Finding a skilled architect can be a daunting task. A home is a personal thing, unique to every family. Your living space is a reflection of who you are, so the architect you choose needs to be able to capture that essence.

A custom home combines luxury and comfort with the unique elements that represent you. Here are three Scottsdale, Arizona architects who design and build beautiful custom homes.

3 Quality Architects in Scottsdale, AZ

Architects and interior designers are masters of creating spaces that uniquely represent you. These Scottsdale architects can help you design a luxurious living space that reflects your heart from every corner.

1. Cosan Studio

Cosan Studio, located right in Scottsdale, is an excellent choice for clients seeking designs with breathtaking views, dynamic indoor and outdoor spaces, and lots of natural light. The architects who make up this firm specialize in designs that work with the environment surrounding the property, luxurious yet rustic elements like wood accents, and meticulously laid stonework.

Cosan Studio sources its materials locally as much as possible to ensure the home looks natural in its environment. Cosan Studio’s architects have a combined experience of more than half a century, so you know you can trust them with your project.

2. PHX Architecture

The team at PHX Architecture consists of experienced professionals who work together to bring your unique vision to life. With offices in Scottsdale and Los Angeles, PHX Architecture has experience in various environments and aesthetics.

The team’s style showcases a contemporary edge that shines in functionality without sacrificing luxury. Its past projects range from sleek, glass-enclosed desert oases to adobe-inspired, natural-stone mountain getaways.

3. Drewett Works

Drewett Works is a Scottsdale-based team of architects recruited from every corner of the country. Drewett Works specializes in spacious homes that offer both private comfort and dynamic spaces for entertaining.

Unique design elements combine historical styles with contemporary characteristics, pairing sleek, clean lines with soft, natural features like rough-cut stonework and wide-picture windows.

How To Choose an Architect

Choosing an architect is a personal decision. It’s not something that can be rushed. With a variety of Scottsdale architects available to choose from, it helps to know exactly what you’re looking for. To ensure that you find the right artist for your project, follow these steps.

1. Find Your Style

Before starting to look for an architect, consider the aesthetic you’re looking for in your new home. Do you want something modern? A more classical design? A natural environment? Elements in between? What would make your home feel most like you?

2. Preview Your Options

Look through architects’ portfolios. These can often be found on their websites. Note any previous designs or design elements that speak to you or your vision. Consider recommendations from your interior designer since they’ve probably worked with a variety of architects in your area.

Our recommendations are all highly skilled and are great options for any project.

3. Go Deeper

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few architects you’re interested in, request interviews with each of them. Spend some time before the interview coming up with questions or concerns so you can address them before you make a decision.

Be sure to ask about the architect’s experience and qualifications, what kind of budget and timeline you can expect, and what sets them apart from other architects. Explain your vision to them and ask how they would approach the project.

4. Make It Official

If you’ve found an architect who can capture your vision, meet with them again to settle any details and sign the contract. Congratulations! You’re ready to begin work on your new home.

If no one feels like the right architect for your project, start again. Don’t settle for someone who can’t capture your vision just because you found them right away. Take your time. You want your home to be a place you’ll love for years to come, so it’s worthwhile to keep looking and avoid cutting corners.

Work With Alisha Taylor Interiors on Your Custom Home

Architects and interior designers work hand in hand to create beautiful custom spaces. Your architect is responsible for the bones of your home, but the finer details that make it yours are handled by an interior designer.

At Alisha Taylor Interiors, we want to help you create a space just for you. We work to personalize your design experience because we believe that each of our clients is a unique individual who deserves a luxurious home that reflects that. We involve you in every step of the design process, making sure that you know exactly what you’re getting.

If you’re ready for the home of your dreams, contact Alisha Taylor Interiors to start your design journey.

Let’s take a look at what makes a living room luxury, and ways Alisha Taylor can elevate your living room design.

With nearly 20 years of running her own interior design studio in Scottsdale and as a recipient of both local and national awards, Alisha Taylor is an expert in luxury interior design.

