Blog

BY: JULIA KILBERG

We love home transformations! MOSS worked with two wonderful empty nesters in Reston, Virginia, that were looking to update their home after their kids went to college and moved out West.

To get them ready for hosting family over the fall and winter, this summer-long home remodel started with a bump-out from the front of the house to make room for a bigger dining room.

Northern Virginia Kitchen Remodel

Their original kitchen felt small and cramped. To help make the first floor more of an open concept, we took down a wall between the kitchen and living room. A few functional parts of the kitchen were also shifted toward the back of the home. The bay window/breakfast nook area was transformed with a kitchen island and small desk/workspace.

The renovated kitchen exudes modern elegance from the white subway tiles to the classic white cabinetry. New stainless steel appliances and a wine refrigerator were installed to make the space perfect for entertaining. The completed kitchen now looks longer and more sleek.

Open-Concept Living Room Connects Kitchen With Relaxing Space

Often overlooked changes like flooring and window treatments really complete the look of a remodel. New hardwood floors were laid throughout the first floor of this Reston home. Additionally, window treatments in the living room match the new kitchen windows for consistency throughout the living space.

The kitchen’s new curved island connects the kitchen to the living room. The island and countertops are made of Cambria quartz, a material that looks like marble but is easier to maintain. Two silver eight-inch pendant lights really make the breakfast island sparkle with inviting elegance.

New Paint And Light Fixtures Transform A Room

The dining room, which was moved into the bump-out space, replaced the dated front porch area of the home. It was updated with fresh paint colors and a new, modern, and rectangular chandelier.

The kitchen’s new curved island connects the kitchen to the living room. The island and countertops are made of Cambria quartz, a material that looks like marble but is easier to maintain. Two silver eight-inch pendant lights really make the breakfast island sparkle with inviting elegance.

Powder Rooms Become Statement Spaces

Along with everything in the kitchen, living room, and dining room, we also had the space to reconfigure a new closet and powder room on the first floor. The powder room used a statement deep blue color for added pizzazz.

Since storage isn’t usually an issue in a powder room, the pedestal basin sink with open polished chrome legs are a designer’s dream.

See more photos of this home remodel by visiting our photo gallery on Houzz. You can also check out another Before & After blog for a different home remodel in Reston, Virginia.

Want to learn more about how to start a remodel of your own? Contact us at 703.961.7707 or email us at Hello@mossbuildinganddesign.com.

You can also download our Beginner’s Guide To Home Remodeling by clicking on the button below:

Download The Beginner's Guide to Home Remodeling

By: Julia Kilberg

It’s a new year, and we all know what that means: New Year’s resolutions that will make 2019 your best year yet!

Beyond “eat healthier” and “work out more” resolutions, I took a closer look at what things I could do to improve my family’s daily life as a whole. One of these is to keep our home more organized. We moved to a new house in April 2018 and I feel like, in some ways, we’re still moving in. Add two kids under three years old, and our house is constantly A MESS.

I’m trying my best to unpack, store, or toss items still in boxes somewhere or have been out-of-sight and out-of-mind for the last six months. Once I completely unpack, I’m hoping to add some color to our life. I love 2019’s Color Of The Year, Living Coral, and plan to incorporate that into future home accents.

Read more about the Color Of The Year in our blog.

Prioritizing Home Projects To Make Room For Family

Some members of our MOSS team also shared their home trouble spots and New Year’s resolutions to solve them. Read their New Year’s resolutions below.

