The Nuts and Bolts: Rustic Wood and Neutrals Fall Decor Trends

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The Master Bedroom Goes Industrial This Fall: Rustic Wood, Statement Lighting and Neutrals Named Top Picks for Home Remodelers

Zillow Digs® announced industrial chic as the top master bedroom design style for fall 2014. Raw or exposed wood elements with dramatic lighting and neutral colors will be among the most popular master bedroom design trends this season, according to the Zillow® Digs Home Design Trend Report, a leading indicator of home design trends.

Industrial chic is a dramatic contrast to the traditional-style master bedroom that has become a staple in many American households. With the rise of industrial chic, expect the days of matching bedroom sets, bold colors and patterns, wall-to-wall carpeting and polished wood furniture to be limited, as homeowners start to gravitate towards more eclectic and unique design elements that bring character and warmth to their bedroom.

More than half of the most popular bedrooms on Zillow Digs contained elements co

More than half of the most popular bedrooms on Zillow Digs contained elements commonly associated with the industrial chic design style. More specifically, the top three design trends for an industrial chic bedroom are:

  1. Raw or Reclaimed Wood: From headboards to nightstands, raw wood elements are all the rage this season. Of the most popular master bedroom photos on Zillow Digs, nearly 44 percent of them specifically had natural wood elements or neutral colors. "Pine and natural wood tones are especially popular in master bedrooms," says Zillow Digs Board of Designers member, Vanessa Deleon of Vanessa Deleon Associates in New York City. "They bring a rustic charm that makes the space feel both relaxing and approachable."
  2. Modern Statement Lighting: According to Zillow Digs design expert, Melissa Klebenoff of Melissa Klebenoff Interior Design in Seattle, "Fabulous overhead lighting fixtures are playing an important role in master bedrooms this season." Klebenoff expects homeowners will be particularly drawn to lighting fixtures with nickel or brass finishes for a "hip and modern design" element.
  3. Warm Neutrals: One of the most popular trends this season will be warm, neutral colors, according to the report. From bedspreads to wall colors, soft, organic neutrals provide the perfect calming backdrop for the aged materials and textures commonly associated with industrial chic. Jamie Beckwith, Zillow Digs Board of Designers member and founder of Beckwith Interiors in Nashville, Tennessee, says neutral mercurial colors, or colors that change with the lighting and time of day are especially popular. Silvers, grays, whites or even soft blues are all top choices this season.

Half of homeowners are planning home improvements this fall, and as the weather cools down homeowners are switching their design focus to indoor spaces. Over three-quarters of planned home improvements are expected to be to an indoor space, with many focusing specifically on master bedrooms.

The Zillow Digs Home Design Trend Report is a one-of-a-kind report which combines data from a survey of leading interior design experts and an analysis of the most popular photos on Zillow Digs. Home design trends emerge well before the execution phase as remodelers and designers must first find inspiration. By tracking trending photos, Zillow Digs and its team of design experts are able to spot emerging trends well before they make their transition into homes.

Storehouse, Winner of Apple’s 2014 Design Award, Comes to iPhone

Hailed by Apple as one of the best designed apps in the world, Storehouse — the app that makes it easy to tell stories using photos and videos and which was previously only available on iPad — is now available as a free download in the App Store.

Most photo services are the digital equivalent of throwing your photos into a shoebox in the closet, forcing your photos into a mishmash of thumbnails. Most social apps, alternately, are about sharing individual moments, one photo at a time, rather than storytelling. Storehouse enables users to combine photos, videos, and words into a fluid layout and easily craft a narrative. It’s the ideal app for all kinds of content that people want to preserve, and for stories that require more than a single photo or video.

Since launching on iPade earlier this year, Storehouse's community of creators spans over 217 countries and territories -- many of whom are using the app to document memories of their children, travel adventures, weddings, crafts and recipes. Similarly, DIYers, photographers, woodworkers, chefs, cartoonists and fashion designers are using the platform to show off their work.

“The iPhone taught the world that everybody can be a photographer,” said Mark Kawano, co-founder and CEO of Storehouse, and former Design Evangelist at Apple. “With Storehouse for iPhone, we want to show how easy it can be to tell stories with all of the photos and videos they are taking.”

Examples of a few stories already created on Storehouse’s iPhone app include:

Storehouse iPhone Features Include:
  • Create and Share: Photos and videos for stories can be taken directly from within in the app, or uploaded from the iPhone camera roll, Dropbox, Instagram, or Flickr. Once published, stories can be shared to the web in a layout that looks perfect across any device.

  • Explore: Within the explore tab, users can view stories by category or search and discover stories with hashtags.

  • Home: The home tab features a feed of stories from people you follow, as well as the stories they have republished. Find and follow people you know on Storehouse via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

  • Profile: The profile tab in the app shows your bio, your stories, and pieces by others that you have liked or republished. Profiles have also been added to the Storehouse website.

  • Hashtags and Notifications: Available for the first time across Storehouse apps, creators can now use hashtags to tag stories and make them discoverable on the explore tab. Additionally, the notifications tab will let users know when other people have commented on stories they have published, or if new users have followed them.

Safety In Numbers: Be Safe and Replace Smoke Alarms with New High-Tech, High-Style Options

With school back in session, it's time for a little math lesson. If the average American home is two stories with three bedrooms, how many smoke alarms are needed to protect it? If you answered less than five, keep reading.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends that homes have smoke alarms installed inside every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. To put this into perspective, the average-sized home in America needs a minimum of five smoke alarms.

This October, in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week (Oct. 5-11), First Alert is urging Americans to take stock of their home's security and protection from smoke and fire by testing alarms to ensure that batteries and devices are functioning properly, replacing any alarms that are outdated or dysfunctional, and installing new alarms in under-protected areas.

While Fire Prevention Week is now an 89-year old observance – the longest running presidential proclamation in history – this historical event has never been more stylish. Following in the footsteps of tablet computers, razor-thin cell phones and integrated household appliances, advances in smoke alarm technology have yielded new alarms that offer safety with a sense of style – while also providing the highest levels of protection from the threats of smoke and fire.

Packing all the power of an advanced photoelectric smoke alarm into a micro design, the new First Alert® AtomSmoke and Fire Alarm features a sleek, compact design that blends seamlessly into any wall or ceiling.

"With the First Alert Atom alarm, big things really do come in small packages," says Deborah Hanson, director of external affairs for First Alert. "This award-winning alarm reflects today's trend toward more streamlined profiles while still offering maximum protection."

In addition to its minimalist, non-intrusive design, Atom also features revolutionary micro technology with an advanced smoke entry system for fewer false alarms, and a loud, penetrating siren.

"Our goal during Fire Prevention Week is to educate consumers about the dangers of smoke and fire and encourage them to test their alarms and replace devices as needed in order to better protect themselves, their families and their homes," Hanson added. "With the Atom, the options for protecting one's home have never been more appealing, and we hope that its combination of superior style and safety is the key to inspiring families to upgrade their home's level of protection."

For more information about First Alert products, visit www.firstalert.com.