Cleary Company: Design Build Remodel

Tag: home design

  • Designing Your Home’s Entryway

    Designing Your Home’s Entryway

    Unlocking the Power of a Good First Impression

    Think of your home’s entryway as a handshake, a first impression that sets the tone. It’s more than bricks and mortar—it’s a way to highlight your personality and create a seamless transition from the outside world into your abode. Are you ready to unleash the power of your entryway? Our Remodel-Design-Build Team at The Cleary Company in Columbus Ohio explores some design and style ideas from curb appeal to entryways—integrating design and style to bring new life to your home.

    Make Heads Turn with Your Curb Appeal

    Originally the street side of this home had no entry for guests except through the garage.
    A porch addition with new wide double door entry is much more inviting.
    • Good Lighting: Install welcoming porch lights that cast a warm glow and enhance safety. Choose ones that fit your personality and your home’s style.
    • Color & Bling: Greet guests with a smile! A fresh coat of paint, paired with stylish door hardware and house numbers instantly transforms the entrance. Consider bold colors or unique finishes that reflect the style of the home. A new richly colored wooden door is quite the statement as well.
    • Dress up your doorstep: Update that welcome mat with a seasonal design, a fun message, or a classic look. Potted plants add color and vibrancy, a small water feature creates a calming mood, and seasonal decorations announce a festive presence.
    • Walk this way: Create a clear and inviting pathway to your home. Use pavers, stone slabs, or a new concrete sidewalk to welcome guests. Add with low-maintenance greenery along the borders. Don’t forget lighting your walkways for safety at night. Easy to install solar powered options can be found online or at most home improvement stores.

    Enhancing Entryways

    • Storage Solutions: No one wants a cluttered entryway, but life happens, right? Say goodbye to clutter by using stylish benches, shoe cubbies, or built-in cabinets. Multifunctional pieces that offer storage and seating maximize space and functionality.
    • Mirror Magic: A strategically placed mirror in the entryway can open the space, reflect light, and create a sense of depth. Plus, who doesn’t like a quick outfit check or last glance before heading out the door?
    • Welcome with Color: Add a splash for a statement! Paint a piece of furniture, add some wallpaper to one wall, put some colorful pillows on the bench, or add a vibrant rug to personalize what might otherwise be a boring area.
    • Light it up: Layer lighting with a combination of overhead fixtures, table lights, and sconces. Depending on the need, you’ll have the right lighting. And a light left on at night welcome those late arrivals.
    • Greenery is life: Choosing some low-maintenance hardy plants to flank the door or sit on an entry table or bench not only purifies the air but adds a touch of nature. Snake plants, Monsteras, and air plants are good options.

    Seamless Integration of Outside & Indoors

    A new front porch is not only welcoming to guests but is also a great place to read or enjoy your neighborhood.
    • Let the outside in: If you have a mudroom or a porch, consider installing French doors, a new door with a larger window, or large windows to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces. Creating a light and airy feel, while maximizing the natural light, can really brighten up the entryway.
    • Feature the flooring: Create a smooth transition from your entryway to the rest of your home with similar materials or colors to create continuity and visual flow. Or do the complete opposite and make the entryway floor a stand-alone feature to set the tone. There are no rules!
    • Control Clutter: Remember that storage idea we talked about? If you walk in and step over shoes, coats, and bookbags, storage is needed. Are you a bit unorganized? Create designated spaces for keys, mail, and other everyday items.

    Need More Inspiration?

    Watch this video compilation of our favorite Design-Build porch additions and remodels.

    Learn more about creating outdoor living spaces by reading our blog.

    Ready to Get Started on Your Entryway Remodel?

    Remodeling your entryway doesn’t have to be a big task. It can be as simple as a few cosmetic changes. But if you’re ready to tackle a larger project that reimagines the front of your home give us a call! Our Development & Design Team will collaborate and guide you in unlocking the full potential of your home’s exterior or interior.

