February | 2014 | Home on the Range Blog

Design Tips and Trends,Featured,Featured Products,It's All in the Details,Western Style

The Trough Sink

In our last post, we talked about how important small details can be in the overall scheme of design, and how sinks contribute so much bang for your buck. We shared why we love farmhouse sinks, as well as some really neat unique variations on the traditional farmhouse sink. Today, we’re doing the same thing with trough sinks! What is a trough sink, you ask? Well, let me start by saying that you will know it when you see it! But, to give you some background info, a trough sink (pronounced like “off” with a “tr” at the beginning), is called such because it emulates a food trough that farmers and ranchers use to feed their animals. It is long, with multiple faucets, and while it can be similar to a farmhouse sink, it is usually set into the counter-top and lacks the apron that characterizes it’s farmhouse counterpart. We love trough sinks because they bring a fantastic rustic vibe to a space that no “normal” sink ever could. They transport you directly back to the ranch, without ever having to leave your own bathroom!

Today we’re going to share some fantastic trough sinks. Some of them are traditional troughs that fit seamlessly into their environments, and others are unique twists on troughs that add a big bang to their space.

This is the most common version of the trough sink. See, I told you you’d recognize it! It looks beautiful here set into the hand hewn wood vanity top, and the more finished mirror frame and sconces add a nice contrast of styles… very elegantly rustic!

Image via Pinterest

This is a western bathroom from one of our projects located at the Steamboat ski-area. Here, the trough sink completes the rustic barn feel with ease and style!

Image via Home on the Range

The stone trough sink on the chunk work bench vanity, along with the plumbing, backsplash, mirror, and textured walls make for an absolutely incredible space. There are no words for this- it’s beautiful.

Image via The Gifts of Life

Here’s another fun and funky bathroom with an unusual twist on the trough sink. It looks to me like a giant old dough-bowl. All of the different components create a look that is rustic all the way! What do you like about this bathroom?

Image via Ragland Hill Social

This final trough sink was hand forged by a blacksmith. It doesn’t get any more unique than that! It fits in so beautifully with the also hand hewn beam vanity, and once again the contrasts here really add interest!

Image via Pinterest

These sink posts have been one small example of how important the little details can be to the overall outcome in design. Whether it’s rugs, hardware, plumbing, lighting, furniture or finishes, each element should be well thought out and carefully selected if you want your end result to be just perfect!

For more rustic rooms, sink ideas, details and tips, visit us on Pinterest, or follow us on Facebook! To learn more about details and design services, contact us today for a consultation!

February 28, 2014
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Design Tips and Trends,Featured,It's All in the Details,Western Style

The Farmhouse Sink

At Home on the Range, we are detail people. While we know that the “big picture” is important, we also know that it is the tiny details that actually make up the big picture. We try to focus on every tiny thing in the space, including fixtures, finishes, trim, flooring, furniture, fabric, leather, accessories, materials, etc, because we know that each one of these things contributes to the overall feel of the room, and if the details don’t work together, then the “big picture” is flawed. Little things that seem insignificant, like sinks, light fixtures, and hardware, can make or break your space. We love creating rustic, western, and mountain designs, and farmhouse and trough sinks are great additions to these themes. Today I want to show you some great examples of some sinks that don’t detract from or neutralize their spaces, but instead contribute a huge style element that would otherwise be overlooked.

Just for fun, we’ll start out with the most traditional farmhouse sink. The deep bucket with an apron across the front is what characterizes a farmhouse sink, though these days there are so many creative variations on the original!

Image via Remodelista

Here’s a great example of a “creative variation” on a farmhouse sink. You can still see the deep bucket and “front apron”, but I love how they used galvanized tubs instead of a single porcelain sink. What a fun look!

Image via Livin’ Easy

This is a bathroom version of a traditional farmhouse sink. They did a great job of incorporating the apron into the vanity, and the contrasting colors of the vanity, sink and mirror look beautiful together.

Image via Cabinspiration

Here’s another unusual sink- I don’t know if it could really be called a farmhouse sink or not, but I’m still including it in this post because I love it and I think it has the same feel! Again the use of galvanized metal transports you to a farm or ranch bathroom, and the rivets on the sides add a great visual element too!

Image via Givonehome

For more fun and creative design elements, follow us on Pinterest! You can also like us on Facebook to have daily design inspiration delivered straight to your wall! Stay tuned for our next post, which will talk about trough sinks, which are another kind of sink that we love to use!

