Hours: Mon, Wed & Fri: 8-5 / Tues 8-2 / Thurs: 8-7 / Sat: 9-1. Closed: 3/6 - 3/8/2023.
Design Trends and Ideas
April 7th, 2020
Fast, efficient, and SAFE . . .
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, Floor Warming, General, Installation, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
We have instituted a variety of measures in an attempt to ensure that we do all we can to keep our clients and employees safe from Covid-19. Currently, we are keeping our showroom and warehouse are open by appointment — one person/couple at a time. Our doing so will allow us to clean and disinfect after one client leaves and before the next client arrives. Please call or text us at 518-227-0156, or email us at [email protected] to schedule your appointment. Ideally, before you come in, we can discuss your project and I will have some options waiting for you at your arrival.
October 24th, 2019
Floating Porcelain Tile Floors 2.0?
Posted in Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Installation, Kitchens, LVT, Tile
One more time? In February 2012 we wrote about ‘click’ together porcelain tile that did not need to be set in mortar to the subfloor (floating porcelain tile floor). We weren’t fans at that time because it was difficult to snap the pieces together tightly. Fast-forward seven years and Dal Tile has re-introduced ‘click’ together porcelain tile with a much more promising result. This next generation click-together porcelain tile is intended as an alternative to conventionally installed porcelain tile and LVT (luxury vinyl tile). Some advantages and benefits of click together porcelain tile are listed below:
- No mortar required
- No wet saw required
- Score and snap into place
- Consistent alignment with no lippage
- No spacers required (automatically spaced to 1/8″)
- One-step flexible grout (Bostik TruColor recommended – never needs to be sealed!)
- No special tools required
- Easy removal for repair or updating
- Subfloor movement won’t telegraph
- Greater breaking strength and impact resistance
- No additional time required for curing
- Install and grout in the same day – no return trip required
- We have samples in the showroom to look at, play with, and borrow.
October 9th, 2019
The Colors of 2020
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
It’s that time of year again when the color forecasts are revealed for the coming year. The paint manufacturers usually lead the way. Sherwin Williams recently annouced that ‘Naval’ (navy blue) is its color of the year for 2020. 
You see ‘Naval’ paired with carrara marble (white with gray veining) and brass fixtures and accessories in interior design print publications and on on-line platforms. Color, but not really . . . grounded and calming . . . Benjamin Moore, Pittsburgh, and Behr will all weigh in soon, but the Pantone Color Institute’s color of the year is the benchmark. The tile world has nodded to blues and navy blues in the last two years so Sherwin Williams choice is not really a surprise. So let’s wait and see what the coming weeks and months will bring for the new colors in our lives for 2020.
November 21st, 2016
And the color of the year is?
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Tile
The answer is, it depends on who you ask . . . The paint manufacturers have stepped-up first . . . Sherwin Williams announced ‘Poised Taupe’ (SW6039) as its 2017 color of the year a few weeks ago. PPG recently announced ‘Violet Verbena’ (1169-5) as its color of the year, and Benjamin Moore followed up with ‘Shadow’ (2117-30) as its color of the year for 2017 – all are much more colorful deviations from last year’s ‘Alabaster’ (SW7008) and ‘Simply White’ (2143-70).
Pantone is the ultimate color authority – its color of the year announcement is not due for another few weeks so we’ll wait . . . I’m betting on a shade of blue . . .
August 23rd, 2016
Out on a Color Limb
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
Looking forward to the announcement of the new color(s) of the year for 2017 . . . Will we see the same neutral shades and the lack of color commitment from the color gurus or will they venture out on a color limb and choose a real color? I think that we will see some shade of blue in the color mix . . . Blue is really a neutral, too . . . Think of your ‘blue’ jeans – you can wear any color with them – dress them up or dress them down . . . Has gray run its course? We will know in a few short weeks . . . What do you think? I would be interested to hear your color thoughts . . .
November 6th, 2015
White Decors with Subway Tile
Posted in Back Splash, Bedrooms, General, Kitchens
From Dwell magazine, five white decors designed using subway tile (and one floor that is a little too busy for us).
From that Dwell magazine article, we really like the contrast of the black window frame in the photo below – crisp and striking with the white subway tile.
October 21st, 2015
Looking for Color
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
Color forecasts for the coming year will be released soon. At ATCR, we are yearning for some real color, somewhere. The photo below shows the latest rendition of our ‘gallery’ wall as you enter our showroom. You can see that this cross section of our tile and stone selection is very neutral – white, cream, beige, and gray. It makes sense when you think about the permanence of a tile installation – you want to make sure it works in your space for many years to come. The same is true of our carpet selection with slightly more color range; rugs tend to have more color still, but those, too, tend to be fairly neutral now. Benjamin Moore recently released its ‘Color of the Year’ for 2016 – ‘Simply White.’ Initially, we were disappointed with this safe, noncommittal, neutral choice. But upon further consideration, it makes sense given the absence of color in so many other interior finishes. ‘Simply White’ is certainly versatile as it can be used with both warm and cool color palettes leaving the opportunity to accent and accessorize with almost any color. We will have to wait to see what the Pantone Color Institute has in store later this year when it announces its color of the year . . .
August 12th, 2015
A New Shape for the Tile World – Pentagons?
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Installation, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
We love pattern, symmetry, and balance in design finishes. Whether it’s fabric, flooring or wall finishes, there are plenty of ways to successfully use pattern in your space. Our showroom is full of patterns and their building blocks. But, here is a new one for us: pentagons! Take a look at “A New Way to Tile Your Floor (Using Pentagons).” We won’t bore you with geometric details of the pentagon floor pattern, but it works if you notice that the ’tiles’ are the same shape and mirror imagess of each other. Will this tile pattern be the next geometric design trend? If the tile installers have a say, we bet not ….
Check out some interesting patterns:
May 21st, 2015
The Color Tide is Turning
Posted in Back Splash, Bathrooms, Bedrooms, Carpet, Commercial Spaces, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, LVT, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
This year is proving to be a transitional one for color. Thank goodness! We are finally seeing warmer colors creep into what has been a very cool white and gray world.
Carrara marble — white marble with cool gray veining — that has been the foundation for many kitchen and bath projects, is still very popular. Recently, however, warmer grays, beiges, and cream tones have been playing a larger role in the projects we have been working on. Blues, especially navy blue, have been used with both gray and beige/cream tones in ceramic wall tiles, carpet and area rugs.
Below are several photographs that illustrate the cool-and-warm-tone combinations gaining favor:
March 25th, 2015
‘Brown’ is Still a Popular Neutral
Posted in Back Splash, Bedrooms, Carpet, Family Rooms, General, Kitchens, Mosaics, Rugs, Stone, Tile
Gray is the current go-to neutral. Most clients who visit our showroom these days are looking for grays, whether in tile, stone, carpet, or even hardwood. We’ve seen the many of the neutral color offerings from our suppliers morph from predominently beige/brown tones to gray tones in a short period of time. But one color, brown, has seemed to stand the test of time as a go-to neutral. Brown is very versatile and never seems to go out of style. Light and dark browns can be paired together to create a calm and relaxing space. Add a soft blue, green, or yellow as a pop of color….
