Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive DIY projects for your home. That’s what M/I Homes’ Design Center Manager, Jenny Entler, says. We have to believe her because she studies up on the latest design trends and she’s helped hundreds of home buyers over the years to create their dream spaces down to every last detail, including, yes… the paint colors.

She says the current, most popular colors are light, muted grays; “beachy” pastel blues and greens; soft shades of white. “It’s pretty typical for customers to say they want to do a bold color—but few follow through—most stick with a light neutral like gray and beige,” she explains.

Here are seven savvy tips that Entler offers to help you pick the perfect hue for you!

1. Look at Lighting: When choosing a paint color, lighting is the key. Bring paint samples home and look at them in the room you will be painting. View them at different times of the day to see how natural and artificial lighting affect the shades and undertones of the colors you like. (click here for a great blog to see how to incorporate floor lamps into any style)

2. Feeling Blue for Bedtime: Blue is the most popular color to paint a bedroom. People feel it is “relaxing”, “serene” and “restful”

3. Get with the Flow: When choosing paint colors for the different spaces in your home—be mindful of how each area flows into the adjacent areas, and select colors with the same tones and undertones. Your home should have an overall flow, and all paint colors should make sense together.

4. Hit the (Fifth) Wall: Don’t forget the “fifth wall” of your rooms! Painting the ceiling will give the room a more finished look. Consider using the same color as your walls, but adding white to it to take it a few shades lighter. Whatever you choose, keep it light and neutral.   Remember that darker colors tend to create the illusion of a lower ceiling; while white creates an airy, open feeling.

5. Have an Accent: Painting a room a dark or bold color can be risky. A popular and inexpensive way to add a “pop” of color to a room is to paint an “accent” color on one wall. The color you choose should be in the same shade family and have the same warm or cool undertone as the general paint color. You’re less likely to get tired of the color too soon and it’s much easier to keep up with color trends when you only have one wall to repaint!

6. Contrast your Trim: Contrast your wall color with your trim color. Even a light neutral color on your walls will look more interesting when it’s paired with bright white on your baseboards, crown molding and window sills. The bright white will bring out the “color” of your neutral.

7. Think Big Picture: When we work with a customer to select a general paint color for a brand new home, and we don’t have any idea what their furniture of décor looks like; our goal is to find a neutral color with the proper undertone to complement their cabinets, flooring, countertop and tile choices. All components should be considered as a whole and the general paint color needs to look good with everything they’ve chosen.

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.

Whether it’s getting a nicer room on vacation, or front row at a fashion show, I love it when I can splurge a little and upgrade to VIP. But upgrading to VIP for FREE? Talk about a win-win!

That’s what M/I Homes offers with their VIP list. It’s free to sign up, and when you’re on it, you’re the first to find out about new communities, plus you’ll get info about pricing and plans before they’re released publicly.

For example, there’s a new community coming soon to the Mason area called Ambleside and M/I Homes just released the site map to those on our VIP list. Plans and pricing for this community haven’t been released yet, but if you join the VIP list, you will get the info first!

Ambleside is within the Mason City School District – one of Ohio’s highest-ranked districts – which educates more than 10,000 students in an early childhood center, (pre-k, k, 1, 2) one elementary school (2-3), an intermediate campus (4-6), a middle school (7-8) and high school (9-12).

The community itself offers 122 single family 60’ wide homesites to choose from, with the option of some cul-de-sac homesites as well. Other perks include community pool, ponds and nature trails, with easy access to 741 and I-71.

If you your family lives an active lifestyle, you’ll love it because this community is located minutes from Mason Sports Park, Heritage Oak Park as well as Four Bridges Golf and Country Club. In fact, in September 2013, Money Magazine ranked Mason the 7th best place to live in the country.

Check out this gorgeous community and see what some of these new homes in Mason will look like. You’ll also get to see what the community streetscape will look like! You can also click here to watch an aerial tour video – it’s just dirt for now, but gives you an idea of where the community is located and the terrain!

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or being one of the first to see the new Ambleside community, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com. And don’t forget to sign up for the VIP list!

