home improvement
Enhance Your Home with Bold Colors
Homeowners seeking ideas to make a design statement and modernize their home interiors and exteriors can incorporate bold colors to achieve their renovation goals. Learn how to incorporate bold colors into your home with these tips.
Last Updated on March 14, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Enhance Your Home with Bold Colors
(Family Features) Homeowners seeking ideas to make a design statement and modernize their home interiors and exteriors can incorporate bold colors to achieve their renovation goals. Neutrals may be versatile, but bold colors introduce a striking way to reflect personality and elevate a home’s design.
Learn how to incorporate bold colors into your home with these tips from the design experts at Simonton Windows & Doors, part of Cornerstone Building Brands, a leading manufacturer of windows in North America.
Interior Paint
The wall color sets the tone of a room’s overall ambiance, but many homeowners are cautious about incorporating too much color. That’s a valid concern, since too many vibrant hues can feel overwhelming or create competing focal points that leave a room feeling cluttered and busy.
The key to bold colors on walls is balance. Bold walls offset by moderate flooring and furnishings create a room that is equally attention-grabbing and tastefully grounding. If you’re hesitant about taking bold colors too far, try designing your room with one bold accent wall and complement that color with accessories such as pillows and rugs or even statement furnishings to tie it all together.
Replacement Windows
Windows often fade into a home’s design aesthetic, but that doesn’t have to be the case. In fact, dark window finishes are becoming one of the season’s biggest design statements, offering homeowners a way to refresh their home’s curb appeal.
In response to growing consumer demand for sleek, modern window designs, Simonton introduced on-trend black and bronze interior and exterior finishes across its vinyl window collections, including DaylightMax Windows, which feature a unique slim-frame window design offering ample natural light while providing maximum energy efficiency.
For maximum impact, durability and low-maintenance appeal, consider pairing black or bronze window finishes with trending seasonal palettes and decor.
Cabinetry
Architectural elements can also play an important role in establishing a modern design motif for your home. This is especially true when it comes to the cabinetry in your kitchen and bathroom. Stepping away from classic neutral wood stains, white or gray to use bold paint or stain colors instead can completely transform a room.
Some homeowners go all-in and incorporate color across the entire room while others apply different colors for the tops and bottoms to create some variation or avoid overdoing a bold hue. Still others opt for a statement approach, and similar to choosing just one wall, they add a bold color to just one section of cabinetry, such as a coffee station or island base.
Cabinetry hardware adds another dimension of bold design. Stepping away from classic brushed nickel or oil-rubbed bronze and instead installing matte black, brushed brass, bronze or gunmetal brings a contemporary vibe that can accentuate a bold color choice.
Patio Doors
Establishing continuity between your indoor and outdoor living spaces means making your patio door part of a cohesive design that flows from the indoors out. An option like the Simonton MaxView Multi-Slide Patio Door Collection does precisely that. With custom sizing up to 10 feet high and 30 feet wide, the collection is available in multiple panel options with bypass, pocket or bi-part configurations. The doors also come in black or bronze exterior finishes, reflecting the trend toward bolder color choices.
“Homeowners want modern design without compromising performance,” said Kate Land, vice president of product and innovation at Cornerstone Building Brands. “Incorporating these innovative, durable finishes into our premium vinyl window and door collections delivers exactly that. These bold color options elevate a home’s overall design while the advanced glass and functionality of these vinyl windows deliver the highest standards of energy efficiency and durability.”
Incorporating bold colors into your design can make the space feel your own while demonstrating personality and modernization. Find more ideas and inspiration to answer the call for bold style at simonton.com.
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Family
6 Hacks to Prep Your Mudroom for Back-to-School Season
When school is back in session, it means a lot of coming and going to and from your home – often in a rush. Start with these mudroom organization and habit hacks to make your family’s daily routines a little easier.
(Feature Impact) When school is back in session, it means a lot of coming and going to and from your home – often in a rush. Smooth out those morning scrambles and save yourself some afternoon cleanups by turning your mudroom into a space that feels more organized and less chaotic.
Start with these mudroom organization and habit hacks to make your family’s daily routines a little easier.
Do a Beginning-of-Year Declutter
If the coat hooks are still sporting rain jackets the kids outgrew several seasons ago, that’s your sign to plan a purge. Out with the old, in with the new: collect last year’s coats, too-small shoes, the backpack with the broken zipper, worn-out accessories and that pile of junk mail then figure out what to keep, toss and donate.
