Tag: Bathroom Design

soutern living idea home, kitchen stove

soutern living idea home, facade

This year’s Southern Living Magazine Idea House was built from the ground up in the Crane Island, Florida, 14 miles from Fernandina Beach.  The house is absolutely gorgeous, Interiors designed by Heather Chadduck Hillegas, Architecture by Historical Concepts’ Jim Strickland and Clay Rokicki, and construction by Riverside Custom Homes.  The decoration inside is elegant and classic but entirely livable with an emphasis on All American beauty.  I can move into this house and not change a thing.

It took me more than usual to upload all these images, but they are all so worthy that I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t leave one out.  The house has a resemblance to the Something’s Gotta Give’s house, but with a bit more on the classic modern side, with lots of browns, dark blue, ceiling beams, classic or antique furniture throughout and printed fabrics and wallpaper.  Read more about it at Southern Living Magazine.

soutern living idea home, door

soutern living idea home, blue and white living room

The living room with a blue and white palette.

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mediterrenean outdoor shower with ivy tree and grable foor

Now that it is practically summer here in the States; I can’t stop thinking about how convenient it would be to have an outdoor shower where to wash off the day under the burning sun or during sunset.  In our case, for example, having an outdoor shower would be not only a luxury but very convenient, for instance, our son, Lucas would frequently use it especially after coming back from many of his summer camps.

We can all consider bathing alfresco as one of the most natural things to do it connects us with nature; when design with luxury and function in mind, an outdoor shower can become the best of the treats.  Below, we rounded up 12 Open-Air Showers ideas that will make you feel you are in an eternal vacation.

outdoor backyard shower, with climbing hydrangeas

Hydrangeas and other flower trees frame a great outdoor shower in this shingle home.  Desigby Malone Interior Design.

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Modern bathroom design, black and white bathroom, Julie Paulino Design

Modern bathroom, Jack and Jill bathroom, Julie Paulino Design

I finally can act on my promise of sharing with you some of the improvements we’ve done in the house.  I wanted to create for our son a modern bathroom which was also timeless, in which he will eventually grow without getting tired of it.  This house was built in the early 70’s, so when we bought it, it was stuck in that period.  Lucky for us, the previous owners didn’t update it.  Everything from lousy wood paneling, even worse looking wallpaper in many of the rooms, red tile floors, small and crowded kitchen was what enchanted me.  No, I’m not losing it, I’m just an Interior Designer who loves to make spaces purely personal, and who also likes challenges.  Where others see obstacles, I see endless possibilities.

The construction of the house is a very good one, and everything the previous owners chose in their home was in the respective time, of good quality as well, but they never updated anything.  To their defense, at least there was no linoleum flooring.  I want to warn you that the slideshow below has before pictures.  They may be hurtful to look at, but we all love a good before and after.

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If you are considering using patterned cement tiles in your home, whether as a kitchen backsplash or as floor tiles, in your bathroom, and are doubting whether or not cement tiles will stand the test of time.  It’s good to remember that few other tiles have been around for so long and still keep coming back strong every now and then.  They are super popular right now, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.  They quickly transform any blah room into a wow one.  Another excellent characteristic of cement tiles is that because they are handmade no two tiles look exactly the same.  This characteristic makes them authentic and gives them a feeling of originality.

There are so many patterns available by different manufacturers that is almost overwhelming.  I’m sharing a few sources at the bottom of this post.  Whatever patterned tile you decide on,
one thing to keep in mind is that you should follow installation instructions to the T, especially when it comes to the final sealing step.  Cement tiles are incredibly tricky, and they can be damaged very easily.  They can get stained, not precisely a beautiful patina and these ugly
stains are very difficult to fix.  Manufacturers are usually not responsible for any stain developed after improper installation because they stand behind the fact that due to the nature of the cement tiles being made by hand they are prepared to look imperfect.  The truth is that a beautiful patina on a tile is not exactly a stain, that’s why it’s so important to make sure that your installer is doing the installation correctly.

cement tiles, encaustic tiles, bathroom with cement tiles

If you are installing them on the floor as in this beautiful bathroom above, make sure the floor is level; otherwise, the tiles can chip off with usage over time.  The chipping may be due to the way the tile is manufactured in sort of layering.   Another widespread use of encaustic tiles is on patio floors,  and they can look great in the right kind of architecture.

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