Bellamy Saia, the founder and creator of the Matchstix brand of products is pleased to announce an investment in Matchstix by American Pacific, parent of DesignTheSpace!  Bellamy will continue to be involved in the business and will concentrate on the creative and artistic ideas that have always been her passion.  The manufacturing and order fulfillment process will be handled in our woodworking factory here in Florence, Alabama.

"American Pacific has a deep woodworking and finishing experience dating back to 1959 and handcrafts wood products of the finest quality.  I am delighted to partner with a company that can carry on the Matchstix quality and integrity," said Bellamy Saia.

Scott Beggs, President of American Pacific, feels the same way.

"We are thrilled to invest in Matchstix and partner with Bellamy and will work hard to help the Matchstix brand reach its full potential.  Consumers love the authenticity of weathered, aged and reclaimed woods used to create rustic, distressed, and colorful picture frames, note and clip boards, along with other products. Everyone in our company is excited about Matchstix."

MatchStix will be on display to the industry to the market at the upcoming Gift and Furnishings Market at the America's Mart upcoming summer show July 10-13, in Booth 3-2-807.  We look forward to seeing a lot of our customers there!

A recent addition to our family of products is the complete line of decorative fused and frequently hand-painted glass vases and other home accessories by Jasmine Art Glass.

Benjamin Chang, born in Shanghai, China, fell in love with art and the art movement while still in his youth.  As a young adult, he was educated in San Francisco and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree.  Twenty years later, the sculptural glassware Benjamin continues to design is a testament to his heritage combined with contemporary western styles and learned as well as innate artistry skills. 

Browse through our JasmineArtGlass 'gallery' and find just the right museum quality fused glass piece, be it a vase, plate, platter, or panel, a bowl, a candle holder or an indoor/outdoor fused glass top cafe table!  Don't you need a new beautiful piece to place on your new fireplace mantel?  Call 888-848-8688 for information.

Paneling materials

Wood has been used in making decorative panels for many years. However, it is worth choosing the right type of wood that will deliver the best quality wall panels. Solid hardwood, engineered wood panels, plywood, and wood laminates are popular materials for making wooden wall panels. You can also use vinyl and fiberboard. If you want to improve the finishes on your wooden panels, use laminates and veneers for your wall paneling.

Wall Paneling styles

Various ways can be used to install or repair walls. The size of the panels may differ depending on the decoration styles adopted the architects. Our in-house interior designer can help you make a decision on how much wall to cover. The other common styling is wainscoting, especially for stairs, pillars, door and window frames. This is because the style you choose will significantly change the look of your room.

Wall Paneling Designs

There is a wide range of options when choosing your decorative panels. You want to decide on whether or not you will use conventional or modern decorative panels to renovate your room. If you choose a traditional face, you may choose install flat plank wall paneling, bead and board wall panels, or wood grain finishes. These materials allow you to choose between horizontal, vertical and diagonal styles. You can also use overlay panels, designer panels to lift the look of your walls.

For those who prefer contemporary designs, carefully choose the best deigns such as perforated and grill panels. Concrete wall paneling and stone paneling can be the easiest way of transforming the face of your rooms by giving them a grand touch.

With the above wall paneling ideas, you can spruce up the look of your interior walls. You will also be able to customize your styles to make your interiors unique. So take the challenge today and deck up your walls with the best paneling materials, the right designs and the right expert and have a perfectly looking interior space.

1. Pick the right style?

Foremost, pick a style that complements the décor used in your home. Still, the style of the beadboard paneling ought to complement the architectural design of your home. For example, if you are shopping for a beadboard to use on a conventional farmhouse, pick 2.5-inch v-bead or 1.625 v-bead. If the beadboards are to be used in a large room, opt for wider boards. In comparison to narrow boards, larger boards tend to give the impression that the room is less busy.

There are also customized beadboard paneling available for sale on our website, for example, casual v-beadboards and random-width v-beadboard.

2. Assess the profile

The profile of a beadboard panel influences several other factors like aesthetic appeal and durability. For example, for a more convincing look and high durability, pick panels that are at least 0.25 inches thick. The selected panels should also have clean cuts as well as beads. But in order to make an educated decision, you can order a few samples to ensure you are making the right design choice. By doing so, you will be able to make a side-by-side comparison, a factor that is important in influencing your purchase.

3. What is the application area?

Do you intend to use the beadboard panels in your bathroom, lounge area, dining room, bedroom or kitchen?  Then we have some images here to help inspire you with your particular project.

How to Choose a Mantel

As you search for the perfect mantel, you should consider the style of the room the fireplace is in. You should also look at the fireplace itself and the wall around it. You will want to choose one that matches, and this is no problem with all of the choices Design the Space offers.  Finding one that is the right size, material, and that matches will be no trouble at all.

Options in Contemporary Mantels

Contemporary mantels come in many types. You might prefer one that is made of some type of stone. Marble is a great option in this category, and marble mantels offer a unique, classy look for any fireplace. Wood mantels are another great choice if this would match better in your home.

Order the One you Like

When ordering a fireplace mantel, it is easy to take the measurements following our steps when ordering. We also have an Interior Designer on staff that would be glad to work with you to make sure we make the right choice and to ensure accuracy.  Fireplace mantels are wonderful to have, and they make fireplaces look so much nicer.

