Interior Design

A Steam Shower For Your Luxury Bathroom Remodel

March 25, 2019

Recently, we posted a blog on how to design a luxury bathroom you’ll never want to leave. One of the features I mentioned was a steam shower – probably my favorite things to introduce to homeowners who aren’t familiar with them.

Steam showers take all of the benefits of a nicely designed shower – beautiful tile, frameless glass doors, any combination of still and hand-held shower faucets – and they raise them one by adding steam elements that provide a wet sauna effect.

Design a Steam Shower for Your Luxury Bathroom You’ll Never Want to Leave

I love steam showers because they can be designed for any bathroom size – tiny or large – and they yield so many benefits that you’ll wonder how you lived without it. The key, however, is to design a steam shower that takes care of all your considerations ahead of time. The last thing you want is to relax into the soothing warmth of the steam only to wish the bench was a little wider, that a towel rack was closer to the door for face mopping or that you’d installed a grab bar on the wall.

Here are some of the features I recommend, and ideas worth considering, before the steam shower build-out for your luxury bathroom is complete.

Opt for a sauna-appropriate lighting design in the shower area

Lighting plans are essential to good interior design. Bathrooms are a prime example where “standard” lighting designs just don’t cut it, and that’s especially true if you’re installing a steam shower. During the day, you may not want any lighting at all but during the evening hours, you’ll want to have a good lighting design that allows for dimmable lights, preferably operated via remote control (more on that below) so you can create an ambient glow in your luxury bathroom.

Keep in mind that some steam shower kits offer colorful lighting options so you can choose a particular shade of light, depending on your mood. If your steam shower kit of choice doesn’t offer light therapy as part of the package, we can talk about other ways to accomplish the same goal in the shower area.

Use a mixture of shower faucet options

Unless you’ve had a steam shower in the past, you won’t know exactly how you’ll use it until you actually have it. Some people like to take their shower with the steam function, some like to turn the faucets off completely and only use the steam, others might prefer a specific type of faucet during their steam session.

Use a mixture of shower faucet options, including your traditional mounted and fixed faucet (massage options are always a bonus), an overhead rain shower head and a handheld shower faucet so you have more options available to you. The way you use steam after a sports injury or a back spasm, for example (hand held faucet with rhythmic, pressurized massage streams) might be very different from the way you use it with a winter flu (enjoying the gentle relaxing fall of warm water from the rain shower head, for example.

Install a waterproof sound system

There’s no need to set your gadget or a remote speaker on high in order to hear your favorite soundtrack. You can install a waterproof sound system, compatible with your gadget of choice via Bluetooth technology, to take care of that for you. From energizing music in the morning, to the relaxing sounds of Bach cello suites during an evening steam – the playlist is all yours.

Don’t forget about aromatherapy options

Essential oils are all the rage these days, and Mr. Steam, as well as other well-known steam shower manufacturers, take that to heart. Feel free to infuse your shower with specific scents or custom blends to suit the moods or conditions. For example, a Eucalyptus and Peppermint combo is just the thing for children with wheezy coughs and stuffy noses, while lavender and rose can help their tired parents relax once they’ve finally fallen asleep.

Design comfortable seating area(s)

I’m always a proponent of benches in showers whenever possible. They’re great for relaxing and helpful when shaving one’s legs. In a steam shower, comfortable seating is essential. Have your designer work with you to find a comfortable material (wood – typically teak – might be preferable to stone, but not necessarily) and then determine the height and dimensions that work for your body. Taller homeowners might want a bench a little higher than most, long legged clients may want a bench with greater depth, and vice versa.

Smaller bathrooms typically require smaller showers, and in that case, I recommend folding benches that can lay flush against the wall when not in use, and then folded down when you need them. Also, consider adding grab bars in locations that make sense. While these are a tenet of universal or accessible interior design, they’re just plain handy when you’re injured, ill, feeling weak or just plain tuckered out!

Did you know remote control options are available?