Estrella. Meaning “star” in Spanish, this new community soon to be developed by M/I Homes is sure to be a star when people start to find out and see it in person!

M/I Homes just purchased the land for the forthcoming Estrella community. It’s across the street from Amelia High School, includes 91 acres and 113 homesites to choose from. It also has easy access to highways, shopping (including Eastgate Mall), and schools.

It’s an up-and-coming area too with lots of good things to come on the horizon! In fact, the Estrella community is just down the street from a brand new, state-of-the-art school that Clermont County is building to replace Amelia High School. Click here to read a story on WLWT about it!

This area is in such high demand that M/I Homes is running out of home sites in their three other communities in the West Clermont School district, Liberty Crossing, Woods at Wetherby, and Estates at Shayler Ridge. So, this location was a natural fit for their newest community!

The Estrella community will feature pocket parks, walking trails and about 44% of it will remain as open space! Sounds amazing! There will be a model home (which I’m sure will be beautifully decorated!) soon built in this community, and there will be a grand opening event to officially welcome everyone to check it out.

If you’d like to learn more about M/I Homes and where they are in Cincinnati, click here! Or, if you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or being one of the first to see the new Estrella model home, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com

It’s amazing how quickly technology changes, and how much each little advancement makes life so much easier.

Today, technology is finding its way into every aspect of life to make everyday living a little easier. And keep in mind that technology isn’t just limited to your phone, tablet and PC (although many have apps that connect to your mobile devices). It’s in your car, it’s in your fashion (I just got a cool new bag that charges my phone on-the-go!), and it’s definitely in your home.

I’ve been searching for new ways to make our home a little “smarter,” and I came across the Smart Series of Homes blogs from M/I Homes. There, I found a great post featuring five fab ways to make your home a little (ok, a LOT) smarter, with fun things like a robot that cleans your gutter, wifi enabled sprinkler, electronic doggy door, touchscreen deadbolt, and a WiFi-enabled device that acts as your garage door opener.

We actually just switched out our old deadbolt with one of the Schlage touchscreen deadblots for our house and I LOVE it – you just type in a quick passcode instead of using a key! My daughter is now tall enough to reach locks, so it’s nice to know that I won’t get locked out with her inside if I take something out to the trash can or bring a package inside! haha!

The garage door app one was my favorite ideas from the blog series because it allows you to open and close your garage door with your smartphone from anywhere in the world. Plus, you can connect to a weather service so it closes automatically when it rains, or a location service so it automatically opens when you arrive! One thing I loved about ALL the ideas is that they’re all super affordable. They all ranged from $199-$349!

There was also this great post from the series featuring a bunch of ideas for updating your home with Security Systems and Cameras, and then this one on garage/outdoors! Oh, I hear there’s another smart blog in the series coming soon by M/I Homes, so I can’t wait to read that one too!

If you’d like to learn more about the smart M/I Homes and where they are in Cincinnati, click here! Or, if you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or seeing one of these models in person, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at mailto:salescinci@mihomes.com.

I love learning about new trends. They’re fascinating! I’m always reading the style blogs during New York Fashion Week to see which trends are emerging. And actually, interior design trends closely follow fashion trends so it’s neat to see how those translate. I talked with Jenny Entler, Design Center Manager at M/I Homes, to see which trends are the hottest right now in home decor and here’s her list:

1)     Industrial-Style Light Fixtures (Edison Bulbs, Metals, Open Framework, “Caged” lights) The industrial trend is growing as more homes incorporate vintage electric design elements. Pair industrial designs with rustic-inspired interiors as a way to warm up this popular trend.

2)     “Farmhouse” Style Exterior Elevation Features (White Siding, Board & Batten Siding, Stone foundations, Metal Roofs, Rough-Raw Timber accents) This is a shabby chic way to freshen up your look in a lived-in way without it looking overly-polished. It’s also an opportunity to go green and use reclaimed wood if you go with the timber accents.

