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How To Find The Perfect Color Palette For Your Home

Color surrounds us and has the power to transform the feel of your living space with the stroke of a brush or swipe of a roller. If you are building a new house or are looking to give an existing interior a fresh start, you may be wondering what hues are most suited for your unique home. Like sorting through the options in kitchen cabinet finishes, it can be difficult to make a decision for your walls and decor. If your kitchen island countertop is covered in paper paint swatches and you are completely unsure of how to choose, here are some tips to help you find the perfect color palette for your home.

Looking Towards Trends

The new year is still months away, but the color experts at Sherwin Williams are already predicting what the top paint colors for 2021 will be, with a focus on warm neutrals, earthy hues, jewel tones, and contemporary colors that are right on point. To see how these and other paint colors will look in your home without having to buy numerous paint samples, visit the Sherwin Williams website and try their ColorSnap Visualizer. This online tool lets you upload a photo of your home’s interior and virtually paint your walls. If you received a photorealistic rendering through our Free Room Design service when shopping for custom cabinets, you know how helpful it can be to actually see what your space will look like before you begin making changes.

A Neutral Color Palette

If you prefer a neutral palette, start with your favorite shade of white, beige, or gray for the walls that complements your cabinetry, flooring and furnishings. For a trendy tone-on-tone look, layer textures to add visual interest, such as natural fiber area rugs, organic woven fabrics, chunky knit throws, brushed metallic elements, and bamboo Roman shades. Go a step or two up or down the color swatch for an accent wall, and add a well-placed pop of color through a statement furniture piece or throw pillows and other accessories. Like white custom cabinets in the kitchen, a classic, neutral palette is always in style. It is ideal for homeowners who like a light and soothing look and enjoy swapping out accent colors and decor with the seasons.

Working With A Favorite Hue

When working with colors, limit yourself to three to create a cohesive look. Start with your favorite hue, dark blue for example, and build your palette around your choice. Pair your color with a neutral tone. Then, add a complementary color on the color wheel for contrast. Here are a few rules to consider when working with color:

Cool colors, like green, purple, and the aforementioned dark blue, can be considered neutral and help to create a calming vibe in an entryway, bedroom, bathroom, dining room, or TV room.
Red, orange, and yellow have a warmer color temperature, and tend to create a more energetic space most suited for a kitchen or home office.
Dark colors on walls can be cozy when used judiciously, while lighter colors create a spacious, airy environment throughout the entire home.
Bold, hot hues are best reserved as an accent color in your palette, while softer colors with gray or cream undertones are ideal for walls.
When in doubt, research how color affects your mood to make sure your palette is liveable for you and your family long-term.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free, plus all the accessories needed to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

How To Successfully Design A Home With Eclectic Style

As we begin a new decade, we look to our favorite interior design periods of the past for inspiration. So many interesting themes have come and gone, each with their own unique elements. Maybe you’re in awe of 17th century France or are captivated by the excitement of the Roaring 20s. Luckily, you don’t need a time machine to bring your favorite design period into modern day. If you find yourself gravitating toward a more eclectic style, here is how to successfully design a home that honors the past in the best way.

Pick One Key Decorating Style

You can be inspired by multiple interior design periods without forcing them to fight for attention. There should always be one dominant decorating style in the room. It’s completely acceptable for others to exist there as well — but they should play an obvious supporting role. There can only be one star of the show, after all. Pick one key decorating style and then tie in elements from your other favorite historical periods in a complementary way.

Add Character, Avoid Clutter

If your kitchen is covered in odds and ends, how will anyone appreciate your all wood cabinetry? You don’t want the character and personal touches to take away from the beauty of the room. Ensure balance by deciding which areas will remain empty in the room. When designing and decorating, assigning empty space is key. It allows your mind to be at ease with open areas and eliminates the need to fill in every square foot. Don’t just focus on what you’ll put where — but also where nothing will go at all.

Decide On A Color Scheme

A color scheme can provide some guarantee that your eclectic style won’t translate into chaos. Don’t think of it as a restriction but rather a way to beautifully unite all of your design inspiration. Color can be a great common denominator, especially when you are working with multiple different design periods. Decide on a few hues that will be present in your design — and then try to stay inside the lines.

