Bathroom Shower Fixtures

Shower heads

I choose to do shower heads because these are the fixtures we use most in a bathroom, besides the sink. Shower heads have changed tons starting with the basic wall mount to creating body sprayers. They have even added lighting, music and touch control panels. Shower heads now are eco-friendly in that they use less water but still provide the same experience. These examples below show what the fixture is and what can be done with it in a bathroom.

Wall mounted shower head are the basic but highly functional. They can have different spraying functions and are simple for smaller showers.

1.

Hand held shower heads can have a fixed shower head with a separate shower head attached to a hose or they can just be the shower head with attached hose with a slot to hold it. These shower fixtures are a great option for people with mobile disabilities.

2.

Rain shower heads are ceiling mounted and provide the feeling of being in a waterfall. They come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes.

3.

Body Sprayers are integrated into the walls of the shower and sprays from multiple points providing an all over shower. There are so many different ways to do this and different combinations.

4.

 Here's a duel waterfall shower with knobs on each side and lighting.

... and here's one that went a little overboard with the sprayers

ceiling mounted, body sprayers, floor mister and probably a wall mounted shower head.

1-4 fixtures are from KOHLER http://www.us.kohler.com/us/

Traditional Kitchen Style

New trends in a Traditional kitchen

            In newer traditional homes, people are opening them up with fewer walls between the kitchen, dining and living rooms for more interaction. The kitchens are becoming larger and there is more need for islands. With more people entertaining in these open spaces these kitchens are hiding their appliance behind cabinet doors. They are also putting in more storage space so there are fewer items on the countertops. Traditional kitchens have a “living room” feel to them so they blend in with the adjoining rooms. These include crown molding, panel doors and mantle style hood vents. Designers are also adding texture into the kitchens and mixing materials. The islands are furniture like with legs and paneled sides. With these kitchens open to the dining room, benches are more common at the dining tables. The eating nooks have a built in bench and dining tables have a bench with them.

Mantal style hood vent

Furniture style island (custom designs)

Table and bench combo

http://www.traditionalhome.com/kitchens/kitchen-trends-2013?page=17

DIY Lamp

For this project I took a basic lamp and redid it. We had to change the base, shade and add some sort of decorative feature.

As you can see my lamp was white as well as my shade. To start off I scruffed up the base so the paint would stick. The paint I used was Krylon Natural Stone in charcoal and it gave the base a nice texture. The shade I spray painted with Krylon Colormaster in Pimento. It gave the shade a reddish-salmon color. Then I added this sequin trim on top and bottom.

And this was the results of the paint and it lights up nicely.

The Forgotten Top Hat

What is one of the common things forgotten when leaving the house? A hat! or possibly sunglasses. In interiors the ceiling is like that hat because it is usually the forgotten part and usually gets a plain coat of paint so here are some exciting and interesting ceiling options.

 THE ATRIUM

This room has English style chairs by Rose Tarlow and a reproduced Dutch style table under a pyramid skylight that resembles a garden trellis.

LIVING ROOM

The tongue-and-groove redwood ceiling in this living room hides the insulation, pipes and mechanical apparatus for the room. The furniture includes a wool chair and leather Poltona Frau sofa to match the concrete walls, dry stacked stone and painted steel railing.

DINING ROOM

Who knew you could do a rustic firebrick ceiling? This dining room also has dusty blue walls and an aged French oak floor.

SUN ROOM

Let there be light! Ceder beams and custom Marlin windows enclose Raleigh armchairs and fumed oak and metal tables. The flooring which extends outside is basalt tile.

KITCHEN

The barrel-vaulted ceiling is done in tiny mosaic tiles with two dramatic lights. The counter tops are waterfall granite from Walker Zanger.

Pictures and information from Luxe Interiors+Design, article Ceiling that Excite.

10 Trends for 2013

Movements in Interiors

1. Designs are leaning toward masculine designs, less of the cuteness stuff and more sober furniture details, less flashy colors and more functionality. If you look at it, the space is balanced and can be pleasing to both partners.

2. Designing in groups instead of a single designer makes the project more efficient and the group can share responsibilities therefor speeding up the process. The design will also have a groups personality instead of a personal style.

