Beautiful Baths

For this weeks post I've decided to post images of absolutely fabulous bathrooms. Second behind kitchens in the cost of building and/or renovations bathrooms require plenty of thought and planning. Next week I am starting a renovation project on an existing bathroom which we are going to rip out, enlarge (by stealing hall closet space), and completely refit with all new everything!


If you are in the process of rethinking your bathroom, building a new home or entering a renovation I'm hoping you will find these images inspiring.

Tips for a great bathroom:

Clear the clutter and keep the decor simple for an elegant, luxurious feel.
Use a soft neutral palette. Except in powder rooms, that is the one room where you can add drama with bold colour or graphic wallpaper.
Don't scrimp, spend your money on good fittings and fixtures.
Let your small bathrooms live large with upgraded surface materials.
Keep accessories to a minimum.
Install great lighting fixtures.

My inspiration for todays post is the picture below. While it's not a bathroom I imagine it leads to an amazing spa experience just around the corner. Afterall the biggest trend in bathrooms these days is bringing home a luxurious spa experience.






Who wouldn't want to walk down this stunning hallway and around the corner?






Lets start with white bathrooms and a very Hamptons beach house look. This bathroom combines vintage style with up to date fittings and fixtures. The hexagon tile, the beadboard, the chrome fittings and that amazing clawfoot tub.






Another great looking white bathroom with a classic vanity and upscale feel. To get this soothing look keep the metals white and the surface materials neutral pale colours.






Modern, clean and very white.

I love that beveled mirror and the tub surround, very classy.

A very pretty vingette, nice photography.

I thought this was a great idea for containing pretty items near the shower.

Very pretty, very spa like.





Here's some dark cabinetry combined with modern bar style pulls, and chrome faucets. It reminds me of the vanity and bathroom I designed for the store.









You can tell this bathroom isn't very big on space but it definitely has the wow factor.

Sarah Richardson designed this one above. I love the wood grain and the aqua accent pieces.

Here we have one with a mid tone wood vanity, mirror and tub surround.

A handy little stool perfect for holding towels.

I could imagine this style of bathroom in a century home.

Soaker tubs are hot in bathrooms and this one has been outfitted quite nicely with lots of natural elements. Very earthy.

A bathroom leading to the terrace... looks like a great place to soak on a sunny afternoon. I love the various elements of texture in this room in contrast with the dark furnishings.

A.S. - This is one for you to think about! Send me your comment if you love it...

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

Susan

Honey... I'm Home

And now for something completely different. Today I am inspired to post images of staircases. Why? This amazing image below caught my attention several months ago so I saved it to my picture files for a future post and hey here we are today. Looking at this image all I can think of is... it must be some house! The planning that went into this stunning piece of architecture had to be meticulously thought out.




Since I've started with a spiral staircase, let's look at a few more.




I don't know about you but something is saying (screaming) Hollywood Hills Italian Villa when I look at this one. I'm thinking this could be Gene Simmons home from his reality tv show.




The railings, the landing and the windows, pretty amazing architecture... fantastic. I wonder what the view is like? Actually I wonder what the second floor rooms are like. I'll imagine a master bathroom full of marble...




For those short on space with tradtional homes this iron spiral staircase would fit the bill. Not my style but for some it works.



For contemporary spaces here's a modern adaptation of the spiral staircase.

This staircase is just about finished from one of my design projects. The treads still need painting, they'll be deep ebony to match the handrail. And lastly we'll be running a sisal rug down the middle. It's a stunning home rich in details.



Speaking of dark stairtreads and rails. It's a good look. Classic.

Those of you following Sarah Richardson will surely recognize this vignette from her show Sarah's House. Again classic, classic, classic. The kids better leave their muddy boots at the back door. A white bench at the front door scares me but man it looks good!

Another version a completely different look. I love how spacious this entry is with all that room and a nice round welcome table. A cross between the "Something's Got to Give" house with a dash of Pottery Barn.

Sometimes stairs must be placed between 2 walls. These open floating treads let the light flow and extend the view to the back of the home. I also really like the lights at tread level. In fact, they are needed. I've had electricians do this in several projects. It's a great effect that's very functional.




Another closed stairway. Seeing the same lights again and some bonus storage. Cool idea.

If you haven't guessed by now I am a huge fan of white. This staircase is simply stunning in white, glass and white metals. I love it!

This is pretty darn cool too. Industrial loft style.

And lastly another comtemporary loft style staircase this time with closed risers.

