Pitiful to Prettyful

There out countless situations where we are asked to design around an existing element.  Often times it is tile that is not going anywhere whether it’s flooring, a backsplash or shower walls. Sometimes we get thrown doozies and it’s our job to dress it up, update it and take something blah to fab.  To test our imaginations we are starting design challenges. There are no rules other than ensuring we can incorporate the tile in question.  The first one revolves around a 6×12 mustard yellow ceramic tile with faint orange-red flecking.  Hot.

On September 27^th, we will post all the design solutions and you can vote on them.  You get to decide who came up with the best design!  Who knows what the reward will be.  Feel free to throw out suggestions.  We’d also love to hear what you think could work. 

The tile first up is:

doin’ it different

Creativity by definition means the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination. (dictionary.com, ya’ll)

Ugh…that’s quite the definition.  I think a much more simple way to put it would be the ability to see outside the box.  It also doesn’t have as many big words.  Let me tell you how we broke the barriers on Saturday.  As I hope my adoring fans know (that would be you guys), we have stock material.  We get shipments of stuff in and price it attractively for the weekend warriors and DIY-ers or the customer looking to update on a dime.  We also offer 10% off that stuff until the end of the year if you donate gently used bras.  Just sayin! 

Anyway, so at some point we got a shipment of loose hexagon mosaic tiles in a not so appealing color.  How the hell are we gonna sell something like that?!  I mean little tiny mosaics…all loose…in a maroon color.  No one is going to buy it like that.  So the boss man put his thinking cap on and came up with an idea.

Why not use them in the medians in our parking lot?  We do sell tile, you know.  This is a cute way to utilize an otherwise useless tile.  So our hunky warehouse boys (we gotta hand them one for putting up with us haha) opened boxes and poured them into our median.  Instead of pebbles and rocks as landscaping we used mosaic tiles.  This could be a trend guys!  Our creative abilities allowed us to repurpose something and set ourselves apart in a small way.  We found a home for those icky mosaics and that makes me feel nice.  Perhaps we should be rewarded with cake.  It also gives me confidence that Exceed Flooring is a place where your design challenges can be met and conquered.  We’re like designers outfitted for ugly tile war!  

With that in mind, tune into the next blog where we will begin a little design challenge every month.  It will test our design capabilities and the best part is you can vote for who you think did the best job!

xoxogingersnap

dont be a square

We’ve done some fall cleaning and now have an overwhelming amount of carpet squares.  This is great for you because they are a quick and easy solutions for the areas you want to put rugs down.  They work great for reading circles at schools and at libraries.  They look great in front of doors or as mats in your cars.  They are an easy place to leave shoes when you come in the house.  Whatever the use, carpet squares are great and you know you want them.  So (in my best infomercial voice ever) stop in today and grab your squares or be a square! 

Oh!  And just a reminder, donate your gently used bras for Breast Cancer awareness! See blog below for details!

xoxo gingersnap

we are ze winnas

So a month or so ago we won.  We won recognition from you as The Best Flooring Store AND One of the Best interior designers in McHenry County.  This is big stuff.  Why am I just now raising the flags and sounding the trumpets?  Well I’ve been busy guys! 

We received banners and even framed our awards so you know just how phenomenal we are.  You should come see why we won!  Did you know that we also won One of the Best Flooring Stores in 2008, 2009 and 2010? We also snagged One of the Best Home Improvement Centers in 2010.  That’s right; we came out ahead of our arch enemies this year and triumphed as THE best.  Our nemesis’ being anyone who competes with us even though no one has near the quantity and quality of stuff we carry.

 No, I am not biased.

Plus we have made huge improvements to our showroom so it would be totally worth your while to stop in.  We’re not done either-keep checking back here and on our Facebook page to see what new things we have coming in!!

OH YEAH!  We want your bras.  Note the earlier blog. 

fine design served up italian style

In keeping with the trend of discussing style basics, this blog will cover the tasty vittles of “Tuscan”.  I am not going to bore you with a rich history lesson.  Although fascinating I think the pretty exterior and interior design elements of the boot shaped country are far more intriguing.  A Tuscan space should appeal to warmth and joy.  It should take you on a journey to a simpler time or wisk you off into some romance novel filled with wine, love and sunflowers!  Isn’t that sweet.

