Famous Bathrooms

Celebrities invest on their personal spaces. It’s their sanctuary from the public. One area in their house which may be considered the most private, even sacred, is the bathroom. The bathroom is a place where they can go without make-up, styled hairdos and all the shiny bling. It’s a place where they can be as is, as they want to be. Here’s a look on some of those private, intimate and celebrity worthy bathrooms.

 1. Actress Meg Ryan’s bathroom is fresh, airy and simple. With a custom window panel to give her a good view of nature outside while soaking in the tub, we can only imagination the relaxation she experiences each bath. What brings personality and cheer in her bathroom are the potted plants and the sheer simplicity of white on white, and square window frames.

2. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban is an award-winning celebrity power couple. Kidman, an actress, and Urban, a country singer, share their moments in a $10 million home in New York. This bathroom sets a calm and bright mood. Most of the colors are neutral. Shades of grey and accents of wood provide contrast, and the extra touches of paintings and flower decor accentuates the bathroom’s already appealing style.

3. Away from the cameras and clapboards, actress Jennifer Aniston is a yoga and Zen practitioner. Her beliefs in East Asian philosophies reflect on her bathroom design. Simplicity with maximum efficiency and harmony with nature and its elements are the key factors of Zen. The warm color of stained wood gives contrast to the lighter shaded tub.

4. Fashion designer icon Ralph Lauren desired to have a bathroom that is very simple, open, clean and spacious built for him. By nature, this design is a true manifestation of minimalism. Note that most of the flat surfaces barely have anything on top of them except for the water fixtures and the vase. The bath is mostly polished and mirrored, the room reflects itself in almost all angles.

5. Actor Charlie Sheen’s stylish bathroom is another white on white themed room with tasteful accented rugs below the double vanity’s sink. You cannot go wrong with the classic white on white theme. It makes any room larger. Being a tabloid favorite, Charlie Sheen prepared to protect his privacy from paparazzo, this bath’s curtains are ready to be drawn in anytime.

6. Nicolas Cage’s numerous homes and properties are covered by the returns of his acting career in Hollywood. However, financial burdens and accumulated debt forced him to sell this Orange County property with a slashed down $1 million price tag from $1.7 million. This bathroom manifests the Californian style of “bringing the outside indoors” as exemplified by its bright color coordination.

7. Hit-maker rapper Kanye West’s bathroom is a straightforward minimal bathroom with a slight twist of glamor and aqualife. He can take a bath while watching fish or enjoying the view outside the oversized window panel then lounge at the bench beneath the chandelier bling.

8. Reality star and tabloid mainstay Kim Kardashian keeps her bathroom traditional with wooden storage and fine marble. The bathroom is built to accommodate a couple.

9. Actress and writer Julianne Moore spends her time musing over what next children’s book to write in her remodeled bathroom influenced by designs during the 1880’s. The old world feel must give her inspiration to write chapters of playful thoughts in her books.

10. When not in the adrenaline inducing action scenes of 24, Kiefer Sutherland enjoys his alone time in his simple, minimalist bathroom. The blue mosaic tiles give a relaxed, laid back feel of the bathroom. His oversized mirror creates an illusion of space too.

About the Author: Adie Sotelo is a contracted writer for PremiereVanities. A specialty store dedicated to proving our customers with a great selection, competitive pricing and unparalleled customer service.

5 Accent Pieces that can Change your Dining Room

Putting a dining room together is one of the most important steps when completing the layout of your home. After all, this is one of the most important rooms in your home! You will have romantic candlelit dinners and festive family get-togethers, tasty meals and perhaps even family game night all around your dining room table.  Even though we are just through the holiday season of entertaining, having a functional and beautiful dining room is always important.

Choosing just the right furniture in your price point is feasible and can actually be a really fun experience. One of the main goals is to make sure the dining room area matches the rest of the home’s flow of decor. It doesn’t mean that the colors and exact feel need to simply be duplicated, however you don’t want to create a room that feels completely out-of-place from the rest of your décor. This is accomplished by the used of repeating design elements such as wall colors, and furniture styles–just remember–sets are predictable, break up the set!

