The first and better question to ask is “Do I want to follow
the trend?” Or is it more important to follow function vs. fashion?
In cabinets, quarter sawn oak on a slab, flat panel door is quite
popular. The grain is fairly uniform and
linear giving a very contemporary look.
Many clients request a darker stain, also a very contemporary look. You will want to be cautious not to select too
dark of a stain on this type of wood because the quarter sawn grain disappears,
and you just paid a premium price for the value of this wood selection. It is always
suggested that you obtain samples prior to making final selections.
We have accompanied this blog with a few photos from our
bathroom gallery but it is highly recommended that you access our bathroom photo gallery and bathroom
material web page for further details and examples.
Foil cabinets are perfect in high moisture applications and provide easy wipe down for cleaning.
A great trend worthy of investigation are manmade materials
that look and feel like natural materials.
The industry has taken a giant leap forward in its ability to
manufacture items such as vinyl flooring, laminate countertops, cultured shower
surrounds and foil cabinets that look and feel just like natural stone and
wood. The true benefit to these materials
is both in the cost to the consumer, and the wear ability! These materials can
be much more kid and animal friendly.
Laminate Countertops looking more like granite with better technology. Photo from www.wilsonarthd.com
Armstrong, a well-known floor company has introduced
“Alterna Reserve”. This product looks
and feels like natural slate, marble, and travertine tiles. It can be grouted
and comes with a residential lifetime limited warranty, go to www.armstrong.com for further information
and details. This product can be
installed at a significant savings to the client without sacrificing
looks. For countertops, Wilsonart, a
well know laminate company has introduced the Wilsonart Collection, Wilsonart
HD. This laminate product is made to
look like granite. They have taken photos of real stone and transposed those
images onto laminate sheets. Then they added
“Aeon Enhanced Performance” which provides a significant higher ability for the
product to resist scuffing and scratching, go to www.countertop.com for further details on
this great product.
The downside of following trends is determining if the
current trend matches the style of your home and your personality. Will it set my home apart from others either
positive or negative? One needs to be cognizant
of this if they plan to sell the home within ten years. Many prospective buyers are eliminated due to
trends not meeting their personal taste.
That is why it is much safer to select those colors and materials that
will appeal to the masses.
Our design bathroom specialist can help you navigate towards
your ultimate goal both in style and in budget.
One of their primary functions is to “give you enough information to
make intelligent decisions”. Gives us a
call or go to Free Consultation on our website
to set an appointment.
As we have been discussing in previous blogs, it can only happen if your contractor follows a defined process. One of the first questions you will ask your prospective contractor is “how many of this type of remodeling project have you completed?”. If the contractor had done more than ten of these projects they should be able to complete a day to day time line for you and stick to it. In the over 6800 projects we have completed we are above 97% completing the project within the time frame allowed. The following is for a very large major master bathroom remodel, cost just over $56,000:
Photos of Hiskey As noted on the critical path each working day is accounted for, each area of detail is lined out ahead of time. There is no question as to “are they going to show up today”.
Take the stress out of contracting, define the day to day schedule!
Jim and Rita had to consider their adult son’s wheelchair access needs when planning their new master bathroom. He is over 6’ tall and weighs over 200 pounds, so placement of grab bars and allowing for turning radius were important steps during the planning process.
They wanted the space to be pleasing to the eye as well as functional. They worked for a couple of hours with one of our designers pulling together a color palette. All could agree this is NO EASY TASK!
Their selections started with a custom shower. The 48”x 48” neo-angle, brushed nickel frameless shower door enclosed the beautiful Sea Green 18”x 18” tiles, and was accented by a vertical strip of Bellavita glass and stone mosaic blend. Another tile used in this space was Ekos Quarzo 12”x 12” tiles. When walking into the bathroom, the shower and stunning tile design is the first thing you see, providing that WOW effect. For their cabinets, they wanted something that would stand up to the moisture, as well as being resistant to scratches or dents caused by the wheelchair. They selected a Thermafoil product in a slab door style, providing a clean modern look while being easy to clean. The color they chose was Mahogany Impressions, giving the warmth of wood. This door style was used for both the vanity cabinet as well as the linen cabinet.
Rita is big on light, lots of light, so we installed a large glass block window, with obscure glass over the tub. We complimented it with a matching glass block wall separating the tub and shower. This allowed for natural light to enter the shower area. The undertones of the glass block also mirrored well with the Bellavita glass mosaic tile.
Kohler and many of the other bathroom product suppliers have enhanced their grab bar features to resemble their towel racks. No longer do you have to equip your bathroom with those bulky commercial grab bars that you see at restaurants. The grab bars now match the color and style of your faucets and other necessary bathroom accessories. See, http://kitchenplus.com/bathroom/bathroomcabinet_accessorie/ or http://kitchenplus.com/bathroom/bathroom-gallery/ for examples. The placement of grab bars is very personal. To maximize functionality and safety one must consider height and weight. It is very important that the contractor place the proper backing behind the bar to ensure that it does not fail. Bars can be placed vertically, horizontally or at an angle.
Working with a professional bathroom designer can eliminate a lot of headaches and construction delays. There are a number of items in the plumbing department that need to be ordered, but because they are behind a wall or under the floor many clients are unaware they are required. For example, toilets do not come with seats, and the flush handle has options as well.
