Bold and Blended

Color Is Key
Daring patterns and color combos are gaining favor in homes across the country, especially in the most used room in the house – the kitchen. Give your kitchen a fresh, new look by taking a multi-toned cabinetry approach. Apply different shades to your upper and lower cabinets to create a completely new feel. Opting for colored cabinets, as opposed to a stain, helps develop a broader palette for the space and produces an identifiable color scheme. A similar approach can be taken for kitchens with islands. Make your island the focal point by opting for a vibrantly colored base or countertop.

When it comes to your countertops and backsplashes, you can also achieve a standout look with a high-contrast approach. Pair deeply colored counters or backsplashes with more subtly hued cabinets and flooring to make a dramatic statement.

Blend In
Whether your style is big and bold or clean and minimalistic, creating a cohesive look for a space is important. Oftentimes, outdated home appliances get in the way of an otherwise seamless home design. A simple home appliance upgrade can easily change the overall style of a room for the better.

With more homeowners tuned into online and televised DIY resources, manufacturers are challenged like never before to deliver high-end products that blend flawlessly into the background of a living space. One example is Mitsubishi Electric's Designer Series indoor units. These units are sleek, stylish, slim and available in three different colors – glossy white, matte silver and glossy black – making matching the appliance to the style of a space effortless.

In addition to the aesthetic benefits, these units give homeowners the ability to choose their desired room temperature for each zone in their home, while using 30-40 percent less energy than traditional cooling and heating systems, and providing better indoor air quality. Learn more at mitsubishicomfort.com.

A Little Texture Goes a Long Way
Also take into consideration textures and materials – tile and stone are the norm, but unexpected pairings such as brick and butcher block can lend a whole new level of style.

These simple details can make a drastic difference in the feel of your home, no matter what room in the house you're sprucing up. In the kitchen or bathroom, choosing the right style and material of countertop can make or break your intended design. For example, the beauty of granite's natural patterns make it a one-of-a-kind look for your home, while a newer kitchen design trend, stainless steel, provides a distinctive look.

Another easy way to play with the texture in your home is by placing small, decorative objects throughout your living quarters. Natural and organic objects, like shells, stones or twigs, can be used to inject an outdoor feel in different rooms.

Most importantly, consider balance when seeking out different textures. Overdoing it can detract from your attempts to liven up your home, making it instead feel cluttered or disorganized.

Find the right features
While the aesthetic fit of a new appliance is important, so are the features that ensure your purchase answers the needs of your lifestyle. When shopping for updated appliances, look at how the models you're considering perform in areas such as:

• Noise control: Especially if you're replacing an older cooling and heating system, you may have been battling the sounds it was emitting for years. You'll immediately notice the difference with many of today's appliances, which are designed to offer quiet operation. Some even function at a sound level lower than a human whisper.
• Energy management: Look for models that offer features to help manage your energy consumption. One solution is a timer that allows you to create scheduling options to adjust the temperature, and thus the amount of energy, being used in rooms when they are not occupied.
• Intelligent comfort: For appliances like refrigerators and freezers, it's an automatic assumption that they will maintain a consistent temperature. You may be surprised to discover that other appliances can offer the same continuity when it comes to comfort. For example, Mitsubishi Electric's Designer Series indoor units offer Econo Cool, a temperature control feature that automatically adjusts airflow speed to maintain the desired level of comfort once it has been established.
• Programmable functions: With continuous developments in technology, various home appliances now have the capability to connect to smart phones and tablets. Through these apps, you can regulate multiple settings for your home appliance operations from virtually anywhere with just a click of a button.

Michael French
[email protected] 
1-888-824-3337
editors.familyfeatures.com

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