Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Life

Category: Ask a Pro

  • Ask A Pro – Furnishing Your Home

    Jennifer Adams, Interior Design Pro, shares tips for furnishing and decorating a new home.

    Question:

    Building a new home and furnishing dining, living and master bedrooms. Dining, living are open to each other. Where do I start?

    Answer:

    Congratulations on your new home! It’s so exciting to be looking for all new furniture, though it can be overwhelming. It is so much to think about. A better first step is to think about the feeling you want to have in your house. Is it casual and comfortable, or more formal? Is there a vacation place you adore, what feeling do you have when you think about that place? How do you see yourself using those spaces?

    Choose one room at a time to focus on. Look for pictures of rooms on furniture manufacturers’ websites and magazines for inspiration of how rooms can feel, and how the furniture is arranged. Even if you can’t afford the furniture in your inspiration images, the shapes and colors and more importantly, the feeling of the atmosphere can still be a starting point.

    Since the dining and living room is really one large room, consider a cohesive design style or theme for the entire space, and how the colors will coordinate with the colors in your kitchen. The largest pieces in any room, such as the sofa, the dining table and the bed and other major furniture in the master bedroom should be classic shapes and more on the neutral side. Smaller accents such as lamps, side chairs, throw pillows and bedding can be bolder in color and style.

    Accents and art can be the most expressive of all, and this is where your personality and style will shine through. Bring along some favorite treasures from your old house or your travels. Good luck and have fun with this!

    – Jennifer​ Adams, Interior Design Pro

     

  • Ask A Pro – Choosing Engineered Hardwood Flooring

    Jennifer Adams, Interior Design Pro, shares her tips for choosing the right flooring.

    Question:

    I have a luxury home client that will be listing her home (built in 2016 with engineered hardwoods). The original engineered hardwood floor on the main level (including the kitchen) are very worn bc of two dogs and three kids. She is replacing the flooring with new engineered hardwoods.​

    Do you recommend hand-scraped/textured hardwoods or flat? Or, LVP?​

    – Josh​

    Answer:

    The classic look of a hardwood floor is an excellent choice because it adds warmth, style, and goes with absolutely any decor. Most people would prefer true hardwoods, but for budget reasons this simply isn’t always an option. If your client was going to keep her home for another few years I might say the LVP (Luxury Vinyl Plank) would easily stand up to her active family’s lifestyle. With all the rich textures and beautiful colors available now in LVP, it is amazingly hard to tell that it’s not wood!​

    As far as texture goes, are there wood floors in other areas of the home that is not being replaced? Matching that would be a consideration. Not having seen this house or knowing more about the style, I would recommend a textured look in a good quality engineered hardwood or LVP but not necessarily “hand scraped” unless there is an incredible demand for that look in your real estate market and there is budget for a quality product where each board has a unique look.​

    Instead, consider texture the wood grain to add warmth and depth. A smoother finish is considered a little more classic and formal, and the wire-brushed effect where you can feel the “grain” of the wood great for a more modern casual feel. Stay away from the very darkest and very lightest colors for the floor. Instead, choose an inviting warmer medium-light neutral wood tone such as natural, white oak or whitewashed gray.​

    – Jennifer​ Adams, Interior Design Pro

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – Choosing A Gray Color Scheme

    Jennifer Adams, our interior design pro, shares a variety of options for exterior gray color schemes that “pop.”

    Question:

    We are building a new home in a cul-de-sac with many gray homes. We were planning to do a darker slate gray with white trim. However, that is the same choice made by the house going up in the next lot. What can we choose to still have the same “pop” we were hoping for? Courtyard style ranch with bonus room over garage.​

    Ellen​

    Answer

    Oh! It can be hard to come up with new ideas when your neighbor took your favorite! Fortunately there are a lot of wonderful gray combinations that will look great and help distinguish your house as a little different. If you can’t change the actual window color (it’s common to have white windows), that’s OK you can add another color for the wood trim next to the windows. This will give you a three-color scheme, which adds a lot of style and interest over a two-color scheme. With any gray, black is a bold and dramatic trim color! So the siding would be your choice of medium to dark gray, with black around the windows and white windows. Or use black for some other accents, too, such as shutters, trellises or other features. Or, use a warm creamy color instead of white.​

    Also, consider a gray about the same darkness as what you had in mind, or a bit lighter, but a gray with undertones of brown or green to add some interest. A color that is hard to tell if it’s gray or the other color is a very beautiful look. Is it gray or navy? Gray or brown? Gray or green? You get the idea! Let me know what you end up with!​

    Jennifer Adams

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – Painting An Urban Cottage

    Max Wilker, Style Director, Better Homes & Gardens® shares his recommendations for painting an urban cottage.

