View Flooring Samples in Your Home with Empire Today

We spend a lot of time on this site answering questions about interior design and giving pointers on choosing flooring.  In the end, with most design choice questions, the best advice is to get product samples and bring them home to see how they work with your lighting, decor and other aspects of your home and style.  You really need to see things in place, on your floor, wall, counter, etc, to get a true appreciation of how colors and styles will work in your home.  While you can get flooring product samples to bring home from most big box stores, why not consider in-home shopping with a company like Empire Today?

Empire Today offers free shop-at-home convenience that isn’t available from most other flooring suppliers.  They can send an knowledgeable product representative to your home who can show you samples, measure your project and provide a price quote all in one convenient and time saving visit.  If the product you choose is in-stock, you representative can even and schedule a next day installation appointment if you’re ready to make a decision.  If this concept doesn’t sound familiar to you, you can check out Empire Carpet TV, a fun little site they’ve put together with all of their television commercials.

Empire Today offers a full line of flooring options including carpet, hardwood, laminate, and ceramic tile.  Hardwood flooring options include traditional species like oak, as well as bamboo and other exotic flooring species.  There is also a wide range of different selections of carpets and tiles to suit different styles, traffic patterns and budgets.  If you’re doing a more extensive remodel, they also offer bath and shower liners, as well as blinds – all with the same in-home service.

In addition to the convenience of in-home shopping, Empire also offers a low price guarantee in most markets.  Simply show them a competitive written estimate for the same or similar quality flooring materials, and Empire will beat it.  Of course, there are some limitations and exclusions, so be sure to ask for details if you plan on asking them to beat a price quote from another retailer.

With service in over 50 major metropolitan areas across the US, the Empire Today jingle (you know: “800-588-2300™ Empire . . .”) and the Empire Today Man are known throughout the country.  Not sure what I’m talking about?  You can even check out a whole archive of Empire Today Commercials online or watch one of their commercials below.

Choosing Paint Colors to Complement Your Floor

Dear Rob:

I’ve finally settled on the wood floors I’m going to be installing in my living room, and now I’m struggling with paint colors.  The floors, being wood, are a neutral earthy color, but I’d like a vibrant color on my walls.  Can this work, or should I stick with earth tones?  Help!

-Nikki in Vermont

Dear Nikki:

Choosing the right wall color with your floor choice can provide harmony and balance to a room. There is more than one correct option for wall and floor combinations, but there are some general guidelines that can be followed to make a good decision.

If your room has dark, warm floors such as a mahogany it is best to use a warm paint color. If you want the room to feel dark and cozy, then a darker warm paint color should be used. Without the right amount of light in the room the room can feel like study or a cave. If you want the room to feel cozy, but not dark then a lighter shade of a warm color should be used.

For a room with light floors such as a light beige tile, dark or light walls can be used, depending on the look you are going for. If you want the room to feel open, light and airy a lighter color should be used. If you want the color of the wall to stand out, a darker color should be used.

Cooler colored walls should be used with cooler colored floors such as natural finished maple or hickory rather than a walnut or mahogany.

Basically, warmer colored floors should be paired with warmer wall colors and cooler colored floors should be paired with cooler wall colors. The shade or depth of color used determines the feel of the room.

When choosing a color from a floor covering that has multiple colors or shades it is not necessary to match the exact color of the floor. Choose a color that blends with the floor or is one of the minority colors in the tile. One easy way to do this is to match the floor to a paint color on a paint chart and then choose a color that is lighter or darker on the paint chart. This will ensure that the color blends, but does not match exactly. This will also allow you to use many more colors in your design scheme by opening up the pallet of colors used.

Another consideration is whether or not an area rug will be used. This opens up the choice for many more wall color choices. Again, when choosing a wall color with an area rug in mind, the color does not have to match exactly. You are looking for a color that blends or is a minority color in the rug. Again, this will allow you to use many more colors as a part of your overall design scheme.

Choosing the right wall and floor color combination can bring a room to life. If possible, be sure to test the paint swatches on the wall after the floors are installed. This will help you see if the color of the wall and the color of the floors compliment each other.

-Rob