Tell Your Story With Texture

Colors and print can be very telling of which time period your design is inspired by. But there are other, more subtle ways to celebrate that era as well. Texture is a great way to showcase specific styles in a much more complementary way. Natural all wood cabinetry, smooth marble flooring, raw metal fixtures, and a fluffy accent rug are just a few of the many textures you can use to tell your design story. When you want to play around with your color scheme, experiment with different textures rather than trying to add new hues to the mix.

Create A Blank Canvas

When a room is full of interesting art, fixtures, and furniture, it is important that those elements are the center of attention. If your room is full of eye-catching pieces, most interior designers will recommend a more neutral backdrop. White custom cabinets, grey walls, and natural stone countertops are a few examples of beautiful yet understated ways to create a blank canvas and showcase your fabulous finds. Don’t let a loud rug or wallpaper take away from your well thought out design.

How To Make Tile Flooring A Fabulous Focal Point In Your Home

Look down, not up! Flooring might be the most overused and underappreciated element in your kitchen, but that doesn’t mean it can’t stand out. Your tile flooring can most definitely be a focal point in your modern kitchen design with these tips. It’s time to take your floors from functional to fabulous.

Old is charming but sometimes new is just better.

If your floors are simply outdated and overrun, replacing them may be all you really need. Encourage guests to look down (and then all around your kitchen) by installing new porcelain tile. You’d be surprised how new flooring can make your all wood cabinetry and other furnishings shine in a whole new way. That smooth, shimmering surface can make the entire room glow like never before.

Mix complementary styles to create an interesting design.

Flooring often falls short, but that’s not because it doesn’t have potential. We simply don’t realize all of the possibilities we have to make it a fabulous focal point. One truly unique way to optimize floors is to mix more than one style. By creating a visual dance from one pattern to another, all eyes will be captivated by your interesting floors.

When mixing tiles, there are some helpful rules to follow. First, think about scale. Mix small and large patterns together, rather than both small or both large styles. Next, stick to the same color. It’s much more complementary to mix two different patterns in the same color than two different colors in the same pattern. Lastly, choose either glossy or matte. While it’s possible to mix a glossy and matte tile, it is much more difficult than not.

Pick a pattern that is outside of the box but completely in style.

Consider a tile in a compelling pattern that you might have previously overlooked. Today’s materials have practically been engineered to perfection, which opens up so many doors for flooring. It used to be that only the most durable of materials could stand strong against kitchen traffic, but now you have the opportunity to indulge in your creative side with herringbone, hexagon, and basketweave patterns.

It’s often good to ask yourself, “Would I love this for a backsplash in a modern kitchen design?” It’s not uncommon to have preconceptions about what is flooring and what’s not. By allowing your mind to imagine this tile elsewhere, you are able to find a pattern you love — even if you’re not completely comfortable using it for flooring just yet.

Design an accent area highlighting your favorite part of the room.

You may have an accent wall in your TV room but have you ever explored the idea of accent flooring? When laying out your new tile design, consider creating an accent area to highlight one element of the room. Maybe it’s the beautiful all wood cabinetry of your kitchen island or your dining room table. You can make this element, as well as your floor, a focal point by creating a decorative trim or design using a different tile than the rest of the room.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

The Best Flooring Choices For Winter Weather

What could be more cozy than enjoying a mug of hot cocoa while watching snowflakes fall from the windows of your open concept kitchen? Winter is uniquely beautiful, as freshly fallen snow blankets the lawn and glistening icicles form on the trees in your backyard. And while you’d love to stay forever, all warm and toasty inside, occasionally you’ll have to venture out into the cold.

You bundle up in your winter coat and boots, grab your hat and gloves, and head out the front door. When you finally arrive back at home a few hours later, the same snow that looked so beautiful through the window has been tracked indoors, and is now a slushy, wet mess. There are dirty footprints and puddles dotting the hallway, and instead of feeling happy to be warm and toasty again, you’re worried about the damage all this water is doing to your beautiful hardwood floors.

