How to Select Trim Stains to Match Your Walls
Interior trim is one of the most significant aspects of a house décor that is often overlooked. Interior trim on walls can help you give your house some balance, highlight its core points of interest, and also set its character, style and tone. Trim is like the frame of a painting; particularly a stained frame, as it outlines and accentuates the beauty of what is inside. Here’s how to pick a trim color to match your walls:
Trim often takes the form of baseboards, window and interior door casings, crown molding, wainscoting and paneling and pillars as well as mantels. Most trims are constructed from wood, polyurethane and medium density fiberboard. However, trims come in different colors and stains which can be quite difficult to match with your already existing décor. Your tastes and preferences as well as the architectural style of your house will play a great part in determining the style of your wood trim color stain. So if you’re wondering what color to paint or stain interior doors and trim to match your walls, we have the answers you want below!
Painting stained trim can help you enhance and perfect the design style you envision for your home’s interior. Remember, as with any interior decor decision, you have to determine your end goal with the trim stains. What impression do you want the room to express? Do you want it to be modern, classical, sophisticated, dramatic, formal or just relaxed?
Here are tips on how to match the right trim straining with your walls:
Matching Trim
For a contemporary space, it is recommended to go with a trim stain that blends seamlessly with the house’s walls. This can easily be achieved by painting stained trim color that matches that of the walls, or have a tinted version of the wall’s colors. Going with the same paint color for trims gives the room a unified, seamless and fresh look.
If your walls have a warm tone, the interior trim color ideas you should be considering should all be warm tones. Similarly, if they have a cool tone, it is best to opt for a cool trim tone. Staying with the same colors throughout prevents your house from looking disjointed and incoherent. In the case of open floor layouts, particularly where wall colors change from one room to the other, sticking with the same trim stain throughout creates a sense of cohesiveness throughout the home.
Light Trim
This is more common with classical and traditional interior designs. Many interior designers consider using white trim as the perfect way to decorate any house’s interior. White trims brighten up the space when used alongside dark walls. They make the wall color to pop out and also lighten up the space.
When used alongside light or muted wall colors, white trims make the wall colors to appear clean and crisp. Pure white trim staining often works great in rooms with great natural lighting as they have a classic reflective quality. For rooms with limited natural light, or those in northern climates, creamy whites with some warm undertones are better off than pure white.
Dark Stains
The use of dark trim stains has been a growing trend. Dark trim gives a room more depth than the light or white trims. They are dramatic and focus attention on the window and door frames. Additionally, they contrast very well when used alongside some modern trendy wall colors such as soft aquas and powder blues. While black or dark brown are common trim stain colors, there are a variety of other colors and shades to choose from. Consider going for a trim stain that is only 2 or 3 shades deeper than your wall’s colors.
Painting Trim to Match Walls Takeaways
- Trims are imperative in accentuating your home’s interior décor
- Most trims are constructed from wood, polyurethane and medium density fiberboard
- The trim stains you select for your home will largely depend on your tastes, preferences and architectural style of your house
- You can opt for trim stains that are of the same color with your walls, or go with trim stains that are lighter or darker
All in all, the trim stains you select for your home will largely depend on your tastes, preferences and architectural style of your house. Our pre-finishing services can help you get started on your next project. Your door or window trim can be painted or stained right in our warehouse, meaning you’ll get the perfect trim color, guaranteed. If you’re ready to complete your next project, contact us right away.
Open Concept Floor Plans: Here’s What To Know If You Want An Open Concept House
If you are considering a remodel or you are building your own home, there are numerous advantages to using open concept floor plans. When you have a large space, you may have enough room to have specialized areas throughout your home. If you have less square footage, you will need to become more creative with the living area you have. With an open concept floor plan, you will be able to maximize your space and create a more open concept home that is perfect for entertaining.
The Advantages of Choosing From Open Concept Floor Plans
When you build your home with an open concept floor plan, people throughout your home will be less isolated. For example, if one individual is in the kitchen cooking, they are still able to hear and see others in the home who are watching television. Parents of young children often enjoy open concept floor plans because they can easily watch the children and still get work done around the home. In addition, open concept floor plans:
- Allow for easier entertaining, creates a more open concept house by providing a large space for guests to walk around and feel comfortable in.
- Increase the amount of natural light in your home, as a home with fewer interior walls allows sunlight in.
- Provide space that is multi-purpose, allowing homeowners to maximize the space they are living in.
Open concept floor plans have been making a comeback in recent years as families are looking to live in smaller, more economical spaces while still having the advantages of living in a larger home.
