Deciding on an aesthetic for your home can be difficult for a variety of reasons. Considerations include choices in furniture and colors, function and accents, personal touches, cohesiveness, home size, and more! Design can be a challenge for any homeowner, so where does one begin? There are a huge variety of well-known design schemes inspired from all over the world – a quick google search can easily bring you a plethora of results! Our featured design for today comes from Scandinavia – one of the most popular interior design methods of our time. This nordic design is rooted in earthen tones, high-quality craftsmanship, and functionality, with significant nods to minimalism. For more information on how to incorporate this design in your home, read on!
Scandi style has impacted the world of interior design through its focus on functionality and minimalistic detailing. Minimalism has been on the rise, but who wants a home that feels more boring than stylish? There is a fine line between the two. Used in homes around the world, Scandi style is ageless and highly elegant. Natural and neutral materials (pale woods, wools/linens, leather, glass), tactile fabrics, metal accents, and high-quality craftsmanship elevate minimalism. Scandi style is all about the details.
When capturing Scandinavian-inspired themes in your home, consider colors in muted tones or shades of white, beige, or brown. Scandi style pairs gorgeously with earth tones and natural pieces such as wooden accent tables, woolen fabrics, and other earthy designs. Older pieces passed down through generations can often be incorporated into a purposeful style in your home. Wooden furniture (bed frames, dining tables, etc.) in particular – regardless of their color – can be shown off when the colors and accents surrounding them are simple.
Draw focus to what matters to you. Do you have lovely china you wish was featured? Or maybe curtains with bold colors that always cheer you up? Scandi design balances your home and creates a gorgeous canvas in which to showcase the decor that matters most to you. In no way does this design need to be devoid of color or life, in fact the exact opposite is true. Blues, reds, and other vibrant colors ‘pop’ when combined with wood, metal, and earth tones.
The Scandinavian interior design movement began in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Iceland in the 1900s, and became a worldwide phenomenon by the 1950s. Scandinavian designs you may recognize include Alvar Aalto’s stools in Apple stores, the PH lamp series, the Egg Chair, the Spanish Chair, and the Finlandia glassware series. Who knew elegance could be so simple and yet effective?
Where to Start?
If you’re wondering where to find Scandinavian inspiration, we recommend these two sites in particular:
– The Nordic Nest is a Scandinavian company inspired to bring nordic design to homes across the world. 250 Brands
– My Scandinavian Home “Niki started My Scandinavian Home blog in 2011 with a simple vision: to inspire like-minded people with ethereal Scandinavian inspired homes often with a vintage touch.”
Hopefully you feel more comfortable diving into the process of design. Home buying can be daunting, but there are so many other considerations that come after! Will you turn your home into a Scandinavian oasis? If so, enjoy the serenity, style, and simplicity of this gorgeous design, and always remember – personalized twists are what make a house a home!
WANT MORE ADVICE ON HOW TO SELL AND STAGE YOUR HOME?
Are you looking to sell your Orange County home? If so, it’s helpful to know what to expect and how to maximize your investment. Even moreso, it also helps if you have the best real estate listing agent in Orange County. At the Stavros Group, we are expert marketers with a proven track record of preparing OC real estate to net the best return.
Visit our seller’s page to start the no-pressure conversation and tell us more about your situation. We can help expertly price your home and work with you throughout the entire home selling process. Questions about Orange County real estate? Contact us today and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Say you have an Corona Del Mar home for sale and would like to attract an eco-conscious buyer. Even if you live outside of the Orange County real estate market, there are myriad benefits to “greenifying” your home.
As you’ll soon find out, adding green updates to your home can save you thousands of dollars over time. Not only that, but you’ll be doing your part to reduce environmental pollution that harms the atmosphere.
Whatever your reasons for going green — whether you’re in the Orange County real estate market or elsewhere — you’re looking for updates that won’t take a toll on your bank account.
This precludes solar panels for the simple reason that they cost tens of thousands of dollars to install on your roof. And although solar energy is the endgame of going green — not to mention it’ll make your Encinitas home for sale look uber-attractive to prospective buyers — solar panels aren’t exactly affordable.
