Greige - The New Neutral

By now, you've probably heard the term "greige" used when it comes to interior design. In case you haven't heard, greige is used to describe a "new" color that is taking over homes across the globe. It's a mix between gray and beige - ultimately the perfect neutral. 

Greige is possibly the coziest color we've ever laid our eyes on. The most common use of greige is obviously paint. It brings this earthy, warm feel to any room, and you can decorate with any accent color under the sun because it's so versatile. At Woodmaster Woodworks, we like to think outside the box. So, we've gathered some of our favorite unique uses of greige that are NOT walls... 

Greige floors. If you can't decide between light or dark floors, go with greige. When choosing a floor color, keep in mind that there will most likely be a lot of it. It needs to be pleasing to the eye and match almost anything. If you're looking for a modern floor color, greige is your best choice, and there are so many variations of it!

Greige furniture is timeless. Especially if you have a stone fireplace in your living room, griege couches, chairs, and pillows will match perfectly. Griege is a stoney and earthy color, so if you're having trouble picking a color scheme for your living room, and you want it to feel welcoming, you can't go wrong with this new classic. 

Last but not least, we love these griege kitchen cabinets. To stand out from the white cabinets trend, choose this gorgeous tone with black hardware. It's totally different from your traditional cabinets, but safe at the same time. Greige cabinets are a fool proof way to cozy up your kitchen. We hope you enjoyed reading the Woodmaster Woodworks blog! See you next time.

Feminine, Classy Bedroom

This bedroom pictured below needed a major upgrade! Woodmaster Woodworks was there to help. The owner wanted to do a shiplap accent wall where the bed goes; we LOVE shiplap, so we were definitely on board. The color is a grayish-blue and it truly just gives the entire room the coziest vibe, and makes you want to lay in bed all day and watch Netflix! The whole feel is very serene, and that's exactly what your bedroom should be - it should be a retreat. 

Now, this photo gives you a closer look at what we did to the owner's bed side furniture. The night stands were stained to begin with, so we decided to paint them a similar color to the shiplap wall, and give it a distressed look. The end result is just fabulous; they look brand new but homey at the same time. The homeowner's decorations really tied the whole look together. The delicate pinks with the crisp white comforter makes us want to move right in! 

Switching sides: this is the view from the bed. Woodmaster Woodworks created this custom built-in unit for the TV, plenty of shelves, and wait for it.... a dog crate space! Yes - a built-in space for the homeowners dog crate. We absolutely love this idea because now the crate is not sticking out like a sore thumb, and you won't trip over it anymore! Custom cabinetry and carpentry is key if you really want the end product to look original to the home. You cannot even tell that this wasn't built-in from day one. Thank you for reading and we hope you enjoyed! 

Features That Make Your Home Unique

Hello there! I think we can all agree that we want a home that is unique to us. This got me thinking, that to have a unique house doesn't mean that you necessarily have to do something dramatic like tearing walls down or repaint the exterior. While those things can be great, sometimes we aren't prepared for a giant project like that. So, I've gathered some suggestions for you on how to add small features to your home to make it unique and special! 

First, you could add a built in shelf as a room or space separator in your home. This particular design is modern and sleek, instantly upgrading the look of the rooms. It separates the two rooms just enough so that there is definition, but without closing the spaces off completely. Now the rooms are distinguished but light and airy with an open bookcase for added decoration and storage. This could be done in a master between the bed area and a sitting area, or between a foyer and a living room. This shelf was done by Woodmaster Custom Cabinets.

Cell phone charging stations are genius. This tiny built in can get so much use in a household. Most likely, every member of your family has a cell phone. With a charging station, all you need is an outlet and little shelves to hold the phones. Add one in your kitchen and/or living room since those are the two rooms we socialize in most. These are usually placed mid-way up the wall, so no more bending down to plug in your phone or your guests phone when you have company over. Now, you can stay connected in the most convenient spots in your home without the fear of a dying phone!

A butler’s pantry may seem a tad fancy, but really it is just extra storage between your kitchen and dining room for coffee and beverages. This particular one was also a Woodmaster Custom Cabinets project. We love the glass cabinets above because they will show off your best wine glasses and coffee mugs, and they just look sophisticated. Underneath, feel free to store the mismatch kitchenware that you don’t want guests to see! J This added area is a great spot to use when you are hosting a party, or just to pour a cup a joe in the morning!

Lastly, you could consider adding a barn door somewhere in your home. These are definitely trending right now so it's an instant upgrade that requires minimal installation. Choose any design and finish you like and pick an interesting metal track to slide it on. Put it somewhere creative, like in front of your pantry, laundry room, or even replace your bathroom door for a barn door that locks! This is one of our favorite additions. Thanks for reading and we hope that our ideas will help transform your home!

Play With Color!

At Woodmaster Woodworks, we love color! Sure, all- white cabinets are in right now, but here’s an idea if that’s not your style. A new take on the plain white cabinets is an off-white color with a black or brown glaze. The glaze gives your cabinets a sense of dimension and darkens the color a little. We can accommodate any color you want done.