3)     Black Windows (interior and exterior frame color black) I love this trend because it makes the windows pop and frames the view outside turning the windows into works of art. The black window trim and windows makes the space look more custom and helps anchor the room. Black trim is beautiful and can be so classy when done right. Inside and outside, adding black trim adds a dramatic custom touch that adds so much character that can be as affordable as a can of black paint.

4)     “Modern Farmhouse” Décor. This trend takes traditional elements found in old farmhouses and giving them a modern update. Examples: An Apron-front sink “farmhouse sink” in Stainless Steel in lieu of Cast-Iron; Open shelves in the Kitchen in lieu of cabinets; Rustic Hardwood flooring in a trendy Gray tone.

5)     Barn Doors on Hanging Rails (Interior) Remember, sliding doors are not just limited to traditional doorways in your home. Use them as a room divider, closet doors or for pantry doors. You can use them to cover openings of rooms such as Mud Room, Laundry Rooms, Pantries, Den/Offices.

6)     Pet “Centers.” Many stylish people are letting their houses go to the dogs …and the cats and the birds… without sacrificing style or comfort. Easily add a Pet Center to your home with food storage/beds/showers/feeding bowls, built-in, in a location such as a Mud Room.

7)     Spa Showers. Bathrooms with no tub at all — just a large “spa” shower with multiple shower heads, hand-held showers, body sprays, etc. Jetted tubs, whether whirlpool or air, are decreasing in popularity, according to National Kitchen & Bath Association’s latest trend report on what’s driving bathroom design this year.

8)    Charging Stations. USB ports built-in to the electrical outlets in key locations “Charging Stations” (Master Bedroom, Kitchen, Drop Zones, Office/Den/Study) By adding one or two USB ports alongside your standard plugs, you can plug your phone, tablet, camera, or other electronic device straight into the wall, eliminating the need for bulky USB adapters that typically hog valuable space.

9)     Going Neutral. White/gray/neutral color palettes for Cabinets/Countertops/Hardwood Flooring and Tile (think Restoration Hardware) Decorating with neutral colors offers a multitude of ways to add personality to your rooms, proving that neutral decor is anything but dull. Soft hues, such as beige, khaki, and rain-cloud gray, create a calming atmosphere that’s perfect for the place you call home.

10)   Large-Format Tiles. Large format tile, or LFT, is one of the hottest flooring trends. The traditional 12in. x12in. size has been doubled and even tripled …trending sizes are 12” x 24”; 24” x 24”; 7” x 20”; 3” x 36” in tons of materials and finishes from polished porcelain tiles to sleek, modern glass, and wood-look tiles, the best looks have been expanded to stunning proportions. Because each tile covers more square feet, fewer grout lines are required during installation resulting in a more streamlined design.

11)   Warm Metals (copper, gold, “antique gold”, rose gold) Warm-tone metals have risen in popularity again, this time certainly as a reaction to the past few decades of technical and austere-looking white and silver tones that seem to be everywhere in architecture and industrial design. However, this new wave of warm metals is more refined and has more breadth than its predecessors, with nuances of finish options being seen in everything from building façades down to appliances, flatware, decorative objects, lighting, accessories, frames and wall art and plumbing fixtures.

12)   Quartz Replacing Granite. Granite and marble have long been the reigning high-end countertop material of choice — but if you’ve browsed a kitchen showroom recently, you may have noticed that these swanky stones are being usurped by quartz. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, manufactured quartz is now the leading countertop material — and with good reason: Quartz doesn’t need to be sealed like Granite does…and comes in a variety of controllable colors and styles (you can’t control the color or pattern of granite — what you see is what you get.)

Click here to view more pics of the Keating model and click here to view more of the Nicholas models which both showcase a great variety of these new trends! If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or seeing one of these models in person, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.

We all love those “Look for Less” design shows and features in magazines. So, I found three fabulous M/I Homes models, and found lots of great looks for less that I think you’ll love! Check them out!

The Walden Classic Model Home in Mason (click here to learn more about this model home)

The New Ainsley II Model Home in Maineville (click here to learn more about this model home)

The Nicholas Model Home in Lebanon (click here to learn more about this model home)

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or seeing one of these models in person, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.