All those ambient lights, aromatherapy, water temperature and pressure, steam or no steam, music and so on – can all be controlled via remote options. So, while you sit or stretch out on your custom shower bench, you’ll have only to lift a finger to customize your steam shower experience.

Your steam shower design process should be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that yields a relaxing steam shower experience – with–no regrets and no “wish we would haves” involved.

9 Feature Wall Tips

March 19, 2019

Looking for simple, spring spruce-up tips? In just a few hours, you can transform a blah and boring wall into a design focal point. Here are some simple examples to use as a reference.

Create a Feature Wall in Just a Few Hours

Change the paint color. A new coat of paint may be all you need to make a wall pop. Accent walls are often thought of as bold or bright. However, even subtle changes can be enough to make an impact. See your room through the eyes of a paint palette and choose a color accordingly. Analogous colors are a wise choice since they are different from the root color but not so strikingly different as contrasting colors.
Paint a half wall. If you want something a little different than the traditional accent wall, consider painting a half wall. This trick is smart in smaller apartments or cottages. Using a darker color on the bottom and a lighter one on top will add the pop you want without making the room seem smaller than it is.
Display a collection. Do you have a prized collection? Maybe it’s time to get it off of shelves (or out of boxes) and onto an empty wall. Depending on what it is you collect, you can use shelves, frames or shadow boxes.
Add texture with trim. Texture is a vital part of interior design – and a part that is often overlooked. One way to add texture as well as an upscale finish is to add trim to an otherwise straightforward wall. Check out this craftsman-style entry and living room. Now, imagine it without the beautiful trim pieces. It would look dramatically different.
Create a gallery wall. Get out that shoebox of pictures – or start printing the favorites from your digital collection and create a gallery wall. There are all kinds of ways to cohesively display photos of varying sizes.
Wallpaper it. Don’t forget the power of wallpaper. For many, it’s easier to deal with than paint (clean first but no need to primer…) and there are so many great patterns to choose from. You can take advantage of the ‘half-wall’ idea, by papering half and applying a nice chair-rail trim piece to finish the transition.
Make the most of your fireplace. Are you getting all you can from your fireplace? Here in the Bay Area, fireplaces are used more for accent than for warmth, so it’s important to make the most of it. Using a new paint color above the mantel can give the fireplace wall new life. Then, prioritize the mantel and create a beautiful and/or interesting place to rest the eyes.
Paint or stencil. If you’re an artist, now’s the time to explore your creative side and conjure up a masterpiece to give a wall a facelift. If you aren’t much of an artist, look into stencils. Even the simplest of patterns will transform a wall from normal to absolutely stunning. It’s easier than you think and yet it’s rarely done.
Reflect and shine. Mirrors are a wonderful way to accent your interior design, which is reflected back in duplicate. They also help to increase illumination in an otherwise dim room and can make a small room seem larger. Perhaps it’s time to look for a single, stunning mirror – or create a gallery-type mirrored display. It will dress up a blank wall while providing additional design boost as well.

Creating a feature wall is a simple way to give a room a facelift without having to start over from scratch.

Stripes

March 13, 2019

Stripes add pattern, depth and interest to an interior design but when used incorrectly, they can be overkill, crooked or just plain unattractive. In truth, using stripes in interior design isn’t all that different from using stripes in the fashion world. Color, direction and width have a significant impact on how those stripes express themselves on their host.

Tips for Using Stripes to Energize Your Interior Design

With that in mind let’s talk about a few things to consider when using stripes in your interior spaces as well as a few tips on how to use them to their best advantage.

Know the effect your stripes will have. There is no doubt about it, your stripes are bound to cause a shake up of your interior space’s energy. Unless you go for a monochromatic palette with a very slight shade variation between stripes (common in a bedroom or formal living room space) your striped pattern will be energetic. This isn’t a bad thing, but it need to be considered. If you like the idea of stripes but aren’t sure how bold a statement you want to make, consider stripes using very subtle colors or use colors that are analogous on the color wheel, as the more subtle the shade variance, the more calm the overall effect will be.