The Disadvantages of Open Concept Floor Plans
While open concepts are great for families, there are some drawbacks. When you choose to create an open concept floor plan, you are going to have less privacy. In addition, a closed floor plan offers:
- Plenty of wall space for decorative purposes. If you have a lot of family photos and other wall art, you'll need extra wall space to accommodate everything.
- Spaces that can easily be shut off when not in use. Children can have their own playroom without the living room turning into a huge play space.
- A simplified way to stay organized. In a closed concept house, each room has a specific purpose.
- Noises don't always travel through the whole house, especially when there are interior walls to block the noise.
- Each room can have a specific purpose and decorated accordingly.
In a home with a closed floor plan, every room has an assigned use and there will be little flow. When your home is large, this can help keep your home better organized. You can also choose to have an open floor plan on the first floor of your home, while having more delineated spaces on your second floor.
Many homes today use a combination of open floor plans and closed. The pros and cons of open concept floor plans cause plenty of homeowners to choose a varied floor plan instead. If you are looking to remodel your kitchen or change your floor plan, whether you have a large or small home, it's time to contact RWC Windows, Doors & More to see how we can help you. Call us today at 973-435-4230 and we’ll share our ideas to make your home’s living space the best it can be for you and your family.
How to Increase Natural Light in Your Home
Does your home feel a little dark, grim, and dreary? If so, there's a good chance that it is suffering from lack of natural sunlight. While controlling the level of light in the house is important, it is just as important that you nurture and encourage light to spread throughout the house. Doing so can work wonders for your interior design and even make your home look cleaner, more modern, and larger. The secret lies in knowing the tips and tricks to bring more light indoors. In this article, we will go over how to increase natural light in your home.
6 Easy Ways to Increase Natural Light Indoors
Utilize the Power of Strategically Placed Mirrors
Mirrors are an incredibly valuable thing if you need more sunlight in a space in your home. You can place a mirror opposite of a window and see double the natural light because the mirrored surface will reflect that light back out into the space. Mirrors can also be useful in hallways to pull illumination from another section of the house down the darkened corridor where there may be no natural light at all.
Use Lighter Paint Colors
If you have a room in your home that has little naturally available light, you want to support and reflect the small amount of light as much as you can. This is easy to accomplish by picking lighter hues over darker ones where paint color are concerned. Lighter paint colors naturally reflect more light, which can help evenly distribute the brightness available.
Opt for Window Covers That Allow Light In
The type of window covers you choose make a huge difference in how light is allowed into the space. Instead of heavy drapes and solid shades, stick with light filtering blinds that can be opened or closed and sheer curtain panels that allow a certain level of natural sunlight to seep through.
Make Use of Mirrored Tiles
In low-light areas, such as in the space between the upper cabinets and the countertop in your kitchen, you can add mirrored tiles to naturally lighten up the dim space. Likewise, mirrored tiles are an excellent addition to a dimly lit bathroom if you need a lighter, brighter appearance.
Install New Doors
Solid wooden doors may be the most popular doors, but if you are trying to achieve more natural light in your home, other types can be much more logical. For example, double French doors have windowed centers that allow the sunlight inside and sliding glass doors offer a full double-dose of sunlight almost from the floor to the ceiling.
Consider New Windows
It is not uncommon for older homes especially to have fewer windows, which can mean you have to deal with very little sunshine inside the house. Thankfully, RWC can help you install new windows where there is wall space to do so. Likewise, switching from one type of window to another can change light levels. For example, a bay window offers an incredible amount of light compared to a basic double-hung window.
Key Points to Remember
- Mirrors are an easy way to spread light through the home.
- Changing the windows and doors can totally enhance the level of light inside your home.
- Stick with lighter paint colors that reflect light.
- Use mirrored tiles in dim-lit areas, such as the backsplash in the kitchen.
- be careful with window treatment selections so you don't block too much light.
Spaces with natural light offer an array of advantages, from designer and architectural appeal to benefits for your health. Therefore, working to incorporate natural light into your home can completely change how your home appears, functions, and even how it affects your body. If you're looking for some inspiration, check out our design ideas. If you want help with implementing more natural illumination in your home, reach out to RWC for help.
Freshen Up Your Home with Pantone's Color of the Year
Every year, Pantone releases the “Color of the Year” – its chosen to capture the mood of the current time. Interior decorators often pay close attention to this news since it helps them choose color schemes for their designs. Fashion designers and other designers also incorporate the Pantone color into their work as well. How can you do the same?
