Author: TaiteFloor

I’ve been in Florida for over a week, slowly making changes around the house and also exploring the local area. I’m repainting the front door as soon as soon as I settle on the perfect shade of mint or sea green. I’ve also ordered a few more decorative accents for the primary bedroom makeover. I get a few things done in the morning and then when the heat arrives, I set aside time to relax, to exercise, and also practice what I began years ago, the act of sitting in stillness. I’m left with greater clarity, gratitude, and a sense…

The Fourth of July is tomorrow and since red is a patriotic color, let’s take a look at its use in interiors. I’m all for the use of wine on the walls or pinks and oranges in sunset hues, but I find that primary red can be jarring in interiors if it’s too intense or overused. The unexpected red theory has been featured in many recent design articles, spotlighting the use of a burst of red as a refreshing twist in modern interiors. Red is notoriously tricky to work with, too much of it can be overwhelming, however the hue…

Last year I was totally on board with the rechargeable and battery operated lightbulb trend, I cut the wires and cords off wall sconces and installed those lightbulbs both here and here to add ambient light. This year the hottest trend in lighting is rechargeable lamps because they’re so good. I have a little brass rechargeable lamp I use around the house in Florida, I store it above the bar cabinet for a quick grab. It’s so easy to move this light source wherever I need it in the evening like when I’m working at my desk after dark. Hop on…

Where we live on the gulf coast of Florida, there are a lot of white sandy beaches and many of them are perfect for shell collecting. Since I’ve been back and forth for two years, I’ve gathered a collection of shells from beach walks and was inspired to create art in the classic shadow box format. This framed shell art project is incredibly easy to piece together, all you need is a collection of shells (or you could use sea glass too) and shadow boxes. I had three sources for mine, the local Florida beaches, ones I bought on Amazon…

Summer sunshine brings warmth and light, but it can also pose a threat to your beautiful hardwood floors. Just like your skin, prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays can lead to fading and discoloration. Here at Taite Floor.org, we want to help you keep your hardwood floors looking their best all year round. So, let’s get sunlight savvy and explore ways to protect your investment! Understanding Sun Damage Sun damage on hardwood floors manifests as uneven fading or discoloration. The culprit? UV rays break down the natural lignin in wood, causing the color to lighten over time. This effect varies…

Next month, I’m traveling to the south of France to spend a week with my twenty year old daughter, it’s our first mother daughter trip to Europe. We will be visiting the Antibes, Nice, and Menton and we will also spend a few days in the Cinque Terre so she gets a taste of both France and Italy. Of course we will be walking a lot so I’m bringing my favorite top rated sandals for the trip. In addition to my highly recommended blue travel sneakers (linked here), I’m bringing a pair of sandals for long walks on hot summer…

I ran out of time to photograph my completed home office space, I’m on a plane headed back to Florida for the summer so it will have to wait until August. I’m really pleased with how organized it is, I’ll share some iphone pics this week on Instagram as a sneak peek. I’m staying in Florida for most of July, I’ll be tackling the primary bedroom makeover and swapping out some of the furniture that came with the house when we bought it. In the past two years, I’ve refreshed living room and family room and patio, and renovated the…

I’ve been a fan of cane door and drawer front furniture for years, I even bought a pair of cane front chests and used them in my daughter’s room as nightstands. Last year I combined two Target cane front media stands to form one long credenza for our family room. When shopping for a new sideboard with cane detail, I noticed a lot of disparity between prices with some retailers or high end brands selling pieces for a lot more than discount sources. I disappeared into a world of cane detail furniture and rounded up several lookalikes at high and…

I gave my blue and white home office a refresh this week, I moved in some bookcases to give it more of a library feel, rotated the desk, and reorganized the shelves. If I can pull it together and snap some photos in time before my next departure, I’ll share the updated space. We’ve got vacations planned and a family summer wedding to attend in the upcoming months. I’ll be returning to Florida for July working on the primary bedroom makeover and also exploring the area some more, it’s still feels fresh and new and exciting to be there, even…

Since we bought a home by the beach in Florida I’ve grown increasingly interested in bamboo pieces, it must be the influence of the location. Bamboo is a sustainable source for furniture and flooring because it is a renewable material that grows rapidly. After it’s harvested it can also be manufactured into cloth or lumber. Left it its natural state it can be bent to form unique furniture pieces from the slender knotted hollow stems. Bamboo is different from rattan in that it grows vertically with hard stems, whereas rattan is a palm like bendable reed that can be woven.…