Well love it or hate it, this week we officially celebrate Valentine's day.  And while it's never been my most beloved holiday, in the spirit of the day of Love, I thought I'd give you my top list of design favorites.  And they really are my absolute favorite design go-tos for most of my projects.  So I hope you enjoy them.  And feel free to use them!  They have served me well.

THE LIST

FAVORITE PAINT

I'd like to start by giving you my most favorite gray paint.  I actually love this one so much, that I carry a sample in my purse for when people ask me for the perfect gray.  And believe it or not, I've actually given out my signature gray on many occasions.  The color is Greyhound 1008-3 by Porter Paints and you can find it HERE on their website.

WHY I LOVE IT

Gray is one of the most difficult colors to get right.  All of them fall under two categories.  Cool grays or warm grays.  And the wrong lighting can drive your gray into the ground really fast; making you regret your color choice.  But Greyhound is a gray with a warm base and therefore works well with other cooler color palettes and also warmer colors.  In fact, if paired with brown it takes on a slightly brown tone while taking on a cooler tone when paired with cooler palettes.  It truly is the best gray.

SOLID SURFACE OPTIONS

Hands down, for me, the best solid surface is Quartz.  Comparatively it's a level above granite in function and offers so many more visual options than it's competitor.  Other options are laminate countertops and Corian products, but Quartz is what I always use unless for some reason it just doesn't fit the design scope or budget.

WHY I LOVE IT

It really is a better product than granite, but because it's natural stone with a man-made resin process, it can be far more consistent than granite.  The prices can be slightly higher but these days it's really not that much more if you know where to shop.  Also, it can be used for other applications besides countertops.  In fact, I'm starting to see it more and more for window sills to give added protection and durability.

BEST WALLCOVERING CREATOR

I have used Patty Madden's wallcoverings for my projects for years now.  She is truly a creator and I love her.  If you're looking for lots of pattern and style but in subtle statements, she's your girl.  You can learn more about Patty HERE.

WHY I ADORE HER

Her patterns are bold, but she uses such carefully detailed techniques that make them feel softly-stated.  She's truly gifted and I am drawn to her patterns time and again.  Also on a side note, she creates fine art and upholstery as well.  It seems her creativity knows no bounds.

AMAZING FURNITURE DEALERS

Furniture has to come from somewhere.  And I've seen people buy directly from manufacturers or even try to find it on less-than-dependable random websites.  But the best way to buy is from a highly-reputable and knowledgeable furniture dealer.  My favorite is a company near Atlanta, Georgia called Office Creations.  You can learn more about their company HERE on their website.

WHY THEY'RE SO FANTASTIC

For starters, they're a certified women-owned company.  And while I love this, what makes them superior to their competition is their impeccable customer service.  They are truly in a league of their own and have never failed me on a single project.  They work so hard to make sure each project runs smoothly and always know how to work out any kinks when they do happen.  They know their stuff and it always shows.  Honestly I could write an entire blog post of my experience with them alone, but take my quicker word for it for now.

DURABLE PAINT SURFACES

This one is a product that doesn't get enough attention.  As far as durable paint surfaces go, I really love Scrub Tough by Scuffmaster.  You can find their product HERE.

WHY IT'S WHAT YOU NEED FOR YOUR LIBRARY

This paint is specifically made for high-traffic areas and is highly durable.  It's super cleanable and is so much better than your standard paints.  It will be a bit higher in cost of course, so you will want to use this where it matters most and then use standard paint options for lower traffic areas.

BETTER THAN BASIC LVT

The best vinyl flooring on the market that replaced less-than-awesome VCT has been LVT, or Luxury Vinyl Tile, and it's been getting the job done for some time now.  However, the latest upgrade is all in the thickness.  I never spec the standard LVT anymore.  Now my go to is the thicker LVT.  You can find out more about that HERE on the Patcraft website, but know that all of the flooring companies carry it now, so find it wherever your favorite flooring manufacturer is.

WHY IT WORKS BETTER THAN THE OTHERS

The number one reason I actually use it is because it's the same height as your carpet so there are no transitions.  That leads to less cost and and less headache for your installer.  It's just a cleaner install all together.  But what my clients love about it is the acoustics bonus.  Because it's thicker than standard LVT, it naturally absorbs sound better.  So no need for special underlayment products to reduce sound reverberation.  One you try it, you'll never use anything else.

PAINT MANUFACTURERS

I have several paint manufacturer boxes and fan decks in my resource library.  There are tons of good ones.  However, my absolute favorites are Sherwin Williams and Porter Paints.  I use these two more than any of the others.

WHY THESE WORK FOR ME

So, pretty much any of the major paint manufacturers have comparable products so I don't really have much in the way to say of product as a whole.  Oddly my biggest reason for choosing these is because when I need to pull the perfect color or make a perfect color match, it almost always comes from their collections.  I actually don't know what it is, but they just have the best mixes.  Whatever I'm looking for, they will have it.  On the plus side, most of my clients and contractors swear by Sherwin Williams or Porter, so it seems to go without saying.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I work hard to use a great variety of products in all my designs.  And I'm always learning about new products all the time.  But there are always going to be very specific products that never steer me wrong.  And these are the ones I use on a regular basis.  So this Valentine's day, instead of chocolate and flowers, try some of these amazing products in your space to make your day so much sweeter.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU AND YOURS!!