Dining room accents can come in many different ways. You can have a table, chairs, picture frames or elegant rugs just to mention a few of the accents that will decor you dining room just the way you’ve always wanted. Of course you can’t forget the lighting! Perhaps something soft and romantic like mid century modern lighting is your style. As you can see there are many ways to improve your space but let’s stick with 5 simple ways to take your dining room from blah to brilliant.  Lighting is a crucial design element here as in all rooms, you definitely want your dining room lighting to be on a dimmer switch to support the mood of the occasion.  Also you need to make sure the lighting is of the proper size and scale for the room and the design aesthetic you are seeking.

1. Dining Room Table

The main accent piece that will bring your dining room together is the dining room table. A dining room table accent that has a high quality wood with a luxurious style will certainly help to tie the room together with great results. Don’t forget about a round table as an option.  Round tables encourage intimacy among diners.

2. Decorative Chairs

Decorative chairs to complement your dining room table are another great accent that will change your dining room just the way you want. Although most of the time the chairs will come together with the table as a set, choosing your chairs individually can also be an option. Two of the main aspects to consider when investing on chairs for you dining room are comfort and style. At the very least, choose different chairs for the head of the table when working with a rectangular shaped table.  You can vary the upholstery or the entire chair style.

3. Wall Art

Another accent that can complement your dining room beautifully is wall art. Wall art pictures can really enhance your dining room with a unique style and fashion. You can be certain that with just the right kind of art, you will surely complete your dining room to perfection.

4. Rugs

Luxurious rugs make for also great accents for your dining room. Tying the room together is easily done with an elegant rug. Many of the rugs that are sold nowadays can easily go for a great affordable price. Shopping around will easily help you find the rug that will work perfectly as an accent for your dining room. Make sure the rug is large enough so when diners push the chair back from the table the chair is still on the area rug.

In addition to serving as an art studio, the room was used as:

•  a home office
•  a guest room
• a place to do yoga
• a place to watch TV
  AND
• a place for her 5 cats to climb their unique indoor trees, socialize, relax and use the litter box

Here are some BEFORE pictures

Over sized roll top desk took up a lot of space

Unique cat tree climbers covered in tattered pastel carpet

Another desk surface and book case with cat boxes under neath

The design plan:
The client wanted to bring a tropical feel to the Arizona desert and create a visually clean and uncluttered space.  She loves natural, woven design elements.  The space needed to look and feel bright, open and airy while serving all of the functional needs and be cat friendly and easy to take care of.

1. New easy to care for flooring to replace the worn Berber carpeting-18″ tile in reddish brown was laid
2. Re-upholster the cat trees in a super durable and attractive fabric – Crypton fabric was used
3. Provide comfortable seating and guest sleeping option in an easy to care for , pet friendly fabric-A custom air mattress sleeper sofa was designed using two fabrics; the cushions have an indoor/outdoor tropical fabric and the main sofa is covered in a commercial grade vinyl that has a rattan pattern embossed on it
4. Storage and display for art supplies, books, magazines-a space plan was developed and all was purchased through IKEA or custom constructed.
5. Working surfaces to create artwork-a main desk with a light box is placed by the french doors to take advantage of natural light, and a secondary surface was constructed to spec to stand at and as a dual benefit house and hide the litter boxes
6. Area rugs to soften and define the zones-two sisal rugs (cats love sisal) were placed in the room
7. New window coverings to filter but not block the light-natural woven shades were installed

 AFTER PICTURES

The Cat's Can Climb and look out the window

Litter Box Storage & Cat Trees

The client is thrilled with the results.  We both believe that the redesigned space will result in even more beautiful paintings being created and serve as a wonderful room to relax in with and without her 4-legged family members.

Bamboo Dry Erase

6 Simple Eco-Friendly Elements for a Visually Striking Home Office

Green products for an environmentally-friendly work environment

The home office combines your professional and personal life—so it should, rightly so, be a reflection of you. Unfortunately, the home office is usually an after-thought and designated to a corner in your kitchen or living room. If you’re concerned about the environment, there are green products that you can incorporate into your home office to make it more environmentally friendly and more visually appealing as well. Considering this home office will be where you spend the majority of your day, it would make sense to make it as comfortable, functional and attractive as possible.