“My New Year’s resolution is to spend more quality time ‘with’ my family – instead of ‘for’ them. Our Christmas gift was a pool table, so we’re updating our basement a bit with fresh paint to accommodate this as a new space for our family to spend time together.”
Janice McLaury, Community Relations Associate

“We want to finally fix our mudroom storage issues. It’s not fitted to be convenient for the kids to put their stuff away. We’re going to do what we have to do to make it work this year.”
Jason Hampel, Owner

“I have two resolutions! First, prioritize my health and fitness – like actually block off time on my calendar for it. Second, simplify my life by doing a hard purge of my home. Taking care of too much stuff is weighing me down.”
Jeannine Miller, People Ops Specialist

“Two of my boys share a room, and their closet is in a terrible state of disarray. Shoes, cleats, books, toys, clothes – you name it. It’s in there, and it’s a mess. My New Year’s resolution is to clean, purge, and organize this closet!”
Jenn Zschunke, Community Relations Manager

Resolve To Complete Your Home Remodel With MOSS

Let Moss Building & Design help your New Year’s resolutions become reality this year. Contact us for a free in-home estimate for design and remodeling services at 703-961-7707 or email us at Hello@mossbuildinganddesign.com.

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By: Julia Kilberg

It seems like everyone is watching “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” on Netflix to learn how to clear the clutter and to simplify their lives. If you’re inspired by this minimalist interior design trend but don’t know where to start, here’s some design inspiration.

Consistency Is The Hallmark Of Minimalist Home Design

Minimalism in home design is almost exactly how it sounds. It’s an interior design style that focuses on minimal ornamentation and simplicity. Minimalism in art started in the 1960s as a response to consumerism and excess in society.

Similarly, minimalism as an interior design trend encourages you to ditch embellishments, decorations, and extra furniture and furnishings.

When it comes to home design, consistency is a great place to start. Make simple color choices, and carry these choices throughout your home. Start with a neutral pallet, like white or gray, on walls. Choose artwork or simple photo frames that match. Don’t over-do wall decor.

This Chantilly, Virginia, mudroom renovation is a perfect example of how simple changes reduce clutter (or at least hide it from view) and optimize the space. This workspace-mudroom combo hides clutter behind sliding barn doors.

Create Visual Balance In A Minimalist Home

Visual balance in the interior design of a minimalist home is most easily achieved by symmetrically arranging furniture. Make remodeling design choices to achieve architectural balance in your rooms.

“Radial balance radiates outwards in a circular pattern, from a central focal point (like a chandelier, skylight, round table, or centrally placed decorative tile),” according to an article on Hunker, an online design resource.

Should you choose to renovate or remodel certain rooms in your home or embark on an addition or whole-home renovation project, consider ceiling and electrical choices closely to achieve this balance. A radial chandelier in the living room becomes a focal point and the central pillar for a symmetrical space.

Commonly, you also see symmetry in double vanity bathrooms like in this Fairfax Station, Virginia remodel.

By: The MOSS Team

The New Year is here! It’s time to start thinking about home improvement resolutions. These fabulous home improvements from MOSS add value to your home and improve quality of life for you and your family.

Paint Attractive Colors

Paint colors affect mood and emotions. A gorgeous coat of paint is an excellent way to tie together your interior design ideas and make your home a brighter, more cheerful place.

If you’re not sure which paint colors are right for your home, check out the most popular paint colors on Houzz for inspiration. When in doubt, go with tasteful, classic neutrals like soft gray, gray-blue, and greige.

MOSS Tip: Paint small strokes as samples on the walls before making your final choice of paint.

Upgrade Furniture

Out-of-date furniture makes your home look shabby and aged, especially if the furniture is worn in from family movie nights and puppy playdates. Replace your most beaten-up pieces with new upgraded versions. The best thing about furniture is that no matter where you move or how you remodel your home, these design pieces stay with you.

MOSS Tip: Not sure what kind of furniture to buy? You can’t go wrong with solid wood. It’s a classic, elegant material that fits into almost every design style and for every piece of furniture, from coffee tables to chairs to bookshelves.

Install New Flooring

New floors make your home look freshly remodeled, even if nothing else changes. Hardwood planks are a super popular choice among homeowners. Dark hardwood flooring is also a safe bet and looks best when combined with bright, creamy paint and simple furnishings.