5 Luxury Living Room Ideas (With Examples)

Your living room is the heart of your home. It’s often the entertainment hub and the place where you can gather with family and friends. It’s the room that sets the tone for the rest of your house. It’s also most often one of the first rooms that your guests will see. So it’s only fair that you would want to make a big impression with your living room. Learn from Alisha Taylor Interiors and how our tips and examples can be applied when designing custom luxury living rooms.

Add a Stunning Accent Rug

An accent piece is a pop of color, pattern, or other bright design that draws the eye as soon as someone walks into your living room. Often, the perfect accent piece is a stunning rug. The rug will warm your feet and pull the focus of the overall design style. Rugs can make the room more dynamic by adding bold colors or a variety of patterns and textures to the space.

Vintage accent rugs are a popular trend, especially when offering a lovely contrast to an otherwise modern room. You might also enjoy the look of layered rugs, with one larger, subtler rug to complement the accent rug and make it appear larger.

Custom Lighting Adds Elegance

One of the hallmarks of luxury interior design is that it‘s not cookie-cutter. It offers a look and aesthetic that you can’t find elsewhere, something that feels entirely yours. There are so many options when it comes to living room lighting, from elegant chandeliers to small built-in lights to industrial lighting that makes a statement.

Take the above piece, for example, and how the light contrasts with the black coffee table frame and black display case. The effect is stark but pleasing to the eye. It adds not just light but dimension to the room. The structure of the light fixture also plays into this luxury living room’s design theme of clean, modern lines.

Lighting is an essential part of a room’s design as a whole. We search for custom lighting options to truly bring your dream luxury living room to life.

Don’t Miss the Small Details

Luxury is all about decadence, and decadence is in the details. The smaller decorative pieces like shag pillows, vases, lamps, and wall hangings all add something unique to the design of the room as a whole. But small details aren’t exclusive to small fixtures. We manke sure to get the little details right when it comes to the big pieces and focal points of the luxury living room.

As interior designers, we make sure that there’s a variety in your furnishing. We play with different heights and surfaces for display cases, side tables, coffee tables, and so on, while including different patterns and colors to truly bring the room to life.

Increase Interest With Accent Walls

Accent walls are another great way to draw the eye in a pleasing way. A tasteful accent wall will pull focus while still blending smoothly with the rest of the room’s design. This may look like a series of wall hangings, a dramatically different paint color, or a featured piece of art or sculpture that you love. If your accent wall is too loud, it might overwhelm the room. The right balance of accent and taste can be hard to find, so an interior designer can help to create the desired effect.

If you have an open layout living room, we like to design two accent walls beside each other. This can help to make a clear and fashionable distinction between two rooms. Look at the above image, for example. Even without a physical division, it’s easy to tell where the living room ends, and the dining room begins.

Mix Patterns and Textures

Not everything has to match when it comes to patterns and textures. It just has to go together. In fact, if a luxury living room is too one-note, the overall appearance might be a little dull. Instead, we try to mix patterns and textures. A mix of textures makes the space a tactile adventure as well as a visual one.

Design Your Luxury Living Room With Alisha Taylor

Your living room should be one of the places where you feel most comfortable and most at home. That’s why luxury living rooms have so much appeal and why the right interior designers are essential. When you’re on the hunt for interior designers in Scottsdale, Arizona, look no further than Alisha Taylor Interiors.

Our team has the experience and the keen eye for design that you need to make your living room everything you’ve dreamed of and more. We can help you revitalize a living room in a new home that’s not to your luxury taste. If you’ve recently built your new home, we can help put a personal stamp on your living room.

Contact Alisha Taylor Interiors today to get help with your full remodel or new build or to schedule a design consultation.

Your cabinets are one of the most important design elements of your kitchen, which is why it’s so important to know how to choose kitchen cabinetry. Your kitchen cabinets determine how much storage space your kitchen will have, as well as setting the tone for the style of the kitchen. At Alisha Taylor Interiors, we understand this is no easy decision. Today we’ll discuss how to choose cabinets and the different cabinet options available to you.

