks — are gaining popularity. New 12-by-24-inch tiles are a hot choice in bathrooms and 6-by-36-inch tiles or 8-inch by 8-feet planks (often in wood-grained looks) are a favorite for living areas.
“Using longer planks can help smaller spaces look larger, and create an appealing consistency across multiple rooms,” says McDaniel. “While consumers may be familiar with traditional tile shapes such as square or hexagon, these longer tiles offer exciting new design flexibility.”

3. That poured concrete look. While concrete is a trendy design material right now, it’s not practical for every household or application. New tile styles create the look of poured or stained concrete at a fraction of the cost, and with all the durability, versatility and ease associated with tile. Tile options range from long rectangular 8-by-18-inch or 12-by-24-inch planks to 18-by-18-inch squares. Tiles are rectified—the edge is cut completely straight—and grout joints are very narrow to further create the look of seamless concrete.

4. The warmth of heated floors. While heated floors were once a luxury option for homeowners, they’re becoming increasingly mainstream. Tile lends itself to radiant heat beneath the floor. You can find a full line of accessories, including thermostats, which can control the heat in any floor in your home. This includes both the shower floor and shower benches.

5. Unconventional grout and tile design ideas. Using a high-contrast grout color can make the floor pop, and it’s a tactic that works well with mosaic designs. Choosing the right grout color is just as important as the tile you select. Also popular is the concept of mosaic designs that mimic an area rug within a larger section of tile flooring and create the look of custom art within the floor.


Shopping for tile designs and inspiration is easy with help from the staff at Interior Surfaces. Give us a call at 614.761.7856 to make an appointment to meet with us at 4353 H Tuller Road, Dublin, OH 43017.