The Washington Post - 20.02.2020

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Carrie Locklyn, a designer

and organizer who will appear

on the HGTV relaunch of “Ex-

treme Makeover: Home Edi-

tion,” joined staff writer Jura

Koncius last week for our Home

Front online chat. Here is an ed-

ited e xcerpt.

Q: What’s the next trend in

cabinetry? I’m sick of gray. What

other kitchen trends are you

seeing?

A: We will start to see the gray

cabinet trend fade out in 2020 ,

and we’ll see more colorful

cabinets in kitchens paired with

metal elements. I see

mushroom-colored cabinets or

“greige” t aking a big lead in

color trends. The color is warm

and neutral yet remains light

and airy. I see wood-grain

cabinets having a big comeback

in 2020.

As far as kitchen decor

trends: marble kitchen

countertops, wood cabinetry,

different colored appliances,

kitchen wallpaper, mix-and-

match metals and appliance

technology. The big trend in

kitchens is incorporating

technology.

Q: Are you still a fan of all

stainless appliances? Seems like

that is all you see today.

A: I think stainless appliances

will always be with us; they

have been around for almost

30 years, and they are classic.

However, you can now find so

many different options and

finishes. Black stainless steel is

one of my favorites, as is the

new bronze finish. Even newer

white finishes to contrast darker

kitchens are having a

resurgence. I also love the

option to customize hardware

such as pulls/handles.

Q: What’s the trend for bedroom

flooring? I am planning on

replacing my aging carpet in the

living areas with laminate, but

what about bedrooms? If carpet

is still big, what colors are

trending?

A: I would run the flooring from

your main living spaces right

into your bedroom. The

seamlessness of the flooring will

create an overall flow in your

home. If you are going with

laminate, I suggest putting area

rugs in the bedroom and living

spaces to create a grounding

effect and to keep feet warm.

Q: What’s the best way to

replace a large ’90s-era jetted

tub? The tub sits in a windowed

alcove with a fake marble

surround. I never use the jets.

A: Removing jetted tubs can be

especially difficult because they

tend to be very bulky; however,

if you are not using the tub, it

would definitely be a task worth

committing to. It is a significant

project; it will involve not only

removing the tub, but also the

framing, drywall, tile work,

electrical and plumbing. I would

recommend bringing in a

professional to get an opinion

and a quote.

Q: I have a 1950s ranch with a

breezeway paneled in knotty

pine. It’s the original — not the

cheap imitation stuff — but it’s

dark, and I’m thinking of

painting it. I have successfully

painted some that was in my

unfinished basement stairway,

which was quite banged up, and

it looks great. I’m not afraid of

doing it to get good results. But,

in the entranceway, will it hurt

the resale value if I paint over

it? I have been told by some that

it would be “a crime” t o paint it.

A: Oh, the battle over whether

to paint wood paneling. I have

done it many times, and every

time my clients rejoice. As a

homeowner, I say go with what

makes you happy and brings

you joy when you walk into your

home. Who doesn’t love a bright

and cheerful textured wall? As a

professional certified home

stager, I am here to tell you that

the entrance is the most

important part of the home. It

gives the first impression to

future home buyers, and

nothing says “welcome home”

more than a bright and vibrant

space.

Q: Our dining room is open to

the foyer of our house across

almost the whole width of both

and open to the kitchen by a

normal door-size space (no

door). The dining room is

carpeted (which I hate), the

foyer has an engineered wood

(dark, wide planks and smooth),

and the kitchen and adjoining

family room have an engineered

wood that is standard width,

lighter and scraped. I would

really love to replace the carpet

with a wood, but we can only

find a close match to the kitchen

wood, and replacing the foyer

and dining room offends my

sense of not being wasteful and

probably makes the project too

expensive. I’m worried about

the look of having the two

different (three visible if you

count the playroom, also

carpeted and open to the foyer)

floorings right when you walk

in. Am I doomed to replacing

carpet with carpet to keep it

simple and pleasing?

A: Whatever you can do to get

your floors to match up is the

way to go, and budget is always

the first factor we need to

consider. You are correct in

thinking that too many different

floor surfaces will create a

fragmented and disconnected

space. One continual floor

surface will help aid in the flow

of your home.

Q: I really hate stainless steel.

I have white appliances,

including a new dishwasher and

bottom-freezer refrigerator.

However, I would really like to

exchange my gas range for an

induction range, and it seems

they only come in stainless. Are

you aware of any brands that

come in white? Or even a fun

color — green, red, navy — that

would look good with white?

A: A lot more kitchen brands

are exploring colored

appliances, including Viking,

True, Hallman, Smeg, GE Cafe,

Kenmore and KitchenAid. It’s

inspiring to see brands

branching out into a more

colorful kitchen world.

Q: My staircase (center-hall

Colonial, so a real focal point) is

painted white with white posts

and a shiny black banister. The

molding is white, and the wall is

taupe gray. I have a Dash and

Albert runner on the stairs; it’s

taupe with a dark brown

chevron pattern. The stairs

don’t look great; they look flat

and not shiny, and they’re

getting dirty and scratched. Any

suggestions for a new paint job

and runner? I’m thinking I

should paint at least the tops of

the stairs a shiny black, but I’m

not sure precisely what kind of

paint would work best.

A: I just finished painting my

own banister and spindles in my

home. There was much talk

about how to make the stairs

themselves stand out. I went

with a dark charcoal gray, and I

love how it contrasts with the

neutral elements of my home. It

sounds like your home could use

a little contrast to really make

the staircase pop. Your idea of

painting the treads black is

great. Make sure to use a

durable, slip-resistant floor and

porch paint. I suggest going

with an eggshell finish for the

paint if you want a little sheen.

A new runner that is more

colorful or has a different

texture can also bring life to the

space.

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 Also at washingtonpost.com

Read the rest of this transcript and

submit questions to the next chat,

Thursday at 11 a.m., at

live.washingtonpost.com.

Live Q&A

C arrie Locklyn of ‘Extreme Makeover’ on rejuvenating your space

HGTV

To create seamless transitions from room to room in your home, keep your flooring consistent. If using laminate, designer and organizer

Carrie Locklyn of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” suggests using area rugs in living spaces to establish a grounding effect.