Which direction should the stripes go? In some cases, you’ll be able to intuit whether or not a space will look better with vertical or horizontal stripes. In others, you may be stuck on the decision. Keep in mind that vertical stripes – especially in narrow widths – make a room seem taller and draw the eye upwards. Horizontal stripes, on the other hand, make a room appear wider and more spacious. Knowing which effect will enhance your room’s decor should determine which stripe direction is best.

Walls versus furnishings. Here’s a good one. If you’ve never worked with stripes in your interior before, I highly recommend you start with furnishings and see what you think before moving on to the walls. Not surprisingly, stripes on the walls – whether painted or papered – are a much bigger time and energy investment. A couch, chair, window treatments, art and other furnishings are much easier to re-sell, reupholster or simply give away or donate if you determine stripes aren’t for you after all.

Stripes on the walls. If you do opt for stripes on the walls, you will have two choices: paint or paper. In either case, I highly recommend you enlist the assistance of a professional unless you are practically a professional painter or wallpaper installer in your own right. I say this because there is one thing that ruins the effect of stylish stripes – when they’re crooked!

It’s not easy to get striped wallpaper to lay straight on your wall – and often, you will learn that it’s your walls that aren’t exactly plumb, making wallpaper application an even greater challenge. Similarly, tracing and taping perfectly straight lines and then painting meticulously enough to keep them smudge free is no easy feat. If stripes are going to be a more permanent feature in your life, I say go professional and make sure they’re done right the first time around.

Don’t be afraid to layer stripes and patterns. I think stripes make a great foundation for pattern layering. You have two colors to work with and now you can start looking for other patterns and textiles that share similar color families or contrast completely, adding further depth and interest to your interior landscape.

Your Walls: Colorful Or Neutral

March 8, 2019

Deciding on which color(s) to paint your walls is no easy feat. Some design blogs advocate bold and bright splashes of color while others preach about neutral canvases upon which you can “splash” color around using textiles, furnishings and other (less permanent) accents.

So which design theory is the right one for you?

3 Questions to Sort Out Whether Your Walls Should Be Colorful or Neutral

As with any questions pertaining to interior design, the answer varies from household to household – based on things like budget, lifestyle, long-term goals, and so on. Working through the following 3 questions can help you determine which route makes the most sense for your ultimate vision.

What is your remodeling budget?

Painting walls requires time, energy and money. How much of each of those depends on things like how many colors you use in a room, whether or not you use the same color for the ceilings or not, quantity of wood trim, etc. etc.

If you have the luxury of a larger budget, changing paint colors every two or three years is not nearly as much of a concern as it is for someone on a smaller budget. Similarly, a larger painting budget will allow you to get more creative with different colors for the walls, ceilings and trim – even if you’re just talking about a different shade within the same hue.

Those on a smaller budget may be better off going the neutral route, as this will last you longer – preventing you from the expense of changing the colors as trends and preferences change.

How Long Will You Be in Your Home?

If you plan on staying in the same home for at least another five or ten years, personalization is no big deal. Go on and paint your dining room a scarlet red, or create a warm family room atmosphere with fiery oranges and yellows.

By the same token, if you think you’ll be moving soon and are concerned about resale value, neutral colors may be the best option. Repainting walls for a more universal and neutral color palate is the last thing you want to be dealing with as your gearing up for all that is required for packing and moving.

If you are a renter, rather than a homeowner, I also caution you to err on the side of neutral. I’ve seen renters that have grand plans to “repaint everything back to white,” which is a lofty but unrealistic goal when you actually give your 30-days’ notice down the road. Better to keep the walls a neutral color and then use your own art and/or more temporary wall décor options to pick up the color slack.

How Important is Color to You?

If you were aghast reading my advice regarding neutral walls and temporary color via accents – it might mean color is essential to your well-being. Some of us do better than others with white or neutral walls. Even so, there are plenty of ways to gain the color, pattern and interest you want without having to invest in a brand new interior paint scheme.

