Fireplace Decorating Design Ideas 2011 From Candice Olson

Natural Beauty

A soaring stone fireplace is an impressive and rustic focal point in this living room. To reduce the scale of the stone and add interest, a long mirror is placed above the mantel. Candice also uses the fireplace as a jumping off point for the room's palette, by selecting the hues of sage, stone, taupe and caramel from the fireplace stones.

Raise It Up

A sleek stainless steel gas fireplace is installed at the perfect height to enjoy from anywhere in the space. Surrounded by a beautiful stone facade, the fireplace is the perfect combination of contemporary and natural.

Illusion of Grandeur

Paint the wall over the mantel the same color as the surround to give a fireplace more presence in a room. When a fireplace is flush with the floor, place a beautiful screen in front to provide ambience and safety.

Striking Focal Point

Floor-to-ceiling glass and marble mosaic tiles in brown, gold, cream and grey tones are a spectacular setting for an elevated gas fireplace. The contemporary focal point adds both visual and physical warmth to the room.

Classic Centerpiece

Sophisticated moldings are combined with a marble-tiled surround for a traditional fireplace. To allow the space to be a conversational area as well as a space to watch television, Candice hides a television behind a piece of remote-controlled artwork so it's out of sight when not in use.

Pure Luxury

A simply elegant fireplace surround is painted cream to offset the dark wallpaper in the dining room. Raised off the floor, the visual warmth of the fireplace can be enjoyed from each seat around the table. The fireplace is also flanked with mirrored panels that add depth and dimension, as well as reflect light into the room.

Contemporary and Streamlined

The show-stopping feature wall is a modern arrangement that boasts a long, linear gas fireplace and a massive surround of grey and white marble mosaic tiles. Not only is it eye-catching, but it brings much-needed warmth into the space. The fireplace is flanked with a custom-built cabinetry unit that holds a big-screen television, media equipment, books and some display items.

Crowning Jewel

A true glam centerpiece of the room — the fireplace surround is covered with silver dollar-sized stainless steel tiles and above the mantel is a glittering ebony quartz.

Cozy Gathering Spot

The fireplace, which features a wood mantel and is clad in a beautiful circular glass tiles, anchors the room. Traditional beadboard panels above the fireplace add texture.

Kitchen Appliances Buying Guide : How to Choose the Right Kitchen Appliances

Your kitchen appliances in your home make up the one of the largest investments for your pocket, as well as your time, which equates to functionality for your lifestyle in the kitchen. Buying kitchen appliances can be a daunting task when you look at all of the options, from energy saving, to high end designer models, to low cost models, how do you choose? Here are tips to guide your through the buying process and to help you feel informed and confident with your kitchen appliance buying decisions.

Refrigerators: With any appliance, before you get enamored with all the whistles and bells of how beautiful it looks and all of the gadgets assess your lifestyle. With refrigerators consider how many times you and your family cook and eat from home. For larger families, larger capacity units will be necessary, as well as the ability for longer preservation of food. Higher end models that offer dual refrigeration, on-door controls, and energy efficiency may be more important for your families needs. While singles or those who don’t cook a lot may prefer a snazzy stainless steel or built-in model that looks fantastic, but doesn’t need all of the accompaniments. Also consider if your home would need separate wine refrigeration storage, or possibly refrigerated drawers for easy

• Ovens/Stoves: When considering an oven and stove, think about how you typically cook and if you’re a novice or an experienced cook. The oven or stove you choose can have a great impact on how you cook and whether the energy you use to heat them is worthwhile. Convection over conventional ovens tends to use more energy but for expert cooks they enjoy the even distribution over heat and can usually cook their food faster and with more control. For those interested in buying a stove or cooktop, there are several options: induction, gas or electric all have their pros and cons. Most beginning cooks appreciate electric for its slow heat up, while experienced cooks prefer induction and ultimately gas stoves for its fast heat up and ability to cook under precise conditions.

• Ventilation system: One area of your kitchen that is forgotten when considering appliances is the ventilation system. Range hoods overhead, or down draft systems that are integral into the countertop or cooktop are great for unobstructed overhead views. Depending on the size of your stove/cooktop and if you have an integral grill, griddle, burners, and other heating elements may increase the need for higher ventilation systems overhead. Research your favored appliance manufacturer too see what type of ventilation system is recommended for your kitchen.

