See How Metallics Can Pull Together Your Decor

What comes to mind when you think of ways to make a room feel more styled — meaning more pulled-together and designed? Perhaps hanging a fun piece of artwork or laying a beautiful throw at the foot of the bed. Here’s a technique you may not have considered: adding metallic pieces.

While a pop of gold, silver or rose gold can certainly add a feeling of luxury or glamour, it can also serve several other functions. Metallics can brighten a room, distract from a challenging room size and even create something extraordinary out of something plain or old. Here are 10 ways metallics can improve the styling in your home.

Nexus Designs

1. Create a focal point. Metallics command attention, since their shiny nature draws the eye in. A metal piece is perfectly suited to serve as a standout feature or focal point in a room needing some focus.

Here, a plain bed and wall have been transformed into a shimmery design standout, thanks to the metallic headboard. Looking almost like a large piece of art, it creates a mirror-like feeling and adds a radiant glow to an ordinary space. The silver chandelier adds another metallic pop.

Amy Noel Design

Here, the chimney column is swathed in a silver wallpaper. The strategically placed lighting in front highlights its shimmer. The effect is a glimmer all around the column, adding depth and interest.

Hart Design And Construction

2. Transform a structural element. Some structural elements can be eyesores, with no easy solutions for removal — pipes in particular. For a quick fix, turn exposed pipes into a metallic design feature. As shown here, highlight your pipes with a copper finish for a styled industrial look. If you already have copper pipes in place, this is simple enough. If not, it’s a matter of replacing existing exposed pipes with more attractive copper ones.

LEDSON

If you’re up for a bigger commitment, go the extra step to coordinate other elements in your room with your copper piping. You can purchase a copper bathtub like the one pictured here.

Janiczek Homes

3. Warm up a cool palette. Cool colors like grays and blues are often found throughout the home, especially in the bathroom. One of the easiest ways to add a warm glow to a cool or neutral color scheme is to introduce a warm metal like gold, brass or even rose gold.

The gold hardware and fixtures give a subtle warmth to the gray bathroom seen here, while still keeping the overall feeling serene.

Amberth

If your bathroom lacks hardware or other metal decorative accents, look to your faucets as an opportunity to add a metallic. Here you can see how the sunny aspects of a rosy metal instantly perk up an ordinary gray shower.

Eche Martinez

4. Add depth to a small room. Small rooms, such as bathrooms or powder rooms, can easily take on a seemingly larger feel with metallic paint or paper on the walls. The glow of metallic walls makes the room feel a bit more expansive and jewel-box-like rather than small and dark. Here, golden wallpaper reflects the internal light and has a subtle mirror effect all around.

Marcia Prentice Photography

5. Pull together a collection. If you have several objects of the same type in a metal finish, display them together as a collection. This can create a shiny decorative feature that adds an unexpected element.

A perfect example is the copper pots in this kitchen. Hung together, they’re showcased sort of like jewelry. If just one copper pot had been hung among several dark or gray pans, it wouldn’t look styled or curated. Shiny objects like other shiny objects; together they create a shimmery decorative element.

Corynne Pless

6. Glam up the ordinary. You can also transform everyday items into more styled versions by adding a metallic accent. Try taking ordinary wooden shelves and pairing them with brass brackets for a rustic glam look.

Atmosphere Interior Design Inc.

Here, a black-and-white bedroom has been given a splash of metallic with gold-accented throw pillows. While the metallic texture and color of the throw pillows subtly command attention, the gold stripes still adhere to the bedroom’s square and classic design scheme.

Oliver Burns

7. Brighten a dark space. Metallics are the perfect partner for dark color palettes, because they appropriately brighten the space while maintaining the overall muted vibe of the room.

This hallway has been brightened with a silver metallic wallpaper, chairs covered in bronze fabric and gold fixtures. All have a reflective quality that soothingly balances the darker elements — the rug and dark-framed mirror — while brightening the space just the right amount. Using white or flat pale gray elements instead of the metallics would have seemed discordant and too stark a contrast.

Natalie Younger Interior Design, Allied ASID

Here, splashes of gold accessories and fixtures cast a warm glow and add depth to an otherwise dark room. The mix creates a harmonious balance of light and dark because of the reflective nature of the metallic finishes.

Janna Makaeva/Cutting Edge Stencils

8. Anchor a space. Hanging a light in the center of a space, whether it’s a room or an open area, will certainly anchor that space — in other words, define or mark the boundaries of the space below it. Hanging a polished or colored metal light, in a room with few or no metallic accents, will even further define that space as well as add a glamorous accent. This works so well because metallics catch the eye. So a metallic light fixture will easily draw the eye up and create a dramatic triangle over the space below it, as it does here in this dining nook.

David Michael Miller Associates

Here, a minimalist living room and color palette are anchored by the pop of gold from the ceiling pendant. Again, the flash of gold catches your eye and creates a center sightline.

Elad Gonen

9. Add a pop of neutral color. Sometimes a room feels flat or needs an update, but you just don’t want to change the overall color palette. Metallics are a fantastic way to add enhance a room’s design without adding an obvious color. When you add a dash of silver or gold, you’re adding texture and shine, bringing a glam and layered look to your space while keeping the integrity of the existing color palette.

Arrow. Land + Structures

10. Give your exterior a durable accent. When it comes to sprucing up the outside of your home, consider going for something durable and stylish. A metal finish can be a bit more resilient than the painted wood or flimsy plastic accessories commonly used as outdoor home accents. It can also bring shine and color to architectural elements, as seen here on this charming Chicago brownstone.

More
What Goes With Rose Gold?
Metallic Details Bring a Warm Glow to Your Kitchen

12 Key Decorating Tips to Make Any Room Better

I hate to break it to you, but designers don’t follow a secret rule book. There are no hard and fast laws governing what we do. We are creative types by nature and love to imagine, dream and explore, following our intuition. That said, there are some rough principles that guide us to ensure a great result every time. They are just tried and true things that work. And these aren’t tricks or skills that take years to master. Anyone can do them from day one. Consider this a foundation for developing your own quirky, creative, rule-breaking intuition.

White T Design

1. Pick the paint color last. I get calls all the time from homeowners who want to pick a paint color before they move in. I get the logic. Why not arrive to walls with a fresh coat of paint? Of course you can do it this way, but in my opinion it’s not ideal.

There are thousands of paint colors with various tints, tones and shades. And each one looks different from home to home, because light sources vary, meaning what looks good in your current home might not in your new one. You want the color that best complements your upholstery, artwork, rug and whatever else. You can pick that color only if your stuff is actually inside your home.

2. Give your furniture some breathing room. Resist overcrowding a room. Gracious living means space to maneuver with ease. This is really great news if you are working with a tight budget. You don’t need to fill up a space with lots of furniture. Spend more of your budget on fewer but better-quality pieces, and your room will look better than if it’s stuffed to the gills with flea market finds. The high-backed chairs shown here, for example, stand out because they don’t have to fight for attention.

Nest Architectural Design, Inc.

3. Hang artwork at the right height. Galleries and museums hang artwork so that the midline (center) of each piece is 57 inches to 60 inches from the floor. (The average human eye level is 57 inches.) And you should do the same.

In a room like this, where the ceilings soar, there might be a tendency to hang the art higher. But remember: It needs to relate to human scale, not the structure’s scale.

If you’re not sure, take a picture. It’s remarkable how much a photo can reveal. Print it out or use Photoshop or an app to draw on the photo. This can give you a sense of whether a larger or smaller piece of art is needed or a tall plant might be best to fill a vacant spot.

KDW Home/Kitchen Designworks

4. Know how to arrange furniture on a rug. There are basically three ways you can arrange furniture on your rug.

All on: The rug is large enough to place all of the furniture legs on top of it. This creates a more luxurious feel. For this, bigger is better. Just be sure to leave at least 12 to 18 inches of floor surface on all four sides of the rug’s borders.

All off: If you have a small room, keeping all legs off the rug is a great cost-effective choice. You don’t want to pick too small a rug, though, or it may look insignificant, like an afterthought. The rug should appear as though it could touch the front legs of each of the seating pieces. This approach is best suited when you’re layering a pattern over a larger solid or textured rug.

Elizabeth Reich

Front on: Put just the front feet of all your seating pieces on the rug to tie the arrangement together visually and create a well-defined space while lending a feeling of openness.

Blackband Design

5. Resist the urge to be too theme-y. For example, the Cape Cod look is a very popular request. You know the hallmarks: beadboard, a blue and white nautical palette, some sailboat paintings. But this has been done so many times, it lacks individuality. In this room the coastal vibe was achieved through a palette, artwork and materials that give the effect without drawing on the obvious clichés.

OLighting

6. Create a focal point. There are leading roles and supporting cast members in any production. The same holds true in design. Choose your star and make it the focal point to anchor a room. Allow other items to take a secondary role. Don’t ask everything to have a leading role; it will just result in visual noise.

Your focal point might be a dramatic hood in the kitchen, a mantel and art piece in the living room or a headboard in the bedroom. Whatever it is, choose something that will draw attention. In this room the fireplace and the lighting work together as a collective focal point, bringing your eye right to the center of the composition and anchoring it there.

Julia Cutler Interior Design

7. Consider sight lines. Your focal point should be free and clear from one room to the next, so that it feels like you’re being drawn between them. That’s why the best spot for a focal point is usually directly across from the entrance to the room.

Jamie Laubhan-Oliver

8. Edit your collectibles. Don’t hang on to a piece that just doesn’t fit. I don’t care if your great-aunt Sally gave it to you. If it’s not working for you, then find a new home for it (maybe in a different room).

The unifying theme here is the use of black in the utilitarian pieces. The balance is almost perfect. It reminds me of something Coco Chanel said about accessorizing: “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” In design, know when to stop.

What to Let Go and What to Keep

Sutro Architects

9. Vary the scale. What looks good in the store may look like an elephant in the room when you bring it home. Or it’s too tiny to be of any significance. So always vary scale and proportion.

The oversize sunburst mirror frame fills up the wall space nicely here, while the sand dollars make an interesting grouping below. They would be much too insignificant individually. Threes and fives make for more pleasing arrangements than even numbers.

Gast Architects

10. Add layers of lighting. In this kitchen seating area, the backsplash is lit, the artwork is highlighted and the cabinet interiors are filled with light. One central lighting fixture would not have had nearly the same dramatic result.

Professionals build layers of lighting to create interest, intrigue and variety. In a room where everything is lit evenly, nothing stands out. Pick a focal point and perhaps a secondary focal point and highlight those. Add general ambient lighting and some lower lighting, like table lamps, for interest.

5 Questions to Ask for the Best Room Lighting

STEPHEN FLETCHER ARCHITECTS

11. Be bold. Personality is what makes a space great. Make your own statement and have fun. The more you try, the more you will begin to see what works and what doesn’t.

Incorporate unexpected elements for drama. The unconventional ottoman seats, library-style bookshelves and oversize chandelier here are all unexpected in a conventional living room, but the result has charisma. Eschew expected pieces and interpretations if you want a room that will really wow.

sarah & bendrix

12. Ignore all principles in favor of creativity. Having some guidelines gives people a good starting point for furnishing and decorating their home, even if some of them aren’t practical for a particular space.

Go with something personal that makes you smile and, above all, is comfortable. Overly designed rooms don’t really translate in modern life. A pillow collection and an art arrangement that are seemingly haphazard, as shown here, create a dressed-down look with plenty of style.

More: Here’s How to Steer Clear of 10 Top Design Don’ts

Zero Net Energy: A Hardworking-House Term to Know

If you have not yet heard the term “zero net energy,” or ZNE, you will soon be hearing it everywhere. Most simply it means that a building consumes only as much energy as it can produce by renewable methods. Since buildings consume about 25 percent of our nation’s energy, the savings and implications of ZNE are enormous. For several years the U.S. Department of Energy has supported innovation in this area by sponsoring the Solar Decathlon. The biannual competition invites contestants to design and build a house that runs primarily on solar power and produces as much electricity as it consumes.

California building codes have already mandated implementation of ZNE by phasing in complete compliance by 2020 for all new homes, and remodels and additions that significantly upgrade a house, constructed in the state. Since California has at least 10 percent of the nation’s population and the ninth largest economy on the planet, its influence in this area is quickly scaling and spreading across North America. However, California codes prioritize renewable energy production last on the list of requirements that can assist with a home’s compliance. Energy consumption reductions and improved building design performance standards and technology are being phased in first.

Here are a few things that can be and already are being addressed by innovation to achieve this goal.

Caddis Architecture

Financing the investments. When ZNE applications show a return on investment in a relatively short amount of time, financial entities are keenly interested in supporting them. California has built incentives into its programs to promote them. Yet the savings on energy consumption alone has propelled lending institutions to support them, as they clearly see the payoff. The trend is spreading. The Colorado residence seen here, by Caddis Architecture, was designed to be ZNE. While its progressive and innovative design embraces a contemporary aesthetic in conjunction with achieving ZNE, vernacular home design, as illustrated in the Florida home below, can be adapted to meet this goal just as easily.

Energy Smart Home Plans

Crisp Architects

Reducing consumption. Probably the most obvious energy-saving consideration is doors and windows. In the past the glass-enclosed sunroom seen here, by Crisp Architects, would have been impractical during New York’s winter months. Dual- and triple-paned glass, along with other techniques and advances in window design, allows configurations to reduce energy use. In the Seattle house below, awnings with automated systems that sense rain and shading requirements provide a more passive solution to energy consumption at doors and windows.

