Bathroom
A shower ledge is much more straightforward and requires a build-out of only a few inches into the shower space. Run it along the length of your shower stall, as designer Katy Popple did here, and you’ve got tons of space for shower essentials. Cap it with a piece of your bathroom vanity countertop material and call it a day.
Light wood veneer on flat-panel base cabinets. The upper cabinets are painted matte white. “Wood, even if it’s a wood veneer, is a warmer material and more ‘furniture like,’ so it lends a more custom and richer-appearing finish to a kitchen than all painted cabinets,” designer Tina McCabe says. Other special features. Wood-look tile flooring laid in a herringbone pattern. “The combination of the light wood flat-panel lower cabinets and the traditionally laid herringbone tile achieved the light, airy, modern yet classic outcome,” McCabe says. A ceiling feature painted gray gives weight and placement to the island. The backsplash is 3-by-15-inch matte white tile with a band of colored glass mosaic.
Blend transitional style with the sleek modern style of this two-story penthouse condo in an 18-story building overlooking the Mississippi River. Wood cabinets. Custom-made oak flat-panel main cabinets plus a wall of walnut flat-panel cabinets. “With the large, open space and light-colored tile floors, the kitchen needed some warmth and richness, and the custom-made walnut cabinets did just that,” designer Emily Castle says. “The warmth of the wood cabinetry adds depth and is echoed in the sandy tones and warm grays of the living room upholstery and rug.” Other special features. Stone slab backsplash of Arabescato Orobico, a dark Italian marble. “The stone has veining that picks up the warmth of the wood cabinets, while the Black Opalescence granite countertops add just the right amount of contrast,” Castle says. The large custom range hood features a patina steel finish. Designer tip. Castle looked for opportunities to incorporate elements into the design that softened the sharp lines of the interior architecture. In the kitchen, she used a cluster of nine small pendants with 4-inch blown glass globes strung over the length of the island. “Since they are individually mounted,...
Like the full mirror if possible with the lighted mirror I want or Pale gray cabinets and wall paint give the space a brighter, airier look, and warm metal finishes soften all the gray. The vanity top is Carrara marble, as is the mosaic tile floor. Light fixtures are placed directly on the mirrors, amplifying the glow.
Going for bold style in a powder room is nothing new. Designers tend to like to go a little wild in these small spaces often used by guests. One way to go big or go home is by wrapping the entire powder room in a feature wallpaper or other material. In this popular powder room, designer Kimberlee Gorsline of Kimberlee Marie Interior Design wrapped all the walls in white shiplap to create a textured backdrop for a mint green vanity and patterned ceramic floor tile.
If your modern bathroom has a glass shower surround, every detail within the shower counts, so keep products neat and within reach with well-designed niches. You may want to measure your most frequently used products before committing to a design to ensure the finished product will work for your daily life.
The International Surface Event (Jan. 22-25) and the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (Feb. 19-21), both in Las Vegas, showed that surface manufacturers also are doubling down on the natural aesthetic, especially with wood- and stone-effect tiles or finishes, such as this wood-look Corian. Wood finishes, and even wood parquet “tile” modules, also were clearly represented at Cevisama, the Spanish tile fair (Valencia, Jan. 28-Feb. 1).
Soothe with the sound of water. A softly burbling fountain can bring the sound of nature to a city apartment, add a soothing soundtrack to your garden and mask the sounds of noisy neighbors. And fountains don’t need to be large or expensive to make an impact — choose a small tabletop version or make your own using the vessel of your choice and a basic fountain kit. outside downstairs bathroom
blue and white
her clients generally prefer more timeless, lighter palettes and materials. But she doesn’t let that keep the design from being interesting. Instead, she tries to mix things up with unexpected twists. One way she does that is by installing classic subway or rectangular tile in a vertical or stacked pattern to give it a fresh look.
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