Install New Flooring

How’s this for an optical illusion? Cluttered walls actually look like they’re caving into your home. Remove clutter room by room, starting with the most visible parts of your home. Here’s a quick list of tips:

1. Recycle or file old bills in your home office.
2. Move seasonal knick-knacks to garage or basement storage.
3. Get bins and low-hanging shelves for your children’s playroom to organize art supplies, books, toys, music, and more.
4. Remove everything from the living room floor that isn’t a piece of furniture or rug.

As you declutter and organize, don’t forget about less visible areas. Move to your coat, bathroom, and bedroom closets. Add shelving and custom storage, including a built-in shoe rack, heavy-duty shelves, and small baskets to organize everything.

If you’re in need of more storage space, work with a remodeling contractor like MOSS to expand your closet and make it the walk-in closet you’ve always wanted.

To round out your organization efforts, organize storage spaces, and get rid of anything that’s dated, broken, or too used.

Lighten & Brighten

Natural light pushes back walls and makes rooms look more airy and spacious. Remove heavy curtains, and replace them with sheers. Replace dark blinds with light blinds. Clean all blinds regularly to make sure dust doesn’t inhibit the flow of natural light.

When spring comes, clean your windows and window screens with off-the-shelf glass cleaner. All these tips help lighten and brighten your home naturally – and help you save on energy costs.

Hire A MOSS Handyman

You probably have a long list of home improvements and repairs that you need to make. Whether it’s fixing little holes in the drywall or replacing the broken knob on the front door, these repairs are important. Make a list of everything that needs to be done, then hire a MOSS handyman.

With help from a remodeling professional, you’ll have your home fixed up quickly, and you can be confident that your home repairs will be done right.

Remodel

It’s time for a kitchen or bathroom remodel. A good remodel improves your home’s resale value and quality of life. Work with a remodeling contractor like MOSS to create custom storage, install new flooring, replace countertops, and install new lighting fixtures.

Ready To Get Started?

If you want a home to remodel in the New Year, contact us now to discuss options. At Moss Building & Design, we’ll work with you to improve your home and tackle remodeling projects next year. Call us at 703-961-7707 or email us atHello@MossBuildingandDesign.com.

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By: Julia Kilberg

The results are in! Ultra Violet is out, and Living Coral, a pink and peach hue, is in. Pantone recently introduced Living Coral as the 2019 Color of the Year.

Remodeling With Pantone’s Color Of The Year: Living Coral

Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year represents “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge,” according to Pantone. Pantone has been influencing home design choices with their Color of the Year distinction for the past 20 years.

This year’s color choice evokes the vibrant, sunny atmosphere associated with the beach and travel, but it also has a retro look to it as well. When you’re remodeling your home this year, Living Coral is a great color to look to for inspiration. You’ll see Living Coral-colored rugs, upholstery, throw blankets, appliances, and pillows explode on the scene in the New Year.

Kitchen Design Using Living Coral

Appliances and kitchen gadgets, like cutting boards, tea kettles, and Kitchenaid mixers can already be found in Pantone’s Living Coral. Living Coral is an ideal paint color choice for a kitchen remodel since its muted hue isn’t too overpowering. Look for Living Coral kitchen accent walls or backsplashes infused with pinks and peach colors this winter and spring.

Living Room Design Using Living Coral

To add Pantone’s Living Coral color to your living room interior, seek out rugs, throw pillows, lamps, drapes, and bright upholstery choices for your couches or accent chairs. The color particularly blends well in modern and contemporary living rooms.

Bathrooms Using Living Coral

When remodeling a bathroom, incorporate Living Coral for a sense of serenity and calmness. The color is similar to Pantone’s 2015 color choices detailed in our blog here. Choose Living Coral for your bathroom walls, shower tiles, or shower niches to accentuate the pop of color.

If you’re in the market for a remodel and want to learn more about how to incorporate living coral interiors into your home, contact us at 703.961.7707 or email us atHello@mossbuildinganddesign.com.