    Together, we can create an entryway that not only makes a statement but also welcomes you home with open arms. Contact our Client Relations Coordinator to discuss your next remodeling project today! Call 614-459-4000 or visit our website.

  • Lifestyle Trends Influencing Your Homelife

    Lifestyle Trends Influencing Your Homelife

    We’ve all experienced so many changes this past year. Learning to adapt and be flexible. Rapidly changing technology, new working conditions and unimaginable stresses have taught us all a lot! Many of us have changed the way we live and think about our homes. Our experienced design team at The Cleary Company Remodel Design Build in Columbus Ohio has put together a list of the top remodeling requests. They’re also mindful of the following lifestyle trends influencing our clients’ wants and needs for their homes.

    On Demand Culture

    It seems like everyone wants everything to be easy and quick. Amazon’s “Same-Day Delivery”, UberEATS, the internet in your pocket, etc. The remodeling industry is feeling this pressure as well—clients want a quick turnaround project that involves as little stress as possible while providing quality results. Although The Cleary Company does not offer “Same-Day Delivery” of home additions and remodels, we do aim to provide a fun, efficient, collaborative, and enjoyable remodeling experience for our clients.

    Technology & Gadgets

    Incorporating technology into your home design can be as simple as adding USB outlets to a kitchen or home office or as detailed as wiring for a “smart home”. The home tech market is seeing a huge surge of products available that can be monitored and controlled via app on your smartphone. A go-to product for our clients is the Adorne Collection by Legrand. Their undercabinet lighting and tech system eliminates outlets and cords from your kitchen backsplash.

    Smaller Spaces

    Many families are looking to downsize their homes to lessen maintenance and increase opportunities for life experiences. No matter the size of the home, most clients are looking for not only more storage, but hidden and accessible storage. Our design team will work collaboratively with you to create a plan that maximizes the useful space in your home. Incorporating unique storage opportunities, such as toe-kick drawers and fully accessible blind corner cabinet storage accessories. Upper cabinets that extend to the ceiling also help to offer additional storage while benefitting the overall design by making the space feel larger.

    Top Requests for Home Remodeling Projects in 2021

    Home. Your sanctuary. Your foundation. We desire comfort, warmth and safety in our homes more than ever these days. Historically kitchen and bathroom remodels are typically the first two areas most home owners consider for big changes. Whether their goals are for more storage space, better function, upgrades to fixtures and finishes or all of the above a kitchen or bathroom remodel can give you more enjoyment in your home.

    However, the pandemic has also given rise to 3 new popular areas to remodel!

    • Home Gyms – When everything shut down last spring the weather was improving and a lot of folks chose to change their workout routines to outdoors. However, once colder weather began to stay late last fall most of us wanted a more weather friendly option. Carving out space in your home for a workout is important for your physical and mental well being. To make a home gym area blend in with your decor, storing your equipment is key. Cube style bookcases with slide-out bins are available in many shades of painted and stained woods from companies like Wayfair, Ikea and even Target.
    • Home Offices – Commuting to work was a breeze for many however carving out proper space for completing tasks and meeting was a whole different issue. With advances in technology we’ve found that large corporate offices are unnecessary in many ways and home offices are now considered a “must-have” for new homeowners. Find a space in a bedroom, alcove or basement. Creating a new work zone in your home can be as easy as taking off the sliding doors of a closet and purchasing a desk to fit inside! Another option is to install new doors to close off a previously open room.
    • Elevated Outdoor Spaces – Firepits and patio heater sales have hit all time highs the last twelve months. Some of you may have been sitting on your patios or front porches for the first time! Socializing and social distancing in backyards have also given homeowners new ideas for creating fun entertaining outdoor “rooms”. Indoor spaces have inspired the decor and designs of our porches and patios with the use of rugs, end tables, dining sets and art.

    Aging in Place – Living in Place

    Of course, we cannot discuss lifestyle trends and their impact on design without considering the aging population. With the age of our average population increasing and with an unpredictable housing market, the desire to age and live in place becomes increasingly appealing. Many universal design-related features have become standard in many of our design-build remodeling projects. Giving all elements of a project careful consideration to ensure it is functional for all ages is critical. Details like style of cabinet hardware, heights of outlets, task lighting and appropriate flooring choices are all evaluated for their ease of use and maintenance.

