Make Your Home More Loveable

Falling out of love with your home is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming your home once was. Bring the sizzle back to the relationship with these three easy renovation ideas:

1. Update your kitchen backsplash

White subway tile, beige travertine, or a piece of their granite running up the wall a few inches – sound familiar? These were the most common backsplashes of the past decade. The good news: the easiest and least expensive way to show a little love to your kitchen is to update your backsplash. Consider adding texture, mixing up the pattern, or just going a completely different style. And remember, you can lay the tile lots of different ways: vertical, horizontal, herringbone, stepladder, diagonal, and offset. As you consider what tile to choose, here are some basics:

• Subway tile – keep the look but change the color. This ceramic tile comes in many colors and textures and it still provides versatility and ease of care.
• Mosaics tile - or “bling” as we like to call it.  Mosaic tile tends to be glass or uses metallic elements that bring a sparkle and shine to any space.
• Marble – the age-old class. If you want to take your design up a notch, marble is a very classy way to add a timeless look.

2. Add a focal point

Tile doesn’t just have to go on floors and backsplashes. Using a stacked stone, wood-look tile, or porcelain slab on the wall is an easy way to make a “wow” statement. You can go more traditional and run stone up your fireplace wall – or go bold by adding color and texture with tile to a kitchen nook, man cave, bonus room, wine bar, outdoor kitchen and so much more.

3. Change your kitchen or bathroom countertops

The saying goes: just wait a bit, it will come back in style! It may be hard to believe, but dark, wood grain cabinets are making a comeback! If you’re one of the millions to still have cherry, espresso, or dark walnut finishes, change your countertops, not the cabinets. Consider removing the stone-look granite and replace it with a clean and sleek quartz.  Quartz countertops are stain-resistant, repel bacteria and are available in matte and semi-gloss finishes.  You can select from thousands of different styles such as solid colors, light backgrounds with dark veining, or speckles – just to name a few. But don’t forget about granite – there are still beautiful options available in natural stone too – and the styles have come a long way since 2001.

Bring the charm back to your home through exciting, small changes – ones that will also improve functionality, style and sell-ability in the long term. Visit the Sarasota Design Works showroom to find your next home project inspiration and meet with a qualified tile or countertop design expert.