Installing A Beautiful Hardwood Floor in Your Luxury Home

New Year’s often brings a heightened sense of inspiration. Resolutions, goals, and plans get made and we’re fired up to tackle anything that comes our way. Unfortunately, most of that fizzles away after the month of January, and for that reason, we are encouraging you to channel that brief window of energy on tackling a new home design project.

Installing a Hardwood Floor: Tips for Your Luxury Home

For most of us, flooring is the long-forgotten element of our home. We stare at it and wish for something new, but never get around to doing anything about it. Lucky for you, installing a beautiful hardwood floor doesn’t have to be an intense process, and with these few tips, you’ll be on your way to putting the finishing touches on your luxury home.

Selecting a Material

There are so many different types of wood that can be used for flooring that it can be daunting to go about selecting one. It’s smart to think in terms of brightness – light furniture, paint, and amenities compliment darker woods, and darker furniture, paint, and amenities compliment lighter woods. Here’s a simplified breakdown of common hardwood floor types:

Darker Woods: Mahogany, Walnut, Oak, and Cherry

Lighter Woods: Maple, Beech, Ash, and Pine

Keep in mind – darker woods tend to scratch easier, but this can be avoided through proper maintenance and treatment.

Installation Tips

So you’ve selected a material and now it’s time to install your new hardwood floors. There are a few potential hiccups you may encounter along the way, so make sure to be aware of these issues before proceeding!

Moisture: If the place you are installing your hardwood floor is below or at ground level, you will need to be particularly aware of moisture. Ensure the moisture level of the concrete base doesn’t exceed 4%, and that the air never exceeds 60%, otherwise you’re at risk for rot or fungi issues.

Adapting Flooring to Room Environment: Your wood comes with a natural level of moisture in it, which is most likely different than that of the room you plan on installing it in. Before installing, lay your wood down in the room it will be installed in and leave it there for 3-4 days. This will allow it to take on the natural moisture of the room so that it will settle in place with more ease.

Methods of Hardwood Floor Installation

Nails: Nailing your boards to the floor is great for thinner boards. If you are installing above concrete, make sure you drill small holes before attempting to use nails.

Staples: Stapling a hardwood floor down is easy, quick, and cost-effective. Staple every 12 inches apart and make sure you staple at a 45-degree angle – to high and you’ll split your wood and miss the base floor, too low and you might break the wood entirely.

Conclusion

Installing a hardwood floor doesn’t have to be a difficult project. Select the right wood for the lighting of your home (contrast against your current furniture, paint, and amenities), and get to work! It’s always smart to hire a professional, for pre-project assessment at the least. So, be sure to reach out to Tony McClung for his expert architectural design skills. Luxury Homes Designed and Built by Tony McClung will help you get the beautiful floors in your home that you have always dreamed of!

Remodeling Your Luxury Home in 2019

A new year brings the opportunity for a fresh start. After all, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about! This season may be your chance to finally embark on that remodeling project you’ve been planning to do. Whether it be a small re-painting job, or a full interior restructuring, 2019 is a great year to tackle those plans and bring your dream home to life.

If you are looking for ideas on how you can remodel your luxury home in 2019, here are a few noteworthy trends for inspiration:

1)  Repainting

While many design trends and décor items go in and out of style seasonally, you can expect a repainting project to remain in style for the next decade. And 2019 is a prime year to start, with new and fresh painting trends flooding in thanks to many of the major design influencers on TV and social media.

For those looking to create a bright and welcoming feel, opt in for a hazelnut. It offers the same light reflection and feel as a flat white but with added warmth and character. More so, hazelnut matches with just about any color, making it an easy and versatile color to work with as you swap out decorations and furniture over the next multiple years. No wonder it’s becoming a new interior color trend this upcoming season!

2)  Ceilings

For the last several decades, popcorn ceilings have been the trend through and through. They’re easy and cheap to install and remain peripherally invisible to visitors.

However, a statement ceiling can be a fun, stylish addition to a home, and we’re seeing the trend rising in recent years. In 2019, be on the lookout for a unique ceiling design. Anything from molded tin, wallpaper, or paint-patterned designs are all bound to add a fun combination of contemporary and modern buzz to your luxury home.

3)  Furniture

When’s the last time you swapped out furniture? For most of us, furniture is one of the last elements we replace, and as a result, makes our homes suffer dramatically from outdated interiors. Follow some rising trends in 2019 by making the addition of curved furniture to your rooms! What used to be a retro style is coming back full force this season along with the opportunity to lift your luxury home’s living rooms to the next level.

