Your Garage : A Few Fun Options
From the Ground Up
A chic garage update has to begin with the flooring. There are a few popular methods to rejuvenate a bleak, concrete floor. A quick and easy approach is applying a new coating such as paint, stain, polyurethane, or epoxy. To give it some character, apply stripes, squares or another design to the floor. Roll-out PVC flooring is another quick and simple option, but doesn’t provide much room for creativity. Perhaps the costliest but most attractive choice is flooring tile made specifically for garages that can be easily cleaned and maintained. A popular choice is snap-together plastic tiles that assemble easily into pleasing patterns.
Color and Lighting
Say good-bye to boring white walls and fluorescent lighting. It can be just as fun to pick a fresh, funky color for the garage as for the kitchen or bathroom. Be as bold or neutral as you’d like, but shorter ceilings common in garages are best left white to help the space feel larger. Experts recommend an eggshell or semigloss finish because they are more durable, easy to clean, and useful in a high-traffic area like a garage. If your garage is like most, a single lonely light bulb or fluorescent overhead fixture is probably the primary source of lighting. A sleek alternative is track lighting that comes in a variety of styles and patterns from straight tracks to winding wire tracks. The most elegant update, however, is recessed lighting. The hardware is fairly inexpensive, but calling a trained professional to assist with installation can be helpful. Recessed lighting gives a clean, streamlined look to a room, highlighting the spaces you want to stand out and camouflaging areas unfriendly to the eyes.
Form and Function
Every garage serves a different purpose. Decide what yours is first and go from there. Many homes already come equipped with air conditioning and/or heating in the garage, but if yours doesn’t come with these amenities, consider adding them. Regardless of its purpose, there are great new ways to organize and store items in a garage while maintaining a sophisticated look. Classic materials such as wood and diamond-plate aluminum are great choices for dad’s tools and workbench or for storing lawn and yard equipment, but more stylish storage options include sleek stainless steel, wicker, resin, and durable plastic storage containers in a variety of colors and sizes. Ceiling racks are also a great way to remove unsightly items like tents or lumber from the floor. Stylish room dividers or floor screens can also hide lawn mowers or other outdoor equipment. A final way to update the overall look of the garage is to replace any outdated appliances such as the refrigerator, deep freeze, or washer and dryer with new, more energyefficient ones.
Make the Space Your Own
The garage doesn’t have to simply be a drive-in closet or a storage room. The garage can be an extension of your home, a place to spend time with friends and family. Countless options exist to make the space personal and one-of-a-kind. Once an inviting and friendly place to be, the garage can become a welcome retreat instead of your home’s dreaded domain.
A few fun options to give your garage some character : |
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