Friday, April 30, 2010

Design tips for smaller bathrooms

If you have a smaller area designated for bathroom use, you will have to make some adjustments in order to make proper use of this space.Start by figuring out what things you need to have in your bathroom. For instance, if you aren’t planning to spend a lot of time in your bathroom, you can install just the main necessary equipments and items in order to feel comfortable. Another important factor is the wise choice of color because a pastel and light color is likely to make your bathroom look larger. The lighter shades are also more welcoming.

Even if your bathroom is small, you can still make it look quite elegant by using the right visual accents. You should use subtle wallpapers that can make your bathroom look larger. Floor coloring is another important issue and you should go for neutral or light colors in order to make the space look roomier. Light shades of blues, tans or grays are the best choices for a small bathroom because they can make it look more airy and sophisticated.
A small bathroom space should be lighted up with additional lights. If you notice that there is no space for such additional lights in your bathroom, you should go for the bulbs that provide a high wattage. These bulbs will make your bathroom very inviting and brighter. Don’t worry about decorating your bathroom either because even a smaller place is likely to be well decorated once you follow the right steps. 
Start by using only a few mirrors because overdoing with mirrors is likely to provide your bathroom with unwanted effects. Keep in mind that using too many mirrors in a small bathroom will emphasize only the corners of its space. So, you should be careful when it comes to selecting the places where you want to have mirrors installed. For instance, installing the mirrors opposite to each other is not a wise idea. Limit the mirrors in order not to show the real size of your bathroom.
You should cleat out the bathroom walls in order to create the illusion of a larger space. You should also keep your things floating. For instance, you might install floating cupboards and a wall mounted sink in order to prevent these items from taking too much from the floor space. You can utilize the bathroom floor for other useful things such as putting a plant or a trash can. Using the bathroom door is another useful tip that will help you save some space. The door is more useful and helpful than acting as a simple exit and entrance.  For instance, you can use it in order to install some clothes or towel hangers because this will conserve extra precious space. You will also be left with more space to use for the bathroom design you plan to have.
You might consider using the collapsible shower screens. Such shower screens come in various types such as sliding or foldable ones. You can also use curtains in order to get the division you want. Allowing natural light inside your bathroom is another wise thing for you to do because having a window installed in this space will make it look more spacious. However, you must make sure that the window is not too big because, if this is the case, you will defeat the initial purpose of trying to conserve wall space. Now that you know all these tips, you are truly ready to start designing your small bathroom .   

Sharing a Penthouse with a Sibling.... (D Magazine)

DMagazine had an interesting article of two siblings sharing a penthouse space. Well, it's a 12,000 sq. ft space, so not really all that bad huh?? Well, you see... both Kari & brother Kirby Schlegel wanted the corner penthouse unit at the 'W', so their father stepped in & decided instead of buying them 2 INDIVIDUAL units, he figured why not create 2 separate apartments from it !?!

They searched out architects and designers Lionel Morrison & Jan Showers to handle the project. LUCKY kids aren't they? I do hope they're grateful. Kari was looking more for a Domino flair in her space while her brother Kirby wanted a darker, more masculine look to his apartment. Another cool feature is a common area they have for entertaining...Nice!  

Hope you all enjoy your weekend!










below: Kirby's apartment








photography by manny rodriguez



REMINDER:
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Thursday, April 29, 2010

7 Home Decoration Secrets

7 Home Decoration SecretsWe always want our homes to be perfect. That is understandable since our home is our abode, our personal sanctuary, the place we look forward to go to after a whole day of stressful work. This is why, one of the most important things a homeowner has to do is to decorate his or her home in such a way that it will be a nice and relaxing escape. This article reveals top 10 home decoration secrets that you surely would want to know.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
1. Visualizing is the key

Do not simply make an exact replica of the living room you found on the home interior magazine. Visualize on your own how you want your home to look like, how you want home decors like your wall plaques and paintings to be hung on the wall. Visualization of each room will make it easier for you to do your planning and decoration.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
2. Start with a focal point

Any veteran interior designer knows how important it is to start with a focal point in any room so that other home décor items will flow easily around it. It is always a great idea to select an item that gives a big impact like the fireplace, a piano or a sofa.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
3. Colors have psychological effect

Colors are important design elements not only because it determines the ambience and feel of the room, and gives the illusion of space but also because they have psychological effects on people.

For example, blue, which is the least appetizing color is not a good shade to paint in your dining area or kitchen. Meanwhile, light and pastel colors, which can relax the mind, are a good idea for the living room. Make sure that the colors you choose complement well with each other.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
4. A theme makes it easier to achieve unity and harmony

A décor theme not only makes home decoration a lot easier but is also important because it reflects the homeowner’s personal taste and style. Your theme can be classic, modern, nautical, tropical, European, Asian or whatever you can think of.