    Question:

    Except for dark gray and white what other colors would you suggest to paint exterior walls of a small urban cottage home in two colors.?

    – Mahshid​

    Answer:​

    There are many options to paint your small urban cottage. It all depends on how bold you would like to go. Here’s some options:​

    • If you love a classic white house with black window trim, look at painting the front door a bold blue such as Dignity Blue (SW6804) by Sherwin Williams.​
    • If gray tones are too cool for you or your neighborhood is full of gray houses, try a warm tan house color with creamy white trim.​
    • Maybe fall in love with a soft icy blue house color with crisp white trim. Then look at a light/medium stained front door or go bold red for contrast.​
    • Greens are trending for house colors. Get inspired by Sherwin Williams’ Rookwood Jade (SW2812) or Recycled Glass (SW7747) with white trim.​

    Whichever you choose, buy a few paint samples and test them out on your house. Let the paint dry thoroughly, then check them out for the curb appeal that is your liking.​

    Best of luck and happy painting,​

    Max​ Wilker

    ​

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – Paint or Pressure Wash Brick?

    Carson Arthur, outdoor design pro, shares his recommendations for painting or pressure washing the brick exterior of a home.

    Question:

    I have a client selling his 1950s red brick ranch home in an East Atlanta neighborhood. He is debating whether or not to paint the red brick or just pressure wash it. The majority of the homes in the neighborhood are not painted, but the homes that are on the market are painted. He bought the home in 2018. Selling summer of 2020. The home has appreciated but not by too much. I am trying to guide him to tackle projects that will create the most ROI.

    What do you recommend; paint or pressure wash?
    Thank you! Josh E.

    Answer:

    Definitely pressure wash. Painting brick is irreversible. A buyer can always choose to paint brick afterwards…but if they are actually looking for brick…they won’t choose to remove the paint. If the house reads dreary, paint the window trims and the door to give it some pop.

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – Choosing the Right Exterior Paint Color

    Carson Arthur, outdoor design pro, shares some tips on how to chose the right paint color for a home’s exterior.

    Question:

    I am looking for some advice on what color to paint our raised ranch home. We’ve been living here 3 years and we are finally getting around to painting. It’s currently a faded tan color with rust color shutters and white trim. We live in an area with a lot of trees and the house is older. I would like it to be more modern and pop out with a classy chic look. I just can’t seem to decide on a color. Can you give me some guidance? We are getting new windows put in with white trim and would like to paint before the windows are placed. We also ordered a new front door, which is a dark gray referred to as midnight. I thought that color could match with any color scheme but I’m just all confused now and hoping I didn’t make a mistake. Help please!

    Answer:

    Sounds like you are doing everything right but are afraid to pull the trigger. Here are a couple of simple tips.

    Go get 3 testers of the following colors:

    • Black or a dark charcoal
    • A rich tan like camel
    • A neutral gray

    Paint all three on the front of the house in big sections.

    Leave them for a week….even if it looks crazy, trust me. After a week pick the palette you’ve grown to like the most. Now you have a simple starting point and can choose from all of the colors in those palettes.

    Have fun painting!

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – Selecting the Right Siding & Trim Colors

    Our design pro offers this reader options for updating the colors of her home’s siding and trim for an updated chic look. 

    Question:

    My husband and I are buying a house. It currently has an orangey-tan roof along with both siding and bricks that are lighter orangey-tan. The trim on the house is green. I don’t like the color combination at all, and would like to change the siding color and the trim color. I’m not sure what colors however will look good with and help “de-orange-ify” the bricks and roof. I’d like to avoid painting the bricks and roof if possible. The house is old, it looks like a fairy wonderland. I’d like to choose colors that are modern and chic. May I request your help in this? Thanks!

    Answer:

    Congratulations on your house, it’s so exciting figuring out ways to express your style and make the new place your very own! First of all, I appreciate your descriptiveness, so let’s give that color a positive name. Hopefully that will make it easier to accept and live with. How about “terra cotta” or  “sandy pumpkin” as options?