Feature walls pack a powerful punch. If you’re someone who likes to change colors with the seasons, is a renter, or knows your home will be going on the market sooner rather than later, implementing feature walls is the way to go. Not only will you benefit from the colors you love most, you’ll also find it much easier to paint back to neutral when the time is right – – we’re talking 25% of the labor/investment, assuming you painted a feature wall in every room.

Decorating A Narrow Hallway

March 6, 2019

Some areas of the home are more difficult to design or decorate than others. We’ve written a few posts on Decorating Difficult Spaces and designing the entryway. Narrow hallways are another one of those home design areas that present a challenge.

There isn’t room for a bench, chairs, table or other space-sucking items to jazz it up, and narrow spaces can make guests feel claustrophobic. There are some things you can do, however, to make your long hallway both more inviting and visually appealing.

Tips for Decorating a Long Hallway

Use a runner. Here’s a situation for an area rug if I ever saw one. I’m not a huge fan of wall-to-wall carpeting in the first place, but you can use a runner for this application even if your hallway is carpeted. You’ll want to leave at least 3- or 4-inches of space on either side, depending on the width of your hallway.

The runner will draw the eye to the end of the hall so the journey doesn’t seem so long. If the hallway is illuminated well enough, use a runner with an attractive pattern to jazz things up a bit.

Create a focal point at the end

While you may not have space for anything along the edges, feel free to create a pleasing arrangement at the end of the hallway. A small chair and table, an antique furniture piece with a plant, sculpture or beautiful lamp – whatever it is, it will draw the eye, which shortens the hallways visual length.

Use molding and trim

A long hallway can be the perfect place to use wainscoting, wall panels or a chair rail. Decorative trim comes in all styles – from traditional to modern – so there is something for every taste. There are two benefits of adding this type of trim to a long hallway. First, it is more visually interesting and, like a runner, it draws the eye ever forward. Second, it adds texture – and almost every interior design benefits from a little more texture.

Re-think the lighting

I had a client whose child was terribly afraid of the dark – and this included the long walk down the hallway from the main living areas to the bedrooms and bathroom. I could understand the child – who wants to walk down a long, narrow hallway in the dark?

Since we were in the midst of a remodel, we had the luxury of re-doing the lighting plan, using LED recessed cans that could be set on a dimmer. This way, in the afternoon and evening, the lowest dimmer setting made for ultra-efficient safety lighting that added pennies per month to their electric bill. Plus, that additional light made the hallway more appealing.

If you aren’t interested in revamping the entire lighting plan, consider hiring an electrician for a day and having him drop down the wiring for a handful of beautiful sconces. They add style and illumination – both of which will improve the energy in the hallway.

Have high ceilings? Think soffits or transoms

If you have high ceilings and a hallway that is 4-feet wide or more, I like the technique of adding soffits every so many feet and using decorative furniture trim to create faux-doorways. This leads the eye section by section and shrinks up the linear space. The soffits can be solid – or – even better – you can install transom windows. If you want to up the ante even further, hang attractive suspended lighting fixtures that are framed by the transoms. Now you’ve created an architecturally beautiful hallway experience.

Install windows or mirrors

Is your hallway along an exterior wall? I can’t believe how often this is the case and yet original architects designed for solid walls. What a waste This is a prime opportunity to add windows and gain beautiful natural light. Even upper wall windows will make a huge difference.

If windows aren’t an option, mirrors can have a similar effect. First, they’ll increase the amount of available light by a notable margin. Second, their reflective properties will shrink the length up a bit.

Create a gallery wall

Of course, hallways are often the place where homeowners create some sort of gallery wall. There are pros and cons to this. Typically – especially as we (ahem) grow older, we need to step back a bit to really take in the entirety of a photo or work of art. So, in a narrow hallway, this might not work out all that well. However, if your hallway is more than 3-feet wide, a family portrait gallery can be just the thing – and I recommend installing appropriate lighting to boot.