If this scenario happens all too often, it may be time to consider replacing those hardwood floors with a better option for winter weather. Even if you live in a region that hardly ever sees snow, these flooring choices are also ideal for rainy spring and autumn days, and trips to the beach and pool come summer.

Wood-Look Tile

If you adore the look of hardwood floors but hate the maintenance, you don’t have to compromise style for practicality. It’s hard to distinguish Willow Lane Cabinetry’s wood-look tile from the real thing, and while both are beautiful, only once is impervious to water. Wood-look tile is durable and easy to clean, and is the perfect flooring choice for open concept kitchens and high traffic areas.

Ceramic wood-look tile comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Color options include Carolina Timber Gray, Carolina Timber White, Carolina Timber Beige, and Sonoma Driftwood. Or select frost-resistant porcelain wood-look tile for both indoor and outdoor applications. Porcelain options include Wheat, Espresso, Cottage Brown, White Oak, Sand Dune, Barnwood Gray, and Walnut wood-look tile.

Porcelain Tile

In addition to wood-look tile, there are many other porcelain tile options offered at Willow Lane Cabinetry. Many mimic the beauty of natural stone, like our Eden Statuary porcelain tile, and come in a wide range of sizes and colors to compliment your solid wood cabinetry. As we mentioned earlier, porcelain is waterproof and completely frost-resistant, making it an ideal choice year-round, but especially for winter weather

Vinyl Plank

This luxurious tile is not the same vinyl flooring of yesteryear. These rigid core vinyl planks offer the beauty of hardwood and the low-maintenance durability of ceramic and porcelain tile, all at a great price point. Vinyl plank flooring from Willow Lane Cabinetry features realistic texturing and a ten-year residential warranty. Perfect for wet areas of the home, like the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room, this easy to install floating floor will pleasantly surprise even the most discerning homeowner.

Carrara Marble

If you’re looking for a uniquely beautiful flooring option, Carrara marble tile comes in a variety of patterns, from herringbone and basketweave, to hexagon and the classic subway style. This natural stone tile flooring is water-resistant, and features the trademark delicate veins that make marble such an elegant choice for the home.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, home bar, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer solid wood cabinetry, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

The Top 6 Advantages Of Porcelain Tile Floors

Porcelain tile is incredibly versatile, and adds value and a glamorous aesthetic to your home. It can be used practically anywhere, from your open concept kitchen to your screened porch! But aside from its versatility and lovely appearance, what makes porcelain such a smart choice for homeowners?

For starters, porcelain tile is made from fine clay and sealed at high temperatures. It’s denser and less porous than most other types of flooring, making it suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. It also comes in a large selection of colors and styles that compliment all types of cabinets and decor. Here are six additional advantages of porcelain tile flooring, and why it could be the right choice for your home.

Porcelain tile is durable.
In general, tile is tough, but porcelain tile is a powerhouse! The hard surface is solid, and can usually withstand weight and impacts without breaking. It is also resistant to chips and scratching. Make sure to use porcelain tile that has a PEI rating of four or more, to ensure it is suitable for frequent foot traffic.

Porcelain tile is water resistant.
Its high-density construction enables porcelain tile to be nearly impervious to water. Because of this, it can be used as a backsplash, and even in some outdoor applications. Since it is more resistant to water than other flooring materials, like ceramic tile, wood or carpeting, porcelain is the perfect choice for wet areas like the bathroom or laundry room. It is also a practical and beautiful option for an open concept kitchen.

Porcelain tile is stain resistant.
Porcelain tile stops water from penetrating its dense surface, and it does the same for spilled tomato sauce (as well as other kitchen messes and bathroom mishaps)! Its strong barrier makes it almost impossible to tarnish, stain, or fade. Best of all, since porcelain tile is naturally resistant to stains, it is easier to keep your floors clean and looking like new!

Porcelain tile is low maintenance.
When it comes to porcelain tile, spills can be easily and quickly wiped away with a spot cleaning method, using a damp rag or towel. Normal sweeping keeps debris away, which keeps the surface in pristine condition. Damp mopping with a pH balanced dish soap and clean water is a simple disinfection method.