February 26, 2014
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Design Tips and Trends,Featured,It's All in the Details

Guest Post: Wallpaper Vs. Paint- And the Winner Is?

Today we are lucky to have a guest post from Naomi Shaw on the differences between wallpaper and paint, and why you should know about them! Thanks Naomi!

New wallpaper and a fresh coat of paint are both excellent ways to make your walls look new and your décor shine. However, while they’ll both look great for a while, and they’ll both serve your décor if chosen properly, making the decision between wallpaper and paint isn’t always as easy as it seems.

Use these tips to help you decide what’s best for your home and your walls.

What’s the Weather Like?

The weather doesn’t have anything to do with what you choose to put in your home or on your walls, right? After all, you have air conditioning and you use the heater in your winter to keep your home comfortable and toasty.

The truth is that the weather in your area and around your home really does make a difference when it comes to whether you should choose paint or wallpaper.

In areas where you have high humidity, wallpaper is likely to start peeling before you’re ready to replace it. So if you have a home in Florida where it is very humid, it is something you need to take into consideration, as it could start to pull away from the walls and turn into a costly repair job.

Paint isn’t as likely to be affected by weather as wallpaper, so in areas where humidity is very high, it’s generally a better choice. If you want texture, choose faux-finish or specialty paint.

Consider Your Walls

The material used to make your walls isn’t something you’ve likely considered too much unless you built your home. However, not all homes use the standard drywall that you see in most houses.

If you live in an older home, there’s a good chance you have plaster walls. While plaster is great for keeping your home a pleasant temperature and blocking sound, it doesn’t always hold up to wallpaper chemicals and the damage it can go through when the wallpaper needs to be stripped.

Image via Locati Architects

If you’re going to put wallpaper up on your plaster walls, make sure they’re strong and you don’t use abrasive adhesive. Otherwise, sticking with paint is your best bet.

Selling Soon?

Perhaps you just bought your home and you’re planning to stay put for as long as you can imagine. If that’s the case, choosing wallpaper or paint doesn’t have much to do with what potential buyers might want.

If you’re considering putting your home on the market soon, however, you may want to reconsider wallpaper, as many buyers are concerned with mold buildup since wallpaper doesn’t “breathe” quite like paint. This is especially true if you live in a humid area.

Paint is also the more common choice among home buyers, so you’ll want to keep that in mind. Wallpaper might even negatively affect your ability to sell your home as quickly as you want to.

Deciding what’s right for your home, wallpaper or paint, is a personal decision, and it’s one you’ll have to live with. However, taking the factors presented above into consideration is important.

If you don’t make the right decision, you can always go the other way later on, but it could be a real inconvenience and expense that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

Naomi Shaw is a freelance writer who resides in Southern California. She loves to write about home decor and home renovation. In her free time she likes to find new DIY crafts and hang out with her 3 children and husband.

February 21, 2014
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Design Tips and Trends,Featured,It's All in the Details

Gorgeous Gardens

So, we’ve been experiencing a little warm snap here in Steamboat. It’s weird because it seems that the rest of the country is experiencing the exact opposite- plunging temperatures, ice storms, snow snow snow. But no, not here! Here it has been in the high 30s, all the way up to the high 40s, which for this time of year is just crazy! It’s awakening that Springtime me, that is itching to emerge from hibernation, stretch, feel the sunshine on my face, and put on a t shirt. It’s a dangerous feeling, because I know that Mother Nature is just playing a trick on us, and that the groundhog did in fact see his shadow, and that yes, it is only February. I know deep down that we are still in for at least another 6 weeks of real-life winter… but hey, I can dream can’t I?

My Springtime wishes led me to thinking about flowers blooming, green grass, and color, and that is what I want to share with you today! There are so many beautiful gardens, and while the crocuses may not be popping out here for a little while yet, at least we can admire these pictures in the meantime!

Here’s a nice, normal (but still incredibly beautiful) garden to start us out. I like how it’s not perfectly manicured, but just slightly overgrown. Looks like you’re walking into a fairy tale!

Image via Flowers and Garden Love

Look at the tulips here! Springtime! I just love them. Also, look at the topiary trees in the background… that’s neat!