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

Susan

"Moving" On...

Happy Friday July 11!

Today is the first year anniversary of opening Moving Designz Home & Cottage. Yes, we opened exactly one year ago today. And what a great year it has been. The store is doing fantastic and our reputation is growing with clients coming from all areas of PEI and the mainland to shop for their homes. I sincerely thank all of you who continue to show support for my little shop and let us come into your homes to design, decorate and furnish your spaces with style. Especially the regulars, and you know who you are, who come back and back and back for more. I truly do appreciate your business and enthusiasm for what we are trying to do here in this small little market.

Today I am inspired to show a few pictures I took leading up to opening day. I am also going to show the pretty cottage property I have just completed. If you read last weeks post, I am posting the after pictures of the master bedroom which has undergone a dramatic change.

This was the street view at the corner of Queen and Water leading up to opening day. It surprises me that this choice retail space went unoccupied for nearly 2 years. Luckily for us.

As shown, we had a little banner announcing our arrival which was soon to be replaced by our awning signage.

I thought I would show a couple images of images of the interior before we did the massive renovations on the interior space. Shown here we're looking toward the entry ( with the arched window) which was once a window and is now a beautiful pair of double glass doors.

This was how the room looked just to the left when you entered. My sister was horrified when I sent her these pictures of the space I was about to lease ...lol. We had all the plaster removed and chipped away to reveal the original brick walls. Which we then had painted Benjamin Moore Cloud White, much to our landlords chagrin. He liked the original red brick (it's a man thing) but really it had to go and FAST. Once he saw the brick painted white he quickly changed his mind on painting brick. It absolutely changed the feel of the interior.

I will be working on a before and after blog post showing the entire space and scope of the project in the near future. Stay tuned.

Now onto today's post. This house needed an exterior face lift. My clients contacted me through email from another province asking if I could come up with some colours to enhance their newly purchased home. Once the exterior was done we moved on to renovating the master bedroom to give them the authentic PEI coastal look they were after.

Communicating via email (we do this a lot) I took some photos, and then chose soft colours to enhance the many unique and original features of the farmhouse style cottage.




This image shows the house with a fresh coat of primer and new decking. I call this the ugly duckling stage.






The finished house done in a soft yellow with trim accents of chocolate and a deep bluey green. Benjamin Moore Philadelphia Cream for the body, and Benjamin Moore Night Train for accents.





Here I am showing a side view of the house while freshly primed.





A close up angle showing how pretty the house and deck look with fresh new colours.




Above is the master bedroom the first time I saw it. After much planning we decided to take down the wall behind the massive king size bed to open up the room. Behind this wall was a walk in closet with left the room with a very limited layout. The vision was to completely reinvent the room and give it a real coastal seaside feel.





This image was taken during the construction phase. Note the unpainted floor section with the bare wood line just to the left on the floor. That is where the dividing wall for the closet once stood and where the king size bed was originally pinned up against. It was not a supporting wall so by removing it we could really open up the room and reposition the king size bed to give it stunning views to the ocean. This also allowed us to make the bed the focal point of the room.





The finished room in a wide angled shot. Painting the room blue made the space feel cool and inviting, perfect to relax in after a day on the beach! The room has new beadboard trim painted Cloud White, linen textured wallpaper painted a cheerful blue to match the fresh new bed linens, new floor paint, new windows, new white wood blinds, a new area rug, new accessories and new creamy white coloured furniture. New, new, new... I knew it could be wonderful.




Looking just to the left of the bed where the closet once stood shows just how much space we created by removing the wall.






This was the original closet which lead to the master bathroom. Too much wasted square footage.





A close up of the king size bed. Look to the next image to see how we recreated the same bed and wall sconce lighting with a little spray paint.



Same bed, same light sconces updated with white spray paint. A very inexpensive fix to dated shiny brass. And if you look real closely at the window you can just make out the red sand bars of the Northumberland Strait. The bedding is "Douceur Collection" from Moving Designz. Perfect for that light airy cottage look.






The original chair, dresser and area rug.



The same angle and a completely new look. The armoire to replace the closet is from Moving Designz and features storage drawers, as well as, hanging storage inside.

And finally this is the sitting area outside overlooking the beautiful PEI shoreline and beaches. This lovely home is a seasonal rental property to inquire on renting please see this website. http://www.vrbo.com/114310

Sometimes even I am amazed at the diffence of a little paint and finishing touches. By the way I love my job!!!

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!

Susan