Hello Friends, 

13 Tile Ideas You’ll Want to See

Playful patterns, fun colors, fresh layouts — consider these tile suggestions for tricking out kitchens and bathrooms

With the popularity of humble subway tile and simple stone slabs, it’s easy to forget that there are so many other ways tile can bring incredible life and drama to your home. If you’re looking for a next-level tile design with a little splash of personality, consider some of these ideas for patterns, styles and layouts for jaw-dropping effect.

1. Go with classic black and white. We often think of exotic tiles as being wildly colorful, but when I’ve visited Europe and taken in the lovely tile designs in the beautiful homes and resorts, I’ve been struck by how many different ways classic black and white can be used. A monochromatic color palette in a traditional fleurette design gives a room a definite sense of sophistication and stands the test of time.

2. Tile the bath surround. Tiling the front of a drop-in bathtub (rather than using a plain white ceramic or plastic tub kit) can bring a luxurious look without the need to splurge on a lot of tile. For a modern effect, bring the same tile from the floor up the face of the bathtub. People tend to notice vertical surfaces first, so this approach gives your dramatic floor tile a little extra attention. Choosing a pattern in classic white and navy blue keeps the treatment looking clean and current for years to come.

3. Tile the island. By coincidence, this home uses the same tile as the previous example, but in a different location: the kitchen island. Often we think of the island as being just more cabinetry, but it can actually receive more wear and tear than standard wall cabinets due to bumping stools and kicking feet. Tiling the seating area gives a little more durability to the surface, while also making a stylish statement that gives a beautiful burst of color and pattern. The tile here doesn’t need to be the same as the backsplash tile, especially if the backsplash is a more plain finish, like a crisp white subway pattern. Besides, letting the island front be its own feature is more unexpected and fun.

4. Try a rug-like inset or borders. A rug in the bathroom can be beautiful, but for some it feels too impractical. A rug-like tile composition gives you the look of an area rug in the same hard-wearing finish as a standard floor tile. You can use an area of contrast tile inset amid a more plain tile like the previous project, or take inspiration from this photo and use a tile border to give subtle structure to an all-over pattern.

Combine this look with in-floor heating and you’ll feel like you’re standing on a cozy rug.

5. Add wall stripes. A stripe of intricate statement tiles, often just two to three tiles wide, can bring a lot of drama to a space without overwhelming it with a busy pattern. This is a great way to introduce a little European flair into your bathroom through an exotic or antique tile pattern without it looking like a “theme room.”

6. Play with tile trim. Design is all about the details, and when tile reaches a corner or stops partway along a wall, how well the edge of the tile is finished can make a noticeable difference to the look. One way to beautifully cap off tile, and add a little hint of sparkle, is with a sleek metal tile trim. I often design bathrooms with mirrors inset into the tile for a flush, sleek composition, and a gleaming tile trim beautifully transitions from the tile to the glass pane within while also giving the mirror a subtle frame for an extra sense of polish. You can find tile trims online or in hardware stores, but you can also talk to a tile or mirror installer to find the best option for your installation.

7. Go for rough edges. Hexagons are a popular tile shape, but the diagonal edges mean they are often a bit trickier to install than a plain rectangle, with lots of pieces needing to be cut to make the sides end crisply in a straight line or at a corner. Or you can consider skipping all of those issues and let your tiles end where they may, creating a free-flowing design that refuses to conform to typical in-the-box thinking. This rough-edge approach is another smart way to introduce a tile in a bold color or busy pattern without having it overwhelm a room. You can add a small area of tiles where needed to prevent against splashes and spills while adding just the right amount of style.

8. Open up to ombre.Sometimes a solid color can feel too overwhelming, especially a vivid hue like aqua blue. That’s where tile comes in, giving multitonality that is hard to achieve on a wall with paint and a brush. For a fun effect, try taking two different colors of the same tile and fading from one hue to the next to get an ombre fade, using the boldest hue toward the bottom and a paler one (or a simple white) more toward the top to keep that color in check. If you or your installer have a little patience, you can also buy a multitonal mosaic tile set and separate out the individual tiles (or small groups) from light to dark, and then apply them in a ombre that fades through multiple hues, as evenly or loosely as you prefer to achieve many different effects. This shower accent wall likely took some time to install, but the result is definitely invigorating.

9. Toy with textured tiles. Tile doesn’t have to be brightly colored to have a dramatic impact. If you like the idea of an interesting tile but also want to keep your kitchen or bathroom bright white and breezy, consider an embossed or shaped tile with a textural face. These can add a sense of richness to your surfaces without breaking up a minimalist color palette.Textured tiles can be used all over, but often they look best when used as an accent, especially as a backsplash in a kitchen or behind a vanity.