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By: The MOSS Team

Nobody likes clutter in their home! It darkens the space, makes cleaning difficult, and leads to disorganization. Make 2019 the year to remove clutter and to live a simpler, happier lifestyle. These decluttering tips from MOSS make it easy to get organized.

Organize Closets

The first place to look for clutter is the closet. Start your decluttering project by tracking which clothes, shoes, and accessories you actually use. Place sentimental items, like family jewelry or a box of old cards, in a bin to be saved. Once you’re done, get rid of everything that you no longer need or wear. Donate it or sell it.

When you narrow down what to keep and what to throw away, install organizational systems in your closet. Think about custom shelving, bins, or drawers to organize what’s left. Install a shoe rack or a hanging shoe organizer over the closet door.

Make a rule: Nothing sits on the floor of your closet anymore. Everything must have a place.

Recycle And Upcycle

Don’t throw away your old furniture. Upcycle it! Turn your child’s crib into a toddler bed, transform an old set of bookshelves into a bench, or turn your old console television into a beautiful fish tank. These great upcycle projects keep waste out of landfills and test your DIY skills.

If you’re not big on upcycling your old furniture, offer it to anyone who will come collect it. You give someone else a gift, and your home will look so much more organized and spacious when the old furniture is gone.

Remove Duplicates

Sort through collections of books, utensils, picture frames, vases, and everything else that you may have multiple of. Give away duplicates to charities and consignment shops or to a young family member or friend who’s moving into their first apartment.

If the collection of free items is large enough, list them in an online classified ad with that old furniture.

Reduce Kitchen Clutter

Most people have more pots and pans, plates, silverware, tea towels, and baking sheets than they actually use. Keeping in tune with donating duplicates, give away any usable kitchen clutter you haven’t used in the last two years. Also, throw away anything that’s no longer functional.

Make An Inventory

Make an inventory of any large collections, like books, movies, and vintage records, that you own. These are hard to keep organized as you collect, but an inventory helps you to get organized. By going through your collection, you can donate or sell any extras, throw away any duds, and decide what you want to keep.

Once the inventory is made, organize the remainder of the collection alphabetically or by purchase date, or color code it.

Install Custom Storage

Evaluate your current storage space. Do you have enough kitchen cabinets? Are your bookshelves big enough? What doesn’t fit inside the garage? Could you make better use of the storage you have, or would you be better off with new storage?

Custom built-in storage improves your home’s property value and simplifies the organization process. Talk to a remodeling contractor, like MOSS, about installing custom storage in your home. A good remodeler assesses what you have, discusses what could be improved, and draws up solutions for new storage space.

Organize Your Kid’s Bedroom

It sounds painful, but the process of sorting and organizing toys is rewarding. Make it a parent-child playdate and determine what your kid wants to keep, what’s broken, and what can be donated to nurseries or children’s hospitals.

After sorting, install low shelves or bins that your child can reach. Sort toys into bins or boxes by category. Board games, arts and crafts supplies, play costumes, and educational toys should all have their own place.

Keep your child involved in this decluttering process to teach your child about the organizational system when it’s finished. This makes it easier for your child to pick up and put away toys when they’re finished playing.

Contact Us To Get Started

Home improvements, like installing built-in storage, require help from a qualified remodeler. If you’re planning to organize your home this year, contact Moss Building & Design at 703-961-7707 or email us at Hello@MossBuildingandDesign.com.

You can also download our new Home Organization Checklist by clicking on the button below:

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By: Julia Kilberg

New Year, new home ideas for your renovation projects. We rounded up interior design trends you’ll see in home remodeling and design projects in 2019. If you need fresh design inspiration for the New Year, read on. We’ll have you wanting to tackle your remodeling resolutions in no time.