But no worries. There are other ways to make your home greener as you work towards the prospect of solar energy down the road. In the meantime, below is our list of five inexpensive ways to make your home green. These steps will add value to your home in the Corona Del Mar and Orange County real estate market, or anywhere else for that matter!
Conserve Water
One of the most inexpensive ways to make your home green is to start with your ceramic friend in the bathroom. Today’s standard toilet is guilty of consuming 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Granted, this figure is less damaging than the older toilet’s whopping 3.6 gallons of water per flush! But you can do even better. To conserve water and come up with an inexpensive way to make your home green, consider installing an affordable, high-efficiency toilet like this one.
This bad boy will save you more than 3,000 gallons of water each year. And here’s another bathroom upgrade for you: a low-flow showerhead that conserves roughly 160,000 liters of water each year, enough to fill a swimming pool that’s forty feet wide, twenty feet long and five feet deep. And now that you’re done with the bathroom, head on over to the kitchen where an energy-efficient dishwasher starting at around $399 will save approximately 4,000 gallons of water over its lifetime.
Conserve Energy
CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps) and LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are a tad costlier than your traditional incandescent or halogen light bulb. But CFLs and LEDs possess a greater value over time. This is because they last up to 25 times longer and use up to 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs. When you look at it this way, CFLs and LEDs are actually inexpensive ways to make your home green. And if you’re feeling ambitious, throw in motion-sensor lighting while investing in energy-efficient bulbs. This way, your light bulbs can switch off automatically when you’re not at home.
Additionally, there’s an upgrade in the energy side of things that’s also an inexpensive way to make your home green. We mean, of course, a SMART thermostat that will optimize your heating and cooling system at home. With this nifty gadget, you can control your HVAC remotely from an app on your phone, which comes in handy when you head out of town and forget to switch off the AC. Oh, and if you’re curious to know how smart home technology can affect the sale of your home (in a good way), click here to read one of our previous blog posts.
Consider Insulation
Another way to conserve energy and gas at home is to insulate your walls, ceilings and attic spaces. Besides soundproofing against airborne sounds, insulation can also improve your home’s resistance to heat flow. The more R-value imbued in your insulation of choice (eg. fiberglass, Rockwool, foam, etc.), the cooler your home will be. This is particularly useful in the summertime when air conditioners propped on windowsills nationwide thrum collectively while blasting frigid air for hours on end. Then comes the astronomical bill from the electric company, much to your dismay.
So, to avoid this tragedy and find an inexpensive way to make your home green, you can insulate the walls and attic spaces in your home with eco-friendly insulation called “blown-in cellulose.” The latter is composed of 85% recycled material and is one of the least intrusive ways of insulating your home. Check it out and see if it’s the right fit for you. If not, there are plenty of insulation types out there to choose from.
Install An Electric Car Charger
If you own an electric vehicle or are considering getting one, you can make your home greener by installing an electric car charger in your garage or near your parking space. But, wait…this consumes energy, you think to yourself. And so far we’ve been admonishing you against this wasteful practice.
But consider the alternative: carbon emissions from transportation alone account for 15% of the global warming pie. In light of this information, consider your electric vehicle a “hall pass” in the energy conservation department. For less than $200, you can purchase a portable Level 2 charger to install in a jiffy. And if you need any further incentives to own an electric vehicle — or looking for other inexpensive ways to make your home green — there are plenty of government programs and rebates to make this a lucrative opportunity for you.
Revamp Your Landscaping
Another way to make your home greener is to strategically improve its landscaping. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends planting trees around your home that’ll capture the sun’s scorching UV rays and absorb carbon dioxide in the air. If you have south-facing windows (where sunlight is abundant throughout the day), some tall greenery in between these windows and the sun’s path can keep your home cooler in the summertime. Conversely, if your tree loses foliage in the winter, direct sunlight can keep your home warmer on those chilly days.
You can make your home greener on the inside, too. To find out how, check out our blog post on “7 Easy Houseplants To Liven Your Living Space,” no green thumb required! Finally, let us know if you have any real estate questions or needs as we are here to help.