How To Choose Kitchen Cabinets

Choosing your kitchen cabinetry is a big decision, but it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. Here are our tips for finding kitchen cabinets.

Consider the Layout of Your Kitchen

Next, you have to decide what you want from your kitchen cabinets. Start by considering the layout of your kitchen. Is it a large, open space or a galley kitchen? The goal of custom cabinetry is to maximize your storage space based on the space you have, no matter how large or small.

This is also a good time to consider how often you use the kitchen and how much storage space you need. Do you spend more time eating out or do you like to plan large meals for friends and family? Do you need a pullout trash can near the sink, or are you considering a back kitchen?

You don’t have to go through this process alone. Schedule a design consultation with Alisha Taylor Interiors to create your vision for your dream kitchen. You can discuss your needs and your designer can observe your space to come up with the best plan for your kitchen cabinetry.

Modern vs. Traditional Cabinetry

When considering the style of your kitchen cabinetry, one of the biggest questions is whether to choose traditional or modern.

Modern cabinets tend to be sleek and minimal in their designs. They can most often be found in white, black, or a shade of gray, allowing for neutrality that suits most kitchen designs. Most often, modern cabinets can be found in contemporary-style homes.

As a rule, traditional kitchen cabinets have more intricate designs. They have more beveled styles, and in addition to painted traditional cabinets, you’re also likely to find traditional cabinets with exposed, stained wood. Traditional does not mean old-fashioned. Rather, traditional designs have stuck around due to their timeless quality.

A Pinterest search may help you find a cabinet style that you enjoy. You can even pin your favorite cabinet images and show them to Alisha Taylor.

Consider Different Color Combinations

One option for custom cabinetry finishes is to be painted all one color. This offers a sleek, cohesive style. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. You may choose two complementary colors. You could paint the top kitchen cabinets one color and the bottom kitchen cabinets another color. These choices can add character to your kitchen design.

Color is one of the best ways to set the mood in your kitchen. Do you want a cozy, warm kitchen? Natural wood stains might suit your kitchen cabinets well. If you’re looking for a more open and airy feeling, white cabinets could be the way to go. For a stark contrast, we even like to play with blue and navy as a cabinetry finish.

It might help again to search Pinterest for cabinets that speak to you and your vision for your kitchen. Another tip is to make a trip to a hardware store and look at paint swatches. You may even be able to bring samples home to view them in your kitchen.

Don’t Forget to Consider the Rest of Your Kitchen

Take stock of your entire kitchen when choosing your kitchen cabinets. What color are your other appliances? Or, if you plan to replace appliances, what colors do you want them to be? What about your walls? Your kitchen backsplash? Or your countertops?  You want your cabinets to flow with the rest of the kitchen, so it’s important to consider the kitchen as a whole.

Pick the Best Hardware

Hardware includes the handles used to open your kitchen cabinets. You might choose metal handles, wooden knobs, or magnetic closing cabinets. Round knobs are often used for overhead kitchen cabinets, while pull handles are used more frequently for drawers. However, you don’t have to be bound by convention if you like the idea of knobs for drawers and pulls for cabinets. Consider your options and pick the best choice for you and the design.

Alisha Taylor Can Help You Choose Your Kitchen Cabinets

Whatever you choose, your kitchen cabinets should be the best fit for your kitchen, not just now but for years to come. That’s where Alisha Taylor can help. Alisha Taylor has been helping homeowners for over 20 years, and her team brings years of experience and expert eyes to every project. Contact Alisha Taylor today to learn more about how we can help you choose your kitchen cabinetry, or to schedule a design consultation.

One of the most important design elements in your luxury home is your floor and wall tiles.

Choosing the right floor tile pattern is just as important as choosing the type of tile –– it is essential to the feel, look, and durability of your home.

