Apps That Make it Easier to Find Paint Colors for You Next Project

Are you ever out somewhere and you see a color that you just love? Then you start thinking about how your living room or bathroom at home would look if they were painted in that exact color? I think everybody does at some point. We can be inspired by the colors around us. Whether we're walking in the woods and see some beautifully colored leafs, we're at the beach and see a majestic sunset, or we're in the city and see some vibrant art, colors inspire us. They bring up emotions and memories.
I have two mobile apps that take advantage of you phone or tablet's camera to help determine your color in these situations.

• Color Name Detector Free

Color Name Detector a great app for picking out a single color that stands out to you. It's quite easy to find the name of your color. All you have to do is point the camera at your desired object and tap the bottom of the screen. It will then indicate what color you were looking at. 

It then archives the colors that you have picked  in a bookmarks tab so that you can come back to them later when going to buy paint.

This app would be great for picking out a specific color that peaks your interest. 

• ColorSnap

ColorSnap is a very powerful application that can match many different colors from a single photo. It too uses the camera on your device to determine colors, but in a more powerful way. using it's Match A Photo feature, you can take a photo of your object or scenery and it will automatically find a handful of colors from the photo and highlight them for you. 

Once these colors are highlighted, you can move around the highlighted area and choose a different area for it to pull the color from.

After your color pallet from the photo is picked out, you can then tap the house icon toward the bottom right side of the screen and go to a screen that will show what those colors would look like on a wall or house. It uses a handful of photos that are built into the app to showcase the colors in a home environment.

This app will give you a great idea of what it will look like to paint the rooms in your home with the cool colors that you find in your everyday life. If it inspires you, pull the app up and snap the picture. It will also save your color pallets so that you can go back later and pick them out.

 

It also has a feature that will use the device's camera and scan the color number from a can of Sherwin-Williams paint. It can then pull the color up to be used in the preview section just like the Match A Photo tab does.

Finally, the app gives you access to the entire Sherwin-Williams library of colors if you're interested in picking out colors like you would at a home improvement store. 

Both of these apps are free to download and would make it a heck of a lot easier to pick out colors for your next project.

 

Beautiful Bathroom Remodel

We recently remodeled an outdated bathroom and it looks beautiful! Take a look at this bathroom's exciting transformation in these before and after photos.


BEFORE:





As you can see, the old bathroom was...well...old. It was in need of a good makeover and it got just what it needed.


AFTER:

The beautiful design and craftsmanship work of the Borchert staff is on full display in this newly remodeled bathroom. The old tub and shower were replaced with a gorgeous walk-in tile shower. The small cabinet was torn out to make way for the spacious new new ones. The quartz countertop and stone shower floor add a new dimension of beauty to the space. The tile floor ties the whole room together and makes the new cabinets and paint pop. The bathroom now feels way less cluttered and is now a beautiful focal point in this condo.

Trending Bathroom Upgrades

2015 is winding down and we took a step back to see what trends were most popular with bathroom and what we expect to see coming in 2016.

Sinks: Bathrooms sinks have increasingly been desired with the addition of a second sink potentially even three or more.

Light: Wall scones, recessed lighting, and other items such as chandeliers, and pending lights have been very popular in 2015 and are expected to rise in popularity throughout 2016.

Remodeling TimesTable: Master bathrooms tend to be remodeling about every 16 years or so while non-master bathrooms tend to be pushed about 30 years before a remodel is completed.

Powder Room: What may be a surprise, is how powder rooms are remodeled much more often than full bathrooms ranging about every 10 years or less. Here, many home owners are likely to place personal touches and strive to create a room that will bring style and luxury to their lifestyle.

Overall, master bathrooms have been increasing the size of their shower. Many times we have found that home owners are looking to create a large enough space to fit two people comfortable while meeting each other needs. This calls for double sinks, a large two person shower, heated floors, towel warmers, bidets, TV's, steam showers, and other luxurious options. In older clients, we often have seen the trend of curbless showers, non-slip floors, grab rails, and other aging in place items

Learning How To Design With Patterns

EXERTS from The Elements of Design NKBA, Design Principles by Ellen Cheever, CMKBD, ASID



After  becoming familiar with various lines and shapes, designers can combine them into patterns that appeal to the client and support the design theme. Patterns are  made up of elements of design: notably line and shape. A "pattern" can be defined as something the eye follows. It is the arrangement of designs. Design patterns are also classified in five broad categories. Designers who can identify the client's preference will quickly find the most appropriate direction to follow in material recommendations.

The five broad categories are:

• Structural
• Naturalistic
• Stylized
• Geometric
• Abstract

All offer possibilities in keeping with both the style and mood of different motifs. Following are a series of kitchens and bathrooms that have these various patterns. 

Structural

Structural patterns allow the structure of the product to determine the form of the design. Enrichment and pattern come from the materials used. There is little, if any, applied ornamentation. The grain in the wood, cabinetry or floors, the veins in the slate, the specks in the granite or stone-like surface materials all fall into the category of structural pattern. Clients who prefer natural presentation of materials often choose structural design.