    Are you looking to update your home? Is there a lifestyle trend that could bring more function to your family’s routine? All of these design ideas only scratch the surface for what The Cleary Company Remodel Design Build Columbus OH is able to do to help adapt your home to suit your personal lifestyle.

    Ready to start a new project? Contact us today to get started!

  • Chase Away Winter Blues – Lighting Tips from Ferguson

    Chase Away Winter Blues – Lighting Tips from Ferguson

    Choosing the Right Lighting Fixtures for Your Home

    The winter days can be dark and dreary, but with the right lighting, everything looks better and your mood and energy levels can improve. That’s how we feel about our partnership with Ferguson. Not only do they provide quality products for your home, but working together with them, our designers create lighting solutions for our clients, making their projects brighter and better.

    Choosing the right lighting for your home might seem like an easy task. Lamp goes here, chandelier goes there, then you head to the store to grab a few different types of light bulbs because what if those ones are too warm? Or too cool? Or too bright? Too dim? Whatever—it’s a light, how much of a difference will it make?

    Bulb Types

    Choosing the fixtures is the fun part. Choosing the bulbs is a little less sexy, but just as important when it comes to getting lighting right. LED lights come in a variety of color temperatures and are typically budget-friendly, both at the time of purchase and long-term. Classic incandescent lights are an option as well, but consider swapping them out for brighter halogen bulbs or more subdued (and trendier) Edison bulbs – which can add a “vintage” flair to your fixtures and spaces.

    Whether you’re planning an entire renovation or just giving your space a facelift, you’ll need to put together a plan before anything else. Consider the space, size and style of each room and the activities that take place in each of those rooms.

    Living Rooms – Perhaps the most flexible room in your home, the living room is typically one of the first rooms you and your guests see when entering the home. The living room is where you go to relax, and it also serves as a social gathering spot for any parties you might have. Getting the lighting right here is vital to setting the tone for the rest of your home. For larger, taller spaces, consider subtle recessed lighting or a stunning chandelier to spark conversation. For smaller spaces, a flush-mount overhead light and a couple of bold table lamps should do.

    Kitchen – Often the focal point of many homes, kitchen lighting tends to be morecomplex. The odds of you utilizing more than one type of light are strong, so this is where your plan will come in handy. Recessed lighting is a great option for general illumination – or ambient lighting – but for more nuanced options, consider LED strips along the top of cabinets. Under-cabinet lights are perfect for task lighting, and decorative pendant lights over islands can help establish your kitchen as a unique space.

    Bedroom – Just because you’ll spend most of your time asleep in this room doesn’t mean you have to skip out on good lighting. Bedrooms are sanctuaries. Whether you’re retreating into bed after a long day, curling up on your day off or simply reading a book before heading off to sleep, the right lighting can make or break your bedroom’s entire atmosphere. Forget table lamps on nightstands and instead opt for unique sconces or pendant lights on either side of your bed to add some style and flair to the room. Utilize floor lamps and ceiling lights – maybe a fan, too – for broader lighting options. No matter what, remember that dimmer switches are ideal for setting every mood.

    Bathroom – Overhead lighting is ideal for lighting up entire bathrooms, but near your vanity you’ll want to opt for task lighting over or next to your mirror. Avoid installing light fixtures directly overhead, as it can cast harsh, unflattering and inaccurate shadows. For baths and showers, use two or more lights to sufficiently brighten the space. Like your bedroom, a dimmer switch might be a good idea, as not many people enjoy being awakened by bright, crisp lights.

    When it comes time to start changing your interior lighting, let Ferguson and The Cleary Company create a plan for you that will illuminate your vision for your remodeled home. You’ll live better with Ferguson and The Cleary Company lighting the way. Visit fergusonshowrooms.com to schedule a one-on-one consultation with one of their product experts.