Linoleum's Bad Rap

Poor Linoleum. It's name has been misused and it's been incorrectly categorized for so long. Very often people say "linoleum" when really they are referring to "vinyl". Today I'd like to talk about the differences and show you that proper linoleum is actually a very cool product.

 “Linoleum flooring is made from natural materials like linseed oil, recycled wood flour, cork dust and limestone. Linoleum is naturally anti-bacterial and biodegradable. It is a perfect choice for a “green” floor in one’s home.” (Armstrong)

Vinyl

Vinyl flooring is the sheet material that is often imprinted with a pattern to mimic tile. It comes in 6' and 12' widths on a roll. It is the most economical flooring available and therefore is often viewed as a negative. I don't know why, but every time someone refers to linoleum in a negative, they are actually visualizing or referring to vinyl. So let's talk about the positives of linoleum.

Linoleum

Quick Facts About Linoleum

• Linoleum is one of the oldest ‘natural’ floor types still in use which dates back one and a half centuries to its creation in England.
• Linoleum floors were very popular until just after World War II when the cheaper priced synthetic, flexible vinyl was the new thing
• Today, with the emphasis on eco–friendly, green flooring products, linoleum is staging a comeback.
• Linoleum is made entirely from natural raw materials and is comprised of things like linseed oil, rosin, and wood with jute backing.
• Linoleum is available in a rainbow of colors, patterns and beautiful designs and is even available as a “do it yourself” installation project.
• As flooring, linoleum is durable with an expected lifespan of 40 years.
• Since it is made of natural and renewable materials, it is entirely biodegradable when discarded.

In addition to the above list, linoleum is a fully customizable product. There is no end to the creative designs that can be achieved through linoleum.
 

Elle Decor

Armstrong Flooring

House Beautiful

 

 

Armstrong Flooring

Linoleum (lĬnō´lēəm), resilient floor or wall covering made of burlap, canvas, or felt, surfaced with a composition of wood flour, oxidized linseed oil, gums or other ingredients, and coloring matter. In the manufacture of linoleum, linseed oil is exposed to the air in a succession of thin films until it is of a rubbery consistency, or it is thickened by heating until it becomes a spongy mass, after which it is ground, mixed with pulverized wood and other ingredients, and then applied to the foundation and rolled smooth. The final process is a thorough seasoning in drying rooms. In inlaid linoleum the pattern is built up from the base in the colors of the design and is therefore permanent. Linoleum is made in several thicknesses and in the form of tiles. It is sometimes surfaced with a durable pyroxylin lacquer. Although large amounts of linoleum are still produced, other materials such as vinyl are now more widely used as floor coverings (Linoleum, 2012) "linoleum." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2012. Encyclopedia.com. 2 May. 2013<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Ideas for Kitchen Lighting | Guest Post

Your kitchen could arguably be called the most important room in your house. It is central to that most important of activities for your daily survival, eating. A well designed and lit kitchen can create a more inviting and harmonious heart for your home. Décor ideas in any room essentially aim for one of two goals, fashion or function. For any design specialist their goals are to achieve a merging of the two goals and hopefully reach the ideal of a room that is both fashionable and functional. With a kitchen you definitely want to choose a lighting scheme that leans towards function, because the last thing you want in the room where all your food is prepared is improper lighting.  

Sunlight
It makes for the cheapest and most environmentally green ways to light a kitchen. Nothing makes light like the sun does. Open up your blinds and let the sun shine. Unfortunately some kitchens are designed with small windows or low levels of exposure that keep sunlight out. There are a few cheats you can do to bring sunlight into a kitchen.


Of course the best way is to just install better windows with a greater amount of exposure. However, this may not be the most cost effective way, as window installation could be a major project and rather expensive. It may also be an option unavailable to you if you are in a rental property. Barring that option, you can try to bring a bit more light in through other ways. Open up windows fully in adjacent rooms, paint walls in light colors, and you can even use large mirrors to try and direct some of that sunlight towards your kitchen.  

Hanging and Overhead Lighting

 The typical kitchen design often includes an overhead light source. These may be overhead light fixtures such as a fluorescent installation, or an arrangement of bulbs. Hanging lamps are another way that offers an attractive design that can offer great functionality in a kitchen.