    Anyway, modern color families that will go with your sandy pumpkin tones are dark grays. Contrast the orange undertones with cool colors such as charcoal or a gray with dark blue or greenish undertones. Trim could be another shade of the siding color, either darker or lighter for an overall dramatic and sophisticated look.

    Another option would be to neutralize the orangey brightness with a warmer palette for everything. How about an earthy clay red for the siding – another brick color! Trim could be brown or a darker version of the brick red.

    For additional inspiration, walk around your neighborhood to see other houses around the same age as yours, what colors do you like? Pull images from the web or magazines of anything – clothing, dishes, whatever – with colors like your roof and brick, what are other people using? Good luck and let me know how it goes!

    -Jennifer Adams, celebrity designer and Ask a Pro member

  • How to Create a Backyard Cinema

    Discover how to create a cinema in your backyard so you can watch movies under the stars all summer long. 

    In this video our outdoor pro, Carson Arthur, shares few simple ways you can transform your outdoor space into a tv room everyone can enjoy. All you need is a projector, a white sheet or white outdoor wall, and some furniture or blankets to put outside. If you want to step it up a notch hang string lights around the yard for ambiance. Then all you need to do is pop the popcorn, pick a movie and unwind.  

     

    Our Recommended Movies to Watch: 

    Family fun:
    Monsters Inc
    Shrek 
    E.T.
    Inside Out
    Matilda
    Onward
    Mrs. Doubtfire  

    Romantic:
    Sixteen Candles
    The Notebook
    Casablanca
    The Way We Were
    When Harry Met Sally  

    Action/Thriller:
    Black Panther
    Jurassic Park
    Shazam!
    Predator
    Lord of the Rings  

    Feel Good:
    Little Miss Sunshine
    The Pursuit of Happiness
    The Way Way Back
    Forrest Gump
    Remember the Titans
    It’s A Wonderful Life
    The Peaks of Being a Wallflower 
    The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
    The Upside   

    Drama:
    Catch Me If You Can
    The Help
    Silver Linings Playbook 
    Moonlight
    Good Will Hunting
    Green Mile 
    Whiplash 
    Dead Poets Society   

    Comedy: 
    Bridesmaids
    Crazy, Stupid, Love
    Booksmart
    The First Wives Club
    Weddings Crashers
    I Love You Man
    Pitch Perfect
    Three Amigos  

    Classic:
    The Princess Bride 
    The Shawshank Redemption 
    Pulp Fiction
    GoodFellas
    Ferris Buellers Day Off
    The Sandlot
    The Sound of Music 
    The Goonies 

    Enjoy!

  • Ask A Pro Q&A – How to Properly Mount a Deck

    Looking for the best way to mount your deck? Carson Arthur answers this question about the best way to tackle this DIY.

    Question: Can I bolt two sides of a deck to the house and have the other two sides just sitting on concrete blocks?

    In theory, yes you can. We often mount decks to the house using proper lag bolts and screws. As for the other corners in the yard, you will want to use something more solid than concrete blocks as the weight of the deck will cause them to sink into the soil over time causing your deck to start to lean. Take a look at some proper footings available at any box or construction stores. They work the same way as concrete blocks, but they disperse the weight better so you avoid that sinking feeling.

    -Carson Arthur.

  • Ask a Pro Q&A – Selecting the Perfect Backsplash: Tie your kitchen’s look together with these tips

    Don’t let a little water damage make your next backsplash a wash out with these designer tips. Jennifer Adams, our interior design pro, answers this reader’s kitchen remodeling question after a hurricane hit her home.

    Question:  We were flooded during the hurricane and have to rebuild most of our house. My kitchen has bamboo floors, alabaster white cabinets and Blanco Azul granite with black stainless steel appliances and stainless handles. I am trying to figure out a good backsplash to tie it all together. Any help would be great.

    Whether your countertop patterning is dramatic and bold or quieter and more textural, a backsplash that is simple will be better. Oversized rectangular tiles in light tones to match the whites in your granite, along with matching grout, will look great. For a more textural approach, choose a monotone tile mosaic in whites or pale grays. Even classic subway tile with gray grout will bring in a bit of pattern without being over the top or competing with your granite.

    For a finishing touch, tie in the bamboo tones throughout your kitchen with accessories and art in the same color.

    – Jennifer Adams