You can do any combination of paint and glaze! For example, blue kitchen cabinets are trending right now so you could add a black glaze on that, or a black cabinet with a white glaze. The option of a glaze allows for more variety in color and design.

If you don’t think a glaze will give you the look you need, we can still give you an unconventional look through paint. Navy, seafoam green, gray, light powder blue, etc. are all gorgeous cabinet colors! If the idea of colored cabinets scares you, start with a small space such as a half bathroom or laundry room to get a feel for it. Why should we stick with the traditional browns, blacks, and whites when we can do a fun color?

Another trendy use of color at the moment is to do two-toned kitchen cabinets! Whether you do different colored uppers and lowers, or just a different colored island, we think this style does so much for a space. It’s good to break up the space and add a focal point or contrast.

Choosing an eccentric paint color can do wonders. Get creative and don’t be afraid to do something out of the ordinary anywhere in your home or kitchen! After all, the kitchen is the most used room in the house, so it should definitely be eye-catching! 

What is Feng-Shui Anyway?

I know, I know, we all should know what it is by now. It's only been popular since 3000 BC. Don't feel bad if you don't know - I didn't know until my real estate agent told me that my home needed to be more "feng-shui" in order to sell it. So, I did what anyone would do, I turned to the internet, which did not give me the best answers, but after compiling information from dozens of sources, here are my top findings: 

Feng-Shui pronounced fung-shway 
(think Sean Connery)










Originated from China in 3000 BC 
 I had no idea Feng-Shui has been around that long. That's probably because it wasn't popular in the Western parts of the world until much later - the United States didn't even see feng-shui until the 1970s! Originally, feng-shui was created to provide a peaceful afterlife for the deceased! It wasn't until later that people started taking feng-shui rules and applied them to every day life to provide a peaceful life. 

The way of thinking that harmonizes people with their environments. 
Like many philosophies from China, feng-shui connects people with their environments. Basically, your surrounding affects you. Originally, they wanted to ensure that the deceased would have a peaceful afterlives, so they took knowledge from the (now lost) Book of Burial and created a system to do just that. However, it was soon apparent that it would be great to not only have a peaceful death, but have a peaceful life too. 

One of the biggest parts of feng-shui is qi (pronounced "chee"). Qi translates to "energy". According to feng-shui, qi is your life force, and you want it to be at peace. In order to acheive a peaceful qi, there are some rules you can follow to promote a feng-shui/positive qi environment. Many of the rules of feng-shui are about bedrooms, and this comes from the origin of feng-shui (laying in graves). Thankfully, feng-shui does not promote death, just a peaceful qi!



There are rules that you must follow
 1. Bed placement
The bed should be as far away from the door as possible and at an indirect angle, but the door still needs to be visible. This rule is to achieve a safe slumber. 
Your bed should also not be directly underneath a ceiling fan, window,  or at a lower angle of a arched ceiling.

Your bed should have a headboard, but not a footboard. The only exception to the no footboard rule is if the only way to position your bed in your room is by having your bed directly in front of your door. This is considered the death position, and a footboard or other piece of furniture between your bed and door, provides a buffer.

2. Get rid of corners
If it's possible, find furniture that has a lot of curves and few square corners. Square corners create a "sharp environment" and negatively affect your ability to sleep. If you do have a lot of square shapes in your room, try covering them with table clothes or putting a healthy plant on top. 

The corners of your room count too! It's best to put healthy plants in the corners of your room so that good energy can flow around the room, instead of getting stuck in the corners. 

3. Get rid of clutter
Everything has its own energy, and adding lots of work clutter or clutter in general can cause feelings of irritation, confusion and leave you overwhelmed. Get rid of anything that causes you stress or brings up bad memories - this will greatly improve your qi. That includes anything under the bed or in your closet - they should be clutter-free too, otherwise you risk energy getting stuck.


 
4. If it's not relaxing, get rid of it.
According to feng-shui beliefs, your bedroom should be a place of rest, meditation, and intimacy, so get rid of the treadmill, electronics, and desk. If you must work in your bedroom, make sure you put up a room divider, or put everything away (in drawers or in cabinets) so that the energy is not transferred.




5. Colors are important
You want the room to be warm and inviting, so feng-shui experts say to use rich earth and skin tones. Also, reds and pinks are good for promoting romance and can increase the romance in our relationships. Romantic colors are recommended more for accents than the main color.

6. One is the Lonliest Number
Even if you are single, don't decorate your room for one person. Feng-shui practitioners believe that if you surround yourself with a thought, you will achieve it. So if you surround yourself with a single life, you will be less likely to find a romantic relationship, but if you buy two night stands and even put pictures of groups (flowers, shells, etc.) on your wall, you will be more inclined to find the relationship you're looking for in life.



7. The Lighting is Important
You should have lots of natural light first thing in the morning and during the day, soft light in the evenings, and darkness while you sleep. So, it's recommended that you have curtains on your windows and the appropriate lighting fixtures in your room to promote a nice soft light.