First: This Year’s Color
For 2017, Pantone has selected the Color #15-0343, which is more commonly known as “Greenery.” It’s a shade of green that is reminiscent of the leaves that have a slight yellow overtone.
According to Forbes, Pantone says that its choice hearkens to the movement to “go green,” which it believed to have reached “a crescendo” at this time. The shade also speaks to new beginnings, regrowth, and the freshness of both spring and summer.
Green is a color that is easy to work into many decor styles, and this makes the year’s pick much more versatile than some in years past. Here are a few ways you can do this:
Add Accents and Pops of Color
This is the easiest way to bring a yearly color into your home. Put a lamp with a Greenery-colored base on an accent table, hang a picture that features the shade, or even paint a short stretch of wall in it. These methods will allow you to stay up on the ever-changing color trends without having to make a large investment of both time and money.
Paint an Entire Wall or Room
With Greenery, you can actually paint a whole wall, or a whole room, without overwhelming your space. Of course, if you do this, it’s important to consider how the new wall color will look with your current furniture and accessories.
If you decide that more changes will have to be made in order to achieve the most awesome results, try taking a look at Pantone’s other colors for the year. There’s a palette of 10 shades, including many brights and a couple of neutrals, so you can change up the room and still have plenty of variety.
If you’ve been thinking about getting new furniture, consider getting a few pieces in Greenery. They’ll be trendy now, but the color is nice enough that it’ll still look good a few years down the line.
Would you like to green up your furniture without actually replacing it? Try using throws and blankets to turn your sofas and chairs into trendy pieces. This makes it super-easy to change the look every year with the trends!
Use Pillows and Other Soft Accents
While an entire furniture piece done in Greenery will make a big impact, that isn’t always what produces the best look for your space. Sometimes, something smaller, such as a green throw pillow, is what will create the look you seek. Place one or more against a contrasting background to catch the eye.
Rugs are also good additions when seeking to bring a specific color into a room. A small one will invite people to investigate a particular area, while a big one will freshen up your entire floor.
Remember the Exterior
There are plenty of options for freshening up the outside of your house. Paint your door or trim for a trendy, but easily-changeable, update. Alternatively, consider choosing Greenery for part of a renovation project such as new windows. This color is great because it will be the “in thing” now, yet won’t look stale for years to come.
No matter how you’d like to use Pantone’s Greenery this year, visit our website today to schedule your visit from RWC. Our designers will be glad to create the perfect plans that make use of it. We are also happy to install and do any renovation-related updates in New Jersey.
Home Design Trends for 2017 [Infographic]
With home trends always changing, it can be difficult to stay up with the newest designs and products available. Clean lines, found art objects and the creation of intimate spaces is expected to dominate 2017 design trends. In addition, making a home more accessible to those needing mobility devices has become more popular. Design changes include widening doorways for easier movement through the home, placing higher toilets in all bathrooms for ease of use, and generally making homes ready for those that live within to age in place.
For homeowners in Caldwell, New Jersey and the surrounding area, RWC is ready to make your home more accessible, providing you with the style and comfort you deserve. To talk about your project ideas, check us out online today or give us a call.
New Summer Trends: Style Your House With Up-To-Date Designs
Summer is the time of year when people often feel inspired to renovate and remodel their homes. This makes a lot of sense since the nice weather and long hours of daylight means that projects will be much easier to complete - especially if they are outdoor projects. It’s also the perfect time to take inspiration from nature and find ways to bring the outdoors in.
Modern lifestyles lend themselves to a constant flow between indoor and outdoor living spaces - especially in warm summer months when the transition between indoor and outdoor is most natural. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t find ways to bring that feeling of summer into your home to make you feel summer’s warm glow all year long. We’ll give you some ideas to take advantage of summer renovation trends that will update your style and how you feel in your home.
Put the Outdoors on Display
One of the easiest ways to bring the outdoors into your home is through the windows. Lots of natural light make a space seem bigger. If you can see trees and flowers through your windows, all the better. These days,replacement windows are more energy efficient than ever, and they offer customization options that provide both convenience and privacy. For example, perhaps you’d like to get windows with the blinds between glass panes so that you never have to worry about dusting them. It’s an option that many homeowners find appealing.
Even if you are skipping window treatments, a good set of windows can add character and peace of mind. Thermal break and UV protection are important for protecting your floors, artwork, and furniture, and are both offered in modern replacement windows. Whatever your window choice may be, make each window a focal point. Pair them with wall colors that will evoke the setting of your home.
