More New Tile: Ann Sacks

Part of the updates to the eco-friendly Savoy line at Ann Sacks, Herringbone is a fresh new take on tile.

This tile would make a unique backsplash in a beach cottage kitchen or use it as an accent in your bath.

Great Contemporary Tile by Maline

In Best Plumbing in Stamford CT and saw these great tile sample boards. The tile is by Maline. Each sample board shows a mix of matte and gloss tiles – a great contemporary look for a bath or kitchen backsplash.

Zucchetti

Sink and vanity by Zucchetti. Love the sleek lines, easy touch open and close drawers and the integral bowl. Even the drain is made of Corian.

Sink Shopping at Klaffs

High wow factor for a powder room but not practical for a young family.

My Client’s Completed Master Bath

My client’s completed master bath

A Man’s Bath Retreat

The big reveal of the surprise bath makeover for my client’s husband. He had no idea that while she was having her bath renovated, his was being redone as well.

His taste is black and white literally. He is all about function and likes a clean, streamlined bath with everything in reach – even the telephone!

Here’s the bath before… the flower border is not very masculine, is it?

Before

Before

Design Concept

I put together the design elements to see how they would look and shot photos to send to my client. The vanity is actually more white than in this photo. I found an amazing wall covering from Romo (see below), perfect for the bath with texture and drama. Because there is a sea of white in the tile, vanity, doors etc… the bath is not too dark with this paper. Looks like it would be though, doesn’t it?

Romo Wallpaper

The stone flooring from Porcelanosa is similar to the wife’s master bath but hers is in shades of cream and taupe. It’s a great way to connect two spaces without making them too matching. And this dark stone was the inspiration for the black and white theme in his bath.

Floor Stone - Porcelanosa

Finished Bath

Lots more storage in the vanity with drawers, a new medicine cabinet and a shelf to house the electric toothbrush. We moved the socket closer to the shelf. The color, texture and pattern in the tile are picked up again in the wallpaper.

Bath Detail

Polished chrome and black and white accessories finish the look.

I love to hear from you. What does your dream bath look like?

relaxed. elegant. bliss.

New from THG Faucets, Mossi from the Lalique line is sprinkled with crystal spheres on polished chrome or luxbrass.

The perfect update for the pedestal sink in your powder room.

I love to hear from you. Which new bath fixtures are you dreaming of?

Relaxed Elegance Redux: A Look at Three of our Top Posts in 2010

Happy New Year! Hope all of you had the most wonderful of holidays with family and friends.

Relaxed Elegance and Avery Design Interiors will continue their holiday hiatus throughout the weekend but will be back on Monday with more interior design magic.

Expect in the new year – an update on my progress on my 30 day LinkedIn project, new photos of the Library Fireplace in CT and the Master Bath renovations in FL, and finally many more family friendly interior design tips.

I love to hear from you… Please let me know which posts inspired you last year. What would you like to see more of from Relaxed Elegance in 2011?

Enjoy the 2010 Redux….

5 Interior Design Tips for Renovating a Bathroom

September 2, 2010

tags: bath, interior design, Lighting, renovation, plan

by averydesigninteriors

I recently worked with a client who handed me a list of 50 Decisions for the Guest Bath.  Now, if I were one of my clients I would be completely overwhelmed with a list of 50 decisions. Wouldn’t you be?

So, I’ve pared down the list to 5 decisions. For more….

Interior Design: Farmhouse Fireplace

October 1, 2010

tags: Family friendly, farmhouse, fireplace, inspiration, interior design, modern, traditional

by averydesigninteriors

I met with a new client today. She is lovely as are her gorgeous two young children and super nice down to earth husband. They have an underused front living room, which is in need of some warmth and light. Their first priority is to add a fireplace. They have the chimney so the construction won’t be nearly so traumatic.

Their style is relaxed, comfortable, leaning towards the warmth and feel of a farmhouse. Everything must be kid-friendly. They love their pale peach room and taupe sofas but are asking for an all white fireplace to match the existing trim. The room is small as is the fireplace wall, so the scale of the fireplace will need to be small as well.

