I Gotta Be Me!

Individuality. That is the word for the coming seasons, for describing what is "IN".

In fashion, in home decor, in retail sales, and in lifestyles in general, the trend is to "Do yo' thing, honey" in the words of Aretha. We have by and large become a nation of non-conformists. We are encouraged to follow our own star, be true to ourselves, to honor what we are.

Thus, it follows that our homes will be a reflection of what we are. Conservative, colorful, playful, or serene, the environment we create to live in is certainly representative of our personality. And this is more and more encouraged in present times. There was a time when we were all much more homogeneous: we decorated alike, we dressed alike, we ate alike. But there is so much more diversity now, and we have learned so much from others' way of living, of dressing, of cooking, so it just naturally follows that we would branch out, try new things, experiment with new colors, new foods, new textures. And our lives have been enriched. Where would we be without pizza, tacos, or French fries?

The current "flow" (because it is so much more than a trend) is to be an individual. We encourage this when you come into our showroom. How boring would it be (and how unnecessary would we be?) if everyone came in and wanted the exact same floors, the exact same bathroom design, or the exact same kitchen remodel? How much fun it is to help a customer plan a new design in their bathroom, picking tiles and designs, and making it all work together! And helping you focus on what you like and don't like! Sometimes it is our job to simply find the physical interpretation of what you see in your mind. Sometimes it is our job to fine tune the whole picture. And sometimes it is our job to pull you back from the brink of unreality, because no, a bathroom that is 60 square feet can simply not have more than 6 different tile patterns, a two-person shower, a tub, a sauna, and a 10-foot vanity, and all for $5,000!

Bold colors, tribal and ethnic patterns, and hand crafted, artisan goods are IN. Live plants are IN. Comfort is definitely IN. (New fashion lines are being referred to as Easy wear!) We are seeing lots of big patterns in tile, and in carpets and rugs. Statement walls and ceilings are a coming thing- paint them or wallpaper them or floor them- why live with boring white on a big percentage of the surfaces that surround you? Go BIG! Here in the south we have painted porch ceilings blue forever, so blue ceilings are nothing new for us. How about purple? Or patterned? You know, it's only paint! If you don't love it, it can be repainted!

 

And speaking of going big- wide planks are still gaining in popularity. People are loving matte finishes on their wood floors too, and learning that they need less maintenance than glossy floors. We have several big beautiful wood floors that we just love! The new Tuscany Collection from Palmetto Road, the Hand Crafted line from Somerset, and the new Fabrica woods are all just gorgeous- come in and see them!

The RevWood Plus floors are simply unbelievable! 

Waterproof Laminates, and you would swear they are wood! You must see them- they are selling like crazy, because they solve all the big problems- dogs, kids, messy husbands...

 

For those of you who still love sheet vinyl (count me in) we have a new line by BeauFlor called BlackTex that is stunning! The visuals are very different than any sheet vinyl you have ever seen- really amazing! I am hoping for a resurgence of sheet vinyl-easiest to care for surface ever. And about as moisture resistant as a floor can possibly be.

Regardless of what you love, we are here to help you find and achieve it. Come by today and challenge us!

For Ideas and Inspiration

We find most of our clients are very visual---it is so much easier to describe what we like with picture than with words. The internet offers a lot of tools to help with this, and Enhance Floors & More participates in many. We post pictures of recent installations on our Facebook page and on Instagram. You can get lots of inspiration on Houzz ; be sure to bring your tablet with you so you can show us your Ideabooks, so we can see what you love. And for those of you that use Pinterest, there are lots of great pictures posted on our boards that are sure to inspire you. Or you can simply google "gray carpet in living room" for images that will help you visualize how a product will look in a large area. And don't forget about Room Visualizers---many products on our website offer the option to "see in my room." You first select a specific product, style and color, then upload a picture of YOUR room, and magically, you can view the product you like in your room. Be sure to take advantage of these helpful tools that will make your decision making much easier!

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

Teresa in Sandy Springs writes:

"They installed laminate flooring for me. It was a positive experience. The thing that I liked better about them than some other places is before the floor, the process of how the folks in the showroom would help me, they listened to what I wanted to do. I have pets, I really wanted wood. They steered me in the direction with my big dogs and let me take samples home and try them out, so I liked that. That was my favorite part. And the floors turned out beautiful!"

Thank you, Teresa. We really try to consult with you so that you select the right product for your lifestyle. Let us know when you are ready to do the bedrooms.

How Much Does It Cost?

Laminates have been mentioned in this newsletter a couple of times already.  A few years ago, the experts were predicting their demise. As Mark Twain said quite a few years ago, "the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated."  Good quality laminate is still quite popular. To many people, the depth, texture, and realism of laminates is better visually than luxury vinyl (today's hot flooring category) and laminate is more scratch resistant than wood and vinyl.  And it is very affordable, too. We recently installed a master bedroom and guest bedroom plus closets (406 square feet) in a higher end laminate for $2500. This included removal of the existing carpet and pad, furniture moving, new shoemold and transition pieces.  Laminates are a "floating" installation, so you should always expect some floor prep/leveling to be needed, but we are experts at it and do what is needed to give you a quality installation.