Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Calming Effect of Seamless Glass in Baths

The days of metal framed sliding shower doors sitting on your bathtub are gone. They have given way to large walk-in showers surrounded with frameless glass sides and doors. These make the shower appear much bigger. Some showers are designed without doors. The shower walls prevent
 the water from escaping.

Rooms seem larger and expanding when the eye sees past the surfaces. Being able to extend the beauty of featured porcelain tile and trim on the shower surface out to the flooring will cause the square footage of the bath to visually expand. Selecting a beautiful complementary stone counter top adds to the spacious feeling.

A new trend is zero thresholds for entering the shower. The uninterrupted floor makes the shower easily available for handicapped or aging homeowners and guests. They have no need to lift a wheelchair or step over a typical shower curb encasing the shower pan. Do not worry. The water will stay in the shower. This is accomplished with a linear drain placed where the shower floor subtly allows any water to roll down and drain naturally at a slight angle. It is so subtle you do not feel the slope as you stand in the shower.

Entering a smaller Master Bath with a solid door blocks light and makes the space feel cramped. A new solution for this is a frosted glass door. If there is a frosted centered section surrounded by a clear glass top and bottom section there is plenty of privacy. Being able to see through the clear glass on the bottom and top sections creates visual expansion into the space behind the door.

A comfortable bench, even two, in a larger shower is a luxury that adds to your spa experience.
Trending amenities include large niches for storing shampoo, etc. Matching the lines of how the tile's grid is set opens up the space. It is uninterrupted and clean, complementing the tile's rectangular format.

There is no need to join a gym to enjoy a sauna or steam room. Steam is becoming a popular request. Rain Shower heads and Water Fall Shower heads add the exotic touch. Standing under both allowing the water to caress you is heaven. More decorative choices include Shower Pipe based accessories to the rain shower head. A hand shower can also be attached to the pipe. Panels with massaging jets to hit your tense muscles can be as well.

Light dimmers add to the relaxing atmosphere. Bright light is not needed for many reasons you
use your bath for. To relax soaking in your tub or surrounded by steamy water in your shower is heaven when enhanced with soft low light. You might fall asleep standing up!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

The New Trend of " Floating " or " Furniture Style " Vanities

Master Baths have been transforming for a while into personal spa like retreats for homeowners.
With our busy lives, having some solitude surrounded with peace and beauty refresh your mind, body, and spirit.

Every major semi and custom cabinet line have vanity cabinets with various door styles,wood species, and custom finishes. For decades they were the only reasonably priced options. If you want to infuse more personality into their bath cabinetry, it is an expensive custom upgrade. Toe kicks anchor the vanity cabinet in the bath. You can add special legs and trims to make them more custom designed. However, adding all the upgrades to create a furniture look spikes the pricing quickly.

 A few years ago some specialty companies began to design and manufacture vanities that look exactly like a piece of furniture. These are gaining popularity. They are much more cost effective, functional, and more expressive of your personal taste than the original options. These furniture style vanities are available in antique, classic, contemporary, cottage looks, traditional, and rustic designs. Often the plumbing is discreetly hidden behind fake drawers or doors.

The contemporary vanity is the perfect complement to the new vessel sink bowls mounted on top of the counter top.  Another unusual choice is to literally take an old bureau or dresser, add the sink and plumbing and make a vanity out of it. This can be done in any style too. Beautiful and unusual faucets are the perfect "jewelry" to accent your spa bath.

 
The furniture look vanity sits on legs which allow your flooring choice to expand under them. This makes your room appear larger. It also helps allow you to clean easily under the vanity. As a complement to these beautiful options added amenities make them convenient and practical. Floating vanities do as well. A floating vanity is hung on the wall rather than sitting on the floor. It looks very chic in contemporary baths. The floor is completely open under it.


We are adding a lot of hidden outlets in drawers for hairdryers and other electrical items homeowners prefer to keep plugged in but hidden from sight. Beautiful stone and solid surface counter tops
remain spacious, neat, and beautiful when everything is in its place hidden in drawers. Adding outlets to medicine cabinets for electric tooth and skincare brushes is a new trend for convenience.

Tall cabinets have been used extensively in Kitchen Design for decades. They are becoming popular in baths now too. Their storage capacity is endless depending on the square footage of your bathroom. People prefer to look for things at eye level rather than have to bend over. Extra storage for linens with drawers and pull out shelves in tall cabinets aid efficiency. If you decide the newer trending custom bath vanity cabinets still work for you, another option is: 30 to 60 " wall cabinets
with one to three drawers on the bottom to be installed on top of  the base vanity cabinets as towers.
These are very dramatic and add value and function to your space.

Look in magazines. You will see man of  these ideas. If you like them , cut them out and add them to your " Wish List Design Folder ". Call us for an appointment and show us your dream and we will help you make it a reality!
  

Friday, June 12, 2015

Bathroom floor options

Out there looking at Freestanding Tubs yet? You will be so excited seeing all the choices!

Tubs, make you think of water. Water, makes me think of splashing it on the floor! Seems like I always manage to do that. No worries if you have tile floors, right? Well, what if you do not like the look of 6 and 12 inch square tiles with grout lines creating a grid in your bath? What if you really love hardwood floors, even in your bathroom? I do like hard wood everywhere with a lush area rug to step on.

Being I am a "splasher", hardwood is probably not the best choice for me! Wait! Another new design element on the scene to the rescue! Are you ready. You are going to like this idea.

So here is # 2 Porcelain Tile with a new twist and creative product "Trending in the Bath" right now:

Porcelain tiles that mimic wood in 12 x 24" rectangles is a huge craze right now. They have the practicality of  waterproof tile with the warm look of grained wood floors. You can step out of your bath dripping as you walk across the room confident you will not damage your wood to get the towel you neglected to put close to you before you stepped into your  bubble bath.  Less grout lines interrupt that old repetitive style. It expands the room visually and creates a peaceful quiet feel. If a hardwood look is not what you want, no problem. 












Rectangular porcelain tiles are also available in 4 x 12" too. There are some that resemble natural stone or others with linear striations. All of the choices lend themselves to a variety of design looks.
This new trend is perfect for flooring. It also works well as an application in showers walls. If you use them in showers they combine beautifully with the same size glass tiles. The glass tiles are especially popular as accents behind plumbing, such as shower heads.

To add even more luxury, add radiant heat under the tiles. Yes, it was once very expensive. However, the cost has come down based on manufactures competition. Bath floors are usually smaller than other floor surfaces. As a result radiant heat is more affordable than you may think. If you are already replacing your floor, it is the perfect time to add this comfy perk!  Ahhhhhhh! Enjoy