Pantone, the company known worldwide for color expertise, released an annual color of the year (or colors of the year in 2021). In addition to helping companies like designers and manufacturers to define and control color, Pantone’s color guides and documentation help regular homeowners to pick a style that fits with their own sense of decor. This year, Pantone released “joint colors” for just the second time, in their colors of the year for 2021. (The last time colors of the year come in pairs was in 2016 with Rose Quartz and Serenity.)
So let’s get right down to it. What are 2021’s Pantone colors of the year?
According to Pantone, the message of these shades is of strength and positivity. In this pair of hues, Pantone aimed to encapsulate hopefulness, energy, and clarity, a fresh look after a tough and uncertain year in 2020. Sounds nice, no?
Well, iIf you’re interested in adding a dash of positivity to your home’s decor, Ultimate Gray and Illuminating are a great option. For some interesting and effective ways to use these colors throughout your house, read on!
On the Table
Yellow and gray are a popular color pair, and it’s easy to see why. Yellow’s vibrancy adds life and joy to the subtle, calming nature of gray, and each works well in small doses too.
Even without any paint, you can bring yellow into your home. Real or artificial sunflowers, tulips and daffodils can add a happy touch to a living space. Even a decorative bowl of lemons on the table does the trick. Taking some inspiration from the Pantone colors of the year, try putting them in a gray vase or bowl for an eye-pleasing contrast.
In the Bathroom
Look, bathrooms aren’t the most exciting part of the house. Most folks have a lot more fun in the kitchen, family room… you name it, really. So how ‘bout some color to bring your bathroom to life? Especially in a small space, a pop of color can make a big difference and create the illusion of size and scale.
If you’re still unsure about the colors you want, whether that’s Pantone’s gray and yellow combo or something else, start small. Don’t go painting a full wall right away, just get a little decoration and see what you think!
For instance, you can display a combination of yellow and gray hand towels, a yellow shower curtain, gray bath mats. It adds that wow factor while being temporary — ie. low or no commitment. When you’re tired of the combination, change them out. This strategy is perfect when changing decor for each season or just on a whim, and it works particularly well with neutral wall paint as a backdrop.
In the Bedroom
A bedroom should be comforting and calm, whether it’s a huge primary suite with a balcony and fireplace, or just a smaller spot to sleep. For an added touch of happy energy when you wake up in the morning, try incorporating yellow throughout the bedroom. A subtle, less-flashy yellow can even be nice as sheets or wall colors.
For a dose of calm, Ultimate Gray is the ticket. More modern looks are also available in darker shades of gray, like sleek charcoal and steel.
In Furniture
Go big or go home, right? Bright yellow chairs love to stand out and offer a super cute and vintage vibe. On the flip side, a charcoal gray lamp adds a bit of modern bite to your design.
If you’re daring, how about a yellow sofa? A statement piece like this can serve as a focal point in the living room or a nice addition to a large bedroom. Find a contrasting gray designer wallpaper as an accent wall, or gray curtains to balance the brightness.
As Art
Perhaps the easiest, tried-and-true method of adding color to your home is art. Posters, paintings, photos, sculpture and more can all add interest without being overwhelming (and being easily interchangeable).
If you are a budding artist yourself, try creating a gallery wall of alternating yellow and gray DIY artwork. It’s a fun learning activity for kids and adults.
Your Front Door
There are two ways you can include Ultimate Gray and Illuminating for the front door. The simplest way is with a wreath, adding a dash of color on your home’s facade.
The other way is with paint. Be bold and paint your door yellow! And to mimic the Pantone-approved color pair for ultimate curb appeal, you can add some gray by switching out hardware like the handle and deadbolt lock.
Outdoor Space
To transform your outdoor living space, try a gray outdoor furniture set offset by yellow cushions and pillows. It’s a sure way to brighten a dreary deck or drab backyard.
Or, instead of investing in new outdoor furniture, you can decorate with colorful accessories like stools, lanterns and end tables. Candles are also an easy way to add yellow or gray without going overboard or breaking the bank!
In the Kitchen
We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so making it a “happy place” is a top priority. If you’re up for taking a big leap, try painting your kitchen cabinets a cheery yellow! If that seems like too much, there are very colorful and easily applied peel-and-stick backsplash tiles that might be just right for your design.