Multifunctional Furnishings

Modular, sectional furnishings, like the LoveSac brand, are a big hit among young families. Both practical in design and style, multifunctional furniture grows with you and changes as your living situation and needs dictate.

We’re also seeing multifunctional spaces in remodeled homes. Mudrooms that double as laundry rooms keep your dirtiest items out of sight, for example. Office nooks in kitchens or living rooms are also popular when you have to make the most out of limited real estate.

Clean Before Storing

Everything from accent walls to chairs has been popular over the years. Now, look out for statement ceilings in 2019. This is a very unique way for you to add a “wow” factor to any room, but we recommend sticking with a small space for this bold design choice. A powder room or small bathroom really comes to life by adding a bright paint color, three-dimensional material, geometric beams, or a unique lighting choice. Just make sure it fits with your design aesthetic.

This bedroom remodel in Vienna, Virginia, has an eye-catching ceiling. The fan is framed by the recessed ceiling, adding depth and character to the room. You can easily picture this in a living room as well.

Dark Colors

Deep, dark colors (paired with bright accents like Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year, Living Coral) are making an interior design comeback in 2019. Dark floors and accent walls give a deep warmth to the room.

These two bathrooms offer design inspiration for unique spaces. They use dark colors without being too overwhelming. One way to add dark richness to a bathroom remodel without overcommitting to the color choice is through accent tiles in your shower.

Retro & Bold Patterns

Everything vintage is making a comeback these days. That holds true for the home design and remodeling market as well. Look for retro furnishings and bold patterns in 2019 carried throughout the home, from living rooms to kitchens to bathrooms. Mid-Century modern design choices, like terrazzo floors and tiles and art deco, are also exploding on the scene.

Choose a smaller area, like a powder room or mudroom, to experiment with bold patterns, materials, and color choices. This transitional mudroom designed in Fairfax, Virginia, makes a fun statement with its green patterned walls.

Let Moss Building & Design complete all your home remodeling New Year’s resolutions this year. Our interior designers have fresh ideas to create the beautiful home design you’ve been dreaming of. Contact us at 703.961.7707 or email us atHello@mossbuildinganddesign.com.

By: Julia Kilberg

As fall and winter usher in the hosting season, we have tips to help you create the optimal living room design. Turn a crowded space into an exceptional holiday hosting space with these clever design solutions.

Make Structural Changes

One of the first questions a remodeler should ask is how you envision the updated living room to fit into your lifestyle. Often, living rooms carry the burdens of dated architectural decisions that make the spaces more cramped. If you have floor-to-ceiling columns blocking the flow, a new load-bearing beam can be replaced in the ceiling for an open-concept look.

The same goes for old HVAC duct systems that are bumped out from the ceilings and walls. Look for ways to restructure the room or move things, like fireplaces or built-ins, to better match the gathering space and how you’d like to use it moving forward.

Install Built-Ins

If the living room layout is too crowded by furniture, consider installing built-in bookshelves or a bench. This maximizes wall space and reduces the amount of clutter in the room.

In this Arlington, Virginia, home, built-in cabinetry under the living room windows looks fresh and new. This custom storage optimizes a space that might otherwise be unused.

Floor-To-Ceiling Windows

A room designed with floor-to-ceiling windows automatically feels bigger and brighter. This Oakton, Virginia, home has beautiful, 17-by-5-foot pieces of glass in its circular living room to open up the space. New windows make a great investment, particularly if you have a gorgeous view.

Use Light Colors

A quick, easy way to update a living room design is by changing the color. Whites, neutral beiges, and grays are popular choices. Use light neutrals on the walls to brighten up small gathering spaces, and employ pops of color with furniture or accent pillows. Check out Benjamin Moore’s inspiration guide for tips on living room colors.

To complement light paint, install updated recessed lighting to further brighten a living room. Updated lighting ensures that the gathering space feels less drab. Dimmable soft-white bulbs are optimal for living rooms, so choose the brightness you need depending on the occasion. Recessed or hanging light fixtures also enable you to donate any floor or table lamps that clutter the gathering space.