Image via Flowers and Garden Love

Here’s a gorgeous desert garden. The interspersed cacti add so much depth and texture, and the primary colors of the flowers jump out so much more in their stark surroundings of sand and rocks.

Image via Nature is Chaos and Order

Oh WOW!! Look at this beauty! Pink trees? Where do you think this was taken?

Image via Feel in Love

This stone gate is so beautiful covered in climbing flowers! I bet it leads to somewhere magical.

Image via Flowers and Garden Love

Succulents are very in right now in the world of planting, and modern decorating. But these colors! I have never seen all of these colors in succulents, such a happy bouquet!

Image via Helter Skelter

This flower lined cobblestone street is so charming! Don’t have to worry about traffic here! Just out for a stroll.

Image via Flowers and Garden Love

This last picture is one of my favorites! That’s why I saved it for last… because I’ll be staying here. Until real Summer comes.

Image via Explore

To see more gardens, flowers, and colors, visit us on Pinterest! You can also follow us on Facebook to get daily inspiration sent straight to your wall!

February 19, 2014
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Design Tips and Trends,Featured,It's All in the Details

Google Sketchup: What We’re Up To

Every so often, we like to share some of the things that we’re doing with you guys (actually we would like to do it more often, but we’re so busy actually DOING the things that we sometimes forget!). In the past, we’ve talked about Google Sketchup and how we use it to help our clients visualize what their space can look like with different options. Recently, we have been “Sketching Up” a LOT! It has been a great tool for one of our out of town jobs (almost 4 hours from Steamboat), because we can see the house and try things out without actually having to be there. We have also been using it for another project here in town to help a client visualize the fabrics, finishes, furniture and lighting that we have been proposing. It has helped her so much to have an idea what things will actually look like in her own house and not just in a fabric book or on a furniture website.

Today we wanted to share some of our hard work with you! It’s really amazing what we can do in Sketchup, from creating the smallest accessories (like mirrors and light fixtures), to adding furniture, to building an entire house. We can add the same rugs, wallpaper, paint colors, etc that we are planning on using to create a tiny little version of real life.

This is a 2d image of a 3d model of the library in our Steamboat project. We are using this wallpaper, and proposing the rug, the cabinet on the right, and the art piece all as options. Isn’t that neat to be able to see how things will look in your space before you even see them in person?

The wine cabinet is an example of the abilities of Sketchup. There is a 3d library that is free for Sketchup users to access and contribute to, but the furniture that we use and propose is generally so unique that we don’t have much of a chance of finding it, so we build it instead! I built the wine cabinet in the 2D image above from the picture below. You can see that it’s not exact, but I think it looks pretty close! For pieces like large sofas and chairs, we will usually find something that is very close in style to what we are looking for, then apply our own fabric or leather to the piece.

Here is another example from the same house. In this bar area, we are using really amazing and unique horn sconces (so unique that they’re almost one of a kind!) Obviously we’re not going to find anything close to this in the generic 3d library, so we build it! In the background though, you can see wine bottles that we got from the 3d library and arranged in the wine cabinet that we built from the plans. It’s great to be able to mix our own creations with existing pieces to capture every little detail! You can also see that we were able to apply stone to the back wall of the bar area and the arch in the hallway. The possibilities are really endless!

Here’s a picture of the horn sconce in real life. We used this picture and the dimensions that we got from the company to built the model in Sketchup.

This is a picture of one of the bedrooms in the Bunkhouse of our out-of-town project. This is a crazy house! It was built over time, room by room, and the angles and heights and pitches definitely reflect that! We used a combination of photos, Softplan files, and plans from the builder to piece this puzzle together in Sketchup, and have had so much fun coming up with creative ideas for our clients, who are excited to keep this place as funky as it always has been.

Here’s our idea for the bedroom in the picture above! How fun is this? We are going to make a bunk loft area, accessible only by rope ladder! Below, we’ll use a queen bed, and a built in closet with hanging and drawers to maximize space. We’ll use gray reclaimed wood to keep the cabin vibe going strong.

To learn more about Sketchup, you can read our previous posts here: http://blog.homeontherangeinteriors.com/?s=sketchupWe are so excited about the possibilities that Sketchup has created for us, and we really enjoy sharing them with you! It’s just amazing what we can do these days with technology, I still can’t believe that we can see a house complete with furniture, finishes and lighting before it’s even built, or see the results of a complete remodel before it’s even begun!