If that all seems like too much work, you can add some colorful appliances, vases and kitchenware. Gray tea kettle? Meet yellow mixer. And don’t forget about towels! Textiles like dish towels and aprons are amazing opportunities to add color that is interchangeable any time.
In the Nursery
Blue and pink may be standard fare for a nursery, but in recent years new parents have expanded their vocabulary of baby-room color. As an added bonus, you can paint the room ahead of time when you’re not trying to match color with your new baby’s gender.
Pantone’s yellow/gray combo is an easy, soothing palette for both baby and parents to love. The gray is calming while yellow warms it up.
And, as your little one grows, you don’t have to worry about repainting or redecorating. It’s a color combination for all ages.
On the Floors
Whether it’s in the bedroom, living room, bathroom or kitchen, you can spruce up any area with a good rug or two. Expert designers even overlay area rugs for a bohemian, contrasting look.
Since we’re talking about contrast, did we mention Pantone’s yellow and gray? There’s an idea to instantly liven up a space.
On the Walls
When you think of design, you probably think of walls first: art, paint, wallpaper, paneling, moldings and more. There’s a huge variety of options for wall decor, allowing you to get extra creative with it to make a smaller feature wall or cover whole swaths of your home’s interior.
For an accent wall in a larger space, try fresh paint or wallpaper to add some visual contrast. Patterns and texture really heighten the appeal, whether that’s designer wallpaper, painted wood paneling, or a molded plastic art form that you buy and install. Tiles are also a way to add interest at a relatively low cost.
As Lights
Lighting truly makes the home, from natural light to your installed light fixtures. While it’s not so easy to knock out a wall to add a new window, installing new light fixtures can be a cheap and very effective way to bring light and contemporary design into a room all at once.
If you’re going with the gray and yellow look, you can try gray sconces flanking a headboard in the bedroom, and subtle, cheerful yellow sheets. In a dining room or kitchen, a pendant light on the wall can make a big difference too.
As Books
Now, books are primarily for reading, but displaying them on a shelf means they’re part of the scenery too. Got some empty bookshelf space? Head to a local used bookstore or thrift shop to find colorfully bound books that will enhance your shelves and the whole room.
Even if you’re not a big reader, books and candles are a classic adornment for shelves. Who knows… maybe you’ll even get around to reading the decorations.
As Small Details
Gray and yellow are a proven color pair, but it can still be easy to get carried away and end up with a weird-looking living room. The best way to go is to start small, and use bright, eye-catching color sparingly so the room is not overwhelmed.
Luckily, starting small is also the easiest thing to do! Just begin by adding in little colorful details like trinkets, pillows and throw blankets. See how you like the colors first, and reevaluate before you make bigger decisions.
Getting a Home Ready to Live in or Sell?
We hope this guide on decorating with Pantone Ultimate Gray and Illuminating has been a little bit of helpful fun. The truth is, when you decorate a home you own, the world is your oyster! It’s one of the many benefits of home ownership.
If you’re getting ready to sell your home, then you want to appeal to the broadest swath of potential, qualified and likely homebuyers. We’ve helped hundreds of Orange County home sellers to make the right staging and improvements that stay within budget and avoid leaving money on the table.
Are you looking for a few new paint colors to put in your home this upcoming year? Do you want more inspiration for ways to liven up your current layout? If so, then take a glance at these latest color trends for popular paint colors.
Exploring these trending tones for 2021 can help you get a year ahead of the curve. It’s a fantastic way for you to reimagine your spaces, impress your guests, and update your home from “late” to “great.”
Not to mention: All these months stuck indoors, you’re probably getting sick of looking at the same old floors and ceilings and walls. A fresh coat of paint might be just what you need to reinvigorate your love for where you live.
To give you some #inspo, we wrangled up some hot upcoming paint colors in the pipeline at Sherwin-Williams, that you can use to liven up your living spaces and bedrooms in the weeks to come.
Continuum
Over the years, neutral colors have gained more and more popularity as a gentle backdrop on which to make your mark with colorful pops of decor.