Notice how this bathroom uses a vertical band of subtly textural tiles just in the sink area, with a more plain ceramic tile on the adjacent walls. The overall effect is subdued but gives the room a sense of designer polish, and it plays beautifully against the dramatic black accents. Again, the color palette is simple, but the room feels richly detailed, and that brings a sense of luxury. For traditional or transitional spaces, try an unrectified ceramic tile, which means the edges are a bit uneven in a beautifully imperfect way. This gives a sense of texture because the adjacent tiles don’t quite line up, creating a subtle rippling effect that feels touchable and stylish.

10. Celebrate cement and concrete. A poured concrete floor can take a major overhaul to achieve, but a touch of cool concrete can be added to any room with a few concrete or concrete-look tiles. This textural material is a great addition to contemporary spaces, and especially in bathrooms, as it has a clean look but with a texture that contrasts and complements slick porcelain and brushed metals, bringing a new dimension to your palette. 

11. Capture colorful floors. Who says your floors have to stick to a safe, neutral palette of wood or stony grays? A floor tile with a splash of color can be surprisingly easy to coordinate with. Work with accent hues elsewhere in the room to create a space that feels lively and filled with personality but still casual and livable. Even seemingly daring hues like red can work well as a small accent within a tile pattern. Think of how a traditional rug feels neutral even with its many maroon hues.

12. Look to large-format geometrics. Think this tile pattern looks incredibly intricate? In fact, the pattern is simpler than you might guess. If you look closely, you can see that this design is made from repeating one large square tile that is diagonally split into a white half and black half — and a mirror image of the same tile — rotated randomly about the floor. Together they form energetic shapes that seem to have no beginning or end. To create a look like this, shop for large-format tiles with a simple design, and make sure to look at several tiles together to see how the pattern looks repeated. Sometimes the most simple tile design can surprise you.

13. Make a mini mural. A full wall-to-wall tile mural can be a bit overwhelming. Sometimes all you need is a basic shape in a small area to make a big impact. A mini mural like this heart shape uses just a few contrasting tiles to give the room plenty of personality. 

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/101393734?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u8794&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery14&newsletterId=8794

3376 Harrison Blvd.

Ogden, UT 84403

(801) 627-6500

8 Plant Pairings for High-Impact Color in the Fall Garden

Hello Friends!  

8 Plant Pairings for High-Impact Color in the Fall Garden

Bring on the jewel tones with easy planting combinations that will carry your garden into the next season.

As the season shifts from summer to fall, high-impact planting pairings can effectively add fall color to garden beds. Check nurseries for fall-blooming perennials that are just beginning to bud (rather than those in full bloom) and for colors that really pop when planted in containers and garden borders. 

For inspiration for your own high-impact planting combinations, take a look at these eight fall plant pairs featured in gardens from the Pacific Northwest to the Dutch countryside.

1. Black-Eyed Susan and Joe Pye Weed

North American native black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta, USDA zones 3 to 9; find your zone) is a fall favorite for good reason. They start blooming in midsummer but really come into their own by early fall — just when many other summer bloomers are looking tired. Plus, their vivid gold petals and dark centers catch the eye in an autumn garden. 

In this Chicago garden, the black-eyed Susans mix with eastern North American native Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, zones 5 to 10), which bloom from July through September with butterfly-attracting mauve-pink blossoms.

Light requirement: Full sun for black-eyed Susan; full sun to partial sun for Joe Pye weed 
Water requirement: Moderate

2. Autumn Fern and Japanese Forest Grass

You can get a delicious dose of fall foliage color — without allocating the space for a tree or shrub — with autumn fern and Japanese forest grass. Both plants thrive in partial to full shade and look lovely in woodland settings or mixed in containers. 

The leaves of autumn fern(Dryopteris erythrosora, zones 6 to 9) turn from medium green to a rich gold-bronze in fall. 

The foliage of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra, zones 4 to 9), particularly hybrids like ‘Aureola’ or ‘All Gold’, doesn’t change color in fall, staying golden throughout the growing season (early spring to fall in cold climates; year-round elsewhere).

Light requirements: Partial to full shade
Water requirements: Moderate water for autumn fern; moderate to regular water for Japanese forest grass

3. Purple Coneflower and Russian Sage

Purple coneflower and Russian sage make an all-star combination for late-summer and fall perennial beds. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea, zones 3 to 8), native to Eastern North America, are cold-hardy perennials that bloom for months, attracting native bees and butterflies. After the bloom, the flowers’ spiky deep-orange centers can be left in the garden as decorative seedpods (and a feast for birds). 