Here are our 6 simple Eco-friendly product recommendations for a visually pleasing home office that you can get inspired in:

1. Eco-friendly wall décor: Green wall décor is offered in various patterns and textures—plus it’s better for your health than conventional wallpapers that can contain chemicals. Look into attractive wall décor and coverings like:

• Glass whiteboards—or glass dry erase boards provide a natural and safe surface for brainstorming
• Eco-friendly wallpaper— made from natural renewable bamboo, rice paper, flax, cork, arrowroot and a mish-mash of recycled papers
• Reed, cattail and paper weave murals—make beautiful wall décor with delicate dried leaves and natural grasses twisted together and making unique wall art
• Ceramic and mica photo frames—are constructed from natural sands in the soil and formed into a beautiful variety of colors and sizes

2. Recycled office furniture: You can find some really great eclectic pieces of second hand office furniture at your local thrift shop or Salvation Army. A lot of large companies also throw out their office furniture rather than repairing it during an upgrade so you can salvage some top quality ergonomic office chairs and desks and save it being thrown into a landfill site.

3. Eco materials for your home office: You can find an abundant of environmentally-friendly and recycled materials for your home office, for instance:

• Wheat board – for the walls (and it can double as a posting board) as well as floors
• You can buy 4GB bamboo flash drives as opposed to the plastic variety
• Moleskine notebooks (made of bamboo pulp) are waterproof with washable covers
• Sustainable timber – for your desk and storage units
• Recycled aluminum – again, for office desks, storage units and office chairs
• Recycled glass – ideal for walls and attractive office desk tops
• Recycled upholstery – great for throw pillows, stuffed bean bag chairs and desk chair coverings

4. Harness the power of sustainable energy: Look to natural resources with these really aesthetic pieces of office equipment:

• Solar-powered cell phone chargers
• Water-powered calculators
• Solar LED bottle light bulbs

5. Recycled or refurbished electronics: Akin to finding used office furniture from large corporations, you can often buy refurbished electronics for a fraction of the cost. Many large companies will host a used electronics sale when it is time to upgrade their computers, laptops, fax machines, photocopiers, printers and office telephones. You can feel good rescuing that refurbished laptop from a life in the scrap yard. Keep in mind that your home office electronics give off VOC emissions as well as other chemical vapors that pollute the air in your home. Try these additional energy-savings tips for a greener home office:

• Use a laptop instead of a desktop computer—laptops use less energy
• Unplug the printer, fax machine and computer when your day is over
• Plug multiple electronics into one power bar so that you can turn them all off with one switch
• Leave office equipment on timers so that everything automatically shuts down overnight
• Minimize the number of office electronics you use by purchasing all in one photocopier/printer/scanner/ fax models
• Use online fax and telephone
• And when you are finished with your home office electronics, donate them to local schools, shelters or for reuse where needed

6. Refillable/reusable office supplies: When you look for office supplies—such as pens, pencils, files and ink cartridges for your printer—seek out refillable and reusable varieties. And also:

• Look for recycled plastic products such as pens.
• Buy pens and printer cartridges with non-toxic inks like vegetable- or soy-based ink
• Buy multiple packs of pens, Post-it notes and staples to cut down your packaging waste
• Reuse all of your elastic bands, thumb tacks and paper clips
• Set up a recycling bin so you don’t throw used up items away

Great discussion about how we can have a fabulous looking, feeling and ‘smelling’ home even when we have one or more furry family members.

Take a listen and hopefully it will give you some things to think about when ‘designing with pets in mind’

FURvently Speaking

THANK YOU TO THE RADIO HOSTESS EILEEN PROCTOR!!

If you are looking to give your room a quick facelift without spending a zillion dollars on the same, then I have solution for you. Placing decorative mirrors will add a new dimension and result in more light for your room. When placed appropriately, the mirror can give the room a whole new look.

