Design Insight

Adding Texture With Patterned Floors

Adding pattern is a great way to liven up a home, and doing so isn’t always relegated to wallpaper and fabrics. Patterned floors are a design element often overlooked in home decor. Neutral appearances or hard-wearing materials are usually the top considerations when selecting flooring, but implementing pattern into the design of your floors could be just the right move.

Whether painted, tiled, or inlaid, patterned floors are a unique way to create the perfect mix of a modern, warm, and eclectic style. It can be a gorgeous way to give an otherwise simple room some personality and texture, and the options are endless. We’ve selected a few of our favorite examples to give you a little interior inspiration:

Photo: egueyseta.com

Photo: Pinterest

Photo: Pinterest

Photo: studioone-off.com

The Modern Bath

A bathroom is more than a room of necessity. It should be beautiful, as well as efficient and easy to clean. Modern bathrooms are distinguished by clean lines, simple geometric fixtures, and sleek surfaces. This forward-thinking style has emerged as a popular trend and it’s not going anywhere! It can be adapted to your distinct taste by mixing classic design principles with modern features for a transitional look. Or you can go for an all out modern/minimalist look by combining geometric shapes, glass, metal, and even concrete surfaces.

Something to keep in mind is that a lack of contrast will always give you a fresh and airy feeling, which many people favor for a bathroom. Sleek, white on white, Scandinavian design is a style that we love and it keeps us coming back for more. It’s modern and clean and but an an addition of wood can add warmth and the use of paint, tile, concrete and other stone products can add depth.  Whatever type of modern style appeals to you,  and no matter your space and budget size, your dream bath can be achieved with good design and thoughtful planning. Here are some of our favorite bathrooms that showcase the best of modern design:

Photo: Marmol Radziner

Photo: Pinterest

Photo: Elle Decor

Photo: Pinterest

A New Spin on Staircases

If you are lucky enough to have a multilevel home, the staircase is a central part of traffic flow from the main floor living spaces to bedrooms and bathrooms, etc.  Staircases are fast becoming a priority for architects and developers, seeing the potential to add that “wow factor” to a home, be it a new design or a renovation project.  I am really attracted to the open staircases that I’m seeing a lot more of these days. The trend for light and spacious, open-plan interiors has led to a new trend in staircases with the more open look. They have such a major impact on the space, and a more open look creates an airy feeling, which is exactly what we’re all loving in residential design right now!

I also really like that this idea seems to work in a variety of different styles.   Modern is perhaps most common, but the style can work with anything, even Mediterranean!  Here are some photos that illustrate this cool look:

Photo: Quezada Architecture

Photo: Urban Front

Photo: Pine Street Carpenters

Photo: LineBox Studio

Photo: Rockefeller Partners Architects

The Great Room

Open and airy space is one thing homeowners can’t get enough of these days.  Smaller rooms can make a home feel broken up and cluttered, and tight spaces tend to send everyone to different areas of the house. Families today are quite busy and it’s not easy for everyone to be together all at one time, which is why great rooms have become so popular.

The great room is essentially an all-purpose room for the home. Most great rooms consist of the kitchen, living or family room, dining area and sometimes a computer or workstation area. It’s the room where the homework is done, the dinner is cooked, and the family can eat, entertain and enjoy different activities all while

being in the same room!  This concept has become so popular that its beginning to replace the family room in many new homes.  Being that it functions as several or more traditional room spaces wrapped into one unified space, we’re not surprised!

Updating Your Fireplace

The moment it’s lit, a fireplace becomes the glowing centerpiece of any room.  They provide warmth and a focal point that draws family and guests naturally.   Over the years fireplaces have gone from strictly utilitarian to completely modern and unique in their design and their function. From fireplaces that are portable to architectural features that demand a second look when you enter the room, they’ve  transformed how we decorate our interiors. If you’re considering a new face for your existing fireplace or thinking about going for new look completely, take a look at these varieties that will have you scratching your head as to which one to decide on!

Update your fireplace with modern tiles:

Technology at Home

In this day and age, we’re welcoming new innovations in technology into our lives everyday. As interior designers that means we have an endless array of new elements that we’re able to integrate into the design of a home. This design movement grows from the

integral role technology now plays in our lives and the majority of American homes, and it makes our lives easier, which makes us happy.

Chameleon Design has become pros at the blending of technology into the overall design of a room to create functional, stylish and unique environments that work well and look great. From lighting panels with computerized systems that control all the lighting in a home, to entertainment systems that rival the local movie theater, we’re embracing all of it!

This system controls the lights, the thermostats and the whole-house audio system.

Bringing in Nature

Chameleon Design has been always inspired by nature in our design work. Natural elements contain a unique beauty that can’t be replicated and we love to integrate them in our home design projects. Natural design lends to a clean and modern feel and works well with many styles. Even in modern spaces, a touch of nature can introduce a certain softness and balance to sleek surfaces and angular corners. Some of our favorite elements to use are reclaimed teak and stone, which pair nicely with glass and forged steel. We also like to work with natural woods, textural fabrics, natural concrete, and patina metal.

For an interesting take, pair industrial finishes with natural elements and organic textures. For example, nature-inspired accessories and organic textures against a metal coffee table and muted gray walls would look amazing. Linen and linen-like fabrics on windows, pillows, and furniture also convey a natural feel. Houseplants add a little color and help the room lean more toward organic than industrial. Homeowners can also bring in just a touch of nature by using various woods, seashells and natural grasses in their decor.

A New Spin on Laundry

Laundry rooms off the kitchen or in the mud room used to be the norm in home design. However, more and more new residential designs of today are mixing things up and putting the laundry room upstairs instead!

Thanks to new and quieter machines, the upstairs laundry room is pefect for homeowners who want their laundry as close as possible to the dirty clothes and bed linens.   The linen closet is often built directly into the laundry room so that you  don’t have to take your bedding and towels into another closet area.   Home builders are always looking for new ideas like this that make homeowners’ lives a little bit easier.

Photo:Lennar Homes

 

Photo: Houzz

Photo: Houzz