Create the Perfect Fall Entryway

Update your home this fall so you can stay up to date and festive! While most of the focus is placed on preparing the dining room and living spaces for guests, it is essential to not forget the entryway when updating for the season. The front door is the first thing that people will see upon arriving, so why not make it as warm and inviting as the rest of your home?

The Outside

Bring a bit of color to the space with some beautiful fall flowers. Mums, aster, and pansies are bright flowers that will endure the fall chill. Incorporating pumpkins, ornamental kale, and gourds to the outdoor entryway is another great way to bring color to the front steps and are perfect for the fall weather! Creating a mix of flowers and pumpkins is the perfect way to make a warm and inviting atmosphere for guests. For my entryway I used bright yellow mums and a combination of pumpkins and squash. I tried to mix up the colors by using white pumpkins and sweet dumpling squash. By getting a variety of shapes and sizes of pumpkins and gourds you can create added interest to your entryway.

To complete the entryway, consider adding a fun decorated wreath to the front door. Simply buy a plain wreath and add subtle fall touches such as maple leafs, or fall flowers, or make a wreath of your own! For this wreath I used a plain grapevine wreath and wrapped part of it in burlap. Then I used fake leaves and flowers to add some color along one side and to top it all off I added a lovely burlap bow. Including a decorated wreath is a great way to create variation in the entryway design and allows for pieces to be interchanged as the season progresses. If you want more fall wreath ideas check out our fall floral wreath blog! Don’t forget to add a entryway mat and rug pad to prevent feet from tracking in dirt and mud.

 

The Inside

After finishing the outside try moving your look inside to complete this fun and festive look! When setting up the front entrance it is crucial to consider the weather that comes along with the holiday season. To protect the front room from dirty and wet shoes consider including an area rug that is easy to clean and a rug pad to make sure your rug doesn’t move around. Also, strategically position a coat rack or umbrella stand closer to the door so that guests can remove their wet gear before entering the rest of the house. It is important to include a pair of chairs or a bench for the entryway. This creates a space for guests to remove their shoes without making a mess of the floors. If you have a foyer table, fall is the perfect time to create a warm inviting atmosphere with a beautiful fall foliage centerpiece! Consider adding a large vase of fall flowers as a lovely focal point for the foyer table, it is an excellent way to bring all the outdoor fall colors into your home. Using a bright bouquet of fall flowers in the entryway design is a great way to incorporate fall design without going overboard.

With the arrival of the holiday season comes the ideal opportunity to revamp your home’s style.  Before guests arrive be sure to create an inviting space for all to enjoy. One of the best ways to do this is by adding simple fall touches to the front of the house. By taking into account these simple tips you can create a warm entryway space that everyone will love!

Prep Your Plants for Winter in 3 Easy Steps

With winter coming, most annuals die away with the first frost. If you want to enjoy fresh herbs year round, try moving your plants indoors for the winter. Check out how we took our plants from ground to container garden in three easy steps! This is a great project that can be done over the weekend or in an afternoon!

Supplies

• Potting Mix
• Large Planter or Window Boxes
• Shovel
• Trowel
• Watering Can or Hose
• Gravel
• Superior Felt Rug Pad
• Plant Food/Fertilizer
• Gardening Gloves (optional)

 

Step One: Picking Your Planter

The key to making plants last through the winter is setting up the proper container environment where your plant will get proper moisture, drainage, and sunlight. If you are planning on bringing plants indoors for the winter, first make sure that you have a south-facing window with enough sunlight. Most plants need a minimum of 8 hours of sunlight per day to thrive indoors.

Once you have chosen a place in your house for the plants, choose the correct planter to fit your transplants. Any planter you choose should have holes on the bottom to allow water to drain out. Most herbs and salad greens can thrive in more shallow planters, so window boxes would be perfect for most herbs. If you are planting chives, cilantro, marjoram, oregano, parsley, sage, savory, tarragon, thyme, and chervil, make sure your planter is minimum 8 inches deep. If you are planting  basil, lavender, rosemary, dill, or lemongrass, consider using a larger container that is minimum 16 inches deep and 12 inches wide. I chose to use a large container to transplant my parsley, sage, and basil.

 

Step Two: Preparing Your Planter

Once I determined which planter I would be using, I began to prep my planter for transplanting. First I cut a piece of our Superior Felt Rug Pad from scrap that we had, to place in the bottom of my planter. Made from all natural materials with no chemicals or additives, it will not harm my plants in any way and it will help the soil to retain moisture and keep my window box dry. Next, I poured in my gravel on top of the rug pad, this will help keep the rug pad in place on the bottom and help the soil to drain more easily, preventing the plants from being drowned. Your gravel should fill ¼ of the container. After you are done pouring your gravel, you can add your potting mix. Add your potting mix so it reaches ¾ of the way up the container. This will give your plants enough room for roots to grow downward. Once you have added your potting mixture it is time to add your plants.

