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Top ten ways to make your house look “expensive.”

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Many homeowners today desire a home-space that looks and feels luxurious but don’t want to sacrifice their hard-earned money on a costly renovation or redesign. Classic Floor Designs has some tips and tricks to accomplish a more expensive-looking house on a budget.

1. Give the illusion of higher ceilings

It’s easier than you think. Consider raising your window treatments or hanging your curtains closer to the ceiling. Either will give the illusion of height. Painting your ceiling a lighter color than your walls, if you haven’t already, makes the space feel brighter and larger too.

2. Bring in a large area rug

Small rugs can end up dwarfing the size of your room. Instead, opt for an area rug that will make the space feel larger and airier. A bigger rug does not have to be any more expensive or less durable than a small rug.

3. Hang art on the walls

An undecorated wall can make a space feel cheap and barren. There are plenty of inexpensive ways to get art on the walls. Professional photos and picture frame deals are very easy to find online; just a few pieces of art in each room go a long way in making your home feel richer.

4. Update old fixtures

A common feature that often gets overlooked is old fixtures which can keep a home stuck in a previous decade. Door knobs, light switches, and outlets are relatively inexpensive details that can give your home a high-end feel once updated.

5. Put in a backsplash

A backsplash can light up a space at a low cost. These are great for kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

6. Add some mirrors

When placed correctly, mirrors make a space seem more spacious and inviting. The pleasing aesthetic a mirror brings can increase the perceived value of the room it’s in.

7. Use bookshelves for more than books

A bookshelf doesn’t need to look like it belongs in a 19th century library. Use it as the perfect space to add some photos and interesting trinkets and bring some life to the room. A basic rule of thumb: one-third books, one-third accessories, and one-third empty space per shelf.

8. Add a statement piece

Depending on how you want to budget, splurging on a rug, dining room table, or sofa might not be a bad idea. If it’s the right fit, that one piece can be all you need, just surround it with less expensive accessories.

9. Incorporate texture

Focusing on one texture will dull the style of your home. Incorporating a variety of woods, metals, glass, and woven material will create a collected look if properly placed.

10. Simplify

Adding too many items to a room can come off as tacky. Focus on simplifying the space by paring things down. Giving items space to breath will let them shine.

Contact Us

With over 40 years of experience, Classic Floor Designs provides hardwood floors, wool and nylon carpet, carpet, area rugs, leather, cork, exotics, and green flooring services to residential flooring, commercial flooring and government clients in the DC area. Our design experts are happy to provide a free in-store design consultation for all your flooring needs.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors: DIY or Professional Help?

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The great things about hardwood floors: they’re pleasing to the eye and very durable, meaning that if they start getting worn out, they probably don’t need to be replaced. All you need to do is refinish them in order to make them “pop” once more.

Now, we say “all you need to do”, but that should be taken with a word of caution. While it is possible to refinish your floors by yourself, experience is key here. A professional will know how to handle the process from start to finish, whereas someone who is inexperienced may skip some steps or do them improperly. A poor refinish can devalue your home rather than improve it!

A pro can take anywhere from two to five days to complete the task, adding time for complex jobs or poor weather that interferes with drying times. They will typically do one of two things: 1) they will rebuff the finish, or 2) they will sand and finish the floor. The downside to hiring a professional is, of course, the cost. Either of these two jobs can cost you anywhere between $1 and $4 per square foot of floor that needs to be done.

If you don’t want to shell out the money for a pro and you are supremely confident in your DIY ability, here’s what you can do to save some cash.

First of all, make sure you’ve purchased some high-quality dust masks or respirators. You will also need eye and ear protection (this process is messy and loud!). You can seal off doors and other rooms with plastic sheeting to prevent dust from escaping to other parts of the home.

If you’re going to buff the floor, you will need to rent a buffer and purchase about a gallon of floor finish. Make sure you test the buffer and the finish before committing to doing the whole area! Find a small, inconspicuous spot, buff out the old finish, then apply the new one. If it sticks, you’re in good shape.

If your intention is to sand and refinish the floor yourself, you’ll need to rent a drum sander and buy sandpaper, wood filler, and floor finish. We do not recommend using a drum sander unless you know what you’re doing with it, due to its tendency to gouge the floor if left in one spot for too long. Use progressively smaller grains of sandpaper as you go to get a nice, smooth surface.

Be smart about this process! We can’t emphasize enough that this is a job for somebody that at least has experience, if not formal job training. If you aren’t certain of your own ability, it is a lot cheaper to hire a pro than it is to have to redo everything after a mistake. Good luck!

-Kelly Dillon

Ceilings: The Fifth Wall

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Traditionally, homes come standard with white ceilings. Utilitarian. Nondescript. But consider for a moment that the surface of the ceiling is a wonderful place to make a statement. Doing something different, even drastic, allows for an opportunity to showcase your style in a completely new way.

  • Go bold with a dramatic color. Or punch it up just a notch with a pastel.
  • Paper it! Adding pattern to the ceiling brings it to a whole new level.
  • Invest in a mural: clouds, trees, geometrics… the sky is the limit!
  • Include gorgeous light fixtures. They feel like art on the ceiling!

While the floor grounds the room, give your guests the chance to be intrigued by looking up!

Image Credit

High Point Market Fall 2015

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In October, the home design industry held an event comparable to New York’s Fashion Week – the High Point Market. This assembly of over 75,000 design authorities including merchants, stylists, and other professionals in the home design industry results in a trade show like no other. The aim of the event? To glimpse first hand the fashions and highlights of chic home design for the coming season.

This event is THE event of the season for home design professionals – Showrooms cover 11.5 million square feet of event space and thousands of new products are introduced, this. Over 100 countries from all across the globe are represented, offering delightful diversity in design aesthetics throughout the show.

A not-to-be-missed gathering, High Point Market is the home décor destination of choice for many each year because according to High Point Market, “if you can’t find it in High Point…it probably doesn’t exist.”

To catch a glimpse of the wonderful variety of products, ideas and inspiration at this year’s show, take a look at this highlight reel: