Tag Archives: living room

Love Your Living Room

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Courtesy of Glen Andrews Art Glass

Courtesy of Glen Andrews Art Glass

There’s that one main room in your home where everyone gathers, perhaps watches TV, enjoys lively conversations, plays games. You might call it the living room or the family room. You might even have a great room, a modern version with an open floor plan that also combines the dining room. We love building great rooms for our clients, which by its very nature, encourages family interaction.

Regardless of what it’s called, this is the heart of your home, and you want it to be a room that shines. Your living room should, more than any other room, reflect the personality of you and your family.

Here are some tips to help bring some love into your living room or make that great room even better!

-          If you have a great room, then you must rely on area rugs and furniture to create the spatial boundaries in the room. Typically, you want a backdrop that is more neutral. Different sections of the space can utilize colors and patterns but should compliment the other sections of the room. Accent walls can also be used to cleverly add definition between spaces.

-          Update your great room with a home office space, small library, children’s play corner or adult arts and crafts corner. All of these options can, again, add dimension and definition to the space.

-          Find some unique antiques to add some character to your living room. Old antique doors can also be used to divide up a room. We recommend a hidden gem right here in San Antonio, called Architectural Antiques Salvage. This giant warehouse is filled with all sorts of treasures, from doors to light fixtures, clawfoot bathtubs, sinks and even some décor. They are located at 403 Dawson St., just on the eastside of downtown.

-          If you’re looking to update your furniture, which is a fun way to change the look of your living room, consider adding some curved furnishings. Once popular in the 60’s, the curved look is coming back. For example, a crimson velveteen sofa with a back in the shape of a half circle and a curved cushion in front. A piece like this can help add a touch of femininity to the room.

-          Light fixtures can be an easy way to define the space in your great room or living room, and can also serve as a showpiece that truly represents the ambiance you’re wanting to achieve. You might consider having some custom blown glass pieces to create a modern-day chandelier. Locally, we recommend Glen Andrews Art Glass of Caliente Hot Glass. They can design a piece specific to your look and tastes and even install it for you. For more information, visit glenandrewsartglass.com.

However, if it’s simply time to start dreaming of a new great room, we’re here to help! Give us a call at 210-494-5400 or fill out our online form to get started.

Transform your Home this Summer with these Great Decorating Ideas

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fireplace

No Flames Fireplace

It’s rare, even in winter, that we get a chance to use the fireplace, but there’s zero chance of it for the next several months, so why not add a splash of style and color by filling the space with something eye-catching? We suggest some stunning candles, a piece of artwork, a hunk of coral or a unique precious stone like amethyst – whatever compliments your living room’s color palette.

Bring the Outdoors In

Since it’s too hot to sit outside during much of the day, why not bring elements of nature into your home instead? Brighten up your living space by adding fresh flowers, plants and fresh fruit centerpieces. Not only will it make your home look more inviting, it will also smell delicious! Natural, eco-friendly materials such as hemp and bamboo are another great way to add a little rustic class to your environment.

Dedicated Indoor Bar

If you don’t already have a dedicated bar inside your home, consider creating a space where you can easily whip up your summer cocktails. Get some fun glass jars and fill them with fresh herbs, limes, lemons and any other inviting accoutrements you might throw into a drink. If you really want to impress, experiment with making your own simple syrups and shrubs. It’s a lot easier than you think! Here’s a recipe to get you started:

Pop with Pillows

A simple, inexpensive way to beautify any room is to add some decorative pillows. This summer, try finding pillows with vibrant designs and graphics. If you’re feeling creative, you can even make your own. Graphic outlines are easy enough to block-print onto fabric. When your friends compliment your new pillows, you can make them one or inspire them to make their own.

Brighten Up Tired Furniture

Another easy way to boost your home’s inner beauty is to transform an old chair or side table by spray painting it (with a high-gloss paint) an upbeat summer color like sunshine yellow, grassy green or Texas sky blue. This new lacquered look can be a great accent in any room – be it the bedroom or your home office. Just don’t forget to properly prime the furniture if you’re doing it yourself.

If you would rather have a new home built just for you rather than transforming your old one, please call us at 210-494-5400 for a consultation. If you wish to be added to our private email list for our newsletter, please sign up here.

Ideal Colors for Your Home’s Walls

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STD 1

One of the best things about working with a custom home builder like Stone Creek Custom Homes is that you get to choose everything yourself (with our help of course!), from design to ceilings, floors, appliances, on down to the colors in each room.

Most tract home builders simply splash a shade of white on the walls and call it good, but we think your wall colors should be given much more attention than that. Sure, they exist primarily in the background, but you’d be surprised how much the colors in your kitchen, bedroom, living room and even bathroom influence your mood and behavior.

The Psychology of Color

Color has meaning to each of us – as individuals, cultures and species. Marketing companies use the psychology of color to influence us through advertising, and you can bet if it didn’t work, they wouldn’t bother. Still, many people overlook the significance of color in the space where they spend a majority of their time – in their own homes.

Here’s a breakdown of what different colors mean to us psychologically and where you might consider using them in your house:

White:  Neutrality, cleanliness, purity and safety. White can certainly work nicely in both bathrooms and kitchens, particularly with an accent wall of a brighter color.

Gray:  Solid, practical, timeless. Silver is an off-shoot of gray and represents a strong character. Gray can be used in an office space nicely or a masculine bedroom.

Red:  Energy, excitement, attention-getting. In homes, red is not a good color for an entire wall, but can be used in small doses – a splash of color. Interestingly, pink is the most calming color and therefore is great for children’s rooms.

Blue:  Calm, dependable, wisdom, loyalty. A majority of people claim blue to be their favorite color, which makes sense since much of our world is blue. Blue is actually ideal for a bedroom because it encourages restfulness. Some studies are showing that it’s also a great color for a work-out room as it helps you focus.

Green:  Growth, nature, money, good luck and generosity. A dark forest green is related to wealth and masculinity. Depending on the shade, green can be beautiful in a living room or even an office space.

Yellow:  Cheerful, happiness, optimism. Babies cry more in yellow rooms so it’s not a good idea for them. However, it does have the power to speed up metabolism, so it can be perfect for a kitchen.

Orange:  Warmth, Energy, Fun.  If used tastefully, orange can be a great color for a game or play room, or potentially even used as an accent color in the dining room.

Purple:  Wealth, prosperity, mystery, sophistication. Purple is not a color often used traditionally in the home, however, there are now some beautiful shades of purple that can really be used to enhance any room in your house. Remember, that purple is the color of Kings and Queens!

In a future blog, we’ll explore more tips for picking out specific paint colors, but for now, hopefully this will spark some interest and discussion. When you’re ready to put that paint on the wall, call us at 210-494-5400.