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How to Incorporate Antiques Into Modern Decor

Make your home’s style look unique by mixing antique furniture with your modern decor. Here’s exactly how to do it!

Featured image by: Heather Jackson

When looking for an interior designer Malibu, you need to consider your design style. For example, if you’re looking for modern kitchen interior design or traditional design, then you will want to find someone who specializes in that style. Although, what are your options when you have a modern flair and an antique collection. The crazy thing is that while these styles seem drastically different, they actually balance each other quite well, especially when you know what you’re doing. If you want to mesh your antiques with your modern style, then focus on these five rules.

1. Use One Location

Most interior design firms Santa Monica CA will tell you there are multiple ways of using antiques in modern design. One way of blending antiques into modern decor is to focus the antique collection in one area. By creating a separate space for the pieces, you establish a focal point. Some suggestions for this focal area would be in a living corner or a hutch. Antiques deserve a place of prominence, so when people see them set up in one place, even in a modern home, they seem to belong.

2. Focus On Accessibility

Next, focus on accessibility. People are often too afraid of putting their antiques in accessible locations because they don’t want them to get damaged, but that is the wrong approach. Incorporating antiques into design means that you want them to be prominent fixtures in a space. It is hard for items to become important elements if you cannot interact with them. While it is necessary to protect antiques, it is also necessary to appreciate them.

3. Use Leather

Antiques often bring a rustic charm to modern designs, but sometimes that element can be a bit off-putting. To soften the contrast, you can choose to use leather elements. Leather is a clean and modern material, but it too has a certain rustic quality. Leather, then, acts as a buffer between the antiques and the modern pieces. You do not even need to use a lot of leather accents. Merely adding a leather ottoman or chair can be enough.

4. Organize By Color

A great way to incorporate antiques into a modern design is by utilizing color. Every antique piece likely has a prominent color, whether that be gold, brass or black. By organizing your antiques by color, you are essentially creating a somewhat modern art installation in your home. Again, allowing the antiques to become a focal point.

5. Don’t Be Afraid of Mixing

Last, don’t be afraid of mixing modern and antique elements together. You don’t always have to hide or subdue the contrast. For example, use an antique vanity in your bathroom and pair it with modern fixtures. You will be blown away by how good it looks.

Interior design is an art. While there are definitely styles that demand adherence to certain rules, some rules were meant to be broken. If you want help blending your antiques into your modern design, then contact a local interior designer.

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Home Renovations Shop the Room!

Don’t Wait to Renovate—Here’s Why A Roof Replacement Is A Must

If you’ve been considering replacing your roof soon, you may well think it’s best to wait until spring!

Featured Image By: Thompson Custom Homes

The weather is warmer, your spring cleaning energy will have set in, and you’ll get to see that beautiful new roof under the light of those sunny spring mornings!  Plus, if you’re getting ready to sell in the spring, you’ll have a brand new roof to tout to potential buyers. What’s not to love about that?  Well, the truth is that there’s really no need to wait. Here’s why. 

A new roof will save you heating costs during the winter. If your roof is in need of a replacement, it’s already losing plenty of heat. In general, about 25 percent of your home’s heat is lost through the roof, though that number can climb if the roof is old and the seals aren’t as tight as they were earlier in its life. By putting in a new roof now, you’ll prevent your home from losing more heat through the roof than it has to and keep your heating bills manageable. 

New roofs can increase the home sale price. According to HomeAdvisor, a new roof typically increases home value by a national average of $12,000.

This is an important point, as not all improvement projects actually increase home value. A roof, however, is one of those top home renovations that provide value for both buyer and seller, and can help you sell your home more quickly and for more money. You’ll avoid additional damage from intense summers or harsh winters. If you live in an area of the country with intense summers or harsh winters, replacing your roof as soon as you’re able to will give you greater peace of mind. 

Winter weather can cause further damage to an already compromised roof. Heavy snow can cause shingles to separate, while snowmelt can refreeze as it runs into your gutters, preventing the snow and water from leaving your roof. This can create leaks and even a bowed roof if the weight of all that snow gets heavy enough. Heavy winds are also common in winter, and these can separate shingles, peel them back, or even tear them off completely. 

Likewise, if you live in an area that sees temperatures higher than 100 degrees regularly during the summer, you can end up with shingles that split or crack. High humidity can also cause condensation to settle beneath your shingles, resulting in water damage.  These problems are all more likely to occur when your roof is older. Exterior features are more important for your home sale than you may think. 

When you’re getting ready to sell your home, plenty of attention is given to the inside—but how about the outside?  Curb appeal should go beyond planting a few flowers and raking your lawn. Your home’s exterior should be in tip-top shape, and that includes everything from the fencing, to your siding or paint, to your roof. 

Additionally, since replacing a roof is a major investment, homebuyers who know that they’ll need to replace your home’s roof in the next few years are almost certain to offer a lower purchase price—or forego your home altogether.  Replacing your roof as soon as you’re able to can save you a lot of headaches and potential damage. Not only that, it can help your home sell for more when it’s time to put it on the market! So—what are you waiting for? 

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