• Tumbled, chiseled, brushed stone material

• Historic, Ancient, Rustic

• Earthy Architecture

• Muted, warm colors

• Mosaics

• Vineyards and Landscape

K, great!  Thanks for getting your design education on and keep a style eye open for future postings of other well known (and not so well known) design concepts!

xoxo gingersnap

Hilarity Ensues

Remember when you were in grade school and you showed up to class and then it hits you like a ton of bricks. The assignment that you have known about for over a month is due. TODAY! You’re trying to scramble and come up with an excuse to tell your teacher but when she asked where your assignment is the best you can come up with is “my dog ate my homework.” The minute it flies out of your mouth you see her roll her eyes and know that she is just not having it. In the sheer panic, you just go with it and pray that she never finds out that you in fact do not even own a dog. Once home you throw the assignment together to turn in the next day hoping to earn at least partial credit.
Fast forward a few years, I am the teacher and YOU are the student. You come into Exceed and I greet you and ask if there is anything I can help you find. You politely say, “Yes! I desperately need your expertise on how to put my backsplash together.” I say, “Do not worry, you have come to the right place and I would be happy to help you.” I am so professional! After throwing together a few options you have ultimately have fallen in love with, we decide it is best for you to take the samples home and see how they look in your own space. Then you return the samples and I ask you how they worked out and how we should proceed in the process. You look at me and I can see it on your face. You are scrambling for something to say and the best you can come up with is “I have had a family crisis and can no longer proceed with the project at this given time.” In sheer panic you just go with it and hope I never find out little Johnny did not in fact break any body parts. Sound familiar?
Be more original! Do you know how often we hear this excuse? Just tell us you do not want to do the project anymore for whatever reason. You are not going to hurt our feelings! Our customers are the best part of our job. You are providing the blank canvas for us to paint! Plus we’re really nice! If you cannot continue forward tell us why and maybe we can help find something more in budget, something more appealing or even hold a file open for you when Johnny’s leg heals and you can start up the home projects again:)

-Wren

More than hummus and olive oil

The doorbell dings alerting me that there is a customer walking into our showroom.  I greet them  with a killer smile and ask what I can do for them.  They tell me they want Mediterranean.  What the hell is Mediterranean?!  I pry further.  They are stumped as how to further describe  their idea of Mediterranean.  So I begin  to pull what I think is Mediterranean and they like nothing. I take another  stab at it and again I’m met with blank stares and no direction.  Come on people, you need to know what Mediterranean is if you’re going to ask for it!

As a sales person and a designer it’s near impossible to do our job without even a little direction.  We need to be reined in by something or our creative juices will flow out of control! I want you to have that Mediterranean kitchen and so I have come to the rescue!

I have put together an idea board.  A pictorial guide to the design challenged.  Look no further than our fabulous blog to understand the basic components of this Mediterranean style people so desperately want slapped across their kitchens and bathrooms!

• Primary Colors

• Busy Patterns

• White washed walls

• Exposed Beams

• Wrought Iron (think

  pendant lights, balustrades)

• Organic Sculpted

  Architecture

• Materials such as marble,

  wood, clay, plaster, cotton

• Bulky Furniture

There ya have it! Mediterranean in its most basic form.  Olive to help you! HA, get it?

xoxo gingersnap

We’re gettin’ personal

We want your gently used bras.  Yeah, the ones in your drawer you dont wear anymore.  Or maybe you need an excuse to go buy sexy new ones.  Donate them to Exceed!

In order to raise breast cancer awareness, we are gladly taking off our bras and donating them to local women’s social service agencies!  What more reason do you need?!  Well here’s one.  If you donate you will receive a coupon for 10% off any in stock material*.  That’s 10% off material for the bathroom you’ve been dyin’ to update!  VERY exciting stuff! 

Also, during the months of September and October a percentage of the store sales will be donated to Centegras’s Gavers Breast Center!  We’re doing our part so take ’em off ladies!!

 

*Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions

Hello Fans!

You may have been waiting on us at Exceed to come up with a way to reach out to our local community.  Are you ready for it? A blog. Original I know you.  You’d think as designers we would have some innovative “make you wanna smack us” testament to art! As phenomenal as we are, we are down to earth and realistic about what we’re capable of. Which in nothing less than amazing:)

So guess what?  We LOVE our customers! We want you to get the inside scoop and see us as real, fun, diverse people working with you to create fascinating one of kind designs.  Really, we’re fun! No seriously, we are!  And as much you’ll hear from us we want to hear from you.  If you want to see something, let us know.  If you have feedback, feed it back. If you have ideas, share them.  If you have criticisms, keep it to yourself. 

Thanks for stopping by and keep an eye out for new stuff!  Also, add us Facebook:)

xoxo

thegirls&haig