Home Design Articles

Walk in shower enclosures can fall into a variety of categories. Some are fully contained within separating walls, others are installed against existing walls and flooring and are more or less open to the entire room. For homeowners who have the square footage available, consider the second type.

If the enclosure is to truly be ‘walk in’ with no door to close it off, the design must be well thought out and include a means of draining within the flooring. These types are easiest when building from scratch. But a savvy contractor is usually able to create this type of unit regardless of the starting point. Often the actual spray heads are divided from the rest of the room by some type of wall structure. For example, consider a glass block shower enclosure. These can be created in a variety of shapes, with the opaque blocks allowing for some privacy, but still allowing a great deal of light and an open feeling. Other homeowners might opt for a more unique look, using concrete flooring and walls. In some designs, windows are incorporated into the design, again allowing for an open, airy feel. Regardless of the materials used for the enclosure, many homeowners opt to install two or more shower heads, particularly if the space is large enough for more than one person to enjoy. Benches for seating are another great feature. Consider opting for a custom shower enclosure to best incorporate all of your design ideas and needs.

The bathroom is a very personal space for most homeowners. If you are fortunate enough to have adequate square footage, and blessed to have the financial means to make it more than just a functional space, the investment is well worth it. The resale value of homes is often increased by spacious or unique bathrooms. The shower is often the focal point, deserving of significant attention.

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Bathroom lighting is probably the least considered factor when remodeling your bathroom, yet, it can transform a plain bathroom overnight into a spacious practical room by day and a sanctuary by night. We spend a lot of time in this room yet it is often one of the smallest rooms in the house. So lighting is doubly important to get the best from it.

Task Lighting

From a practical perspective task lighting is the light you need to shave properly or apply make up. Don’t rely of a single bulb in the ceiling to help you do this. Your task lighting should be balanced and cast no shadows. A well lit mirror with lights surrounding it or a strip light fitted just behind the edge, is the perfect task lighting and can also be a focal point for the room.

Ambient Lighting

By day, the ambient lighting should be bright and simulate natural daylight. If you have this free resource in plentiful supply use it. Clear any large windows from window sill clutter. Get some good storage to house all of your bathroom paraphernalia and free up space. Keep window dressing simple and unfussy and use a roller blind for privacy if you don’t have frosted glass. If your bathroom is in a loft space, use a skylight. If you have a small window only frosted glass or a roller blind is necessary.

Enhance this with semi flush or full flush mount ceiling lights with low watt bulbs on a dimmer switch. By day, you have a bright practical space. By night, dimmed ceiling lights will produced a diffused tranquil light for relaxation.

Accent Lights

If you place your bathroom ceiling lights close to a wall, it becomes a feature washed in light. You can choose to use this as a highlight for picture or some great tiles or simply leave it plain if you have a small room. If you have a great looking bathroom sink or shower head a carefully placed spotlight can highlight this and make a feature. TIP: This also works great for highlighting your favorite piece of kitchen or bedroom furniture too. Make sure that any lights fitted near water conform to safety rules. Check with an electrician first. Fun lighting effects include special tap fittings that illuminate water as it runs or tiles with integral lighting for a disco bathroom!

Bathroom lighting is no great mystery. With some careful consideration of needs and space and some research you can find the products that could create your dream bathroom almost overnight!

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While the country home design craze has pretty much passed its prime, there are still many who value vintage and classic looks, without the cows, pigs and chickens. One of the easiest ways to indulge the taste for retro and especially Victorian type fixtures is to invest in a vintage toilet and matching pedestal sink. It will require some searching to find a true antique corner toilet but they are available from various renovation or salvage retailers.

Another way to accomplish the same look at a far better price is to seek out a quality reproduction commode. There are numerous styles to choose from and some of these are the space saving triangle models. It is actually possible to turn an area that is only four feet by four feet into a badly needed extra half bathroom.

The most common and least expensive of the retro reproduction toilets is the low tank variety. It is easy to find matching corner or pedestal sinks. What transforms the corner fixture into a classic looking toilet is the addition of features like polished or brushed metal trims. Available trim metals include nickel, brass and chrome. There are even high end dual flush corner toilets that feature ornate trimming that brings to mind the classic French Provencal styles.

Of course the classic vintage toilet is the high tank variety, where the tank is connected to the bowl via a long pipe and the flush power is provided via a long pull. These throwbacks to Victorian times immediately set the design for the rest of the lavatory and a pedestal sink is the favored accompanying fixture. What is best is that the reproductions have modern technology, like water saving tanks.

The small bathroom is always going to be the scene of many an innovative appliance but the corner toilet takes us back to the older style for inspiration. The fact is that there is not a lot of space required to add a toilet to a bathroom if it is done right. Using a previously unused corner is a wise use of space.