 

Step Three: Adding Your Plants

I transferred my plants from the ground into their new container, but you can also purchase new herbs from your local garden store. If you are transferring plants from the ground, make sure to use a large shovel and dig about 6-8 inches away from the base of the plant. Dig out each plant and then tap some of the soil off and add it to your container. Because I had a larger container, I was able to fit multiple plants in one container. If you are using a smaller container, try only planting one or two herbs, so the container does not get overcrowded. The sage, parsley, and basil from our garden had done well this summer so we chose to transplant those for our container garden. If you are using store bought herbs, remove the herbs from their containers and tease out some of the roots from their base. This encourages the roots to branch out and take hold in their container.

Once your plants are placed where you want them, it is time to fill in the rest of the container with more potting mix. Try to leave 1-2 inches of space on the top, so your planter does not overflow when being watered. If you have any particularly tall plants, now is the time to trim them. Trimming them back after planting will encourage them to grow outward and not up. Also check your plants for any dead or dying stalks – cut those back to encourage new growth to replace them!

Now that your plants are in their planter, it is time to water them! With transplants, you want to soak them when they are first planted and then just maintain moisture after that. Now that your plant has been watered you are all set to bring it indoors. Place in a windowsill to enjoy fresh herbs all winter long!

 

 

How to Achieve Traditional Living Room Style

Traditional living rooms are a staple in most homes. While most styles come and go, traditional living rooms never seem to go out of style. If you are going for the traditional look in your home check out our advice on how to create a classic living room.

Solid Colors

A traditional living room is not complete without solid colors. Try not to go overboard by adding too many colors. Try instead to keep it simple with three colors. To add interest you can use different shades of the three colors. Blue and white are classic colors for a traditional living room. Pair solids and patterns using these colors to bring a sophisticated look to your room without seeming bland. Neutral tones are also used in traditional living rooms. If you are afraid of a neutral palette being too boring try adding a punch of color to your accessories. This will help to keep the traditional theme and create added interest for the space. For a spring time fresh look to your decor, add a few pillows to your sofa in vibrant spring colors! Be bold. It will jazz up a traditional room.

Choose the Right Rug

A traditional living room requires no rug, but a rug is a great addition to bring pattern or interest to the room. If you have a beautiful hardwood floor that you want to show off try a smaller rug and be sure to include a rug pad for hardwood floors. A smaller rug can be placed under the coffee table to bring interest to the room but still show off the floor. If you are using a smaller rug be sure to use a non-slip rug pad to prevent your rug from sliding or bunching from foot traffic. If you want to use a larger rug make sure to leave a border of the floor on all sides of the rug. Never completely hide your floor with a rug. Instead leave an even border on all sides. This is a great way to add dimension to the seating area.

Furniture Placement

Typically in traditional living rooms the front legs of sofas and chairs remain on the rug while the back legs hang off the rug. This type of placement is perfect for a traditional space and helps to create a border for the room. If you are working with a larger space or an open floor plan, consider splitting up the seating areas. This creates greater intimacy and will make conversation flow more easily. If you are concerned with the seating areas looking disjointed, try using matching area rugs and an area rug pad under each seating area. If you cannot find matching rugs you can always try rugs with a similar color or pattern to tie the spaces together. For more information on how to combine area rugs in a larger space, check out our earlier blog post, “How to Use Rugs in an Open Concept Home.”

Mix it up with Pattern and Texture

As we said earlier, a rug is a great way to bring pattern and interest to a traditional living room. Most traditional living rooms have neutral furnishings. Keep the room from becoming boring by using a unique texture or pattern. Chevron is a bold print that can be used on an area rug to bring interest to a traditional space. If Chevron seems like too bold of a pattern for your tastes, try a smaller pattern or an oriental rug. Small patterns add interest but also will not drown out the rest of the room. Despite their bold patterns, oriental rugs fit perfectly in any traditional living room. The mix of colors in oriental rugs allow them to be matched with any colored furniture or accessories. If a pattern really isn’t your style try a textured rug like jute or sisal. A jute rug is a great way to bring texture to a bland room. The neutral tone of these rugs fit perfectly in a traditional living room and do not take away from the overall theme.

How to Use Rugs in an Open Concept Home

Open floor plans have become staples in many current homes. Whether you have a modern or a more traditional style it is hard to create the perfect cohesive design to tie together all spaces. One of the best ways to combine unique spaces is by using area rugs. In an open floor plan, furniture settings must be anchored in some way otherwise they will feel disjointed. An area rug creates the illusion of containment even when there are no walls. Combining area rugs is a great way to anchor individual furniture settings but still create a cohesive look. If you have an open floor plan in your home, check out our advice on how to use area rugs to make a cohesive design.

Easiest Way to Combine: Match

Matching rugs are ideal for an open floor plan. Matching rugs are especially useful in areas where the furniture settings serve the same function. While using identical rugs are ideal for tying spaces together, it is also the predictable and safe option. If you want to use matching rugs and avoid being boring, try a bold patterned rug.