Making decisions about types of tile can be overwhelming as a homeowner. There are endless patterns and styles to choose from. As your interior designer, we at Alisha Taylor Interiors can make this decision process simple.

Read on to learn more about the different types of tile patterns, what to consider when choosing your floor tile patterns, and how we can connect you to professional tile installation services to make sure every tile is laid in the right spot.

What Is a Tile Pattern?

A tile pattern is how tiles are arranged on the floor or a wall. It may sound simple, but there are many arrangements to choose from, and each can dramatically alter a room’s appearance.

This is an opportunity for you to get truly creative and express your personal style to design rooms that are uniquely “you.”

Different Types of Luxury Tile Patterns

Let’s go over some of the most popular floor tile patterns, as well as what to consider when choosing each type.

1. Herringbone

This classic pattern is distinguished by its v-shaped rows at 45-degree angles. It is often used as a floor tile pattern or as a backsplash. The wide v-pattern creates an illusion of more width, making this an ideal tile pattern for small spaces such as bathrooms or hallways. We advise against using the herringbone tile pattern in large rooms as it can look too busy.

This is a classic and popular tile pattern to use with subway tiles and a contrasting grout color to highlight the design.

2. Brick (horizontal or vertical)

This is a type of tile pattern that you have likely seen many times before. The brick tile pattern is organized so that each tile starts directly in the middle of the one below it.

If you are going for a simple and clean look in your room, this is a great tile pattern choice. The brick layering gives any wall or floor an industrial, metropolitan, “subway” effect. You will see it most often used in walkways or as a backsplash to give the illusion of height.

3. Hexagon

Hexagon tile patterns are a playful way to add visual depth to any room. This style of tile comes both as larger individual tiles, typically used for flooring, or in sheets of smaller tile.

This tile pattern is perfect for any area where you may want to draw the eye’s attention such as a kitchen backsplash or an accent wall in your shower.

4. Stacked (grid or vertical)

If you’re looking for simplicity, look no further than a stacked tile pattern. This style is exactly what it sounds like, square or rectangular tiles stacked directly on top of one another.

To add more visual variety, you can alternate the colors of the tiles creating a “checkered” look.

5. Versailles

For an elegant, European feel, consider the Versailles pattern. This style combines square and rectangular tiles to create a repeating timeless design reminiscent of the old world.

This pattern is easy to install and works in any type of room, or as a transition tile from one room to the next.

6. Diagonal (diamond)

This style takes square tiles and places them at a 45-degree angle to create a “diamond” pattern. It is typically used as a backsplash or as an accent piece. But it can also be used as a floor tile pattern to give a room a wider feel.

7. Basketweave

The basketweave is a timeless tile pattern that uses rectangular tiles or a mosaic of tiles with tiny squares to create the appearance of a woven basket.

This is a delicate design that is best used in small spaces.

8. Chevron

A close relative to the herringbone pattern. This style is currently in vogue because of its ability to turn any room into a classic look.

The tiles are placed at a 45 degree angle, but with the shorter end of the tiles lined to meet up, creating a look similar to the logo of the well-known Chevron energy company.

As you can see, there are so many tile pattern options to choose from! If you’re feeling overwhelmed or simply want the eye of an expert designer, let us help you bring your vision to life.

Choose the Best Tile Pattern With Alisha Taylor Interiors

When it comes to floor tile patterns, the options are endless. That’s where we can help.

With years of experience, we at Alisha Taylor Interiors can help you choose the right tile pattern, styles, and textures to create the function and feel that you are imagining for each home in your house.

And once you have decided on a pattern, we can connect you with one of our trusted professional tile installers to make sure every single tile is laid down perfectly. Your home is a refuge, your place to land at the end of the day. Contact us today to learn how we can support you in creating the home of your dreams.

A beautiful area rug can tie an entire room together, yet many homeowners never learn how to keep rugs clean. With the right rug cleaning tips under your belt, you can keep your area rug pristine for years to come, allowing you to enliven your home with the same family heirloom or rug of your choice for years to come.

