Find your own style in 2019
Trends are fun, and trends are tiring, too! It’s exciting to redecorate and liven up our interior spaces and we can achieve these updates fairly cost effectively. But not all new trends appeal to us, right? It’s hard to go with mirrored side tables when you’re deeply in love with the antique ones you inherited. With the abundance of media buzz about style and décor, it’s easy to feel like you aren’t keeping up.
Today, we’re hitting the pause button and focusing on design decisions that will give you long-term return, rather than short term bliss. We spend years, possibly decades, in our home, so you want to enjoy each day – ideally in a place that reflects you. Whether you are choosing brick and stone for your new build or sprucing up your curb appeal, we’re sharing some great resources to help you find your own style.
Step One: Select your home style
Brick might be perceived as a strictly ‘traditional’ look. Well, we’re happy to let you know that whatever your personal style is General Shale has great options for you. We offer a huge style and color range, with several different finishes and sizes. In fact, you’ll find dozens of options in our Brick Selection. Plus, we also offer Arriscraft Building Stone, which includes an incredible range of styles from classic to contemporary.
Selecting your brick and/or stone truly sets the tone for your overall home design and most people naturally lean toward traditional or modern. A great place to start is our MyDesigns tool, which you can use on your desktop or mobile device. Choose from modern or traditional home styles and even apply various brick and stone with just a click!
Step Two: Choose your color palette
Each year, we love to check out what the paint companies are up to. They create professional color palettes to help coordinate your exterior elements and make you look like a pro. For new home construction, roof, gutter and window frame choices can create subtle or dramatic looks. And if you are renovating, changing trim, garage and front door colors can create a significant update – but we recommend planning, not experimenting.
TIP If you are building a new house, please consider the color of roof, trim and window frames carefully. Sometime these accents blend in and sometimes they are a strong contrast – which really affects the finished look of your home. Find some references you like!
Sherwin Williams offers a series of personalized Residential Palettes. We like this idea! This way you can find your brick (or stone) tones and choose the co-ordinated accents you want to incorporate. Plus they’ve named each of the six palettes a distinct personality: Shapeshifter, Wanderer, Aficionado, Enthusiast, Naturalist, Raconteur. Which are you?
Step Three: Maintain your investment
Rome wasn’t built in a day. You’ll have plenty of projects to keep you busy as a homeowner and keeping up your exterior looks is time and money well spent. Industry experts agree that excellent curb appeal can increase your property value by 10 – 20%. And each upgrade or add-on can be cohesive with your home style. For example, if you’re adding pavers, you can choose a geometric pattern for a modern home and a classic ashlar pattern for a traditional style. Even landscaping can reflect the personality of your home – from cheerful perennial color to au naturel grasses.
- Landscaping, including feature gardens
- Pavers: driveway or walkways
- Re-roofing (new color)
- Front entry: door, railings
- Back yard entertainment area
- Accents: window boxes, shutters
We hope that 2019 is an exciting year for you! Whether you are considering a new home or some key renovation projects – this is the perfect time of year to get excited about (spring and) new beginnings. Happy planning!