Combining Solids

If you want to be adventurous with mismatched rugs but don’t want anything too bold, start with solid colors. Solid color area rugs are the easiest to combine. The colors just have to compliment each other. One of the easiest ways to combine solids is by using one neutral tone and one bold colored rug. Using mismatched rugs is a great way to distinguish between furniture settings with different functions. For example a dining and living space. Take into consideration the type of flooring under your rug, since many kitchens and dining rooms have laminate or tile floors consider purchasing a rug pad for laminate floors to prevent your rug from sliding and bunching.

Similar Color Palette

Trying to go bold by using patterned rugs? Try combining patterned rugs with similar color palettes. This will assure harmony between the spaces while still keeping their unique characters. One of the easiest ways to ensure a patterned rug will fit in an open space is by pairing it with a solid rug of a similar color. The combination will distinguish the spaces as unique from each other without making them seem disjointed.

Combining Texture

If combining patterns seems like too much of a risk for you; try combining textured rugs. Most textured rugs come in neutral tones, making them easy to pair with other rugs. A jute rug is a great rug to use when combining rugs due to their neutral tone. A hide is another unique rug that adds texture but still can be paired with most other neutral toned rugs.

Oriental Rugs

While the bright patterns and colors of an oriental seem like a risk in an open floor plan, these rugs are actually ideal for combining. Most oriental rugs have similar patterns and colors within them, making them easier to pair than most other patterned rugs. Be sure to include rug pads under all of your rugs to keep your floors protected and to extend to longevity of your rugs. If you decide to pair two oriental rugs try to find two with the same dominant color. Even if the pattern is slightly different, the matching dominant colors will create a cohesive look.

Silk Rugs For Standing and For Hanging

In the world of handmade rugs, silk rugs hail as some of the finest knotted rugs in the world. These investment pieces have come to be admired as art for the floor and wall.

Like most handmade rugs, silk rugs have a charm of their own. They are handmade masterpieces with various designs and color palettes. The designs normally have a meaning and are generated from each rug’s weavers; a group of skilled craftsman dedicated to the art of rug weaving. Since silk is the finest and thinnest fiber within handmade rugs, even the smallest of sizes can take years to weave. Once complete, each silk rug is considered a work of art the can truly be used either on the floor or on the wall.

Silk rugs are made in Turkey, Iran, China and India, with the finest in the world being made in both Turkey and Iran. Master weavers have been enjoying this art for hundreds of years in these parts of the world. Unlike mass produced machine made rugs, silk rugs are all one-of-a-kind – No two are ever exact, even if they are meant to be. Variables such as the dye lots within the batches of silk, as well as the behavior of each weaver, determine the precise design and colors of each silk rug. The fact that no two silk rugs are identical actually adds to the charm and value of each rug. Furthermore, since each is made by hand, silk rugs are rarely perfect. It is common to find inconsistencies within the design and colors in a silk rug. In terms of the characteristics of silk, one is the fact that it expresses variations within its sheen. The silk strand can look darker from one angle and considerably lighter from another angle.

Silk Rugs for the Floor

Many people are actually quite hesitant to use a silk rug on the floor because they believe that the rug is fragile. Granted, silk is some of the softest fiber anywhere, yet its softness should not fool us. Technically speaking, silk fiber is one of the strongest used in handmade rugs. Of course it is the most expensive as well, perhaps another reason why people hesitate to walk on it. All things considered in regards to the quality and durability of handmade rugs, silk rugs are meant to be walked on and will last for generations, even under traffic. Since silk is so fine, it can easily wrinkle and slip when used on the floor. In this case, it is imperative to use the proper non slip rug pad under the rug.

Historically, silk rugs were made with traditional patterns and colors; red and blue jewel tones on quite formal designs. While still made this way, silk rugs are now also made in keeping with today’s fashion industry. There are silk rugs woven in earth tones, bright colors, formal designs, geometric patterns and even more modern designs. Many rugs contain pure silk and others are wool with silk as an accent to the design. While silk rugs on the floor create exceptional decor elements, they also prove to be some of the more durable floor coverings. As previously mentioned, silk as a fiber is the most durable there is in the handmade rug industry. There are less of them used on the floor based on cost more than anything else. Putting cost aside, the effect that a silk rug adds to any floor is priceless, to say the least.

Silk Rugs for the Wall

Since there are many silk rugs made in smaller sizes, they are practical for hanging on the wall. Weavers of these types of rugs tend to design and weave what is called a “one way design”. This refers to the design having a specific top and bottom, ideal for hanging on the wall. A very popular one way design is the ‘Tree of Life”, depicting a scene of a tree with all types of animals generating from it. Since there is so much intricacy in the weaving of silk rugs, having one on the wall is often more interesting and more visually exciting to admire than an oil painting. After all, a silk rug, as with an oil painting, is a true work of art – Every aspect of the rug is created and put together by hand – leaving much for the viewer to discover and admire. Add to that the distinct sheen that the silk portrays, and this work of art becomes priceless.

Art for the floor and wall can be truly enjoyed and admired through the makings of silk rugs. These handmade masterpieces can take years to make and each one depicts a special story or design that can take just as long to appreciate.

For the best rug pads for silk rugs check out this article!