With its pale stems and delicate lavender-blue flowers, Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia, zones 5 to 9) adds an airy quality to beds, appearing like a pale-colored cloud when planted in drifts. Russian sage blooms from July to October. 

Both plants are drought-tolerant, making them a good pair for a tough, low-water spot like this sidewalk garden in Portland, Oregon.

Light requirement: Full sun 
Water requirement: Moderate to low, once established

4. ‘Autumn Joy’ Stonecrop and Switchgrass

A popular fall bloomer, ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop (Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’, zones 3 to 10) is a fleshy, easy-care succulent topped with flowers that turn from white to deep mauve in fall. 

The designer of this Seattle garden paired a dwarf variety of ‘Autumn Joy’ stonecrop with pink-tipped ‘Shenandoah’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum‘Shenandoah’, zones 4 to 9) for a matched fall pairing.

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate for switchgrass, low to moderate for sedum

5. White Coneflower and Feather Reed Grass

Pair neutral and bronze tones — as was done in this stunning combination in Colorado Springs, Colorado — with a planting of cream-colored ‘White Swan’ coneflower(Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, zones 3 to 8) and ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass(Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9). Feather reed grass adds height and movement to planting beds with its reedy stalks rising to nearly 5 feet tall, topped with tan-colored seeds that won’t spread.

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate

6. Mexican Bush Sage, New Zealand Flax and ‘Karl Forester’ Feather Reed Grass

Color and texture make a statement in this low-water combination of fall-blooming Mexican bush sage, strappy New Zealand flax and ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass(Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, zones 4 to 9). 

Purple-flowering Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha, zones 8 to 10) is a fall garden star. The shrubby perennial begins flowering in mid- to late-summer and produces showy blooms — which are sought-after by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds — up until the first frost. 

New Zealand flax (Phormium spp., zones 9 to 11) add structure to gardens throughout the season; choose a variety like ‘Maori Queen’ (syn. ‘Rainbow Queen’) or ‘Maori Sunrise’ (syn. ‘Rainbow Sunrise’) for colorful stripes.

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate

7. Red Barberry and Conifers

A dynamic, cold-climate-friendly planting of red barberry, gray-green juniper and a dwarf pine stand out against the golden backdrop of ‘Tiger Eyes’ staghorn sumac in this Milwaukee garden. 

Barberry (Berberis spp., zones 4 to 8) have a wide variety of species available, both deciduous and evergreen. Deciduous barberry — such as the commonly planted Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) — lose some or all of their leaves in winter, depending on climate. The leaves turn from green to yellow, orange, red or purple before they fall. Pair with dwarf conifers for color and texture contrast.

Caution: Japanese barberry can be invasive in some areas (branches that touch the ground often root). Check with your local nursery before planting.

Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: Moderate

8. Sneezeweed and Beebalm

The magenta-purple flowers of ‘Scorpion’ beebalm (Monarda ‘Scorpion’, zones 4 to 9) complement the red-orange sneezeweed pictured in this Dutch meadow-style garden. 

Aptly-named, beebalm (Monarda spp., zones 4 to 9) is a bee and butterfly magnet wherever it’s planted. 

Sneezeweed (Helenium spp., zones 3 to 8) offers a late-summer to early-fall floral show. Try the speckled orange and red ‘Mardi Gras’ sneezeweed variety for petals that look like they’ve been tie-dyed, or try yellow-flowered Helenium autumnale for a North American native. 

Gardening tip: Deadhead sneezeweed and beebalm regularly in late summer in order to extend their blooms as long into fall as possible (up to October for sneezeweed or September for beebalm, depending on care and climate).

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/112620371/list/8-plant-pairings-for-high-impact-color-in-the-fall-garden

3376 Harrison Blvd.

Ogden, UT 84403

(801) 627-6500

Hello Friends!

Details That Count: 17 Designer Tips for a Great Kitchen

Great design is all about the details — especially those that, when done right, you don’t notice at all. As a kitchen designer, I have a number of special techniques to create gorgeous kitchens that function beautifully. Here are 17 of my best kitchen design secrets.

