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Gift-Giving Guide for this Holiday Season

With Christmas less than three weeks away and the holidays on the mind, now is a great time to start planning presents and drafting up your special list. It would be fair to say that this year, our needs and wants look a little different than in years past. Our 2020 Christmas (or Hanukkah) list reflects the current times. And besides many of us craving a much-needed vacation, another 2020 necessity has been some solid personal space. This need feels particularly evident these days, as we head into the colder winter months and opportunities for solo outdoors time becomes sparse. Especially for those living in snowy states, the option to get away for a nice outside stroll alone to absorb some much needed Vitamin D doesn’t exactly present itself. But we really do need solitary time away from our family or roommates in order to find inner peace and clarity between the chaos of the holidays. Moving forward into the new year, we may have to take these matters into our own hands.

With the top gift-giving holidays just around the corner, now is the perfect time to ask for (or gift)  those home goods and interior upgrades you’ve been patiently waiting for all year. After all, home has become our own little universe this year. Why not invest in our relative surroundings?

And in our opinion, the best gift of this season is to create space where it doesn’t exist. As we stay home and stay safe we must come up with creative ways to find sanctuary and solitary within an otherwise shared indoor environment. So how can you make it happen this holiday season? Below is our 2020 gift-giving and wishing guide to help inspire you this December. After all, time is ticking!

Outdoor Heating

Heating is an obvious essential, even more so these days when our interiors are inundated with the entire household. Inside only allows so much space so having the option to get outside for some solo (or shared) time will make a huge difference this winter. Consider springing for an outdoor fire pit or a propane heater for the backyard. This gift will allow you and your family to get some fresh air and spend time outdoors during the cold winter months, or give you the opportunity to escape from the noise and chaos inside! Enjoy these heating options during socially distanced get-togethers with friends and family and stay warm while staying safe.

Bring the Fun To You

With restaurants and vacation rentals closing their doors yet again, there are few options for taking that exciting winter vacation this year. The solution? Bring the fun to you! Pick up a handful of board games (both new and old classics) and enjoy a little healthy competition with friends or family around the fire! Also worth considering? Larger interactive activities like a pool table or an air hockey machine. Not only are these super fun pastimes, but they are great at distracting the kids during your grueling work-from-home schedule. A win-win!

Make Some Space

Our last (but not least) gift idea is a breezy solution for creating space out of thin air. What could possibly do that? You may be wondering. Well, sliding glass wall partitions from The Sliding Door Company do that. These glass dividers and sliding glass doors are not only extremely easy to order and install, but they are uniquely customizable and offer the flexibility you can’t find elsewhere. The Sliding Door Company offers its glass room dividers in hundreds of varying configurations, sizes, glass opacities, and accessories all intended to suit your interior needs perfectly. From sliding glass barn doors to bathroom pocket doors, these spatial solutions integrate flawlessly into larger shared spaces or rooms within your home all while maintaining a beautiful aesthetic.

So if you’re like the millions of Americans who crave to bring peace, privacy, and productivity into the home, these solutions are for you. Whether these dividers will be used to construct your new home gym, your much-needed Work-From-Home office space, or as a play-place for the kids, you’ll be wishing you’d invested in them sooner. With the Sliding Door Company’s glass wall partitions, the options are truly endless! Check us out online today and schedule a free consultation with one of our team members. View our online catalog and see what glass solution suits your needs specifically! Order today and have them in time for the holidays!

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Great Design Increases Quality of Life

Simply put, interior design is to thank for providing the heart and soul to any building, home, restaurant, office, or retail shop. Design and curation are an integral part of any space- yet attention to interior design can be vastly overlooked. Why is it that our spaces are so affecting? Well, the obvious answer is because it’s our relative environment. We exist in our known spaces every single day, so they should be as functional, joyful, and enriching as possible. If you’re like the majority of people out there that draw a blank when it comes to crafting your interior space- don’t stress. Outlined below are the top design trends, elements, and solutions to effectively craft a dreamy, luxurious and unique abode perfect for you.