Here are some of my initial inspiration fireplaces – not necessarily at the correct scale. Of course, I will be providing the clients with an original design. After I draw it and get the clients’ approval, I will post it for you. For more…

Interior Design of a Teen Room

August 30, 2010

tags: interior design, Color, furniture, accessories, teen, mom, bedroom, study area, desk, inspiration board, PB Teen, CB2, West Elm

by averydesigninteriors

This past week, I’ve been busily working on a teen room in conjunction with my new interior design service, ‘Ready, Set, School: Your Child’s Room Grows Up’. It is so much fun to design a young person’s room. Here are some of the design inspiration and “during” photos. For more…

5 Interior Design Tips for Renovating a Bathroom

I recently worked with a client who handed me a list of 50 Decisions for the Guest Bath.  Now, if I were one of my clients I would be completely overwhelmed with a list of 50 decisions. Wouldn’t you be?

So, I’ve pared down the list to five major decisions. I think this is a more accurate and certainly more manageable number.

Floor Plan - Before and After

1. Plan and Budget: Create a plan for your dream bath. Now consider what you absolutely cannot live without. To generate ideas, tear your likes and dislikes photos out of magazines and put in a folder. Then consider your budget. How much do you think your new bathroom is going to cost? Now add 20%. Ok, breathe. Now add 20% again. There are cost over-runs on every project. Top-notch licensed plumbers, tilers, electricians and other professionals are expensive and not the place to cut corners. But you can get about a 60% return on an updated bathroom when you sell your home.

2. Function: Who uses the bathroom and how often?  Will you/they soak in a tub or prefer a hot shower?  Where would you like to, for the ladies–put on your make-up and blow dry your hair, and for the guys–shave?  Are other people sharing the bathroom?  Take note, guys and gals, one of my clients said her separate sinks are a marriage saver! Agree. Finally, take into account the age of the people using the bath. If they are older, you will want to consider skipping the tub and just having a walk-in shower. If you have young children, you will need to have a tub available for their baths.

Bath Vanity

3. Feel: How do you want to feel in your bathroom?  OK, don’t say clean…  That’s a given.  This is about atmosphere.  Do you want to have a relaxing bubble bath at the end of the day? OK, working moms weight in, when was the last time you had a relaxing bubble bath?  Well, it’s nice to dream.  Or a vibrant shower that will wake you up in the morning?  Or a spa feeling–a get away retreat?

4. Keep it Dry and Easy to Clean: Install tile or azek beadboard on the walls. Both are more moisture resistant and easy to towel down. They are also easy to clean. If you must have wallpaper use the vinyl coated kind. Be sure to ask if the wallpaper can handle the steam from the bath and if it is wipeable. High traffic bathroom floors are better with tile or stone, though a powder room floor can be finished in wood if it’s properly sealed. Countertops can be stone or granite as well as tile or laminate. I always recommend a wipeable finish on vanity cabinets if they are in a kid’s bath. Make sure there are plenty of towels available on hooks or towel bars so that you and your guests can stay dry too.

Bath Shower and Lighting

5. Lighting: Make sure to have plenty of lighting – natural, accent and especially task. Be sure you can see your face in the mirror even when daylight is not streaming in. Also, if your husband shaves in the shower, overhead lighting is crucial. I always put lights on dimmers for those middle of the night trips to the bath. Who wants a glaring bulb at 4am?

Still feeling overwhelmed? Give me a call and I can guide you through the process. Renovating a bath is a major project and well worth professional assistance.

I love to hear from you. What does your ideal bathroom look like?

Fabulous Friday in Interior Design

I love this sink featured in the latest issue of Metropolis Magazine.

Betty Blue by Alape

This sink is fresh, crisp and clean – all the things I want to feel in my bathroom!  The design is simple elegance.

Betty Blue by Alape Top View

The water lands on the nearly flat surface and disperses down the sides.  It reminds me of the infinity edge pools – dreamy.  Who knew water (in a bathroom sink) could be so beautiful?

I love to hear from you.  What’s your favorite sink?