Posts tagged ‘bathroom design’

Mar 31

How to have a Lovelier Morning

Some mornings you need a little something extra to shake loose the cobwebs from your brain and get your day off to the right start.

You could knock back an extra latte, or you could treat yourself to a deeply satisfying jolt of beauty, symmetry, rhythm and color.

Here are 5 high impact bathroom design details that will treat your eyeballs to fresh delights each morning.

1. Add a Little Wow with Your Wall Treatments.

A powder room is a great place to go bold on the walls, and most contemporary wallpaper is designed to prevent water issues so you can add wow without the worries.

You could also turn your bathroom into a work of art by commissioning a custom paint treatment. Or….

Blend a cool graphic tile with a warm burst of orange for an eye-popping wake up experience.

Speaking of tile…

2. Inset a Little Individuality.

One choice that allows for a great combination of classic and personal is hex tile flooring with customized designs.

Here are a few examples of how custom inset tile designs allowed our clients to express themselves while still keeping it classic.

3. A Little Vanity is a Good Thing.

Custom vanities can help you maximize your footprint, and they are a great way to add drama to your bathroom.

Why not re-purpose a cool vintage sideboard into a statement-making vanity cabinet?

4. Look a Bit Lovelier.

The right bathroom lighting can be the difference between leaving the house brimming with confidence and leaving the house worried about scaring small children as you pass by.

Here are a few lighting fixtures that will make a little mirror magic:

These adjustable twin sconces can be aimed to bounce light into the mirror… a flattering way to get a clear view without any distorting shadows.

Who wouldn’t look lovely in the reflected light of 100 crystals?

If old Hollywood glamour is your thing, a crystal chandelier will make you feel ready for your close up… Mr. DeMille.

Elegant sconces on either side of the mirror provide important task lighting, while the unusual handmade pendant lamp draws the eye flatteringly upward.

Note: Lighting experts recommend that you ban the can in the bathroom. Nothing says “Good Morning, Zombie!” like a downlight.

Of course the best light is natural light from a beautiful and inspiring clerestory or transom window.

5. Accessorize.

Hardware is the jewelry of the bathroom. You should have fun with yours.

The blend of salvaged wood and vintage hardware on these vanity cabinet drawers add a sense of depth and history to this bathroom, inspiring curiosity.

The pretty little glass knobs on these floor to ceiling medicine cabinets add just the right spark of color to complete the ensemble.

Ready for more inspiration for your own bathroom update?

We’re hosting a Timeless Bathroom Home Design Workshop on April 9th at the Kennedy School and two lucky attendees will win $50 Rejuvenation gift certificates.

Get the details and RSVP here.

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Mar 21

5 Clever Conveniences for a Small Bathroom

In an older home, you are usually looking at a bathroom update that needs to serve many goals in a very small footprint.

Here are 5 design details that can make clever and convenient use of every square inch of your limited bathroom space.

1. Pivot Your Faucet. Want a generous sink in a small space? This recent Arciform client needed a deep sink and a tall faucet to accommodate her love of flower arranging. By side mounting the faucet, designer Anne De Wolf was able to fit in the larger sink without expanding the vanity’s footprint.

2. Capitalize on a Corner. A corner sink makes a very efficient use of space in this bathroom designed by Arciform’s Chelly Wentworth. Twin built-in medicine cabinets add generous storage without intruding into the room.

Speaking of clever corner fixtures, check out this corner toilet:

This tidy fixture tucked in the corner of this turn-of-the-century house allowed enough extra floor space for a very cool deer sculpture/toilet paper holder.

Its all about priorities, right?

3. Take a Seat. How to integrate a bench into a curved wall shower?
In this master bath remodel, Anne De Wolf extended the adjacent tub ledge to create an integrated seat- an efficient use of material and a great way to create continuity between the two spaces. By curving the shower wall she was able to increase the shower’s footprint without inhibiting circulation in the adjacent office.

Another satisfied kitty customer…

4. Consider Your Furry Family Members. It’s not just the people in your family who have business to conduct in the bathroom.

A built in bench can double as an out-of-sight location for kitty litter and other cleaning supplies.

Or tuck a few drawers beneath the bench like Chelly Wentworth did in this bathroom update.
Then add matching built-in linen storage above.

5. Make Every Inch Work Overtime. Sometimes you have plenty of room but your bathroom needs to work twice as hard.

Arciform Designer Kristyn Bester’s recently worked with clients whose Pearl District loft bathroom needed to function as bath, laundry room and storage space.

Tucking a washer and dryer under the counters and integrating cool retro storage lockers into the space allowed Kristyn to maintain the loft’s industrial vibe while making every square inch as convenient and useful as possible.

Ready for more inspiration for your own bathroom update?