Conclusion

2019 is a year full of trends – from paint to furniture, decorations, and interior structuring, there are so many different opportunities for you and your family to bring a modern facelift to your luxury home this season. And redesigning doesn’t have to be a major task! Keep your eyes open for the right furniture and put your hands to work with a little paint and watch your luxury house be transformed!

Cheers to a new year!

Decorating Your Luxury Home for Christmas

We all know the usual Christmas routine – tear down the Thanksgiving and fall decorations, break out the box of Christmas décor you purchased 10 years ago, and the whole family is on deck to style your home the same way you do every year. Trust us, we get it. Tradition is fun! But every once in a while, it’s fun to twist it up with the addition of a few extras.

Your luxury home is the perfect canvas for luxury Christmas decorations. This season, consider adding a few of these decorations to your usual Christmas theme to spiff up the place for the holidays!

Luxury Christmas Decorations

1)  Crystal Decorations

Crystal decorations have been popular for over a century. They are a timeless style that always adds the extra “sparkle” your luxury home needs this season.

The best part about crystal decorations is that they come in tons of different types, sizes, and styles. Whether its décor of the trinket type, table centerpieces, chandeliers, or ornaments, you’re sure to find one that works for your luxury home!

2)  Gold Graduated Cone Trees

You’ve probably seen cone trees in the Christmas décor aisle of every retail store. They’re not all that hard to find. However, gold cone trees make for a classy, sleek style that’s bound to draw the attention of friends and family at any party you host this year.

Gold cone trees have a wide-variety of applications in a home. They work great as dining table centerpieces or living room shelf accents; there are even LED golden cone trees that work as unique additions to your outdoor patio décor collection!

3)  Meteor Christmas Lights

Many of us use the same white or colored Christmas lights every year. This year, change it up with the addition of luxurious meteor Christmas lights!

Meteor Christmas lights give the illusion of “trickling” in order to mimic falling stars. They are unique, eye-catching, and absolutely gorgeous. Add them to your outdoor trees or patio for a fabulous, luxurious lighting solution this year!

Conclusion

Decorating for Christmas doesn’t have to be the same routine every year. Mix it up with the addition of a few luxurious Christmas decorations this season and see how they transform your home and bring it to the next level!

Selecting a Pool for Your Luxury Home

I know, it is a bit crazy to start talking about pools when it is finally Christmastime. But, if you are thinking about installing a pool in your backyard for this coming summer, it is time to start getting plans and things in order.

Pools have long been an envied luxury addition to custom homes. But unlike painting, decorating, or even moderate interior construction, building a pool is a major endeavor. Depending on the specifications of your selection, installing a pool can be an expensive and lengthy processes. However, as anyone who is installing a pool knows, they can add so much value to your family and friends’ life. They make hosting easier, parties more fun, and those hot Texas summers a bit more tolerable.

Selecting a Pool Style

Building a pool is so much more than just digging a hole in the ground – there are dozens of styles, each meant for a different home and backyard landscape. If you are looking to get a pool for Summer 2019, here are a few popular styles that are sure to work with your luxury home!

1)  Modern Pools

Modern pools are becoming increasingly popular. They are often characterized by square or rectangular designs, simplistic materials, sharp corners, and mosaic tiles. The great thing about modern pools is that they are a classy addition to any home – they are stylistically versatile and can help to add that extra “spiff” to your house.

2)  Tropical Pools

Yep, you read that right. Tropical pools are a statement design that give a fun, engaging, and vacation-like feel to your backyard. Big boulders, trees, and even small waterfalls are a few of many elements that can be added to tropical pools. It’s a fun and relaxing twist to the common pool!

3)  Traditional Pools

It’s really hard to create a category for “traditional” pools, as there are truly so many different design elements that fall under the umbrella. Generally speaking, traditional pools are rectangular or hour-glass shaped with natural stone or bricks. They’re classic, nostalgic, and “homey” – it’s hard to go wrong with a traditional design.

Conclusion

Adding a pool to your home is an exciting (and sometimes stressful) task! Pools bring so much life and fun to a home – both stylistically and functionally. If you are looking to make the installation soon, be sure to settle on a style that works best for you. Whether you are going for fun and exciting (tropical), elegant and classy (modern), classic and homey (traditional), or something entirely different, you are bound to find a pool style that fits your home perfectly!

If you are ready to get to work so you can have a pool in your backyard for this coming summer, give Tony McClung a call now at 214-668-7802!

Selecting Paint Colors for Your Luxury Home

There's so much hype on the web today about styling your home. Endless Pinterest and blog posts on decorating for the holidays, and the overall theme of your house, are becoming the norm of interior design. But often times, people forget to place attention on how the color of their walls can affect the overall look and mood of their house. In fact, we would go so far as to say the paint color you choose far outweighs the importance of decor when attempting to change the mood of your home.

2 Approaches to Selecting Paint Colors for Your Luxury Home

If you are looking for an update to the interior design of your home, we suggest you look into a repainting project. If you need help with selecting colors and theme, here are a couple of our recommendations:

Painting Thematically

When we use the term "theme" in this context, we are referring to elements that are stylistically cohesive. This includes everything from color, temperature, texture, brightness, and gloss. But here’s what’s different:

Many people make the mistake of assuming "theme" implies "similar". This is where we recommend you break the norm and have some fun! A house can be painted thematically without using similar colors. Pinks, grays, blues, reds, and so many other colors can be represented from room to room while still working thematically.

If you want to paint your house thematically, we recommend focusing on between 1-4 colors. The biggest trick is selecting paint that has the same texture, matte/gloss, and brightness level. Bring the more neutral colors in areas such as the kitchen and living room, while leaving the larger statement colors for bedrooms, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

Painting Representationally

Another (less-popular) form of painting would involve what we refer to as "representational painting". Another way of looking at this is painting a home to represent the colors of the earth from the ground up. Here's an example:

Homes can be painted representationally by painting the lower levels (basement) with more earthy textures (browns, golds, and darker colors). The middle levels are painted with more lively colors (greens, yellows, oranges, reds, etc.) And finally, top levels (upstairs or attic) are painted to represent sky-like colors (blues, whites, and purples).

Why would you paint a home this way? The emotional impact of the color differentiation can make a house feel taller than it truly is. Color theory proves that humans associate colors to things we are familiar with, and in the case of a home painted to represent colors from the ground to the sky, we subconsciously acknowledge a home as being "tall" based on its interior colors. We unknowingly associated browns and darker colors with the ground, and whites and blues with the sky, which alters our perception of a house’s actual characteristics. Thank you, science!

Conclusion

Painting a home is daunting! While many people are scared of taking on the workload, I think most of us can agree that color selection is the most intimidating part of the process by far.

If you are looking to paint your luxury home this year, we recommend taking one of two approaches: thematic painting, or representational painting. The former refers to selecting a couple of color groups that are consistent in brightness and texture. The colors can be similar or wildly different! So long as the overall exposure levels and reflectivity of the paint match, you can tame down some crazy colors and get a beautiful theme throughout your house. The latter refers to painting a home to represent the earth - from the ground to the sky! Paint lower levels with darker colors and upper levels with lighter colors such as blue or white to represent the sky. The emotional impact of the colors makes people assume the house is taller than it truly is.

Regardless of if you've made your mind up on what you want, we recommend getting over to your local paint store and starting to browse! When you see the right colors in person, you'll know which ones are best for your home. And of course, don’t hesitate to give Tony McClung a call if you want to bring in a professional designer!

Selecting a Fireplace for Your Luxury Home

Fireplaces used to be a functional necessity for a home. However, today they are one of the most renovated pieces in home makeovers, and for good reason. You used to have one choice – the classic brick structure with a chimney. Obviously, now days the industry has expanded to thousands of different styles – elegant, rustic, corporate, moody – you name it, there’s a fireplace to match the character of a home, inside or outdoors.

While fireplaces are nice for the warmth, you don’t always need one for purely functional purposes, especially here in the warm Texas winters! There are so many options on the market that you should be able to find the perfect style for your luxury home. If you are looking at investing in a new fireplace for your luxury home this season, here are some of our top recommendations:

Fireplaces for Your Luxury Home

Selecting a fireplace for your luxury home can be a tough decision – and it should be! You want something that will compliment the theme and personality of your house, not a unit that stands out apart from the rest of your design and interior structure.

There truly are many different styles available; you don’t want to jump in and try selecting a fireplace at random. To help you with your decision, we have selected our favorite overarching fireplace design styles to help you find what look best suits your luxury home. Here are some of our top picks, along with their pros and cons:

The Classic – Brick Fireplaces

Just because you update your fireplace doesn’t mean you can’t pay homage to the classics! A modernized brick fireplace can be a great addition to the house. But you can take a few different angles to brick fireplace design. Using an open fireplace as a candle display, painting your bricks white or black, or making a rustic wood frame addition to the outside are just a few of many ways you can modify brick fireplaces.

Pros

• Classic and familiar

• Wood and gas options available

• Simple

• Easy to modify/remodel

• Easy to install

Cons

• Can appear to be outdated

• Sometimes difficult to clean and maintain

• Often understated/non-significant in appearance

“Statement” Design – Island Fireplaces

The island fireplace can’t get any more “opposite” than brick fireplaces. They stray far from the classics. These units have four glass sides and sit in the center of a room – either playing the role of a centerpiece or a loose divider between sections of a home.

Peninsula fireplaces are a related cousin to this style of fireplace, whereby it extends from the wall with 3 viewable glass sides.

Pros

• Very modern, futuristic, and luxurious

• Dozens of different designs available

Cons

• Take up a lot of space

• Difficult installation

• Fragile 4-sided glass (think children here…)

Modernized – Slim Fireplace

Slim fireplaces are quickly rising in popularity these days. Slim fireplaces, sometimes referred to as “shelf fireplaces” are fireplaces that extend far in width (up to 60”) but are usually no taller than 1.5 feet. As a result, they look very modern and elegant and are usually versatile in placement.

Pros

• Easy to put anywhere – kitchen, dining room, bedroom, etc.

• Framing customizability – wood, granite, brick, metal, or any other material can be used on the outside of the fireplace to accommodate the room.

• Easy to install

• Affordable

Cons

• Not super functional (don’t emit much heat)

• Not well-suited for old or traditional styled homes

Conclusion

Fireplace selection is all about finding a unit that compliments the style of your home. A fireplace says a lot about your home’s character and overall appearance, so spend the time necessary to find the perfect one. Getting the right unit takes time and a lot of research. The best place to start is by defining the overarching category you’d like the fireplace to match – traditional, modern, rustic, etc., and then boiling down your options from there!

If you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to Luxury Homes Designed and Built by Tony McClung! We are always happy to offer suggestions and hear your opinions.

Decorating Your Home Uniquely For Fall

We’ve heard it said that a house is like a blank canvas for designing and decorating…

We couldn’t agree less…

Yes, while there are endless options of how you could style your luxury home, each home has its own character and personality. Finding the right seasonal décor to compliment this is difficult. It’s as much about how the decorations look as it is how they fit your specific living space.

So, you want to decorate your home this fall, but the classic “50 Fall Decorations You Need to Buy” posts just aren’t doing it for you. Why do the homes customized by designers always look better than your Pinterest-board montage attempt? Surprisingly, it boils down to a few, simple techniques that should be kept in your peripherals as you make décor selections this year. Here are our tips on how to take your custom luxury home’s decorations to the next level this fall:

Minimalist vs. Maximalist

The title alone probably hints what we’re getting at here. The truth is, both minimalist and maximalist design techniques can make for a gorgeous home this fall season. So how do you decide? As stated before, the layout and design of your custom home should lead you to know which is best.

Some homes speak for themselves without any design. The sheer layout, carpet, wall colors, and furniture offer a unique character that needs only be complimented by decorations. In this case, minimalistic design is the way to go. If you consistently find yourself struggling to know where to put your decorations in an attempt to avoid drawing attention away from the natural design of your household, perhaps a minimalistic design will better suit your home.

Then, there are homes that seem to serve as a foundation or canvas of sorts for decorations. If you are always noticing a preference to decorate each shelf and empty ledge in your house, your home may be better suited for a busier, maximalist décor approach. Follow your gut instincts on how you feel your home wants to be styled. It will suit you better than any online tutorial or recommendation.

Color Schemes: Finding “Unique” in Traditional

Want an incredibly bland home this fall? We recommend using red, yellow, and orange exclusively. It should be easy! That’s all that’s usually sold in the fall décor section of online and local stores.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but it’s true! If you want a unique home this fall, we recommend bringing in all those traditional fall colors with the occasional unorthodox accent color. For example, a Persian blue or an amethyst are a great way to add a unique twist to your fall season’s décor. A good ratio is a 1 to 6 combination. For every 6 pieces of fall décor, pick one to be a unique color.

The most important part though – stick to one accent color. Don’t start adding multiple or those pieces will just look less like accents and more like accidents.

Textures

Wood, canvas, natural, shine, matte, rough, smooth – any one of us can think of a thousand different textures. Any one of us can also probably find and purchase one of each texture when shopping for fall décor, but we highly recommend against it.

So much of the character of interior design comes from the décor’s texture as much as its color and placement. When deciding on a color scheme, we suggest you also decide on a texture scheme and carry it with you throughout the designing process. You shouldn’t need to have more than 1-3 different textures at most present in your fall décor.

Conclusion

It’s fun to decorate for each season, but it can be difficult to truly find a style that looks good in your house. Each custom or luxury home has its own unique personality and character to it. Don’t try to mask that with decorations! Find décor that uniquely compliments and assists the natural vibe and character of your home. If you really want a uniquely decorated fall home, think outside the box with colors. Don’t just stick to reds, oranges, and yellows – add in a blue, purple, or other unorthodox statement color to differentiate your home from the everyday “Pinterest-inspired” idea (which is becoming all-too cliché these days).

In summary, much of great interior design for fall décor boils down to thinking thematically as opposed to focusing on decoration-specific selection. Decide on colors, textures, and the amount of décor you plan on putting in your house before you start buying items. It will make for a more unique, consistent look from room to room and will be sure to inspire and amaze family and friends this Thanksgiving.

And of course, if you find yourself deciding that new decorations just aren’t doing it anymore and you need a new home remodel, please reach out to Tony McClung with Luxury Homes Designed and Built by Tony McClung in Dallas Texas!

Custom Home Upgrades to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Consumer waste comes in large part from our houses. Whether it’s food waste, constant A/C in the summer, or a leaky sink, there are plenty of upgrades you can do to help the planet. Adopting a DIY approach means you make sure everything you add is eco-friendly, all while letting you design your home exactly the way you want it. Here are some ways creative homeowners are helping the environment with custom upgrades.

1. Energy Efficient Appliances

Did you know your stove might be costing you too much on your electric bill? Unless your appliances are certified Energy Star, they’re using more than their fair share of electricity. When you replace your old units, consider looking for an eco-friendly model.

2. Solar Lights

These are hot right now – they store energy during the day and power on during the night. They’re a great alternative to electric lights, offering an accent to your exterior and saving you some money, while helping the planet too.

3. Insulated Doors

This might come as a surprise, but your door is probably the second biggest reason your air conditioning is on so much. Unless your door is fiberglass or insulated wood it’s constantly letting in the heat – especially if it’s in the sun!

4. Insulation

Speaking of insulation, when was the last time you replaced yours? It’s not just for keeping the heat in during cold months, without good insulation, your walls aren’t protected from the hot weather either.

5. Native Gardening

An innovative trend is hitting the world of gardening. Instead of growing pristine, traditional grass lawns, some homeowners are focusing on cultivating native species of plants that don’t require as much water. Depending on rainfall, this can mean anything from native flowers and trees, to abandoning grass altogether in favor of succulents like cacti.

6. LED Lights

We all know fluorescent lights are better than traditional bulbs, but what about LED? It turns out, they’re also a great choice for a low-energy light in your home.

If you’re looking to build your dream home, look no further than architectural designer Tony McClung. Tony’s portfolio includes over 50 years of Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico’s finest designer homes. Contact Tony to start making your dream into a reality.

5 Custom Home Features for Blended Indoor/Outdoor Spaces

The end of summer/start of fall is a great time to be outside – the Texas sun isn't quite so hot but the days are still long enough to enjoy time outdoors after school ends for the day. It’s perfect for family time – except for all the mosquitos of course. Sometimes, you just want to enjoy the beautiful outside view but in the comfort of A/C without the bugs. You’re not alone, blending the indoor/outdoor spaces of your home is big in the design world. Whether you already planned for it, or are just considering, these are some great ways to incorporate this trend into an upcoming remodel.

1. Floor to Ceiling Windows

Windows are great – they offer a scenic view, and let in plenty of natural light. What better way to let in more light – and thereby more of a view – than with bigger windows? Floor-to-ceiling windows are big in the design of sunrooms and blended space, as they blur the line between inside and outside.

2. Sunrooms

Whether a cozy breakfast nook or living room, surrounding a room with windows provides a scenic view all from the comfort of the indoors.

3. Glass Doors

The classic French door is an excellent choice for letting in natural light. Did you know they also make sliding versions? A sliding glass door is a great way to maximize natural light, while still keeping a barrier between you and the outside world.

4. Intimate Patios

If you like dining outside, but aren’t a big fan of spending too much time outdoors, you can landscape your patio for a quaint, intimate feel. By keeping the space compact and close to the back door – along with weatherproof furniture of course – you can have the charm of an outdoor dining space on your patio, without getting too close to the bugs.

5. Walls and Patterns

If your wall needs a fresh coat of paint, consider an old classic that’s coming back: wallpaper. Floral and tropical prints are big in interior design this year and for a low-intensity upgrade, adding a palm tree pattern to your rooms can give you the look of the outside, without the time of a full remodel.

If you’re looking to build your dream home, look no further than architectural designer Tony McClung. Tony’s portfolio includes over 50 years of Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico’s finest designer homes. Contact Tony McClung to start enjoying more of the Texas, comfortably!

Tony McClung - Custom Home Builders & Designers - Dallas TX