Pet owners and homeowners who frequently entertain guests face unique perils that endanger the beauty and longevity of their fine rugs. Here are the four best care tips that will ensure you know how to clean an area rug no matter what kind of stain pops up!

Rug Cleaning Tips for Homeowners

We share the best area rug carpet cleaning tips to ensure your rugs stay in pristine condition. Read on to learn different methods to keep your rugs clean for the long term.

1. Vacuum and Dander Control

Pet owners, in particular, should know that area rug carpet cleaning requires regular vacuuming and dander control. Vacuuming your rug at least once a week will help keep its visual appearance in stellar shape, but it will also help you cut down on allergic reactions if pet hair and dander are trapped within the rug itself. Parents of young children should also recognize that regular vacuuming helps toddlers stay healthy, clean, and allergy-free despite their proximity to the floor.

Do you vacuum all the time but still can’t figure out why your area rug has an odor? Learning how to keep rugs clean requires that you flip the area rug over and vacuum both sides occasionally. This bolsters the overall lifespan of your rug and ensures unpleasant odors are nowhere to be found. Some homeowners sprinkle a tiny amount of baking soda a few minutes before vacuuming to ensure as much odor as possible is vacuumed up during the cleaning process.

2. Beat Your Rug On a Hot, Sunny Day

Investing in a dedicated rug-beater is essential for luxury homeowners who want their interior style to be on display at all times. Many homeowners put off rug beating because it’s more labor-intensive than simply vacuuming. What they fail to understand is that area rug carpet cleaning can’t be managed with vacuuming alone but requires the occasional beating to ensure trapped particles that cause unpleasant smells or dirty looks are eliminated.

Be soft when beating the bottom of your area rug, but ensure that your hits are swift and in rapid succession. Too much rug beating can dislodge some fibers, so ensure a gentle approach and remember that rug beating should only occur one to three times per year. Remember to do your rug beating outside so that dust, dirt, and other particles don’t descend on your luxury flooring.

Beat your rug on a hot, sunny day and lay it over a railing or exterior banister in the sunshine to ensure the best possible results. Area rug carpet cleaning that’s aided by natural sunlight often yields the best results.

3. Brush Your Rug To Ensure Deep Cleaning

Do you regularly vacuum your area rug only to find that pet hair still clings to its exterior or underbelly? Ensuring a deep clean may require a thorough brushing. Homeowners who know how to keep rugs clean understand that a hands-on approach is usually the best bet. Slowly and carefully run a stiff brush in the same direction as your rug’s fibers to ensure any lingering particles are entirely eliminated.

Brushing the underbelly can also help remove any dirt that may be building up as you step on your area rug.

4. Rotate Your Rugs Every 4-8 Months

Even the finest area rugs need to be rotated on a regular basis to ensure their quality isn’t diminished by frequent foot traffic. Area rugs that are exposed to the sun for extended periods of time –– such as those that are underneath the magnifying effect of certain windows or in a sunroom -–– may also need to be rotated even if they’re seldom stepped upon.

Many guides on how to keep rugs clean recommend rotating your rugs once per year. In reality, this is too infrequent to do much good for your elegant area rugs. Depending on how many people live in your household and whether it’s being stepped on barefoot or with heavy shoes, you may need to rotate your rug as often as every 4-8 months to guarantee its pristine beauty for years to come.

Work With Alisha Taylor To Find Your Ideal Design Style

Learning how to keep your rugs clean is far easier when you invest in high-quality rugs that last longer and dazzle every guest who walks into your home. Alisha Taylor Interiors will ensure you find an individualized rug to match your design style. If you are considering furnishing your luxury custom home or hiring an interior designer to elevate your home’s appearance, contact Alisha Taylor.

The team at Alisha Taylor Interiors specializes in creating spaces you are proud to live in. From choosing area rugs to furniture and much more, an interior designer can ensure your beautiful vision comes to life. Visit Alisha Taylor today and fill out a contact form for your next home project.