We’re hosting a Timeless Bathroom Home Design Workshop on April 9th at the Kennedy School and one lucky attendee will win a Rejuvenation gift certificate.

Get the details and RSVP here.

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Mar 11

Client’s Eye View: 2 Baths with Room to Breathe

Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

We recently completed a matching pair of upstairs bathroom renovations for a NW Portland client who needed a little elbow room in a fairly small footprint. Here’s her “client’s eye view” of how it all came out.

1. What were your goals with this bathroom renovation?

We needed to update both baths. The shower bath especially needed a larger showering area and both baths needed updated electrical and plumbing, not to mention a new look. We also had a large Turkish-style tile arrangement that we wanted to incorporate into a wall of the new shower.

(Here’s a look at the shower before the renovation. With a glass door that swung into the shower alcove you can see it was quite a tight fit!)

2. What were some of the challenges the project faced and how did you address them?

The biggest challenge was enlarging the shower area without knocking out all the nearby upstairs walls and re-doing the much of the upstairs. This was achieved by much careful measuring and communicating within the design and project implementation team. In addition to Anne, [Project Manager] Adam made sure the plumber, electrician and inspector made it work. Because of the tight space, lovely and suitable sinks and light fixtures were found. Also new cabinetry was specially designed to work effectively with existing built-ins.

Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Here’s a look at the fixtures in Bathroom #1.

Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photos by Photo Art Portraits.

And bathroom #2…

3. What is your favorite part of the completed bathrooms?

It’s a pleasure to get clean again in simple but elegant surroundings. Showering in the open and lighter shower area feels great. The more sublime soaking experience in the tub speaks for itself. Both bathrooms offer privacy and yet feel more spacious than before.

Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photos by Photo Art Portraits.

4. Tell us about your experience of working with Arciform.

Mostly gush, gush, gush!

Explore the Arciform Photo Galleries | About Arciform | Schedule a Design Consultation

Mar 7

5 Tips to Add More Comfort and Joy to your Bathroom

Sometimes you don’t know how much better your morning can be until you have added a few of these subtle but essential creature comforts to your bathroom. Here’s our Top 5 update recommendations improve the comfort of your bathroom and bring more joy to your daily routine.

5. Dual Shower Heads

The master bath of this 1922 Colonial Revival home was renovated and expanded by Arciform. Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Whether your morning routine is too tight to allow for sequential showering or you just think that most things are better when done together, a shower alcove with room for both partners to shower at the same time can add enjoyment AND efficiency to your morning.

4. A Soaking Tub

This bathroom renovation by Arciform in a 1909 Queen Anne in the Forest Park neighborhood focused on highlighting the original architecture with a few luxurious amenities. Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

The joys of a full sized tub you can really immerse yourself in cannot be overstated.

One expert tip: Consider the view. A tub designed for a long soak should have something beautiful to rest your eyes on while you relax. Whether its a beautiful window flooding the room with natural light or simply your favorite work of art hung right at eye level, the right view will create a space that invites reflection and encourages you to linger.

When you are done, an elegant handset will allow you to rinse off without the shock of of a full shower.

3. Foot-Friendly Flooring

This mid-century home in the SW Hills was a big change for the Arciform clients who had formerly owned a Tudor home. The bathroom update focused on clean lines and comfort amenities that both members of the couple could enjoy. Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Arciform.

If you are planning to pull up the flooring anyway, consider tucking in electric radiant heat.

Having your bare toes meet warm tile will make the whole process of getting ready a pleasure. Plus, the whole bathroom will stay warmer.

Detail view of the bathroom flooring of our mid-century client. Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Arciform.

This mid-century bathroom update added radiant floor heat beneath the large format tile in the main bath area and a pebbled surface to the shower alcove to gently massage feet in the shower. As a bonus, the pebbled surface resists slipping: always an important bathroom consideration.

2. Heated Bathroom Accessories

This bathroom renovation also incorporated a powder room for guests adjacent to the main bath. Designed by Anne De Wolf. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

A towel warmer like the one at left ensures that getting out of the shower is as relaxing as getting in. And while you are at it, how about a heated toilet seat? Or a heated mirror that won’t fog up during your shower?

1. Why Not Add a Washlet?

The couple who has retired to a Pearl District loft asked Arciform to install several cool technology features, including a “washlet” on their toilet with a wall mounted control. Designed by Kristyn Bester. Photo by Photo Art Portraits.

Most older homes do not have room to accommodate both a toilet and a bidet… but any home can consider adding a “washlet.” This ingenious piece of technology installs like a regular toilet seat but functions like a bidet to provide warm water to your most sensitive places just when you need it. How supremely civilized!

What comfort amenities are you considering adding to your bathroom? Join us February 18th for a Master Suite Design Workshop to get inspired for your next project. Details and RSVP here.