Naturalistic

Naturalistic patterns represent subject matter drawn from nature, such as flowers, leaves, fruits, animals and landscapes. The motif in as realistic as possible. The colors are frequently related to those found in nature. Such designs are typically seen in decorative ceramic tiles, custom painted murals, wall paper patterns or borders and fabrics selected for the kitchen or bathroom space. The patterns led themselves to either formal or informal transitional rooms.

Stylized

Stylized patterns are drawn from recognized natural sources, but the pattern makes no pretense at actual representation. The themes used are simplified, exaggerated, rearranged or distorted to achieve the purpose of the design. A stencil pattern on the wall in a Pennsylvania farmhouse kitchen is an example of a stylized pattern. Such patterns are also often selected for wallpaper or border choices. Many ceramic tile decorative patterns feature a stylized motif.

Geometric

Geometric patterns follow mathematically predictable formulas. Circles, triangles, rectangles, stripes, plaids, polka dots and lacy patterns are all based on geometric forms. This type of pattern works extremely well when colors or shapes of the same naturalistic materials are combined. Transitional and modern kitchens and bathrooms, which typically have little applied ornamentation, often showcase geometric patterns.

Abstract

Abstract patterns are based on geometric form, but also introduce an element of impressionism and artistic freedom. The shapes and patterns are less rigid and formal than the traditional concept of geometric design. Such a pattern may work well along the backsplash, or at a custom hood in kitchens. Bathrooms may feature an abstract pattern within the tub area, shower walls or floor.

How To Begin Your Remodel in 2016

Are you tired of being frustrated with a space in your home that looks outdated, doesn't function well, and just not convenient for your needs? Considering a remodeling experience is a large decision and one that should be deliberated and reflected upon  before jumping in with both feet.

Below are a few guide lines to help you start looking and thinking about the right things to make your remodeling experience the best that it can be.

1. Do your research.

• Depending on how much work you are looking to do for your remodeling project, the trades involved, the design process, and your budget considering a professional is huge step that must not be taken lightly. 

• Know that you can hire a multitude of professionals ranging from a design build firm that will help you through the whole process to contractors that only specialize in specific areas of work. Make sure you are researching the most appropriate professionals to meet your remodeling needs. 

• How do you know a professional is the right one for you? Consider their areas of work, what they are offering to you and ask yourself if this professional is meeting your needs. Always ask to a references list and call the references. Make sure you are asking questions such as: Did they stay within budget? Were you happy with the end result? If there were problems, how did they resolve them? How was the communication? Did they meet your expectations?

2. Consider your space

• Many individuals begin the remodeling process as they are struggling with the current amount of space they have. Often times home owners feel as though there is cramped and little seating available or too little counter space. The greatest help with these remodeling projects is to introduce the option of 'stealing' space from a nearby cabinet or closet. Other options include your cabinet choices. Stay away from cluttering your space with cabinets and instead choose a cabinet style that can line the walls or mid-high cabinets that won't take away from the floor space.

3. Designing with a blend

• While its often a security blanket to keep the current style of your home we encourage home owners to blend  some unique elements into their home while remaining within the homes style. This will allow for home owners to enjoy a new and envious styling for their remodeling project while still remaining within their home style. 

4. Is it practical?

• Choosing appliances, counter tops, and other accessories in your home can be a challenging and overwhelming part of remodeling; however, it is important to remember that practicality should be a large part of choosing these items. For example, if you are struggling with the amount of space available in your room an appliance that has a variety of functions that could eliminate the need for other appliances may be more desirable than appliances that are designed with one specific function. 

Make Hanging Your Lights Easy This Season

Dreading the hassle of gathering all your lights and bearing the cold weather as you try to decorate the exterior of your home this season? Here are some simple tips to help you work more efficiently and easily this season!

1. Make sure to plan where you are putting your lights! Think of a design you want to create this season and then plan on your lights before hanging them. Some common places to hang them are as follows:

• Atop bushes, hedges and trees
• Around pillars, posts or deck railings
• Around windows, door frames and other architectural features
• Near driveways and pathways
• Inside window boxes and planters
• Along your rooflines or eaves

2. Measure and count! Don't be caught without enough lights to finish your design. Make sure that you have all the supplies and correct amounts before starting your project. 

3. Safety! If you plan on getting on the roof or other high risk areas make sure to plan ahead and ensure proper safety measures and plans are in place in case of an emergency. A family member or close friend should always be close by. Never attempt to put lights up in the dark, in a slippery environment, or with no safety precautions.

4. Check your lights! Make sure that all your strains are in working order and no fraying is apparent before setting them all up. This can help you to avoid wondering which light had made your whole set up go down. 

5. Know your power sources. Make sure that you have enough power to supply the amount of lights that you are putting up and ensure that this power supply is within a feasible distance. 

6. Limit the amount of times you go up and down the latter. Pack a box or bucket with your supplies to bring more items up at once. 

Thanksgiving Space Solutions!

Thanksgiving is here and it's time to bring in the family, food, and fun! During this time we often discover potential problems that interfere with our perfect and cohesive holiday season.

If you are feeling cramped in your home this season there are a few tips to help you open up your home. Some tips include brightening up the room, removing clutter, and adding mirrors! All of these tips help to open up the space you have while ensuring that your space with feel even larger with some simply added extras into the space.

Are you ready to make some permanent changes? Stop into Borchert Kitchen and Bath and we can help you to introduce a new open space to your home for the holidays!