Porcelain tile is heat and frost resistant.
Porcelain is resistant to heat, and doesn’t burn easily under most circumstances. In the event of a fire, it may even help to prevent flames from spreading from one room to the next. On the other hand, if your home resides in a cooler climate, porcelain tile is completely frost resistant, making it the best choice for outdoor flooring.

Porcelain tile has a long lifespan.
Rest assured, when porcelain tile is installed correctly and continues to be maintained properly, it could last through decades of regular use — longer than most other types of flooring. In the long run, porcelain tile should save both time and money, making it a smart choice for homeowners.

Did you know Willow Lane Cabinetry now has a large selection of flooring options, including porcelain tile, in a variety of shades, textures, and patterns? Visit our website today to view the many types of cabinets and accessories offered for the home, and take advantage of our free room design service!

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen, home office, bar room, laundry room, TV room, or bath of your dreams with our 100% free room design tool. We offer all wood, semi-custom cabinets, fully assembled and delivered for free. Plus all the accessories you need to complete your remodel. Visit our website to see our products today!

Solid or Engineered? Choosing The Right Hardwood Floors For Your Home

Hardwood floors have long been the most desired option for the home. Durable and easy to maintain, hardwood floors offer warmth, character, and beauty, and fit any and every style of décor. One hot trend for 2016 is hardwood in the kitchen. Become a savvy shopper, and learn how to choose the best hardwood floors to suite your needs, and your home.

Solid Hardwood

Solid hardwood comes in strips, usually measuring ¾ inches thick and anywhere from one and a half to three inches wide. It can also be found in planks as wide as six inches. This type of flooring is constructed from solid pieces of wood, with tongue and groove sides. Solid hardwood is sensitive to moisture, so it should be nailed and glued down, and should have a quality urethane finish.

Solid wood is a beautiful addition to the home, including the kitchen, but be sure to immediately mop up any spills. The hardness of wood varies with the direction of the wood grain, and The Janka hardness test helps measures the wood’s resistance to denting and wear. Certain woods are naturally more durable than others — so the higher the ranking, the harder the wood. Grade levels tell you about knots, color variations, and imperfections. The higher the grade, the more expensive it will be.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood is made from layers of plywood stacked in opposite directions and laminated together. This method makes engineered hardwood more stable and less susceptible to moisture damage, and therefore an excellent choice in in the kitchen. Quality engineered wood generally ranges in thickness from 3/8 to 3/4 inches.

Unlike solid wood, engineered hardwood can be installed anywhere as a floating floor, including over concrete. Other methods of installation include nailing and glue. Engineered hardwood is considered easier to install than solid wood. It is also often more affordable, since the top layer is all you will see. However, these floors can only be refinished a limited number of times. Once installed, a quality engineered wood floor can be difficult to distinguish from solid, though some homeowners still prefer the natural beauty of solid hardwood.

Popular Species Of Wood For Flooring

American Cherry
American Walnut
Ash
Bamboo
Beech
Birch
Brazilian Cherry
Brazilian Teak
Brazilian Walnut
Hickory
Mahogany
Maple
Red Oak
Tigerwood
White Oak
Yellow Pine

Like beautiful, quality kitchen cabinets, both solid and engineered hardwood floors are an investment that will last — and be enjoyed — for many years to come.

Welcome to Willow Lane Cabinetry — the #1 place to buy affordable, semi-custom cabinets online! Let us help you create the kitchen of your dreams with our 100% free kitchen design service. We offer all wood, semi-custom kitchen cabinets, fully assembled and delivered for free, with standard features like soft closing doors and drawers, and 6-way adjustable steel hinges. We give you more and save you money! Visit our website to see our beautiful products today!

Written by Tiffany. Tiffany honed her skills as a writer and editor working in the fast-paced newspaper, magazine, and television industries. Tiffany is also an award winning graphic designer, with extensive experience in the worlds of mass media, publishing, and advertising. As a designer, she also has a strong eye for interior decorating and color. Tiffany has a BA in Communications and a minor in Fine Art. She is a natural cook just like her mother, and rarely uses a recipe. She also enjoys reading, photography, painting—and most of all, spending time with her husband (a skilled DIY’er) and two sons.