Frosted glass sliding door divides modern office from the living room area

The Healing Property of Plants

The age-old human tradition of bringing plants indoors has had many varying reasons, understandings, and developments. Houseplants have somehow survived as a staple of any interior design scheme throughout many a fad, decade and interior trend. Of course, which type of plants are in style has changed and evolved with the times. One thing is for certain- plants are an integral part of human life. There’s a greater reason why we crave to have plants living amongst us in our indoors. Here are the top

five main healing properties of plants:

  • They recycle carbon-dioxide and in turn, release oxygen. This assists us in breathing and promotes fresh, healthy air in our homes.
  • They increase humidity indoors during a process called transpiration which decreases dry skin, colds, dry coughs, and sore throats.
  • They reduce trace levels of toxic vapors such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde from enclosed interior spaces.
  • They make us feel in touch with our outside environment when being outdoors is not a viable option, especially in the cold and foul weather winter months
  • It’s been scientifically proven that the presence of plants actually improves concentration, reduces anxiety and promotes good memory

Intention Through Color

Take into consideration the colors that you are already stuck with… or rather, already enjoying. That is to say, look at your available furniture, wood pieces- such as tables and frames, and go from there. It is much easier to change a wall color rather than buy an entirely new set of furniture. Typically the goal is to create a cohesive juxtaposition between furnishings and wall color. For example, if you have loud, statement piece furniture in bright colors and patterns, opt for a more neutral wall color so as to not overcrowd and distract from your beautiful sofa, chair, table, etc. It works the same if you have neutral, toned-down furnishings. Consider livening up your space by picking a striking and emotive wall color to bring life and depth into your atmosphere.

Secondly, there are specific colors that cater to specific moods. Typically colors on the dark side of the spectrum- blues, greens, purples, and blacks are used to enlarge a space, offer sophistication, intrigue, concentration, and productivity. While brighter colors such as yellows, reds, oranges, mustards, whites, and pinks are employed to evoke energy, excitement, life, curiosity, and playfulness. Neutrals would be grays, browns, creams, and pale hues. Soft colors and neutrals are great for curating calming and relaxing spaces, or gender-neutral rooms.

Aim to be intentional when selecting color, after all, whatever you choose will have a substantial effect on the way you exist and enjoy each space.

Tasteful Art Curation

Everyone knows or should know, the value that good art adds to a home. When we walk into virtually any interior space, be it a restaurant, home or office, one of the first things we notice (subliminally or not) is the art. With this said, make a point to curate your space with art you love, not just art you can buy from a retail store at a discount price. Perhaps it will take months or even years to arrive at a collection you feel proud of. That’s the fun part- every time you buy a piece of art, in a sense, you’re memorializing your experience and the artist’s unique creative process. While some people craft their entire rooms based on one single piece of art, others use art to tie accessories and design flourishes together. To make the space feel considered and unique. Having art around you that you love will spark joy when you exist in that room, and may even provide a wonderful conversation starter.

Attention to Health and Wellness

This is something that many overlook while setting out to curate their interior environment. Attention to necessities such as abundant light, fresh air, plants, heat, spatial separation, and humidifiers all remedy the experience of existing in close quarters. An effective way to bring in and maintain more natural light throughout your home is to consider replacing unnecessary walls and restrictive doors with bi-fold interior doors. These glass bifold doors are almost exclusively glass, with little framing which allows for ample light to pass through and brighten up your interior space. A great replacement for average doors to the outside, these are stylish and unique- which creates interest and aid in your meaningful design.

Balcony sliding door with ocean view

Smart Accessories and Features

Implementing smart features throughout your home, as well as useful and intelligent accessories, will make your day-to-day more easeful as well as lower your monthly energy costs and carbon footprint. Introduce features such as Smart thermostats to regulate temperature from your smartphone, solar power-lit path lights, dimmer switches, and smart kitchenware and accessories. Things to reduce waste such as product savers like foam soap dispensers will make a big difference in the long run.

In addition to accessories, we recommend installing sliding pocket doors to maximize space and improve usability. Introducing a barn door room divider into your living room to effectively craft spatial distinction is a great way to add value and ease to any home. These sliding glass doors are a stylish and contemporary design that breeds rustic nostalgia and offers increased spatial separation where needed. Your home will feel accessible, updated and modern with these simple additions.

Person behind desk in home office with frosted glass sliding door

With all of these interior flourishes, touches, and creative considerations, hopefully you won’t be stumped the next time you set out to successfully create your ideal space. The Sliding Door Company has all the creative solutions you need moving forward making your home as comfortable and stylish as possible. For help on getting started, check out our website, go into any of our 26 showrooms which offer a myriad of design examples, accessory options, and customizable choices. Get in touch with one of our knowledgeable representatives by scheduling a free consultation and start the transformation today.