Ideas To Update Your Home

We are sharing this article from the January 2023 Remodeling Magazine. If you are thinking about making any changes and updates to your home, it’s a great read.

Top 10 Home Design Trends for 2023

The Neil Kelly, an award-winning design-build remodel and home improvement company, Design Director Barbara Miller describes each trend and shares how homeowners can incorporate them into their homes.

Trend #1: Bringing Comfort into the Kitchen

“We live in our kitchens. We always have, but they were traditionally a work zone and now they’re a hybrid work and living space. We still have to be able to accomplish the tasks with the right lighting and surfaces, but with a softer side we can keep our family and friends at the table longer and have better conversations” shares Miller.

Trend #2: Multi-Functional Spaces

“When we were trapped in our houses, we quickly realized that every square inch mattered. So, we started being smarter and started analyzing how we actually live in these spaces and then designed to fit that exactly.” One example is shown above: The kitchen booth above fits the "comfort meets storage" demand in the kitchen, while creating a workspace, a meeting space and an eating space all in one. Similarly, the laundry/mud room directly off the kitchen-living room (below) typifies the sort of "utility meets comfort" needed in our daily lives.

Trend #3: Featured Range Hoods

Of the kitchen range hood, Miller says: “It’s a focal point, for sure, and it’s about style. We’re pairing down the ornament on the cabinets, we’re pairing down the backsplashes—or continuing the countertop with a slab backsplash—so it’s a place to feature some texture or interesting color, but still keep all the work surfaces light and bright and easy to work on.”

Trend #4: The Color Green

“Color trends are always in response to what’s happening in the world. Whenever there’s a stressful time, we look for those calming environments and natural materials. Green is a restful color that’s also reflective of nature—it’s calming. When people have been reclusive for a while, bright vibrant colors that get us moving again tend to be the trend” shares Miller.

Trend #5: Hideaway Storage

Clean, uncluttered countertops is a continuation of being minimalist. "Now we are taking it to a new extreme," Miller explains, "of having nothing on the countertop, if possible. People want things completely cleared off. They’re wanting to hide the practical everyday stuff, so they just see the pretty things when they come into the kitchen. It also continues the living room feel because you’re not seeing the appliances that make it a kitchen" adds Miller.

Trend #6: Combining Closed Cabinets and Open Shelving

“We’re making more space for art and a little bit less space for storage in our kitchens. We can have balanced displays on the shelves and then all the ugly things hidden in the cabinets.”

Trend #7: Layered Lighting

“Task lighting allows you to accomplish what you need to accomplish, but then the accent lighting and the decorative lighting allow you to change the function of the space to a relaxing retreat. Kitchens and bathrooms become more stressful if there’s not enough light in there to do what you need to. If you can’t get a sliver out of a child’s foot in a bathroom, you’re going to be super frustrated, but you don’t want that much light all the time. You need to be able to turn it off when you want to take a relaxing bath. It’s one of the keys to making a space multi-functional.”

Trend #8: Flexible Home Office

“Some of us are returning to work, but we still want to be able to work from home. The workspace in this home is especially great because kids can do homework there while a parent makes dinner, but it’s also where you can look up recipes or sit down and answer emails. Desks were built into the kitchen in the 80s and 90s when we started having desktop computers, and we’re ripping all those out now in favor of wet bars. But, this one doesn’t take away from the kitchen space because it’s small, it has all this storage down below, and a multi-functional desktop with these pull-outs.”

Trend #9: Two Islands

“There’s a working kitchen island and then there’s an entertainment island that’s more like a bar. It’s a gathering space that’s not interfering with the cooking space, and we’re seeing that a lot," explains Miller.

"Of course, you can’t have two islands unless you have an enormous kitchen, so it’s an incredible luxury."

Trend #10: Pet Accommodations

"We’re considering the needs of the entire family, pets included," Miller says. You don’t want to have a beautifully finished kitchen and then boxes of pet food lined up at the end, she explains. Instead, the Neil Kelly design team includes functional pet spaces -- adjacent to kitchen and living spaces that allow the home to keep that minimal, clean look while pets to have their own spaces.

How many of these trends are things you would like to do in your own home? The pandemic DID change the way we lived. Now that product availability is much improved and we are seeing pricing stabilize and even decrease in the home improvement industry, now is the time to invest in your #1 asset – your home.

How Is Everybody Paying For It?

We were curious, so we did a quick analysis of the payment methods our clients used. Over the past two months, fully 50% of our clients paid by check. This may be because we offer a 3% discount for paying in full up front by check, but not all clients took advantage of the PIF discount.

38% used their Visa or MasterCard.

6% chose the interest free financing that we offer, and another 6% used AMEX. We find this interesting; in the past a far greater number of clients used AMEX for the points. Visa and MasterCard are offering very attractive incentives to their card users, which seems to be impacting the use of AMEX in our store.

We also believe that 6 month and 12 month interest free financing is going to be more important in 2023. We are all trying to stretch our dollar as far as we can, and taking advantage of financing is a great way to do that.

Wonderful World of Window Treatments

2023 Window Treatment Trends

A window treatment provides privacy, lets the sun in (or not) and helps to keep the cold weather out. And it does all of this while dressing up your windows and making your rooms look formal and elegant, modern or romantic – or while making a whimsical or bold design statement.

2023 is the year of practicality and we can see that in the popular curtain trends. Your window treatments should enhance the style of your decor and furnishings.

1. Roller or Roman Shades

Clean and simple is one of the biggest trends in window treatments, like pairing treatments for coverage with simple side panels just to give that pop of color and texture to make a statement in the room.

Roller shades are seeing a huge increase in popularity.

Roman shades are classic and have the clean lines for modern interiors.

For letting in the light, top-up, bottom down shades are great because they create privacy but let light in.

2. Shutters and Blinds

Often confused with shades in terminology, blinds and shutters are slatted window coverings that you can open/close with a hand-operated mechanism or automated control. Shades are usually one piece of material that you can pull up and down to expose your window however you prefer.

Plantation shutters can add character and elegance – and they’re super easy to operate. In addition to wood and faux wood plantation shutters, you can choose moisture-resistant, light control, and even insulated options. However, wood shutters are not recommended for use in high-moisture areas, whereas composite shutters can resist moisture damage, warping, and staining.

Blinds are also available in a variety of materials and styles, such as wood, faux wood with embossed colors that look like real wood, and vinyl. Blinds can also be horizontal or vertical and either corded, cordless, or motorized.

3. Curtains and drapes

These are window treatments usually picked to enhance your room’s decor. They can be made of heavy, light, and heat-blocking material or gauzy for-looks-only fabric.

Best for: Curtains that are paired with blinds or shades will maximize your light and privacy control.

4. Technology

Imagine being able to open and close your smart blinds while you’re sitting on the sofa, in another room, or before you even enter the house.

Technology is something to consider with your window treatments, High-tech touches with home automation and motorization are on the rise because of their convenience and safety.

Best for: Tech-savvy folks who like to control their home functions through their cell phones and remotes through Wi-Fi.

What’s New At Enhance

This year we have received some gorgeous new Fabrica wool carpets. Some of our favorites are:

Trousseau -- a crocheted lace design that works in traditional and modern designs

Olivia -- this beautiful Berber is available in solids and multicolors

Regal Treasures -- this patterned wool is perfect for stair runners and area rugs

Majestic --another multicolor Berber made from 100% New Zealand wool

Come in and take a look at these beautiful carpets. You are sure to find one you love!

Ideas To Update Your Home

2. Shutters and Blinds

3. Curtains and drapes

4. Technology

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