The Big Move Part V Progress Not Perfection

It's time for Part FIVE!!! I know how patiently you've all been waiting for this new installment of The Big Move.  It's been a challenging week including a meltdown that turned a Phase two project into a Phase NOW situation.

It's July in FLA and we just had to address the AC situation so as not to lose our dearly beloved labor force (Bob).  The result of the first service call yielded a $99 bill and no relief from the heat.  Granted the AC unit, we've discovered, looks like THIS!  

We need a new 2 1/2 ton unit and were quoted $6,500.  Next up, the second service call.  For this one, we called a smaller company who we have worked with in the past and guess what?  He's actually got the current unit working for the time being.  In fact, it's been cooling for about 5 days and counting so Bob is cool for now and we'll see what number two's estimate is.   I have high hopes since this AC guy is apparently a miracle worker.  I digress.  This week I promised a peek into what exactly is going on in the bedroom and master bathroom, which, to be sure, is a mini master.  Check out the tricks, tips and snarky commentary by editor Joe and see what we are doing to make small work in a big way.

As promised, here are the products we're using as mentioned in The Big Move Part V:

In the spirit of full disclosure, this showerhead was gifted to me by the lovely peeps at Brizo faucet a few years back.  It's our style, works great and we love it so it's moving with us.  The center portion pops out for hand held function.   It comes in chrome (above) and polished nickel.  Brizo is a part of Delta Faucets offering some really cutting edge design options but I actually love what Delta offers in their main line and it's what we chose for the shower and sink faucets.

We went with a single hole/handle model as it is what will work with our furniture vanity which is pre drilled and looks like this.

It comes with matching mirror and is a high gloss white finish which will look great with the shiny shower tiles.  Furniture vanities can be a great solution if they work with your space as you have the counter top and sink already done and included in the total price of your vanity.  The shower also will have the matching Vero design. I love the Vero styling because it incorporates square clean lines as well as the softness of the circle. I want it all!

We didn't want to sacrifice any precious space for a shower bench but a girl's gotta shave her legs, right?  I plan to get this cute shower stool. I love the fact that you can move it.

So now for the toilet.  As Joe so accurately pointed out, we did not, in fact, end up with a skirted toilet.  I thought that's what we ordered but it wasn't.  I'm okay with this and truthfully just thrilled to have a Toto toilet.  It is, however, a compact model just perfect for small spaces with a tank that measures just 14 1/2".  Incidentally, we also had an outlet put in right next to the bowl for a future Washlet and if you don't know what that is you should and you can read all about it here.

Since storage is at a premium we're going to include this mirrored medicine cabinet over the toilet. 

Last but certainly not least is the light.  I thought this lovely fixture was just the right style and size to illuminate this artful mini master bath. 

 

 

 

The barn door was an excellent solution for two doors that didn't get along very well!  So there you have it!  Please feel free to comment.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and don't forget to subscribe to the blog for more tips tricks and some upcoming behind the scenes revelations of this Artful Kitchen designer. xoxo