Buy furniture and home accessories that match the theme that you have chosen. For example, if the theme of your home is contemporary, modern metal wall plaques would be a great addition while if you have a coastal theme, you might as well go for nautical wall art.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
5. Clutter can ruin even the nicest home decoration

Get rid of everything that you do not need or hardly ever use and neatly store them in the storage room. Even if you have the most expensive or most gorgeous home decor, all these are useless if your room is filled with clutter.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
6. Lighting is just as important as furniture

Lighting is important because of two things. First, it illuminates the room and allows people to do the things they need to do. Second, it creates an ambience and feel of the room. Because of this, you need to choose the proper kind of lighting, which will make you achieve both objectives. Lamp and fluorescent are great for general and task lighting while candles and smaller lamps are ideal for accent lighting.

7 Home Decoration Secrets
7. Strive to achieve a balance between form and function

Form is just as important as function and because of that, it is necessary to achieve a balance between the two when buying furniture or decorating your home. To put it simply, you must be able to decorate your home in such a way that it will be both practical and beautiful

We all know that home decoration is not as easy as we want it to be. However, it is also true that we do not need a doctorate degree on interior decoration to get the job done right. With a dash of creativity, resourcefulness and patience, we can have a home that looks like one of those featured in interior designing magazines.


7 Home Decoration Secrets

101 HOTEL.....Getaway in Iceland

Every time the weekend gets close..... I think of how great it would be to just get away & visit a new city! How about Iceland?? Ever been there?? Well, my husband sent me this amazing boutique hotel he came across called 101 Hotel. What a beautiful place this would be to stay & unwind....

I'd LOVE to hear of anyone out there is familiar with this hotel & if you've ever stayed there. In the meanwhile, let's DREAM together.....  









images via 101 Hotel



Decorating With Mirrors

Coastal Living Designer Jill Johnson; Photographer Grey Crawford

Mirrors can be a great way to expand a space, add interest, make a statement, reflect light or a great view and generally add sparkle. Here are some ideas for incorporating mirrors into your space...

Designer Jeffrey Billhuber layered an antique mirror over the window for use with this floating dressing table.

Architectural Digest Photo: Peter Vanderwarker

Stylist and designer Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo of ABCD Design created this huge dramatic wall with black paint and 48 rectangular mirrors (via Canadian House and Home)



Framed mirrors also make a dramatic statement in this bedroom...

Coastal Living Photo: Jean-Philippe Piter


House Beautiful photo credit: Lisa Cregan

Designer Vincent Wolf likes using massive, over-scaled mirrors leaning against walls, as you can see in the bedrooms he designed above and below. This is some of what he told House Beautiful about that. "It's taking an architectural approach to a decorative object — like cutting open a wall onto a space beyond. It's also more casual and interesting to lean something than to hang it. Once a mirror is hung, it's isolated on the wall. But when it leans, the floor runs right into the glass."



I love the idea of layering mirrors like designer Mary McGee did in her living room. You could also just layer a great frame over a mirror and it would work just as well.

House Beautiful Photo: Miguel Flores Vianna

The mirror used in this bedroom designed by Gary McBourne (House Beautiful - Photo: James Merrell) was too small so they added what Gary calls a "sash" to give it scale. I'll admit that, even though this room is beautifully designed, it isn't my style but that doesn't matter. The basic idea can be used in any room from casual to formal and contemporary to traditional and there are a variety of items (fabric, ribbon, rope, etc.) you could use to make your "sash". Just hang the mirror on the wall and then attach the "sash" to the back of the mirror and the hook.


In this Coastal Living idea house they mirrored the doors of this dual vanity which draws your eye to the detail. (Photo: Tria Giovan)


This is much more subtle but these vanity doors and drawers are also mirrored.

Coastal Living Photo Dominique Vorillon

Mirrored night stands are so pretty, aren't they?

BHG.com

The next four images are from Homes and Gardens. You can see the rest of their slideshow, How to Decorate Using Mirrors, on their site. (Photos: Carolyn Barber)

Displaying a variety of mirrors on ledges is a creative and fun idea to punch up your space.

Adding mirrors to an armoire in a bedroom is a great idea, especially if you're short on space to add one anywhere else.



Reflective drum shades could be stunning in the right space!


Using a mercury glass mat for a centerpiece. I've used a framed mirror in the same way in the past, which also works well.

Just for fun... Can you tell what this frame is made from? I'm sure you probably can. Colored plastic spoons! :-) Country Living


Cute tennis racket mirrors from Country Living. Imagine how many different things you could repurpose as mirrors once you start thinking outside the box...


Hmmm... Any ideas on how I can get my mirror to reflect the same view that this mirror is reflecting? :-)

myhomeideas Photo Keith Scott Morton

If you're interested in more inspiration for decorating with mirrors, check out the mirror image post that I did back in August.