Monday, June 24, 2013

A Staircase Renewed

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As with many young active families this only staircase to the second floor needed to be beautiful, safe and easy to maintain.  We selected a commercial durable, low pile, nylon to compliment the family's color scheme.  Our installer kept the new carpet tight to the nose of the tread and laid a separate piece up the riser allowing the tread to be deeper and giving a cleaner visual installation. Now we had a staircase that was safe and attractive – no slipping down multiple stairs due to a rounded leading tread edge.  I also add that the installers did a magnificent job around the "birdcage" of newell post at the base of the handrail.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Transformation of a 1975 Bathroom


I’d like to share with you a recent bathroom project I completed for a client whose family had outgrown their 1975 standard hall bath and now wanted a more contemporary feel.

The design challenge was to transform a narrow and busy 5’ x 8’ bathroom into a calm and contemporary space.

To achieve a more contemporary feel asymmetrical design features were used in the sink base.  The sink base was fabricated to hold the glass raised sink and an off center faucet that has a water fall effect. The extra length also allows for rolled towel storage on lower shelves.  A oversized rectangular mirror repeats the rectangle of the space.  A contemporary use of color is the deep brown and the travertine neutral tile color.

The travertine floor tiles continue up the tub skirt and further up the wall giving a continuous flow visually. You may notice the different tiles in the back of the shampoo storage area.  By using this design element the shower curtain is balanced and the back wall comes forward visually creating a less elongated room.

Also, the shower hosts a handheld shower.  This is a nice design feature for later years when sitting while showering may be desired.   A  shower diverter allows the home owner to choose between the handheld, or tube spout  or the shower head.  There is a temperature valve which maintains a constant temperature to avoid scalding or fluctuations in water temperature due to other household activities

We chose to use a solar tube to give the interior room daylight all day long.  The toilet has a water saving feature of a 1, 2 flush selection.

This bathroom has become a functional and beautiful space.