• Dishwasher: Similarly to your refrigerator, your family’s lifestyle will largely dictate what type of dishwasher will be ideal for your home. Lower end models tend to have simplified controls, while more elaborate ones will have energy efficiency qualities, hidden controls, and noise reduction qualities – especially helpful in small homes or open floor plans. Dishwasher drawers are also available for smaller amounts of dishware and can save water usage when you don’t have large loads to clean.

Choosing kitchen appliances for your home should be a rewarding experience but also fulfill your lifestyle and aesthetics of your kitchen. Use this helpful buying guide before you venture out to choose appliances. Also measure out the clear opening width and height of your space for the new appliances. There is nothing worse than investing on new appliances, for them not to fit in your kitchen!

modern Carpet

Looped, smooth strands form slightly irregular rows for some visual variation and a slightly bristled surface with a bit of "spongy" give. You Only Live Twice is a colorful way to add some zip to your porch


The colorful, geometric shape of this rug features Fedora in Chartreuse, Charcoal and Oatmeal. Available in three sizes, each rug kit includes all of the tiles you'll need - including pre-cut tiles to create the unique patterned design - FLORdots and a detailed rug map for easy assembly and installation



A virtual cornucopia of color, the House Pet rug blends complimentary shades of FLOR top-seller House Pet in a beautiful checkerboard design. Visually striking yet sturdy enough to stand up to the heaviest traffic areas in your home, each rug kit comes complete with all the FLOR tiles you'll need, a detailed rug map and FLORdots for quick and easy assembly. Available in three sizes and three color ways.



Bold geometrics of velvety cut pile softness. Square Dance area rugs can be arranged in a circle pattern or as a pinwheel of contrasting colors



The softly muted shades of Subtle Shift in Seafoam, Grey and Beige, blend in this checkerboard design, perfect for virtually any room in your home. Available in three sizes, each rug kit comes with all the FLOR tiles you'll need plus FLORdots and a detailed rug map for easy assembly and installation.



Two of FLOR's best sellers, House Pet and Toy Poodle, come together in this colorful "circular" rug design. Available in three color ways and three sizes, each rug kit comes complete with all the FLOR tiles you'll need - already cut into four pieces or "wedges" - plus FLORdots and a rug map for easy assembly and installation



FLOR has translated this year's metallic trend into luxurious patterns for your floors. The Shiny Doodle rug features Shiny Happy Stripe's alternating rhythm of metallic shades with light and airy cream stripes that are complimented by a full-tile border of Metadoodle in the same color



A beautiful combination of textures in one saturated color, the Look at Hue rug kit features the subtly textured styles of Take a Ribbing, Power Nap and Velvet Rope along with plush shag styles and to create a rich



Both bright and neutral tones combine in alternating thick-thin awning-like stripes - no two tiles of Shirt Stripe are alike. Stripes are deliberately random to create a more rhythmic pattern when seen as a whole. As a rug

Elegant Modern Bathroom Interiors … and Tubs

Sometimes the settings in which designers choose to showcase their luxurious fixtures are as impressive as the fixture designs themselves. An open floor plan certainly makes these Kaesch bathtubs of various shapes and sizes the respective centerpieces of each design, but the rooms are also highly impressive.


Natural elements are blended flawlessly with artificial ones in each of these compositions - pebbles and wood offset by shining tile, right angles and other hard lines, setting up an essential design contrast. So, whether you want to purchase one of these tubs or simply admire the styling around them is ultimately up to you.

Beautiful Ceramic Floor & Wall Tiles From Refin

Ceramic floor tiles are a preferred method of floring because they can be beautiful, long lasting and easier to maintain. Refin is an Italian manufacture of ceramic floor tiles with some interesting designs in their gallery. They have divided their collection into modern, classic and naturalistic style tiles and each section hosts a ton of inspirational ways in which tiles are laid out.

Incredibly Beautiful Kensington House by SHH Architects

The Kensington House designed by SHH Architects under the supervision of ‘René Dekker is a vision in itself. The house includes a reception room, large formal dining room, family room, cinema, pool room and six bedrooms. Every room in this London townhouse is like a postcard with mesmerising details and offers generous living space. The challenge for SHH was to create a complete interiors scheme (something ‘Cream, off-white and funky’ was the brief) for the six storey, 1,114 sq m house and you got to say that they did a terrific job here. The design has also won the 4 Star Award for Best Interior Design at the Daily Mail UK Property Awards. Via

Comfy Couches

The couch plays a central role in living room decor. Often it acts as the focus and an entire room gets designed around it. Your couch needn’t be made of special leather or have antique value, simple is sufficient provided you know what you are doing. Take a look at this great set from Pottery Barn to see what we mean: