Emerald: The Pantone 2013 Color of the Year

If you haven’t already heard, the Pantone 2013 color of the year is Emerald. “Lively. Radiant. Lush…A color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony.” According to Pantone, Emerald will and is already being shown across the board in clothing, interior accessories, fabrics and makeup. Do you have some emerald or green clothing items you haven’t worn in a while? Pull them out and wear them. You will be on the leading edge of color style in fashion. Maybe you are looking for a little change in your living room or bedroom. Emerald may be just the color you want to pull in to freshen up your space.

 

I’ve always wondered who gets the interesting job of choosing names for paint colors and who actually has the authority to choose the Color of the Year for the world. The entire world of fashion, automobiles and interiors takes their cue from this company. They don’t take their job lightly. Thousands of hours of research and filtering are done to determine what the color of the year will be. Pantone has been the world's color authority for nearly 50 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers paint and designer-inspired products and services for consumers.

 

Let’s keep our eyes peeled for color trends we see in fashion, interiors and automobiles to see if we can guess what the 2014 Color of the Year will be.

12 Questions to ask before signing a remodeling contract

            Are you considering remodeling your home? Have you stopped to think about some questions you should ask before signing on the dotted line? Any remodel is a big investment that you may live with for a long time and it is important that you have all the information before committing. Below are twelve questions I suggest you ask before starting.

 

1. Are you insured? (These people will be in your home, potentially dealing with electrical and plumbing items. Make sure you are protected!)

2. Are you licensed? (The state of Georgia requires that contractors doing certain work be licensed. Check the Secretary of State’s website to see if your contractor is.

 

3. Do you have any professional affiliations or certifications? (This will give you a hint about how serious they are about their business or if they are just in it for fun.)

4. May I have a list of references from past completed projects? (This is a big one! How their past clients speak of them says volumes!)

5. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with this person being in your home? (If you feel unease in your gut, maybe you need to think twice.)

 

6. Do you communicate well with the contractor? (How well the two of you communicate will directly reflect how well and to your specifications the project will be completed.)

 

7. Do they have a concrete grasp of your project and have they shown they can listen to you and your ideas? (This is your home and you need to make sure you are getting what you want.)

8. Is the price you’ve been given firm or subject to escalation? (Someone who will bait and switch you, may not be who you want to work with.)

9. What is your warranty? (If you have an issue in a couple of months, you want to know that they will back up their work.)

 

10. How long have you been in business? (This speaks to their credibility and their ability to satisfy customers over the years.)

 

11.  Do you have longstanding relationships with your sub-contractors? (If they don’t, the project may not move as quickly as it can.)

12. How many projects like this have you completed in the last year? (You may not want to be the first person they build a deck for or remodel a bathroom for…)

Best of luck on your remodeling project!

5 Cool Things Spotted at the Home & Garden Show

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the Home and Garden show this past weekend at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, you missed out! There were some great displays, products and vendors there. Here are five cool things that I spotted. Did you get to attend? What are some cool items you saw?

 

1. Unique garden gates by Blue Bison Outdoors in wrought iron and wood materials with unique finishes.

 

2. Electric powered sports car at the Georgia Power booth.

 

 

3. Kohler Moxie showerhead was the showpiece at the Ferguson and Devore and Johnson booths. A showerhead that plays music! And you can pop it out to take it to the beach. The excellent price point on this item makes it an ideal birthday or Christmas present! Check it out in detail here.

 

 

4. Cork flooring at the Dalton Carpet One booth. So many different colors and patterns!

 

 

5. Edgeworthia chrysantha or "Paper Bush" at the Garden South display. It is simply amazing how many plants and structures they bring in for this show. Magnificent!

 

 

Did you get to attend? What are some cool items you saw? If you didn’t get the opportunity to attend the show this year, make a point to attend next year. You are sure to see many new things and get questions answered on new products. Many thanks to the Athens Area Home Builders Association for putting on this great event!