Bring the Indoors Outside
Nowadays it is much easier to get outdoor furniture that looks and feels like your cozy living room furniture, while withstanding the weather. Why not make an outdoor living area that you can use the same way you do your family room? Decks and patios are the perfect choice and can be easily customized. Awnings and pergolas can give shade and shelter, and a comfy seating arrangement on a bright sisal or other outdoor rug can give your entertaining space an intimate feel your family and friends will appreciate.
Play With Color
Paint color is an easy tool to use to bring the brightness of summer into your home year round. Pops of bright color can make a room cheerful, even on a grim winter day. Painting an entire room a bright color (especially some of the really hot summer colors like coral, teal, and cobalt) can be overwhelming. But, an accent wall or a colored pattern on a neutral background can really make a room come alive.
Go Beachy
Everyone loves the beach in summer, but sometimes it can be hard to incorporate the beach without it feeling kitschy. Ditch the kitsch, and bring that driftwood vibe in with cool neutral greys. Add a nautical edge with accents of navy. Brass accents will provide you with a timeless but on-trend look you will love.
Want the look of weathered, sanded and reclaimed floors without the hassle and price tag of new hardwoods? Choose laminate flooring in gorgeous, distressed grays. Or, to get the look without the worry of wood, choose a wood-look tile. It will be able to stand up to just about anything, including anything you bring back from the actual beach.
Go Bright White
There’s something about summer that makes you want to get down to essentials and reduce the clutter of daily living. A bright white space lends itself to minimalism and calm. Kitchens and bathrooms especially lend themselves to the all-white design trend. Something about an all-white space transcends time-of-year and feels inherently clean.
Some Things to Remember
Before you remodel your kitchen, bathroom or any other part of your home, there are things you need to consider. Obviously remodeling in a way that is trendy is important for how you live and feel in your home, but always consider resale value. Be careful to not over-personalize your home in ways that aren’t easily fixable when it comes time to sell. Someone else may not want to pay for the gadgets or pool you love when it comes time to make an offer. Paint is easy, and certain built-ins will always be on trend, but check out our handy guide before you make a costly mistake in your renovations.
RWC has been relieving home improvement stress since 1959. Call us today or visit us on the web for your free consultation!
Increase Your Home's Value With These Fun Renovations
When you purchased your home, it was probably the home of your dreams. It fit all of your needs and was just right for your family. Time has moved on, and you’re starting to notice that your home doesn’t fit your needs like it used to. You may even be thinking about putting it on the market and finding a new home, but you may not have to take that drastic a step just yet.
It may be time to look at some fun renovations that can make your home fit your needs once again. Even better, it can increase your home's value for when it comes time to take out an equity loan or get better bids when you sell your home. Here are some fun renovations that will put the sparkle back into your home while helping your home increase in value in the long run.
Kitchen
Some people advise to skip an expensive kitchen remodel, and it’s true that going overboard with a luxury kitchen remodel may not earn you the return on investment you’d like, but a kitchen remodel can still offer a great deal of value if you focus on the important aspects. U.S. News and World Report had an article on renovations that showed that homeowners who perform a minor kitchen remodel can see an 82.7 percent return on investment.
One of the reasons you may be unhappy with your home is that the kitchen feels cluttered and the flow is wrong. Some areas to focus on with your kitchen remodel include layout, cabinetry, adding an island, and making more space for storage. These minor renovation projects will help improve the flow of your space, and make it more useable for your family. You’ll be able to finally pick up the extra gadgets and gizmos you’ve always wanted for cooking, but never had a place to put. Plus, people love updated kitchens.
Bathroom
People love kitchens, but they also love bathrooms. This is where you go to relax in a hot shower or get ready for the day. A bathroom remodel is another excellent investment to increase value in your home. You can install a new bathtub or even an enclosed shower, add beautiful tile, get a new countertop, update your fixtures, and more, to give your bathroom a facelift that makes it feel more like a luxury spa than a room in your home.
Not only are you increasing your home's value and the usefulness of the space, but you may also be saving yourself money in the long run. New shower, sink, and toilet fixtures are often more efficient than your old fixtures when it comes to water conservation. This means that your family will be using less water in their daily routines than before, and your water bill will decrease.
Curb Appeal
Maybe you’re pretty happy with your home’s layout and setup. You might even think that nothing needs to be done with it and that there aren’t any ways to improve the value of your home. Perhaps it is time to stop thinking about inside the home, and step outside.
Your home’s entryway may need an update. Believe it or not, the same article from U.S. News and World Report shows that front door replacements net a 96.6 percent return on investment with just that one small update.