3. DIY projects are taking over!! Self expression is becoming a major factor in home designs. It gives the home owner complete control on how they want things to look. Re-purposing various objects and materials is now both a passion and a form of art.

4. Texture is becoming more noticed in interiors, people are paying more attention to the feel of surfaces. They want touchable textures that bring warmth and comfort into the atmosphere. The two top textures are suede and wood. Using a variety of textures is key to a great interior.

5. You may have learned it from your grandmother but embroidery and knitting are coming back into style. From carpets to covers it provides a particular charm that industry produced goods can not achieve.

6. Stripes are appearing more in interiors to inspire vibrant living and energy. Carpets, wallpapers, upholstery, graphic art-each of these elements can wear the distinct feature of movement as long as they are defined by stripes. The concept is make things stand out without losing the elegance and harmony.

7. Floral patterns are coming back but with a white background. They leave a romantic touch and bring in the holiday spirit.

8. Interiors are getting wild! It's said more modern villas are bringing in African elements like animal skins, wooden furniture with carving and iron work, sculptures and hand-made decorations.

9. Here's a fun one- designer and clients are coming together to create hand sketches and wall writing. Imagine your favorite quote or saying creatively written on the walls, ceiling or floor even.

10. And the last one bringing in green walls and garden rooftops. The advantage of having a green walls- air cleansing, humidification, evaporation of the air and guest appreciation. 

"Top 10 Most Talked About Interior Design Trends for 2013" in Freshome Design and Architecture

Zen-like Home in California

     Bob and Siri Marshall bought a plot of land in the mountains near Santa Barbara, California as a place to retire. They loved it because of the sun-washed landscape that could have been a Van Gogh painting. The house they tore down and was rebuilt by Christopher Manson-Hing becoming a clean three bedroom villa with lots of windows and wide loggias supported by classical columns. Almost every room had steel and glass French doors that opened to the outside where wicker and teak furniture sat. 

     

     For the interiors the Marshall's hired Suzanne Rheinstein who created an interior that would complement the ever changing light from outside. The walls were painted in sandy shades, on the floors were antique carpets and they used bleached teak for paneling and cabinetry. Siri and Bob are big on collecting art and antiques so naturally there pieces are scattered throughout the home. The landscape they altered and up in paths and terraces making it possible to walk around barefoot. When the mist comes over the hills Siri said "It becomes very Zenlike and peaceful."

Armchairs are paired with vintage iron tables from Hollyhock and steps are made from Cherokee sandstone.

Living room has a circa 1800 Italian settee.

The picture above the fireplace is a antique Chinese wallpaper, lamps are made from Han Dynasty wine jars. Rheinstein designed the sofas and are grouped with 18th century Italian chairs.

The kitchen counters are made with Caesarstone and island topped with limestone.

Antique botanical's decorate the room, the bed is also designed by Rheinstein with Kravet fabric. The master bath has a large sink vanity and large dressing table. The room has a ocean view.

Pictures and information from "Suzanne Rheinstein Designs a Montecito, California Home" in Architectural Digest August 2013 issue.

Max Mid-century Design

Kelly Wearstler

Kelly Wearstler was born in South Carolina and now lives and works in Los Angeles. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a closet interior designer and antique dealer. She graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and briefly worked in the film industry. She also briefly posed for Playboy under the name Kelly Gallagher that helped pay her student loans and helped start her interior design business.

Wearstler’s career soared in 1999 with her design of the Beverly Hills’ Avalon Hotel. Her signature style was bold, maximalist mid-century design with fearless aesthetics.

This is Tides Hotel in South Beach

 

Viceroy Miami

 

These are her three major commercial projects Avalon Hotel, Tides Hotel and Viceroy Miami Hotel. She has also done residential designs at Evergreen, Hillcrest, Malibu, Maison, Spring Street and Pied-a-terre.

Evergreen Residence

 

Spring Street

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Hillcrest

 

Kelly Wearstler designed her own jewelry and clothing line and she has a couple articles in Elle Decor.

Pictures from www.kellyweastler.com