It doesn't matter if you are remodeling your bathroom or simply picking out fixtures for a new build; shopping for bathroom mirrors can be a bigger task than you think. That one simple mirror can make or break the entire look of your bathroom. You use it not only to see yourself in but it can also be used to reflect light and tie together the décor of the bathroom.

Measurements

Determine the size of the space you want to fill with a mirror. Going with a larger mirror can really open up your bathroom if you’re short on space. Reflecting that space in the mirror makes the room appear larger.

Also make sure you keep an even border around the mirror so it’s not too close to the ceiling or too close to the wall.

Budget

While bathroom mirrors can be a big focal point of a room you don’t want to spend and arm and a leg on a mirror. Determine what your budget is before you go shopping. This way you can stick to a plan and not fall in love with a mirror that really is just too expensive. Expect to pay around $50 for a basic, decent-sized mirror but it can go upwards from there depending on the style.  Go with just a mirror for now, and add a Mirror Frame from Design The Space next year, when your budget frees up!

Function

Don’t forget bathroom mirrors can come as part of a medicine cabinet or other form of storage, but not all mirrors include storage. If you are looking for more storage, buy a frame that has built-in side or a bottom shelf.  Try to match the wood or material to the woodwork in the bathroom so it all ties together and looks proper. Contact DesignTheSpace for help selecting a mirror frame.  We offer numerous frame profiles with and without shelves and a number of stain color choices.

Frame

Some bathroom mirrors come with frames on them and some don’t. The ones without frames are more affordable and you improve the looks a year or so down the road by purchasing a mirror frame from DesignTheSpace; a simple DIY project!

You can choose from simple decorations to very detailed, depending on your preference.  Both creating a beautiful look for your home. Blue mason jars in various sizes with pale yellow flowers are a great starting place. Or fill two apothecary jars with Easter eggs and place them on either end of your mantel shelf. You can also make a spring banner to hang from your mantel shelf.

If you have a little more time to spend on your creation, here is a more detailed idea.  Place moss grass along the full length of your mantel shelf.  On one end, place a large bunny.  On the other end, fill a jar with Easter eggs and then have flowering twigs emerging out of it.  Place larger eggs along the length of the mantel in the grass.  Hang an egg wreath from the center of your mantel shelf to complete the look.

We hope that you have enjoyed reading these ideas, and they have helped you begin to plan decorating your mantel shelf for spring.  If you are in the market for a new mantel shelf, Design the Space would love to help you with that.  Contact us today!

If you are wondering how difficult these fireplace shelves are to install, here are some easy to follow instructions on installing your fireplace shelves. For a complete list of instructions, please visit our website.

To begin with, you will need a tape measure, pencil, drill, level, a 5/16” Hex Head driver, a Philips head screwdriver, and 120 grit sandpaper if you plan to paint or stain. To attach the shelf to the bracket you will need 1/16" drill bit, hammer, nail set, and four #4 nails.

To begin, hold the shelf on the wall where you want it to be installed, make sure it is level, and lightly mark the top and sides with a pencil. Attach the shelf mounting strip below your marks. Drill holes in the mounting strip for the screws that will attach it to the wall studs or mortar joints. Attach the shelf to the mounting strip by sliding the open back of the shelf over the mounting strip.

Our website offers a more detailed explanation of our installation instructions for fireplace shelves. We also show numerous pictures of our fireplace shelves displayed in our customers’ homes. Please visit our website and contact us with any questions or to place your order. 

If you have already started collecting items to use in your spring decorating, here are some ideas we wanted to share with you that may help piece everything together! Start with what you have! If you have a large mirror hanging above on of your fireplace shelves already, simply hang a boxwood wreathe from a piece of pastel ribbon from the top of the mirror and attach a couple Easter eggs to the ribbon. Pair this look with some glass candlesticks and ceramic bunnies and you have a simple, yet beautiful decoration for one of your fireplace shelves.

Another simple decorating idea is to gather several different containers and line on of your fireplace shelves with them. Choose a collection of regular glass vases, milk glass, mason jars, or whatever else you can find laying around your house. Fill these with flowers in a variety of spring colors. These flowers can be artificial, dried, or live. Use whatever works for you!

However you choose to decorate your fireplace shelves from Design the Space, you are sure to add beauty to the room. One of the wonderful benefits of choosing one of our fireplace shelves is that they can be used in any room in your home, not just directly over a fireplace. Contact us today to place your order! We look forward to working with you! 

When decorating one of our modern mantels, it is best to keep in mind that less is usually more! You do not have to fill the space to add beauty. Start with a large family portrait hung above your mantel. Find a frame that accentuates other color choices you have used on pillows or in your rug and you have just completed your look. If you would prefer to have something actually sitting on the mantel, try a simple vase with some brightly colored dried flowers. Pair that with a contemporary mirror and your masterpiece has been created. Another beautiful, contemporary idea is to use blacks and whites in your décor. Hang a large mirror with wide black trim to the wall behind your mantel. Complete this look with a set of three white empty vases on either end of your modern mantel. Choose vases in various heights and sizes and you have a simple, yet marvelous looking contemporary fireplace mantel.

We hope that you have enjoyed these ideas for decorating you modern mantel and bringing a contemporary flare to your home. If you have any questions or would like to order one of our modern mantels, please contact us! We look forward to working with you!