Adding mirrors to rooms that are small or look congested will make it look roomier and brighter. The trick is to place the mirrors on the wall opposite the window so that the natural light from the outside is reflected inside. The reflection of the room in the mirror causes an illusion of a larger and spacious room.  Also, if your rooms have no windows placing a turned on lamp in front of the mirror will diffuse the light across the room and make it look brighter.

Full-length mirrors with frames when placed against the wall in a room can work as an art piece and be the focal point of the room.  A mirror placed in front of your favorite painting will emphasize it more and make the colors in the painting more vivid.

 
Finally, a mirror in a narrow passageway makes it look broader. I have added a white antique mirror at the eye level in my passageway – it not only makes the passageway look broader, but also lets me get a quick look at myself before I leave for work. 

 The best part is that there are so many shapes and sizes to choose from. You can have one or more mirrors on the same wall, but make sure the size of the mirrors are proportional both to each other and to the wall.

 So what are you waiting for? Let your creative juices flow and add some mirrors to your room and give it a new look without breaking the bank!

Renuka is an editor and writer for a shopping blog called Pocket Change which is a part of Become.com’s shopping network and has categories where they write about everything from interior design to men’s and women’s fashion.

The data about the weaker home sales market has been in the news for many months.  There are a lot more homes for sale, and it is a buyers’ market.  But there are two things a homeowner can control: the price the home is offered at, and what the home looks like to the prospective buyer.

The statistic quoted by realtors is that within the first 20 seconds of entering a home, the impression of that home is formed in a person’s mind. With that in mind, ‘the stage needs to be set’ as soon as the front door is opened.

Most of have already learned that clearing of the clutter and de-personalizing is necessary. A good rule of thumb to follow is if you don’t use it on a daily basis, pack it away.   Think about this as a great first step towards packing up to move to your new house.  Also, clean, clean and clean.  Your home must look and smell fresh and clean.

If you have an older house, it doesn’t need to be a disadvantage.  Here is a case example about a twenty plus year old home had a lot going for it.  However, there were quite a few things that if not addressed, would almost certainly prevent the homeowner from getting their asking price.

The Problems:

• The furniture was old and poorly maintained
• The kitchen and two bathrooms had old style wallpaper (think late 1980s),
• In the common areas and bedrooms of the home, the walls were stark white and dingy,
• The carpeting in the bedrooms was worn and dirty,
• The flagstone in the entry courtyard and side patio was in need of a cleaning.

In summary, the home was in dire need of a visual update!

The Solutions:

To address the objective of making a great first impression, a beautiful focal point was created using paint color and inexpensive accessories to greet potential buyers as they walked in the front door.  The wall above the fireplace was painted a warm red tone and a colorful, yet soothing piece of artwork was hung on the wall.  In addition:

• New furniture sourced from a hotel furnishing liquidation firm was selected for the family room and the old furniture was either donated or sent to a storage unit.
• The wallpaper was removed in the kitchen and bathrooms and the walls were painted a warm welcoming color to complement the new furniture and art work.
• The carpeting in the three bedrooms was beyond help and therefore was replaced.
• The flagstone outside was power washed and sealed.
• Fresh linens were selected for the bedrooms, and new towels and shower curtains for the bathrooms were placed.

Additionally, the lighting was updated in the bathrooms, the closets were significantly emptied, flowers were planted, and new bedding and ambient lighting was added in the bedrooms.

The entire makeover took about two weeks.  The realtor wisely held off making the listing active until all of the updates were in place.  When the listing went ‘live’ he had a wonderful looking, and welcoming home to show.

The results; two offers within the first 2 weeks of showings!

Guest post below:

The effects of natural lighting on a room can be very subtle, but that doesn’t detract from its importance. Ideally whenever you design a room you need to consider what light it will get from the outside and how best to utilize it. There is a large number of factors you will need to think about when planning the lighting for a room, too many for this article to cover. But hopefully it will give you an overview of how to make the most of natural lighting for your home.

The first and most important factor is the direction from which the light is coming from. Whilst I’m writing in the northern hemisphere, if you live in the southern hemisphere you can swap north and south around.