The ideal placement for any hanging arrangement should be one that descends over and directly lights the important areas of your kitchen. Areas like your sink, food prep counters, and your oven range are all proper candidates where you should install a hanging light arrangement. You’ll want them installed above head level but close enough that the benefit of their light is centered exactly where you need it, such as over a serving counter so you can easily see if those steaks are cooked to your perfect medium rare (or any other preferred doneness). Recessed and Under-Cabinet Lighting One of the most popular trends in home and kitchen lighting design is the use of recessed and under-cabinet lighting schemes. These lighting designs are commonly seen in art galleries, helping to illuminate portraits and sculptures. Their use in home design intends to bring home some of the elegance of an art gallery. They can certainly help a kitchen achieve a very streamlined look, bringing home the feel of a professional restaurant’s kitchen. For the do-it-yourself crowd installing these are often to be considered quite easy to do.

Remember the function
 Remember that the placement of any lights in a kitchen should focus on the functionality of the room and do little to impede it. It’s the reason that most lighting designs use hanging or recessed ceiling lights. The last thing you want in a kitchen is a lamp on your counter, you may accidentally tip the lamp and you certainly don’t want to be serving your food with shards of glass. Of course, how you design a lighting scheme in your home is something that should be catered to your tastes as an individual. Energize your kitchen life and bring a little bit more light into your home, by yourself or with the help of a professional.   Ross Donald is a freelance writer and design expert with the home and outdoor lighting specialists at LightingSale.com. Ross loves working with people to design their ideal home and understands how important it is to feel both safe and comfortable in your four walls.

 Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Two-Toned Kitchens | Love it or Leave it?

Whether it be different colors for Base cabinets and Wall cabinets or switching up the color for the island, kitchens with multiple colors of cabinetry are all around. Do you love it, or would you leave it?
 

via Better Homes & Gardens

via Beautiful Habitat

via Pinterest

via Home Bunch

via Pinterest

via Southern Living

via The Marion House Book

  Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Beach Bathroom Quick Makeover

Fun beach theme bathroom
 As I mentioned last week in How Do You Spa?, for many years my friend and I would frequent a spa with a coastal/beach theme. In many ways I associate a beach theme with relaxation and pampering. When there was an opportunity to create a beach theme in one of my bathrooms, I did, but I added more fun than spa.
 
This is a bonus 3-piece bathroom in our home. It's a bonus in that we don't need the extra shower on this floor, but we do use it more as a powder room.

 

Beautiful Habitat

The beach theme all started with the things we inherited in the house - a simple vanity and shower tiled in travertine.

 

Beautiful Habitat

The jumping off point for a beach theme came from the Travertine tiles, which reminded me of sand.

The builder-basic mirror and lights were beyond boring and there was nothing beachy, relaxing, or fun in them.

 

My first order of business was to add interest to the lighting. I painted the basic fixture silver with a can of spray paint and creatively engineered the galvanized buckets over the glass. TaDa - Beach lighting! I added colorful accessories which, together with the fun new lighting, take the focus off of the boring, frameless mirror.

 

Beautiful Habitat

The toilet has it's only little nook, which also needed a little something beach-inspired. My vision was to build a mini beach hut in the nook out of corrugated metal. I envisioned the corrugated metal behind the toilet and wrapping around the 2 sides, with a sloped roof and a marine-inspired light. These photos are a bit of the inspiration.

 

While I was getting the toilet-nook-beach-hut design in order, I did install one piece of corrugated metal wall treatment behind the toilet as a place holder, along with a beach print we picked up on a trip to St. Thomas. (Now just envision the metal wrapping around and above - so much fun)

You'll notice that I refer to the toilet plan in past-tense. It "was" because we are now moving. I'm a little sad that my toilet beach hut will never be realized. it was going to be adorable. However, I've enjoyed the beach bathroom for the last 5 years. it was a quick and easy makeover to an otherwise bland space. Have you done anything fun in your space? Share your fun rooms with us here or on Facebook.

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

How do you "Spa"?

I am in the early phases of a bathroom redesign with a long-time client. She has a hard time defining what she likes. Thankfully we've worked together before, so I have a good feel for her style already. This time we are working on the master bathroom.
 In our first meeting, she said she wants a "Spa-like Bathroom". Designers will tell you that is the most common request in all of design. The problem is, when we all say "spa-like bathroom", we each have a different image of that meaning in our head. So now I have assigned homework to my client: define your spa. What does a "Spa" mean to you? And I thought, I'd love to know how my readers define their dream spa. So how do you spa?

 Nature
 For many people, "spa" inspires images of nature. Seems simple, enough. However, images of nature vary so much by your locale, your idea of comfort. Does it mean ocean, does it mean texture? Is that texture wood, stone? Here are nature inspired bathrooms. Do they say "spa" to you?