Finally, for those who favor the 1950’s and 1960’s color palettes, these too are available for a corner toilet, but by changing the seat. Several companies online feature color charts and even porcelain color chip samples. The colors are nearly endless and many of the colors associated with decades, like gold and avocado from the 70’s are easily available and relatively inexpensive.

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With all the subtle decorating hues in style right now, especially for bathrooms, travertine is the perfect tile to use. Ranging in soft shades of beige and sand to a wide range of zen like browns, even clean blacks, travertine tiles can turn a bathroom into a relaxing spa.

Travertine is a natural stone and with all its color differentiations works great in small amounts as an accent or border or in larger amounts to cover a floor, wall, countertop or shower. Creating a wall of travertine mosaic tile offers a focal point in a bathroom, whether it is a wall over a tub, counter top or inside the shower.

The smaller mosaic tiles are best used for creating the mosaic look and, as mentioned, can also be used to cover an entire wall. If doing a large area, try to stick with a single color of tile; the natural variations will add enough color difference for a nice effect without looking too busy.

On the other hand, because of the varying hues and different colors of travertine, it is easy to do a mosaic with this tile. Again, the smaller tiles work nicely, but choose a smaller space for the mosaic. This could be a border or a circle with a certain pattern on a shower wall. Maybe on a larger wall of one color, a mosaic can be created by using alternating colors of tile. Many people do this inside a shower alcove shelf as well. The bit of mosaic adds artistry and flair to the bathroom, and this little detail will enrich the room.

As well as the attractive smaller mosaic tiles travertine tiles are also available in large slabs that will give you a much simpler look. For a bet each way an effective design style is to use the larger tiles as a background texture and then create a more detailed pattern within.

The texture of travertine varies depending on the type of finish you choose. It is a natural stone and it can be polished so that it comes up with a smooth shine or it can be honed which gives it a smooth finish but more of a natural look. The tile is also available with a brushed or tumbled finish that brings out the textural variations that you would expect to see in a natural stone.

The only problem you may have with using travertine tiles is the fact that the stone is porous and will absorb liquids unless it is treated with a sealant first. Failing to do that will degrade the surface of the tiles and they will soon begin to change appearance. Cleaning the tiles requires care as well because using vinegar or a citrus-based cleaner will erode the stone and significantly mar the appearance of the tiles.

Again, travertine is an excellent tile to work with, whether in all one color or a mix to create a mosaic look. The tiles range in size from small mosaic rectangles to larger squares. The best thing to do is to be creative and let the tile be the star.

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Specific areas of a house tend to increase the home value, such as the kitchen and bathroom. Numerous ideas regarding updating, renovating or redesigning these areas are easily available either online or at home-improvement retail stores as well as from professional interior designers or architects. This article aims to discuss one particular method of bathroom improvement that is both easy and efficient, using corner bathroom showers to turn a half bath into a full bath while conserving space.

The major difference between a full bath and a half corner bath is that a full bath will have a shower or bathtub. Some bathrooms may not have much space but can be used efficiently with the correct attributes. One such method is to make use of a corner shower which can provide an efficient and classic look to a bathroom with limited space while at the same time, increasing the home value.

The typical corner shower will consists of a base, as well as wall and door panels. Installation of the shower unit is in the bathroom corner and offers enough space for an individual to take a comfortable shower yet does not require the same amount of space as the full bath shower unit does. Generally, the panels for the wall are directly installed on top of existing bathroom walls, providing a relatively quick and easy installation while ensuring a water-tight and water resistant enclosure. Designs and colors vary as well as dimensions, providing the consumer a selection of product choices that can fit their needs.

Another advantage besides the space saving feature is that corner showers tend to be fairly inexpensive and can be found at most home-improvement stores. Units can vary in price from six hundred dollars to twelve hundred dollars depending on make and model. The units are lightweight are not very difficult to install by ones’ self. However, if an individual prefers, the unit can also be quickly installed for additional cost, by a professional or employee of the store, typically in less than a day.

Although simple and not very expensive, quality and style are apparent in many of the various models available on the market. Styles range from classic, modern and even very basic, providing an opportunity for the home owner to select the style most suitable for their home and bathroom design. A newer and increasingly popular model offers panels made of glass which creates an impression of increased space and light. Bathroom corner shower units are one technique to help increase the value of a home while also adding a nice feature to a bathroom and changing a half bath to a full bathroom.

Another way in which one of these corner shower units or half baths can give the impression of being s\even smaller than they actaully are is by the lower lips that they are furnished with. If you aren’t expecting to take baths with your half bath sized unit, get one with lower sides and it will give the bathroom the impression of being even more roomy.

Making your corner shower look more modern and more of a feature is the choice of a modern corner shower surround. It is possible to get an angled shower surround that matches the size of the corner shower unit allowing for the fact that there is going to be a minimum of room available. Just because the shower enclosure is not particularly big, that doesn’t preclude you from adding a shower surround too.

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