Mohler + Ghillino Architects

Divine Design+Build

Regulating consumption. The incandescent bulb is gradually being phased out. First, compact fluorescent lamps took their place, which cut energy usage significantly. Lately, LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, have been cutting energy consumption even more. These compact and long-lasting fixtures not only greatly save energy, but they also allow innovative and dramatic lighting effects to be achieved.

The flush and elegant undercabinet fixtures seen here have been mounted snugly, keeping the crisp, clean lines in this modern kitchen. Dramatic lighting effects define the contemporary bath design below. In addition, LEDs can be designed to change color, adding another dimension.

Brilliant SA

Paragon Kitchens

Managing consumption. If you think all of your home electronics and mobile devices that need electricity are contributing to a larger electric bill, you are correct. Utility companies estimate that about one-third of an average home’s juice is consumed by such equipment.

Most appliances and electronics with power cords plugged in draw some electricity even when their power button is off. One of California’s goals is to require switches on all electrical outlets so that electronics that normally stay plugged in can more easily and conveniently be switched off.

Even if you just can’t live without the soft yellow glow of the incandescent bulb in your favorite lamp, you can save energy by installing a dimmer switch on that light fixture or on a hardwired light switch that controls it. Dimmers can save half or more of the energy of a bulb’s full capacity.

Legrand, North America

Another California requirement is that lights in certain rooms, such as baths and garages, be connected to motion sensors. This helps, for example, to keep the kids in check when they go around the house turning on the light in each room they enter without turning if off when they leave. In addition, depending on the type of room, incandescent fixtures are not allowed to be installed. The state requires that any hardwired fixture be “high efficacy.” This can be types with compact fluorescent bulbs or LEDs.

Greenstar Technologies

TV Controls

Usually on the higher end, there are systems with control panels, like this one, or ones that can be coordinated with a smartphone application. The ability to manage systems throughout the home will allow consumers not only to monitor their own habits, but to coordinate with peak energy demands in their regions. Utility suppliers place a premium on consumption during the hottest days of the year, for example, when demand surges. Being able to use less air conditioning on those days and planning to spend time out of the house can be a strategic method to lower your bills and help the system meet demand where it is needed most.

Norocom Smart Home

In addition, lighting that can respond to daylight, building designs that allow in sufficient daylight to minimize or eliminate the need for artificial lighting, and windows and ventilation that can be automated to respond to desired interior conditions are other features that can help to reduce and manage energy consumption.

Nest

Nest Learning Thermostat

Employing technology. A good example of such technologies is the Nest thermostat, which works with smartphones to assist in the management of a home’s climate. A good example of how Nest can save you energy is to consider a time when you are out of town for business. Let’s say you are in Los Angeles for three days, and a heat wave has enveloped Dallas, where you live. You set the temperature in your house to 82 degrees Fahrenheit while you are away, which keeps your electricity consumption down. When you board the plane in L.A. to return to Dallas, you open the app and set the temperature in your house to 72 degrees. By the time you get home, the temperature in your house will be just right.

Nest

Daedalus Design Build

Daedalus Design Build

One of the best advantages of California’s implementation of energy codes is that the price of photovoltaic technology is falling dramatically. While California will always have abundant sunshine, it is likely that future household mechanical systems will use several technologies in unison to achieve a home’s energy demands and climate control. The urban Philadelphia residence seen here employs geothermal, solar electric and solar thermal systems to provide comfort. The Montana home below uses geothermal and solar systems for a large and sprawling design.

Teton Heritage Builders

Teton Heritage Builders

Solar panels double as shade devices and overhang protection for the doors of this Seattle house. Traditional architecture, as seen below, can include solar panels just as easily. Look for a future in which any house can be retrofitted with a myriad of technologies, as the solutions likely will be fluid and flexible.

Albertsson Hansen Architecture, Ltd

Energy storage. Probably the biggest challenge at this time is energy storage. It is currently difficult to achieve on an individual scale. Our public energy grids are still primarily dependent on power generated by fossil fuels, which can be readily adjusted based on demand. There are already problems with utilities wishing to maintain control of the energy grids and how they will handle the influx of individually generated supplies. Flexibility, on both the individual and public levels, will probably solve all of the challenges. Zero-net-energy homes may sound complex, but imagining zero dollars for electric bills, for at least a couple of months a year, seems simple enough.