 

via Rumah Tropika

 

via Houzz

Ocean, Beach, Coastal
 For others, "spa" is a very coastal feeling. For years, my bestie and I would frequent a spa in Boulder Colorado that had a very beachy, Nantucket feel. For a long time, my "spa" meant beach feel, with a blue and sand color palette, weathered wood and marine-inspired light fixtures. I even designed a beach bath in my own home. I'll share soon (can't believe I've never shared it before!)

 

Images via Apartment Therapy

Simplicity, Calm, Zen
And still for others, "spa" means a calm and serenity. It's about simplicity in lines and colors. This is more where my "spa" leans today, although I do still have a soft spot for the beach while we are land-locked in Colorado.

 

via Canadian House & Home

 

via Elle Decor

Meditative
 And for others, "spa" takes on a spiritual element and may include a meditation space.

 

Images via Pinterest

How do you "spa"? What elements define a "Spa-like Bathroom" for you? Want to create a Spa feel, without a complete overhaul of your bathroom? Here are some quick tips to add a Spa atmosphere to your bathroom.
Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design &  Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Gold Is Making a Comeback | Love It or Leave It?

Gold and brass finishes are creeping back into Interiors. It started with a few small features - a mirror here, a brass knob there, gold leaf inside of a lamp shade. Now the moves are getting bigger and bolder. Gold. Shiny, shiny gold. It's making a comeback in Interior Design and Decor. Will you love it again, or are you going to leave it?

 

Hudson Valley Lighting

 

House Beautiful

 

Source Unknown

 

Cyan Design

 

Veranda

 

Elle Decor

 

Hotel Chic

 

No Place Like Home

Gold. Love it or Leave it?

 Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com

Winter Decorating Ideas | Guest Post

The changing of the seasons offers the perfect opportunity to redecorate your home. As winter sets in, our thoughts turn to getting warm and cozy. Check out these quick decorating tips that will help you turn your home into a welcoming winter den.  

Welcoming From the Outside In
 Set the tone of your home by decorating everything, even your exterior doors. If you’re feeling festive, hang a home-made holly wreath on your front door to spread your cheer to the rest of the world. If you don’t have the time to make your own wreath, consider purchasing a synthetic wreath which you can re-use every year.

 

Via Pinterest

 

via Joanna Fabric

 

via Matt & Becky 

 Relaxing By the Fire
 There’s something special about relaxing in front of an open fire; the look of the flames makes you feel warmer, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. If you don’t have a fireplace in your living room, why not invest in a wall-hanging, flu less fireplace to brighten up your room.

 

via Pinterest

Metallic Luxury
Natural colors are cozy and comfortable, but it’s easy to go too far with the rustic feel. Add a touch of modern glamor to your home by opting for some shiny, shimmering metallic colors as an accent. Consider painting your oak skirting boards in a sedate silver, and pairing that up with silver trim on your cushions and throws. Or, use subtle accents to bring out the warmth in a more traditional room.

 

via Pinterest

Easy Accents
Redecorating for the winter doesn’t have to mean completely re-doing the look of your living room. If you prefer clean and simple styled rooms, why not add a touch of winter fashion with decals which can easily be removed when it’s time for a change of scenery.

 

via Pinterest

Accessorize 
  During the winter, it’s natural to want to curl up in front of the fireplace with a good book. Why not make that spot as comfortable as possible. This time of year is the perfect time to bring out those stylish blankets, comfy cushions, and plush pillows. Pick the right color scheme, and they’ll be as fashionable as they are cozy.
 One side effect of spending so much time indoors with the heating running full blast and the windows closed, is that the air in your home can get a little musty. You can keep your home smelling fresh by making use of scented candles, or, even better, great home cooking. Mulled wine, cinnamon bread, festive fruitcake, and winter broths will warm your body, and spread beautiful smells around the house!

 

via Pinterest

Clean Up for Christmas
 If there’s one thing that will detract from the atmosphere of your home, it’s clutter. During the festive season, there’s a good chance your home will fill up with stuff. A preemptive decluttering session will make life a lot easier for you. Consider donating old books and clothes to charity, encouraging your kids to take some toys to charity, and spending a weekend cleaning out that stash of paperwork. It won’t take as long as you’d think, and the improvement will be amazing. This post was written by

James Harper on behalf of UK Oak Doors who supply a great range of oak products from doors through to skirting boards. Please visit their site for more info.

 For more related post by Beautiful Habitat:
 Dreaded Decluttering
 Clearing Clutter in the New Year
 Easy Holiday Decor - Ribbons

Beautiful Habitat: Interior Design & Decoration www.beautifulhabitat.com