Big Trends from KBIS Part II

The Modenus Blog Tour recaps continue! Last post I shared some of my kitchen trend discoveries from KBIS2015, the 51st Kitchen & Bath Industry Show held last month in LasVegas.  Today I've got the scoop on what's trending in the bath. I have to say it, personalization is also at the top of the list for bathroom style and function.  I saw lots of new options for faucet finishes.  Were you getting tired of brushed nickel? Nice to see something new in that arena. I saw a lot of contemporary design for the bath, minimal clean lines, simplicity but with quality materials.Affordability is definitely achievable.  For example you can have the quality of Kohler with their basic Sterling line or luxury of their exclusive Kallista line.Brizo introduced its new Rook collection for the bath, with a subtle reference to chess.  Its their latest suite of luxury faucets, fittings and accessories for the bath. This collection combines a low spout architecture and crisp octagonal details for a stately yet modern design.Brizo also has something for you if you're a little "twisted" and I love it.  It's the Virage Collection Free standing tubs and tub fillers-  The popularity of free-standing tubs created a whole new plumbing fixture, the tub filler.  They were everywhere!Creativity with tile- It's not just subway tile anymore although there are even a lot of interesting variations on this popular style. I can't leave you today without a nod to the number one booth in my opinion.  I wasn't alone as it was also voted most innovative booth of the show.  The award went to AquaBrass for their Buckminster Fuller inspired geodesic dome.  This innovative concept wowed me but they went all the way with my favorite combination art + design.  With and artist on site creating beautiful artful bathtubs!  This was to introduce their new Kanvas collection.  It brings art to the bathroom in a limited series of hand-painted freestanding bathtubs, each one signed by the artist. The tubs are stone resin and offer a choice of three hand-painted exteriors: bright and bold Graffiti has a youthful, urban edge; nature-inspired Pax invites bathers to a soothing Zen-like experience; and architectural Mosaik brings timeless elegance with its classic yet modern look.Aquabrass also introduced something that's going right on my dream list. The Aquazone,  a revolutionary shower and bath concept that provides the best of both worlds. Molded into a single, space-saving wet zone unit requiring only 60"X60" of space. North American-built, its strong, one-piece construction is solid Lucite acrylic with a reinforced base. And with two integrated wheels and six adjustable levelers, it rolls into place easily, saving time, materials and labor costs.Not only was the  booth full of great new products and finishes with the occasional thoughtfully placed message, they thought outside of the box and into the dome!! Kudos to the creators and congrats.Up next: We're not done in the bathroom yet! Here's the Jeopardy question: "The number one plumbing fixture supplier in the world" Who is ??????

Hot Trends Make a Big Splash at KBIS 2014

As many of you know, the Kitchen and Bath masses gathered in Las Vegas February 4-6 for their annual pilgrimage to KBIS, the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show. This year the event was part of Design & Construction Week, a new concept, merging KBIS with IBS, the International Builder’s Show. As a result, it was bigger and better than ever. Let’s hope that what happened there does NOT stay there !Maybe I should limit that to kitchen and bath industry products and trends ;)   Uber interior design resource Modenus hosted their latest Blogtour group who covered the event in a big way! You can get the entire scoop here.So what is trending, you may ask? Here’s the latest scoop from Kitchen & Bath Design News and KBIS co-sponsors, the National Kitchen & Bath Association:Let there be light.  Yes we’re used to lights in the refrigerator but now we’re adding LED lighting to cabinetry as well.

Make that matte.  Last year I noticed a growing interest in matte finishes and it’s even more so this year.  One such surface is the new Dekton by Cosentino.  It's an ultra compact surface including quartz, porcelain and glass.  This makes it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use, even better than quartz as it's UV resistant and can withstand extreme heat.

Keep it simple.   NKBA President John Petrie, CMKBDT tells us, "while transitional styles are still number one, we see kitchen design trending more contemporary this year, with clean , simple lines: less clutter and little ornamentation".Quartz rocks, especially if it’s patterned!  Homeowners have discovered quartz but they're not willing to give up the pattern and movement found in natural stone products like granite and marble.  New finishes by Cambria let you have the best of both worlds.Cambria's  Waterstone Collection captures the depth and beauty of marble and granite while offering the superior strength and performance of quartz. (Here's something for you "traditionalists", they clearly didn't get the message about contemporary in this kitchen!)Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets, We may like our cabinetry look pared down but gimme the gadgets!  Technology reigns, ie anything  touch operated or digital.The new Temp20 Technology by Delta Faucets boasts a digital temperature display that saves you the shock or injury from water that's not the temperature you were expecting.   When the temperature is less than 80 degrees the LED display will glow blue.  It's magenta from 80-110 and red when it's above that.  You can get this feature on your Delta faucet  this spring.A bath to come home to, trends in the bathroom focus on customization and spa ambiance.  In  the high end markets, free standing tubs are all the rage.  They are functional and sculptural at the same time. We are also understanding the benefits of hydrotherapy as in soaking tubs and steam baths.Additional features you may want to include in your new kitchens and baths include the following:-Induction cooktops (and now ranges too!)-Steam ovens-French-door refrigerators (duh, I think we all know that already!)-Bottom freezer drawers (ditto of above)-Touch activated faucets-Electronic (no touch) faucets-LED lighting-Charging stations-Pet stationsI believe all of the above are here to stay, at least in the foreseeable future, and the technology will only get better.