Red Alert
The vivid color on the walls provides a nice contrast with the neutral flood and white appliances. Red tones are known to add a feeling of energy and strength when used in design. An energetic vibe is an excellent addition to any laundry room.

Off the Wall
An unexpected organization tool plays a prominent role in the laundry room. GearWall® Panels and GearTrack® Channels from Gladiator® Garage Works hold a variety of hooks, shelves and baskets for flexible storage options.

Wash Up
This handy laundry sink goes beyond plain and practical. The rough-hewn wood trim provides a rustic element in this space. A shelf below the sink furnishes space for extra soap and towels.

R-Value
An organized place for recyclable items is a valuable addition to any household. Gladiator® Storage Bin Holders keep recycle bins up off the floor and ready to go out to the curb on pick-up day.

Easy Essentials
Let Laundry 1-2-3™ custom laundry options like pedestals, a worksurface and laundry tower make laundry day easier. Storage drawers provide a place for laundry supplies and other items while the worksurface gives you a place to sort, treat and fold.

Branching Out Wall Art
Go beyond the typical kitchen decoration. A little creativity can produce a dramatic wall accent. This shelf fits in perfectly with the flavor of the room and makes an ideal display for an art glass collection.

Center Stage Tile
Decorative tiles set the mood for the entire kitchen. Used sparingly, the bold pattern makes a statement without being overwhelming. Colors for the rest of the room were picked to suit the tile.

Country Cousin Sink
This farmhouse style sink steps out of the country with a material upgrade. Using stainless steel for this classic piece adds a sleek touch and blends with the other stainless finishes in the room.

Power Block Countertops & Cabinets
Butcherblock countertops and streamlined dark wood cabinets combine to create an updated kitchen with the spirit of a bungalow. The natural tones of the countertops balance the intense colors in the room. Plus they’re easy to care for and improve with age.

Doorbuster Storage
It doesn’t have to be all about doors and drawers. Open shelving breaks up a wall of cabinetry. Here the shelves are stainless steel to coordinate with the sink and appliances. Get this look in your current kitchen by replacing a section of cabinet with shelves or simply removing the doors leaving the interior shelves intact.

Square Deal Flooring
Vibrant linoleum squares add character to this kitchen. These floating tiles create a one-of-a-kind pattern that can be placed right over a current floor.

Sweet Kitchen Suite
This stainless steel Amana® suite gives this kitchen just the right touch of sophistication. In fact, these affordable appliances can provide an instant upgrade to any kitchen. Plus, easy-to-use features mean they are there to help you handle the day-to-day kitchen chores.

To start, consider the following environmentally-friendly tips and practices:

Find Hidden Gems: Before you shop for costly new pieces of furniture, take a second look at unused pieces in your basement, garage or guest rooms.  In many cases, long-ignored decor can easily be refurbished with a new coat of paint, reupholstering or another type of creative makeover. If you can’t fight the urge to splurge, shop locally first, visit some second-hand store or ask your friends if they have pieces gathering dust in their homes. This eliminates manufacturing and transportation costs and is a more sustainable approach to decorating and furnishing your home.  Plus, you can never go wrong with a classic antique piece or helping your friends clean out their storage. Hunting for treasure in person not your style? Try browsing online stores for environmentally-friendly furniture, paint or artwork.

Say It with Color: A new coat of paint can do wonders in changing the look of a room. Make sure to choose low or zero VOC (volatile organic chemicals) paint, which uses water instead of oil, thereby reducing toxins and limiting the impact on your home and the environment. Painting a few rooms or refinishing some antiques low or zero VOC paint can improve the design of any home and you will sleep easier at night knowing you did your part by choosing this green alternative while adding jazz to your decor!

Be Energy Efficient: Look into a free home energy audit, which can help save both money and wasted energy usage. Your local energy provider can usually assist in setting up an appointment. Additionally, if you are looking to purchase a new appliance, consider Energy Star-qualified appliances, which use 25 percent-40 percent less energy than conventional options and can result in savings of up to $100 (or more) a year on energy bills. Last but not least, always remember to shut off and unplug electrical devices when not in use; something so easy really can make a big difference for both your wallet and the environment.

If you think you have to sacrifice your sense of style in order to go green, think again! Being green has become such a hip term in today’s society, and why not? It is the right thing to do. So, as the mercury continues to rise and you embark on your spring home renovation projects, keep these green tips handy. Many of them will save you money, and all of them will help make a positive impact on your surroundings!

We would like to share a few of our favorite recipes for your next party. Hope you enjoy them and let us know if you have additional recipes you’d like to share!

Green Tea Martini

2 oz. lemon vodka (or lemon lime soda)
½ oz. Grand Marnier® orange liqueur (or orange juice)
1 oz. chilled green tea

Combine ingredients in a martini shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Pour into a martini glass rimmed with lime juice and sugar. Garnish with lime slices.

Cranberry Margarita Recipe

2 oz. tequila (optional, could substitute in lemon lime soda)
1 oz. cranberry juice
½ oz. Cointreau or other triple sec (or orange juice)
½ oz. fresh lime juice

Pour over ice in a martini glass with a lime garnish.

Pink Lemonade Cooler recipe
2 oz. vodka (optional)
4 oz. pink lemonade
Seltzer water

Combine vodka and pink lemonade in a high ball glass over ice, stir and top off with seltzer water. Garnish with lemon slices and a cherry.

Pops of color: Seasonal changes are a great time to change out your décor accessories, such as lamp shades, pillows, candles and throws. Think the colors of spring – yellow, green, orange, purple, sky blue, and mix and match them like they do in a garden.