As a top Orange County real estate team, we always recommend neutral tones to our seller clients during the staging process. Neutral paint helps prospective buyers to more easily envision themselves living in the home, rather than be put off by a bold and very personal color choice like a rich purple or bright green.
Sherwin-Wiliams is predicting even more interest in neutral hues in 2021, albeit with a different flair! Their Continuum color palette is a perfect mix of wishful blues, yellows, and grays with a subdued energy. Following a set color palette is a great way to tie many different materials, fixtures and appliances in your room together.
Use it in your kitchen to blend stainless appliances with the classic outline and materials of your counters and cabinets. Paint it in your living room to breathe a cool and lively vibe into the space.
Sanctuary
Now more than ever, we could all benefit from a healthy helping of inner peace. Being stuck at home throughout a pandemic has made that difficult, with work and rest and school and meals all happening within the same four walls.
The new Sanctuary paint palette tries to capture the calming, peaceful respite that might be missing from your daily life, with a mix of earthy colors inspired by nature. It includes five different shades of brown ranging from dark to light, plus oakmoss green and various grays.
What may surprise you most is the versatility of this blend. It creates a comfy and welcoming vibe in any room that you paint it.
Use it in a guest room to welcome visitors with a cozy beige wall and matching furniture. Place it in your bathroom with white counters and cabinetry — it blends well with wicker baskets, wood floors, reflected in mirrors, and mingled with most common decor.
With all the stressful events of this past year, wellness is a priority. Paint these homey and earthy tones in your home to craft a peaceful retreat with a calming presence. It’s your great escape from the crazy, modern world.
For Orange County home sellers, these rich and pleasant hues are perfect to welcome potential buyers and make them feel instantly at home. They look great online, as well, which is a big plus for all the virtual home tours being hosted these days!
Tapestry
How about a blend of the modern serenity of neutral colors and the bold personality of 80’s acrylics? If that sounds up your alley, then the Tapestry palette is the perfect combination for you.
Tapestry features dark colors such as Cape Verde and Alexandrite Green, Tricorn Black, and Perfect Periwinkle. These darker hues are smoothly contrasted with more vibrant colors like Jaipur Pink and Enjoyable Yellow.
This is the ideal blend for anyone that’s looking to make a statement while maintaining a refined polish. These colors go great with interesting textures, patterns and textiles. Perfect Periwinkle is an ideal pairing with bold yellow material.
If you’re feeling handy, mix these colors together on a self-made feature wall. Use one more prominently than the rest to accent a living room, dining room, bedroom or bathroom.
No matter how you use it, you are bound to make a statement: there’s never a dull moment in your household. Tapestry exudes swagger and poise while remaining subtle enough to keep a warm and welcoming vibe inside your home.
Encounter
Perhaps because of the necessity of staying indoors so much of this year, Sherwin-Williams is doubling down on their offering of earthy tones in 2021.
Natural hues of brown and green offer an organic inspiration for peace and comfort. They exude a calmness that can help you escape the world around you. This makes them great colors for bedrooms, bathrooms, and anywhere else that you’d go for some peace and quiet.
Enter the Encounter painting blend, which features ten separate colors that tie together for a hearty helping of well-being and zen. Hues of Rosemary and Reddened Earth harken back to simpler times, to the beauty of nature and of handmade craft. These pair well a decorative clay pot, with your favorite houseplants, or with natural wood finishes.
Encounter is meant to help you capture the simple moments in life. It inspires introspection, to cherish the important experiences and heartfelt conversations that you’ll enjoy in 2021 and for years to come.
Earth Colors Reign Supreme
With all of these different color combinations in play for the year 2021, one thing is abundantly clear: earth tones are likely to be a very hot trend in interior design next year.
As we hope for health for our loved ones, safety in our communities, and a return to open society while the current year winds down, it makes sense that we would go back to basics with colors that connect us to the elements.
It may sound like a stretch, but color truly does inspire. The right palette in your home can help you foster a sense of calm, of community, of family and friendship. If you’re looking to mix things up, these color combinations can help you get in the right frame of mind for comfort and connection.
While you’re at it, consider the decor and furniture you already have in your house. Let that be your guide for the colors and composition that you select. You may be surprised how the things you already have can take on a new life and personality in a freshly painted environment.
