Dark-to-Mod & Bright Family Room Redo via Apartment Therapy

Check out this great Before and After of a basement family room 

(from dark to modern and fresh!) from Apartment Therapy!

Eco-Friendly (and Energy-Saving!) Floor and Window Products

These greener options don't skimp on style or quality!  From energy-saving window treatments, to renewable bamboo floors and recycled carpets, J. Rohr has what you're looking for in terms of environmentally-friendly home design products.

Here are a few of the latest products we recommend:

Shaw Cleartouch recycled carpet: made from recycled plastic bottles, is a high-quality, long-wearing and ultra soft fiber.  It's a luxury choice that's also easier on the environment.  Carpet is also one of the best-insulating flooring choices, helping you save a bit on energy costs (upgrading to rubber pad with help even more, especially if your room is on a slab).

Hunter Douglas Duette Architellla Honeycomb Shades are considered an insulation material by some building codes!  They not only keep your home cool in the summer by shielding direct sun (and they protect your carpet and fabric investments!), they insulate your windows and that means less spent on heating and cooling.  Ask us about other energy-saving window treatments as well.

Bamboo wood flooring is beautiful and modern, and grown from renewable resources.  Bamboo requires little or no fertilizer or herbicides as it's grown, so there's less impact on the environment.

Short & Sweet: Halloween Decorating Tip!

  

Halloween Centerpiece: Fill vase with candy, like candy corn (small candies work well to fill the space).  You can add flowers, or just let the candy stand on it's own.  For plants that need water, set them in a thinner vase in the middle of the big vase and fill the space between with candy.  Enjoy this week leading up to Halloween!

  

Charming St. Clair Shores Home - Real Life Design Inspiration (and Just Listed for Sale)!

This local St. Clair shores home was recently remodeled, and the kitchen is a great inspiration for real-life design.  By the way, it was just listed for sale, if you love it as much as we do!

The layout was changed just slightly to make better use of the space: increasing storage for hidden recycling and garbage containers, and maximizing usable counter space.

Additional storage was added in the form of open shelving for large platters, bowls, and small kitchen appliances next to the pass through area.

The kitchen upgrade was well planned and well executed, with attention to detail -- like the charming Bridge style kitchen faucet, and apron-front stainless steel farm sink.  The traditional high quality pulls on the cabinets add charm and sparkle.

The granite countertops coordinate with the two-tone kitchen cabinets, in white and grey-blue; it's a look that's stylish and unique --but still neutral with universal appeal.

Check out more photos of the entire home (just listed for sale!), which has great traditional curb appeal, professional landscaping, and features a large finished basement with a second kitchen.

An Exclusive Look Inside Detroit's Masonic Temple (Great Design Details!)

Lush textiles in deep colors lend richness and warmth to large rooms;
jewel tone and gold accents add drama.

To find amazing examples of design and attention to detail, we need look no further than Detroit's historic landmark structures.

Masonic Temple is no exception, and it has an interesting backstory as well (read on for more).

Local Detroit-area photographer Bruno P. Vanzieleghem recently enjoyed a tour of the historic building, and took some amazing shots -- which thought we were well worth sharing.  (View the full album of Bruno's Masonic Temple photos.)

Ceiling detail and light fixture at Detroit's Masonic Temple.

"Masonic Temple has over 1,000 rooms. Of those rooms, 142 are men’s bathrooms while only 8 are designated for women. Many of us have visited some of these rooms. The Masons are masters of hiding symbolism and messaging in plain sight," says Shannon Saksewski at AwesomeMitten.com.

"For example, at either end of the main entryway on Temple St. are the words 'veritas' (truth) and 'fortitudo' (strength). Freemasons stress the importance of living in line with these two virtues. When entering and departing the building, one is reminded to continue to strive to meet this expectation. Indeed, architect George D. Mason designed the building so that members and visitors could literally stand between, and in line with, these words." Read more about Masonic Temple.

Find Your Design Style - In Your Daily Life

Don't know design terms, and not sure what your style is?  Feel overwhelmed and unsure how to express your own personality through your home?

Check out our top tips to help you identify your own unique style, and start to cultivate an interior that expresses YOU!

1. What are you interests and hobbies?

Your interior should reflect your personality, including your interests and hobbies.  It's also a good place to start to think about your design inspiration.  What do you love - travel? cooking? yoga? outdoors and hiking?  Think about the colors, textures, and shapes involved in your favorite activities.  Don't take this too literally, however; just because you love basketball doesn't mean it makes sense to decorate your entire home in Detroit Pistons memorabilia.  It might make sense, however, to keep your style tailored and masculine.  Tastefully framed Pistons memorabilia in one area, simple color choices throughout, and a great lounge area for watching the game might be key elements of the right design for you.

2.  Visit a neighborhood that you love, or where you wish you lived.
Take a walk or drive, and note the homes that seem particularly lovely to you.  What do you like about them?  Why do they draw your eye?  Could you add landscaping, paint your front door, or otherwise use some of the design elements in your home?  

3. Your Dream Vacation Inspiration
What's your dream vacation?  Think about how your preferences inform about your style.  Do you dream of a tropical paradise with bright pops of color?  Do you prefer to camp amidst earthy, woodsy tones and natural wonders?  Or, are a you a big city type: sparkling lights, cool glass, and graphic advertising art?

4. Quick and Dirty!
Grab a stack of interior design magazines, or visit Pinterest.  Start tearing out - or pinning - anything that catches your eye.  Do it quickly, without over thinking.  Get a BIG pile (or pin list) going.  Later you can go back and identify elements or pieces that caught your eye.  For now though, volume is key so you can get the "big picture."

5. Get rid of what you definitely DON'T like.
Sometimes starting with the obvious is easier.  Identify style or pieces in magazines, online, TV, friend's homes even -- that you do NOT like.   Don't like red? Check.  Don't like a style that's too formal?  These are just as important to know, and help you shape your style.

Want more help getting started?  Take a Style Quiz.