All About Outlets

1. Color-coordinate the outlets. Local building codes often state that there must be an electrical outlet every 4 feet in the kitchen. White outlets are seemingly the color of choice for electricians — and therein lies the bane of my design existence. With their glaring contrast, white outlets in a nonwhite backsplash detract from the beauty of the tile. Fortunately, you can avoid this dilemma by coordinating your outlets and wall plates with the color of your backsplash tile, as shown in this photo. Colored outlets and wall plates are available from your local lighting and big-box stores.

2. Install under cabinet plug molding. One option for a clutter-free backsplash is to install plug molding beneath the wall cabinets.

3. Mix outlet styles. I always ask clients if a toaster or a coffee maker will live on their counter. If so, I add a wall outlet behind that appliance since it will always be plugged in. Otherwise, the electrical cord will be visible as it dangles from the plug molding above. Remember to combine a mixture of outlets and plug molding into your design.

4. Go for pop-up outlets. Another option for an outlet-free backsplash is a outlet that disappears into the countertop. These are especially useful in places where there are no wall cabinets to hide a plug molding strip.

5. Turn the outlet sideways. If wall outlets are your desired solution, install them sideways and closer to the counter for a less obtrusive profile than the common vertical orientation.

6. Create a charging station. A plethora of devices need charging these days. Create a docking drawer with a hidden charge station so that you can keep your smart phones and iPads out of sight.

Lighting Secrets for Style and Function

7. Provide task lighting. The primary purpose of under cabinet lighting is to illuminate the countertop, which in turn makes food preparation easier on the eyes. That’s why it’s known as task lighting. Always install the task light toward the front of the cabinet, not toward the back. If the light is stationed closer to the back wall, it primarily highlights the backsplash tile and not the counter, defeating the purpose of the light. 

8. Make cabinets glow. In the past, lighting the interior of a wall cabinet meant that each shelf had to be glass. The light source came from the top of the cabinet and needed to penetrate the shelves to illuminate those below. The farther away from the light source, the dimmer the shelf.

But times and lighting have changed, and these days, I prefer to install an LED lighting strip on both sides of the cabinet. That way, each shelf can glow, as shown in this photo. Hide the LED strip behind the cabinet’s face frame. If it’s a frameless cabinet, embed the strip in a prepared groove in the cabinet’s side wall.

Appliance Tricks

9. Hide the dishwasher with paneling. Whether or not you are paneling the refrigerator, consider paneling the dishwasher for a clean, harmonious look, uninterrupted by a stainless steel appliance next to the sink. In this photo, the dishwasher lies to the left of the sink.

10. Conceal the microwave. Microwaves are still an integral part of most kitchens for reheating beverages and leftovers. Most clients prefer them out of sight rather than occupying valuable counter space. One option is to keep them hidden in a wall cabinet with a lift-up door, as shown in this photo.

Hood Smarts

11. Don’t crowd the hood. When using a chimney hood, always leave at least 2 to 3 inches between the hood and the wall cabinets to the left and right. Visually, the hood will not look cramped, and the sides of the cabinets will stay cleaner longer.

12. Rethink glass cabinetry next to a hood. Glass cabinets create a lovely focal point when placed next to a hood, but are they practical? Unless you’re prepared to constantly clean the glass of the grease and grime emanating from cooking, it’s best to install them elsewhere.

Avoiding Annoyances

13. Define the zones. Think in terms of prepping and cleanup zones when planning your kitchen. Do you really want your cleanup sink to be in the island filled with dirty dishes? Put the prep sink on the island and tuck the cleanup sink out of the way.

14. Maximize prep space on an island. I love symmetry, and for years, I would center the sink in the island. But unless the island was 9 feet long, the prep area on both sides of the sink was limited. These days, I hold the sink to one side of the island to allow for maximum prep space.

Another consideration when placing a sink in an island is the height of the faucet. The taller the faucet, the more of a focal point it becomes.

15. Countersink the screw. The cabinet next to a Lazy Susan cabinet with a bifold door often shows scratches over time. That’s because the head of the screw holding the Lazy Susan’s cabinet hardware in place protrudes and scrapes across the adjacent cabinet when the door is being closed.

Here’s an easy fix: Just have your contractor countersink the screw so that the head of the screw is flush with the wood and no longer protrudes.

16. Account for lid storage. Having to store pot lids can be a nightmare. There are many ways to solve this problem, but my favorite is to create a divider in a pullout drawer, as shown in this photo.

17. Clear the decks. Don’t forget to add accessories like a soap dispenser and an air switch to keep clutter off the counters and backsplash.

https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/85692458/list/details-that-count-17-designer-tips-for-a-great-kitchen

ERA Skyline Real Estate
3376 Harrison Blvd.
Ogden UT, 84403
801-627-6500