5 kitchen design trends for 2012
Housing Zone
“Each year, the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) surveys its members to identify the latest design and specification trends in kitchen and bath design. This year, 350 NKBA members took part in the survey. Here are five emerging kitchen trends they identified.”

The Psychology of Colour in the Home
Home Renovation Guide
“Given the bold hues chosen by the likes of Pantone (Tangerine Tango) and the Color Marketing Group (Boyz-N-Berry) as the 2012 Colours of the Year, some people will naturally question the impact of colour within their home and how it effects mood. Though there are differences of opinion based on things like culture and geography, there are general rules of thumb regarding colour’s psychological impact. Let’s begin with the Colours of the Year, and their more muted counterparts.”

Kitchen Workbook: 15 Elements of a Traditional Kitchen
Houzz.com
“Traditional kitchens are defined by their details, and creating eye-catching detail is not just as simple as putting legs on an island. But whether they’re Old World or Mediterranean flavor, traditional kitchens all share the same basic elements. Here are 15 details that help you create traditional kitchen style.”

Hardwood Floors for Every Mood
Home Design Find
An article full of eye-candy photos, this piece from HDF should give any hardwood-floor hunter what she’s looking for.

Whether you’re looking for fashion or function, area rugs can do wonders for a room when used effectively. Here are some simple tips about doing just that.

If you want an area rug to serve as a stylish focal point in a room — adding a pattern, texture or color — make sure it’s up to the job. Go bold. That is, after all, the point. This can work well in an otherwise understated room, perhaps with white or otherwise mellow-colored walls and the like.

Choosing a rug to fit within a finished room is fairly straightforward: Choose a rug with colors and a style that matches the room. An oriental rug, for example, might not look appropriate in your sleek, modern living room. but think about going the other way — using a new rug to dictate the style and coloring of a room you’re looking to refresh. Find a rug with a set of colors and a style that really gets your attention, and pick out of it colors for your walls, your furniture, your accents like throw pillows and so on.

An area rug can also serve specific functional purposes, as well. Rugs can help hold together a space within a larger room, serving as a centerpiece among a set of seating and a coffee table, for example. Pay attention to the size of the rug. If you’re trying to define a particular space within a room, you probably want the rug to be completely surrounded by your furniture — not tucked under couches, for example — or to have your furniture completely within the bounds of a large rug. Something in the middle — with an area rug tucked partially under some furniture — can look awkward.

Of course, an area rug can also be used for the simple purpose of protecting the flooring underneath, saving wood from scratches, tile from chips or installed carpet from wear and stains. Still, don’t skimp on style.

Be sure to check out eHow.com and This Old House for more tips on choosing rugs for your home.

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Style and comfort are two things pretty much any homeowner would like more of. Even the nicest, coziest home has a room or an area the homeowner isn’t terribly fond of or would like to improve.

In that spirit, we’ve found these two flooring products might help put more of that sought-after style and comfort under foot.

The Luxury Housing Trends blog uncovered these incredible interlocking puzzle-piece wood flooring tiles from Beckwith Interiors. The unique design is sure to stand out and start a conversation. They’re available in several designs and woods.

If you’re looking for something a little less out-there, try adding some comfort to your winter wonderland with heated rugs. You’ve heard of radiant-heat flooring, but Curbly.com’s DIY Maven points out a new product from Warmly Yours that works much like a traditional rug pad — with one big difference: “But these pads you plug in, giving you a pleasant case of toasty toes,” the maven writes.

What cool new products have you discovered recently?