• North: Because north facing rooms never receive direct sunlight the light often has a cold flattening quality. For this reason artists often prefer north facing studios as they allow you to see the true colour of your paints.
• East: East facing rooms get direct light in the morning as the sun rises but far less light in the evening.
• South: South facing rooms get the benefits of direct sunlight on them for most of the day making them warmer and better lit than others.
• West: West facing rooms will be dark in the morning but brighten up as the sun moves to the west. They will often get the most heat as not only does the early afternoon sun tends to be the warmest but the setting sun will often shine directly into them.

Natural History Museum by Stephen Boisvert (used under CC licence)

This picture gives a nice illustration of how much stronger light from the southern window is. (South on the left)

You should take the factors above into consideration when considering the purpose of a room. For example east and north facing rooms will tend to be colder and darker than south and west facing rooms. This means that you will need use artificial lighting not only to brighten the room and to counter the flat effect the reflected sunlight often gives. For south and west facing rooms then window treatments such as blinds or curtains will help you to control how much light gets in and reduce glare.

South Facing Bedroom by Tom Parnell (used under CC Licence)

Functional rooms like kitchens and studies will benefit from large windows so as to let in as much light as possible. Often you can increase the drop of a window without affecting the structural integrity of a wall. Though if you want to replace the wall with say French doors then you will need to get a builder in. In rooms where you want to relax small and medium sized windows tend to give you a more relaxing atmosphere and privacy.

Natural light can have surprising effects on the colours that you paint your walls. For example you might well find that bright colours used in a south facing room are overwhelming, while pastels in a north facing room can appear washed out. In general though you can use paints to either counter or enhance the effects of the natural light. For example if your north facing room is too cold and dark then bright colours will help to liven it up.

East and west facing rooms need the most thought as the amount of light in these rooms will change dramatically through the day. In general you will to design east facing rooms for morning use and west facing for the afternoon. Therefore I prefer bright colours in eastern rooms to help you wake up and warm or darker colours in the west to help you relax.

Author Bio: Daniel is a UK blogger and copywriter with an interest in interior design. He is writing on behalf of Wooden Blinds Direct a specialist online supplier of wooden venetian blinds.

Yes, she is a bit scared to finally start making the changes she has thought about for so long.  I am guiding her and providing a design plan that she is comfortable with.  So, don’t put it off any longer, dive in or slowly put a foot in the water.  You may find out that if FEELS GOOD!

Guest Post-

Today I am being forced to put a pen, get a writing pad and write a nice little article to all my dear friends out there. You must be thinking who forced me to do so. Well, that’s a long answer you are asking for. It’s my home who has been screaming at me since a couple of days. It’s creaming out loud, ‘Please, My owner! My custodian! Look at me. Look closely as to what have you done to me throughout these passing years. Just imagine what I was when you moved in and now what a tragic death I am dying”. After hours of recollection I have reached the conclusion that yeah, what the hell have I done to my home. Every nook and corner of this place is crying, asking for attention, and demanding nothing but a make-over and some frequent touch-ups here and there.

Everyone likes change, nobody likes living a stagnant life. Same goes for the interior decor of your living place. A neat, trendy interior design is a must to compliment the good architecture of a building. This involves everything from the selection of color combos to the choice of furniture, from wall hangings to floor mats and carpeting. Also a special attention must be paid while deciding on the interior of the room keeping under consideration as to what the room would be used for. Bedrooms should always have cool light colors with comfortable and cozy fixtures. Living room should have a vibrant and energetic feel to it. These tips are not universal but can be molded per your own taste and requirements.

What is universal and vital is that Interior of your villa or apartment affects your life immeasurably so having a poorly designed home can be such a blow to your lifestyle which can’t be cured or reverted at any cost. Even if a place was given a brilliant interior at the start and was not maintained with changing seasons and passing time, it is of no use. This is something which needs recurrent consideration and refreshment. So be always vigilant about the interior design of your homes that whether they are prim and proper or not. If you feel that things are out-of-place and you are having concerns regarding your living place its time you get its interior modified and get a fresh one.

About Author

Gabriel Ryan is an artist who is passionate about http://www.juliasantengallery.com/

Check out his website www.juliasantengallery.com where you will also find http://www.juliasantengallery.com/go/vintage_posters.html”