Fight the Homebound Blues With Trendy Hues
Do these trending paint colors inspire you to change up your living spaces? We hope, at least, that they help you think about some simple improvements you can make to your home and your lifestyle.
If you are considering listing your home for sale and looking to spruce up its look before hitting the market, you might also be interested in our article on how to master real estate negotiations.
If you have questions on how best to position your Orange County home for sale, who to call for painting services, or anything else real estate related, feel free to contact us anytime! We are happy to lend our expertise on all things Orange County real estate.
If you’ve remodeled or renovated a home (or seen it happen on TV), then you’re likely well aware that surprises are to be expected. While a home inspection at the time of sale should catch the obvious issues, some problems may fester deep within your walls or simply pop up throughout the proceeding years of use.
To prepare you for your own future renovations and remodels, we’ve outlined three of the most common and most aggravating surprises which you may encounter along the way. Starting off with…
Water Damage
The bane of any homeowner, water damage is always insidious, often silent and unnoticed, and potentially catastrophic. Within minutes, water can seep into your structure and begin to cause significant harm to any wet-sensitive materials. Walls begin to stain and blister, and wood floors may warp beyond repair. Within days, harmful mold and microbes begin to grow. Eventually, mold may become so prevalent that residents must be evacuated due to unsafe conditions.
Left unchecked, water damage may harm your home’s structural integrity and spread hazardous mold so extensively that entire portions must be torn down and rebuilt. While your homeowners insurance will typically cover these repairs, you are still potentially out of your home for weeks in the meantime. Not to mention the headache of dealing with insurance and contractors in an already stressful situation.
To prevent water damage, stay on top of your home maintenance both inside and outside. Clean your gutters and maintain trees and foliage with deep roots which might break a pipe. Check appliances for leaks, and if you spot any sign of water damage be sure to act quickly. The sooner you can stop the incursion of water where it shouldn’t be, the less damage your home will sustain. And if you discover mold and water damage during renovations, at least count yourself lucky that you discovered it when you did! While you’re at it, consider replacing any old galvanized plumbing with newer PVC or copper pipes.
Unsafe Materials
Back in the day, our walls were decorated with lead paint and insulated with asbestos. Only later did we come to know that these materials were entirely unfit to be used in our homes. Nowadays, safer materials are used, but many homes built at least several decades ago are still rife with these dangerous substances.
Left alone, asbestos and lead won’t cause you much grief. However, renovations which disturb these hazardous materials can spread dangerous dust and powder all over your home. Therefore, before starting any major home renovations, be sure that you know what you’re cutting into.
You can test for lead paint on your own using a home test kit such as these. To test for asbestos, you’ll need to contact a professional abatement service. If they discover problems, abatement service will run you roughly $75-200 an hour, according to HomeAdvisor. Lead abatement may cost you as little as $100 or as much as $20,000, depending on the size and scope of your project. Nevertheless, the price is well worth it for the safety of your family and guests.
Dangerous Wiring
Your home’s electrical wiring is hidden behind its walls, so these issues are often discovered in the midst of renovations. Common electrical hazards include defective or exposed wires, outlets close to water, old or corroded insulation, and outdated electrical design. The older your home, the more likely that its electrical grid is unsafe.
Like water damage, it is certainly a pain to discover electrical issues after you begin renovations, but you can at least be thankful that you’ve discovered them at all. Poor electrical wiring poses a significant fire hazard, and upgrading outdated systems means a safer home for you and your loved ones.
Installing new electrical wiring can be a tedious and costly process because it is all behind your walls. That makes renovations the perfect time to upgrade your electrical systems. While you’re at it, you can install new smart home features like a smart thermostat or lighting controls. Take advantage of the work you’re already planning to make your home more safe and more modern!
Get Help You Can Trust
The issues covered above are just three of the many surprises you may encounter during a home remodel or renovation. Most important of all, remember to add some breathing room in your budget to deal with unforeseen problems, and make sure that you trust your hired help.
As long-time local real estate agents, we are well acquainted with excellent and trustworthy services in your area, and we’d be happy to connect you with the help that you need. Let us know your plans – we always love to chat about real estate!