Create a “Get-Out-The-Door” Spot for Essentials
“Have you seen my…” is a sentence you can only stand to hear (and say) so many times in one morning. Set up shelves or baskets for important items like keys, permission slips, library books, water bottles, lunchboxes, sports gear and anything else that needs to leave the house with the family. Repetition will build the habit, and even if things still get lost from time to time, this system gives everyone a first place to look.
Choose a Shoe System
Whether you’re a shoe rack kind of family or you’ve got DIY dreams of building an aesthetic wooden bench with shoe storage underneath, lock it in. Shoes are easy for kids to kick off when they get home, and if they aren’t sure where to put them, they’ll remain wherever they land or pile up by the door. Also consider putting down washable mats so grime doesn’t accumulate on your rack or floor.
Give Each Child a Designated Drop Zone
It’s easier for kids to stay organized when they have their own dedicated spaces to hang up jackets, set down backpacks, put shoes and store everyday essentials. Provide each child with their own coat hooks, cubbies, bins or lockers. Build them at kid-friendly heights and make it fun by letting everyone decorate their own zone.
Have Options Ready for Bad Weather
With a little advanced planning, you can prevent your mudroom from living up to its name. Set up a rainy-day corner with an umbrella stand, boot tray, towel basket and hooks or racks to hang damp outerwear. Keep a laundry hamper in the mudroom, too, so wet clothes and dirty uniforms don’t migrate through the house.
Label Storage Areas Clearly
Nearly everyone’s been there: you start a new organization system feeling efficient and optimistic, then over time, memories lapse and it descends back into anarchy. Labels may not stop this from happening every time, but at least they might make kids stop and consider whether their books should go in the basket labeled “Books” or on top of the shoe rack. That’s one step closer to restoring order.
For more back-to-school tips and tricks, visit eLivingToday.com.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
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home improvement
Forever to For Sale: The Resilient Flooring Benefits for Short- and Long-Term Homeowners
Whether you just closed on your forever home or decided to stay put with a low-interest loan and renovate, choosing the right flooring often pays off. Flooring is a foundation homeowners count on every day in their homes and often a key factor for potential buyers.
(Feature Impact) Whether you just closed on your forever home or decided to stay put with a low-interest loan and renovate, choosing the right flooring often pays off. Flooring is a foundation homeowners count on every day in their homes and often a key factor for potential buyers. No matter where you are in your home journey, your flooring needs to deliver.
Great design, durability, ease of maintenance, convenience, indoor air quality, performance and value – these are universal considerations when choosing flooring, but not every type of flooring offers these benefits with such a wide breadth of options. Resilient flooring has a host of solutions that offer a balance of performance with personalization, making it a great option for homeowners at every stage of their building or renovation journeys.
Resilient Meets You Where You Are
If you’re staying put, one of the most impactful things you can do to improve your home is refresh your floors. In addition to a new and inspiring aesthetic, resilient flooring offers numerous options that deliver more.
Ease of maintenance is one of the most valued attributes in flooring. Resilient flooring has a host of options that are known for how easy they are to clean and how well they stand up to furry friends’ claws and accidental spills.
On the other hand, if you’re moving on and up, it’s important to remember dated and poorly maintained flooring are red flags for potential buyers or renters, making them consider repair costs or whether the rest of the home has been maintained. Updating flooring prior to selling often supports the value of your home compared to similar homes with worn or outdated floors. They inspire in the listing photos, create a positive first impression and make your home feel move-in ready.
No matter where you are in your home journey, when you’re balancing your budget for upgrades, it’s important to consider where you’ll get a good reward for your investment. Resilient flooring offers thousands of options to refresh any space in your home at a host of price points.
When designing or redesigning a space, it’s important to also look beyond durability and performance and consider the invisible benefits like indoor air quality. Resilient flooring offers two major third-party certifications in indoor air quality. The FloorScore certification means your floors have been tested and confirmed to promote good indoor air quality. For rigid core flooring, Assure Certified also has strict standards for indoor air quality and content and performance requirements. Both give you and your family peace of mind, knowing your floors are creating a better home environment where you live, play and work.
Sound Footing for Any Stage in the Home Journey
Ultimately, resilient flooring has numerous options that deliver beauty and performance for your family now and years down the road. Whether you’re staying put or moving to your next home, resilient flooring meets you where you are in life and helps you enjoy the next step. Its combination of thousands of designs, durability, ease of maintenance, third-party certifications and more make it a great option for sellers and dwellers.