Maximize “Dead” Space

If you have a small living room, maximize “dead” or unused spaces. The area beneath the stairs is often overlooked but, with a thoughtful design idea, could be turned into something functional, like a built-in shelf or desk nook.

Think Minimalist

Don’t overburden the gathering space with large, clunky furniture. Think about how you use the space and get rid of any unnecessary furniture. Is the living room mostly used for sitting and chatting with guests? Move the TV elsewhere, and ditch the oversized entertainment console.

Do you prefer a comfy, cozy sitting area? Pair one or two small couches or chairs with a side table in the center of the room for reading and sipping tea.

Add Character

Add design flair to a living room and create a “wow” factor in even the smallest spaces. Think about whether you’d like a farmhouse chic or modern look. Check out our blog posts on those design ideas to see how your design style might fit in.

Pull Furniture Away From Walls

Particularly in long living rooms, think about arranging the furniture in the center of the room instead of along the walls. The living room layout impacts how crowded the space feels. According to The Spruce, creating pathways for walking and conversing creates a cozier space. They also suggest using circular or oval furniture to create a long living room that’s not overwhelmed with rectangular shapes.

This McLean, Virginia, home has a gorgeous living room layout with vaulted ceilings and an eye-catching stone fireplace. The lack of wall real estate for furniture doesn’t mean a great gathering space can’t be created. This room’s L-shaped couch-and-chair combo creates a cozy seating area even in the large space.

Have a small living room that needs built-ins? Looking to remodel or bump out your home living room design? View our portfolio, and don’t hesitate to contact us at 703.961.7707 or email us at Hello@mossbuildinganddesign.com to learn more about our latest specials.

There’s nothing better than a kitchen you’re proud to show off to friends and excited to cook in. This Oakton, Virginia, kitchen remodel is both. By fixing a number of functional issues – for example, an HVAC system that closed in the kitchen, dark paint, and insufficient lighting – MOSS created a dream kitchen for these Northern Virginia homeowners.

Open Up The Space

The bulkhead and soffits, holding the home HVAC system, was rerouted to streamline the ceiling that runs throughout the kitchen. The demolition process, previously chronicled in this blog post, showed how dated ductwork and load-bearing beams were replaced with a flush-mount beam for the more open look.

Let Your Light Shine

The darkness in the kitchen became a drag for the homeowner, so focusing on lighting and new fixtures was a must. Natural light poured in from the new, large custom window. LED lights in zones and on dimmers throughout the kitchen also helped to control lighting. Two beautiful pendant lights above the island completed the look. 

The countertop peninsula was also removed to enable extra space for a larger kitchen island. The open space improved the flow of the kitchen through to the dining area and living room.

To complement the countertops, she chose diamond tiles for the range and glass subway tile for the backsplash.

Fix Layout Issues

In initial design meetings, it became clear that the homeowner disliked the view of the kitchen from the entry foyer. To improve this and work on the flow to the adjacent room, the MOSS team moved the dishwasher and sink and bumped the kitchen island more out of view. There was also room to enlarge the island.

One of the final steps of the remodel process was selecting new appliances. This upgraded kitchen featured a Wolf Pro-Style Gas Range and subzero refrigerator, perfect for preparing large family meals.

Finally, the homeowner hated the cramped entryway from the garage to the kitchen, which featured the washer and dryer. The team took an underutilized adjacent pantry to create a laundry room. The MOSS designer had a stroke of genius and converted dated HVAC system ductwork into a laundry chute.

See more fabulous kitchen remodels by visiting our photo gallery on Houzz. Then, check out another Before & After blog of a remodeled home in Arlington, Virginia.

Want to learn more about a kitchen remodel of your own? View our portfolio of kitchen remodels, and don’t hesitate to contact us at 703.961.7707 or email us at Hello@mossbuildinganddesign.com.