Real estate agents aren’t crazy when they talk about curb appeal. The way your home looks on the outside influences the first impression that others will get from your home. If it doesn’t look welcoming or inviting, potential buyers may not even step inside to see how amazing it looks. Giving the front of your home a facelift not only helps to increase your home's value for that day when you may put it on the market, but it also gives you a home you can be proud to show off.
RWC is here for you when it comes time to finding ways to increase the value of your home. Our company is different in that we take the time to listen to what our customers need and want, and help you to find the solutions that will work in your current home that makes it better. We handle everything in-house for you, and all of our installers are factory trained to know the right way to go about your installation.
No matter if you’re looking to complete a small project, like a new door, or large project, like revamping your kitchen layout, we’re here for you. Check out our services to see how we can help you to turn your old home into the home of your dreams.
RWC has been relieving home improvement stress since 1959. Call us today or visit us on the web for your free consultation!
Use Designer Glass to Beautify your Home
Every house has glass elements. Since they are so commonplace, we often overlook them. However, that is a mistake. Instead of just viewing the glass in your home as utilitarian, you need to start seeing it as an extension of your personality and your home’s aesthetics. Adding designer glass highlights to your home is an easy way to create additional visual interest without breaking the bank. The following are some examples of ways to add designer glass to your home to increase its visual appeal.
Do not let the words “glass blocks” scare you. Although you may still have nightmares about the hideous frosted glass blocks that were popular in bathrooms in the 70s and 80s, glass blocks have come a long way since then. So, get that image out of your head and the frightened look off of your face. Today's glass blocks are modern, sleek, and innovative. They can break up a dark space to make it seem lighter; be used as a display piece, such as a vase, or serve as a room divider that doubles as a conversation piece. There is no shortage of ways in which glass blocks can add beauty and interest to your home.
Sliding glass doors are the traditional way to get from the inside of your house to a patio or other outdoor living area. However, these doors are normally just huge pieces of plate glass - totally boring. Your sliding glass door doesn’t have to be dull and mundane. Try thinking about your sliding glass door as an extensive empty canvas. Replacing the original glass with some designer glass is the perfect way to add some style and personality to a seemingly bland background. The right designer glass can add a personal touch to an area, provide an excellent view of the outdoors, or even add some privacy indoors. The choices are endless and are only limited by your imagination.
Glass staircase
If you are looking to add an ultra-modern touch of flare to your home, consider installing a sleek glass staircase. A glass staircase can add light and dimension to a home. It can also give a smaller area the illusion of additional space. Glass staircases are the perfect excuse to use designer glass to make an ordinary space look grand by combining functionality with modern beauty. A beautiful glass staircase can dramatically change the way an entire room feels. So, if you don’t have small children, swapping out your tired, old wooden or metal stairway for one made from designer glass could be a great way to give your entire home a face-lift.
If you are looking for a more subtle change than what you will get with a glass staircase, there are plenty of ways you can scale it down a bit. One way is to add some simple etched glass to your home. Etched glass can be added to both interior and exterior windows and will provide a lantern-like appearance when it is illuminated. It provides a milky-white appearance that cannot be penetrated. Using etched glass is a great way to add some privacy to a room without sacrificing the aesthetic appeal of the area.
Adding designer glass to your wet bar is a great way to show off your beautiful and colorful bottles of libations. If you look at your bar with a discerning eye, you will notice that it is a world full of varying colors and textures that are just waiting to be highlighted. Designer glass is the ideal material for shelving in your bar. The colorful liquids in the bottles will reflect off the glass and create a spectrum of colors that will be eye-catching to everyone who walks by. You can even turn it up a notch by switching out the commercial bottles for original containers such as bell jars and apothecary jars.
Add a backsplash in your kitchen
Nothing adds visual interest to a kitchen like a backsplash. Gone are the days when a backsplash was nothing more than ceramic tiles. Now, you can use decorative glass to create a magnificent mosaic. Painted designer glass serves as the perfect medium to create a backsplash that is charming as well as functional.
Your home should be an outward expression of your true self. Adding designer glass is an excellent way to turn your entire home into an object d’art. RWC has a wide variety of designer glass choices to fit every homeowner’s style. Whether you are looking for something simple, like etched glass cabinet fronts, or something ornate like, a domed ceiling, RWC has you covered. RWC is a family owned company that has been in business since the 1950s. We offer a wide product selection and unparalleled service.
Contact RWC today. One of our representatives will be happy to assist you in finding the best designer glass to fit your needs.