If waking up every morning to the house of your dreams sounds ideal, it’s time to invest in interior design and home improvement. While many homeowners think that hiring contractors is the only way to receive expert design advice, there are many custom home building blogs that convey critical information to homeowners before they start expensive renovations.

Ready to find a new home construction blog that will help you turn your dreams into a reality? Check out these custom home building blogs for the best expert design advice.

New Home Construction Blogs for Expert Advice

Alisha Taylor Interiors

The best building-a-house blog in the business belongs to Alisha Taylor. Homeowners who visit Alisha Taylor Interiors can depart with the wisdom needed to create a true sense of place in their house with careful renovations and clever design strategies.

Alisha Taylor Interiors offers the best build-a-house blog you can find because it centers around personalization. Clients can learn how to turn their custom homes into personalized luxury estates at Alisha Taylor Interiors, where custom home design guides are freely available to readers. Whether you’re redoing your bathroom, kitchen, or living room, Alisha Taylor Interiors’ building-a-house blog will ensure you enjoy stylish interiors with a unique flair.

Fans love the expert design tips we dish out when it comes to positioning works of art, statement pieces, and other amenities throughout their homes. Homeowners on the prowl for a new home construction blog should make reading about Alisha Taylor’s work a top priority.

Retro Renovation

Homeowners with a fondness for the past should definitely look into Retro Renovation, a build-a-house blog that mixes vintage style with modern insights. The blog has an incredibly clean design that’s easy to navigate, and it’s regularly updated with the latest insights in DIY-home renovations. Homeowners who want the power to remake their humble abodes into luxurious dream houses will find few DIY-home blogs with better content than RR.

What makes this building-a-house blog so different? It has a wide array of advice cultivated to help you renovate any room in your house, whether it’s a home bar or laundry and mudroom. It also features a popular digital museum of mid-century material culture, allowing you to take inspiration from the homeowners of yesterday when planning out your home of tomorrow.

While Alisha Taylor Interiors is perfect for those in search of sleek, modern interiors, those other homeowners who want to renovate older structures will find that RR is a great building a house blog for their needs.

Architectural Digest

Looking for stunning inspiration? Architectural Digest isn’t your typical new home construction blog. Instead, it showcases some of the greatest architectural accomplishments of our era, especially those homes owned by famous individuals or artists. If you’re in search of beautiful homes with impressive celebrity style, AD might replace the build-a-house blog you currently depend upon.

Just think of all the secret design tips you’ll uncover when browsing through the digital pages of a blog that countless interior design experts and construction gurus consult! It could inspire a new paint job in your own home. Architectural Digest also includes some helpful DIY content that you see other build-a-house blogs produce, too.

Web Urbanist

Homeowners who want to think outside the box should check out Web Urbanist at the first available opportunity. This innovative new home construction blog covers some of the most exciting and unprecedented architectural and design concepts to have ever emerged. It also familiarizes you with the principles of modern urban design, which could come in handy if you want to pursue real estate more seriously later on.

Web Urbanist is popular with homeowners who want a build-a-house blog that covers emerging technologies and forthcoming trends in the real estate and design space. It also has a vibrant culture and history section, as well as selected blog content for those interested in traveling and architecture in the world abroad. If you’re interested in gadgets and geekery when it comes to home building, this new home construction blog is perfect for you.

Build Your Custom Home Right The First Time

Alisha Taylor Interiors is ready to help you turn your dreams into a reality with a luxurious custom home that will quickly become the envy of everyone on the block. Alisha Taylor and her team can help you with new builds, full remodels, and furniture design that captures your unique style as a homeowner. Whether you’re in the planning stages of a new home or want to spice up your current abode, Alisha Taylor’s build-a-house blog has the best insights to help you achieve the perfect results.

Ready to build the custom home of your dreams? Visit Alisha Taylor Interiors today and start receiving the best expert design advice on the internet.