More:
Upgrade Your Windows for Beauty, Comfort and Big Energy Savings
Easy Green: 10 Ways Toward a Zero-Energy Home

3 Key Steps for Grouting That Looks Its Best

If the only thought you've given to grout is what color it should be, you may be in for a nasty surprise down the road. There's a lot to consider: A great grout job can save a poor tile installation, and a poor grout job can ruin a great tile installation.

In order for grout to be installed well, the tile and substrates need to be installed well, too. Make sure that your tile is suitable for showers — I've seen a growing trend of poorly made tiles sold in sheets that are not suitable for a wet environment.

Some sheet tiles use pressed paper as one of the reinforcement materials; others use water-based adhesives — both break down with exposure to water. Everything in your shower should follow the appropriate Tile Council North America (TCNA) or Terrazzo, Tile and Marble Association of Canada (TTMAC) specifications.

It sounds scary, but don't get intimidated — three simple steps can help ensure that your grouting will be successful and that your new shower will perform beautifully.

Kayron Brewer, CKD, CBD / Studio K B

1. Find the Right Type of Grout

Choosing the right grout has a lot to do with your tile's recommendations.

Cement grouts tend to be more affordable and are easier to work with, but many require a sealant. This grout comes in sanded and unsanded versions to work with different grout joint widths.

Calculate how much grout you need exactly and then get a safety net of 25 to 50 percent more. If multiple bags are needed, always blend all the cement together prior to mixing the first batch for an even grout color all throughout your bathroom.

Tip: Be careful when working with tiles like glass. Test grouts on a sample board to make sure you have a grout that won't scratch the tile face.

Mark English Architects, AIA

Epoxy grouts are more expensive but extremely durable. Laticrete SpectraLock Pro — a great line of epoxy grout — is stain and chemical resistant and comes in many colors. These grouts also offer greater flexibility for thermal expansion. Your bathroom's structure expands and shifts with changes in temperature and humidity, and a flexible grout helps accommodate these changes.

Tip: Flexibility is a particularly important consideration if the room experiences extreme temperature changes, such as if it has large windows that let in different amounts of light and heat when the seasons change.

Mark English Architects, AIA

If you're using wood in your bathroom, like in this installation, consider the transition between tile to wood when choosing your grout.

Since both the wood and tile will expand and contract with temperature changes, a slight expansion area is ideal. Many companies have matching caulking (like silicone or Dap) for this. Be careful, since not all of these color-matched caulks are suitable in the shower or another wet zone. I personally like to stick with silicone in the shower and leave color-matched caulks to places that aren't exposed to water.

MP DESIGN

Many pros advise against making a custom color mix, since it can make future repairs tricky. I think this is debatable, and custom grout colors can be worth the investment when you have a picture of your dream bathroom set in your head.

For whatever reason, it's almost impossible to find plain old-fashioned white grout. It's so hard to find that the sooner you're happy with slightly off-white, the sooner your quest for white grout will end.

My favorite white grout is Mapei's Rapid Setting Ultra Color Plus.

Tip: Epoxy grouts can fade in direct exposure to sunlight. If you have a lot of natural light in your bathroom, a lighter color may discolor with time. A cementious grout may be a better option for these types of installations.

Before Photo

By Any Design Ltd.

2. Grout Your Sample Board

Mark English, a San Francisco architect, spoke with me about his approach to grouting. Like many professionals, English makes sure to work with sample boards before any installation. The specified grout and tile are prepared on a board and submitted to the client for approval.

Sample boards are vital for safety, durability and aesthetics. If you haven't seen your tile with a grout sample, you won't know if you'll even like the spacing between the tiles when it's grouted — grout joints often look larger when a tile has a beveled or eased edge.

Michael Tauber Architecture

3. Let In the Light

A perfect tile and grouting job deserves great lighting to show it off. Shown here is a beautiful accent light feature — a simple downlight like this could be a perfect bathroom nightlight with a dimmer. But if the tile and grouting were less than perfect, this downlight would only highlight poor tiling skills.

I love layered light in bathrooms. But each light source subjects a finished tile job to different levels and directions of light, potentially highlighting a tile installation flaw or poor grouting job.

If possible, have all of these light sources worked out prior to grouting, and have all of your windows cleaned with the protective film outside removed. This will help your grouters avoid any mistakes that might be missed in poor light.

Tip: Grouting is one of the last steps in a bathroom renovation. It should not be rushed, since the tile installation needs time to dry before the grouting is done. Pushing your grouting until the end gives your tile installation more time to cure.

If this is not possible, self-curing (rapid-drying) setting materials should be specified.

More: Top 10 Tips for Choosing Shower Tile