Green your place: Bring life to your home by placing plants around your living space. Not only are you bringing nature inside, but some say plants help reduce stress. Plants are also known for absorbing toxins in the air, so do something good for yourself and put some potted plants around your home. Be careful what plants you choose if you have pets or children as some plants can be toxic.

Flower power: While you are placing plants around your space, think about some fresh flowers. Support a local florist and pick up a bunch of daisies on your way home. You’ll be amazed at how much color and pop fresh flowers can add to your home.

Patterns galore: In addition to adding pops of color, try bringing in some pattern with polka dot pillows or large floral prints.

Regardless of what you do, be sure your home reflects you. Just as you may change your wardrobe with the seasons, so should you change your home’s décor.

Here are some inexpensive ideas to fill in those blank spots while you search for the perfect piece of art. Basic craft supplies like fabric, paint and decorative paper can become your best friends these days.

One of the easiest ways to perk up a blank wall is to cover several canvas stretchers with some favorite fabrics or fill several inexpensive picture frames with decorative paper. When hung together as a group, simple ideas like this can have a powerful impact on a room.

Origami shapes folded from decorative paper are not only fun to make, but can also provide the feeling of flowers for those who live with barren, snowy winters. Attach the shapes to twigs with fishing line to create a hanging mobile or wire them to a piece of driftwood for an interesting centerpiece.

You can also use fabric or paper on the inside of bookshelves or glass-front cupboards. A fresh color or pattern behind the contents of the shelf can help display collectibles to their best advantage.

Look for everyday items to use in your art. Pieces of a cardboard paper towel roll (or leftover wrapping paper tubes from the holidays) can be recycled into an interesting 3-D art piece. Leave it bare for an organic look or give it a quick shot of spray paint to add some color. Silverware odds and ends can be turned into hooks for towels or other assorted things.

What clever ideas have you come up with in your quest for inexpensive art? Please, share them with us here in the comments section.

When looking for design direction and inspiration, people often turn to two-dimensional floor plans and old room expectations—like a living room needs a sofa—but often don’t ever see what may be right under their noses. Design should be inspired by your favorite things and NOT be made to fit into a dictated floor plan.

This is not to suggest that rooms should be random, but rather designed with a purpose around an item you love. Take a recent faucet commercial where an obviously wealthy couple meets with an architect and demands he design a house around a simple faucet. Extreme, maybe, but definitely inspired.

So what inspires you? Whether a seat from old Yankee Stadium, a ceramic bowl you made in 4th grade art class or a shell you found on your last vacation, let these be your guide. Try to stay clear of obvious baseball or nautical themes here though, look at the item’s colors, textures, era and feel. Here are a few inspired examples:

A friend picked up amazing material from India on her last trip, but did not have enough to cover the couch she bought it for.  Her solution—she made phenomenal seating pillows and a throw and bagged the old sofa.

Another example, maybe less extreme, was a friend who had a seemingly horrible old green kitchen set from her grandmother (she loved it) sitting in her basement while her new kitchen functioned without seating since she could not find one she loved as much as the old one. Her solution: she redesigned the kitchen around her grandmother’s kitchen set (and the set around the kitchen a bit). She repurposed the seat cushions into barstool cushions and throw pillows to work with her granite bar. She made the laminate table top into a large serving tray for parties. She also brought the vintage green and floral pattern into fun artwork, rugs and accessories (like a cool stand mixer). Somehow, it all works and the bland but beautiful kitchen is now 100 percent her.

So the tip here is to look around and pick the item or items that you love the most. From there consider a room without boundaries that reflect the item best. And go for it, people will get used to no couch in the living room if the room reflects you and the item best.

Why not make the task easier by improving the convenience of your laundry space. It is possible to make laundry less of a chore by moving things closer to the living areas of your home.

Maybe you would like to have a laundry space near the bedrooms or wish that your washer and dryer were closer to the kitchen so you could switch out loads while you wait dinner to cook. Just because someone else decided the basement was the best place for a laundry space doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way. After all, with today’s technology it’s possible to put your washer and dryer almost anywhere.

Making space on the main floor for a laundry area might not be as difficult as you think. Look for ways to combine functions in a single room. For example, add a washer and dryer to the mudroom at the back door. A front load laundry pair like Amana brand’s (link to FL laundry page) is compact enough to fit in a hall closet outside the bedrooms or in a linen closet in the master bathroom. The dryer can be stacked on top of the washer to provide even more installation options.

Upgrading your laundry space will not only help make your laundry day more efficient, but also make your household. New washers and dryers use less energy and water than older models so you’ll save money on your utility bills too.

The key to keeping up with household tasks is to make them as easy and convenient for you as you can. This week on laundry day think about what improvements can make things work better for you. And don’t forget to share your clever solutions with the rest of us.

Think about your bedroom – what’s the first thing you see when you sit up in the morning?  Is it a messy desk or a dresser?  While the obvious floor plan may position your bed in a space where your view is less desirable, think outside the box. Start by working with the largest pieces in a room – such as your bed – and get creative.  Have a great window view of tall city buildings? Try positioning your bed to look out the window.

As the saying goes, “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”  When it comes to designing a room, keep in mind that you need to experiment.  Try living in your room a couple of days with the re-arranged furniture and if the room doesn’t have a smooth traffic flow, try another layout.

Have some architectural challenges in your room like a low ceiling? Consider working with these challenges rather than against them.  Use low sloping ceilings to shape certain areas of your room, such as an office or a dressing space. By making tweaks to the layout of your space, a room can easily transform from drab to fab.