To learn more about the benefits of resilient flooring, visit BeautifullyResponsible.com.
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home gardening
Fall Tree Planting: Expert Guidance for Optimal Growth
Fall Tree Planting: Fall is the perfect season to celebrate trees as they transform the world into vibrant shades of red, orange, green and gold. You can do more than just admire existing trees – because in many areas, fall is also an ideal time to plant new ones.
Fall Tree Planting: Expert Guidance for Optimal Growth
(Feature Impact) Fall is the perfect season to celebrate trees as they transform the world into vibrant shades of red, orange, green and gold. You can do more than just admire existing trees – because in many areas, fall is also an ideal time to plant new ones.
While spring is often seen as peak planting season, experts say cooler weather and autumn rains provide ideal conditions for seedlings to retain moisture and establish their root systems gradually before winter dormancy, improving their future ability to adjust to summer heat and drier conditions.
According to the Arbor Day Foundation, planting trees offers many benefits for the planet, wildlife and humans alike. From an environmental perspective, they help filter air and water, remove pollutants from the soil, slow storm surge and nurture biodiversity. Plus, access to nature can reduce stress and increase opportunities for outdoor recreation, improving overall health and well-being in your community.
This autumn, use these expert tips from Eric North, program manager of urban forestry and ISA-certified arborist at the Arbor Day Foundation, to plan your fall tree planting and add a few new hues to your local landscapes.
Choose the Right Tree
Setting your trees up for success starts with choosing the right species. Before ordering seedlings, take time to identify species that are well-suited to your local climate, soil conditions and planting site. Also consider the tree’s mature height and how far the canopy will spread – it won’t stay small forever, so make sure you can give it space to grow.
Think About Timing
Although you can technically plant trees until the soil is too frozen to dig a hole, it’s best to schedule your fall tree planting at least six weeks before the ground freezes so the seedlings have time to adapt before winter. If you’re unable to plant your trees immediately after getting them, you can store them in a cool, dry place, making sure the roots stay damp, for up to five days before putting them in the ground.
Don’t Dig Too Deep
A tree planted too deep may develop root and trunk problems that can affect its long-term health. Instead of digging deep, go wide to encourage roots to spread outward. Dig a hole roughly 3-4 times wider than the root system but no deeper than the root itself. When you put the tree in the hole, the root flare (where the trunk meets the roots) should sit level with the soil or slightly above it.
Mulch with Care
Adding 2-3 inches of mulch in a layer around the base of the tree can help insulate the soil and roots, retain moisture and suppress weeds. However, be careful to keep the mulch a few inches away from the trunk itself so you don’t create a “mulch volcano” that traps moisture against the bark.
Water Frequently
Cozy autumn rainstorms might share some of the workload here, but when the forecast looks clear, it’s up to you to water your newly planted seedlings. Keeping the soil consistently moist allows a young tree’s roots to stay hydrated and continue growing. Precise care instructions will depend on the type of tree and your location but expect to thoroughly water your trees about once a week until the ground freezes.
Protect Against Wildlife
Small trees are vulnerable to damage from local wildlife like deer and rabbits, who may chew on bark or snap fragile branches. Installing a protective fence or breathable tree guard can help safeguard trees until they’re older and more capable of withstanding scavenging from hungry critters.
Join the Cause with Trees
Research from the Arbor Day Foundation’s Canopy Report shows most Americans want to live in neighborhoods with more trees, but only a minority report having planted a tree in the past year. However, if you’re feeling inspired to plant trees in your yard this fall, the organization is ready to help.
New members who join during the nonprofit organization’s fall membership drive will receive 10 free trees suitable for their region, along with clear instructions on how to plant and care for them. Whether you’re a first-time planter or a seasoned friend of the forest, you’ll receive ongoing support to ensure success in your efforts to grow a greener world.
“People understand how important trees are for their communities, their health and the environment,” said Dan Lambe, chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “Many just need a simple way to get started. Our fall membership drive puts trees directly into people’s hands and gives them the confidence to plant trees successfully.”
The foundation has engaged tree planters in more than 90% of all American neighborhoods, thanks in large part to the organization’s membership drives each planting season. This fall, more than 2 million new trees are expected to be distributed.
To sign up and choose your 10 free trees, visit Arborday.org/GetTrees, where you can also find additional advice on tree planting, care and more.
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