Tray Ceiling…Tres Chic

It is virtually impossible to find a tray ceiling that has been done so well that all the edges are perfectly straight.  I also find that as the house settles the sheetrock tape begins to show and it just never looks good.  Well, here’s an idea for a tray ceiling renovation that covers the flaws and updates the look. 

The tray ceiling in this client’s bedroom was the typical tray ceiling with one band of crown moulding where the ceiling and wall meet.  We designed this ceiling, adding additional mouldings and beams to give the look of a coffered ceiling.  It brought this 1980’s house into the 21^st century and I think it is very chic.

 

There is some arithmetic involved when designing a ceiling like this, especially when you are adding the recessed lighting.  You need to layout everything so your lights are centered properly between the beams.  You may think this wouldn’t be very difficult but the ceiling rafters will dictate where you can and cannot place the cans for the lights.  My advice…figure out your dimensions and layout the lights first.  Then you can tweek the placement of the beams if need be.

Another piece of advice…Whenever you are doing a combination of a fan and recessed lights, make sure there is plenty of room past the fan blades for the lights.  If they are too close, you will get a strobe effect from the lights when the fan blades are rotating and that’s very 1970’s.

Celebrate Life and Rejoyce! 

Joyce Caldwell

Bathroom Features

As promised, here is a follow up to my bathroom renovation.  I want to show you some of the features that I included in this renovation. 

Garden seat instead of a built-in bench – Guys don’t get it, but women need a place to sit in their shower.  The standard solution is to build in a bench in the shower.  The problem is that you need a wall to build it against.  Because I wanted my bathroom to feel as large as possible, I didn’t want to build a knee wall across from the shower head for a bench.  I wanted an all glass enclosure so I set out to find a teak bench that would hold up to the constant water soaking.  I found a great looking one in the Frontgate catalogue but it was expensive - $250 plus shipping. 

While visiting my local nursery I found this Oriental garden seat.  It is big enough to sit on or just to have a place to sit my oversized shampoo bottle.  Water will never be problem because it is glazed porcelain and made for the outdoors   I like the unexpected element it adds to my shower space and it cost about $40.

Shower pan versus tile floor – I love the look of a mosaic tile shower floor but I don’t like keeping it clean.  I opted for a cultured marble shower pan.  It’s clean looking and I know this one has been installed correctly so it will never leak.

 
Shower Enclosure – The frameless glass shower enclosure was a real splurge but well worth it.  I love the way the door opens in or out and the clear glass makes my bathroom look twice as wide as it did before.

Bamboo Towel Ladder – As you can see I love to accessorize the bathroom as much as any other room.  Therefore, it was hard to find a wall for a towel bar.  I opted for a bamboo ladder which I painted black.  It is so light weight it can lean against the glass shower enclosure.  I think it’s more interesting and warmer than a stainless steel towel bar.


Black Onyz
Chicklet

Pinwheel tile design – I chose this pinwheel tile layout so my tile installer would not have to clip all the corners on the large floor tiles to accommodate the accent tile.  The black accent tile is Sonoma Tile Tantrum Black Onyx Chicklets (1/2” mosaic).  It’s glass and I love it because it looks like little jewels.  Also glass is a modern twist on the expected black marble accent.

I'm now saving for a free-standing tub and granite countertops but truth be told I'm in no hurry.  I'm very happy with the bathroom as it is.

Let me know about some of your bathroom dilemnas.  I'd love to help you with some creative solutions.

Celebrate Life and Rejoyce!

Joyce Caldwell

Stencilling versus Wallpaper

I love pattern on the wall but I just won't commit to wallpaper even though it is making a comeback. It is too difficult to remove when I get tired of it. So, check out what I did to my foyer this weekend.

I painted the walls the same color as the trim and added an oversized metallic stencil in a random pattern. The metallic is a champagne color so it looks gold at some angles and silver at others. Now I've got a little pattern and when I want something different it's a simple paint job.

I change the accessories in my foyer with the seasons and the mercury glass pumpkin, cream glass gourd, spider mums and feather arrangement are my nod to autumn and Halloween. The candles and tassels are rusty red but I just can't do orange and gold. It reminds me too much of the 70's. On no... I'm showing my age.

Anyway, the reviews so far is that it looks very glamorous and that's exactly what I was going for.

Celebrate Life and Rejoyce! Life!

Joyce Caldwell

What I Learned About Life from a Bathroom Renovation

Well the bathroom is finally done. What was supposed to be a 3 day job turned into a 3 week job. I have to say that I learned a lot during this project. I have a new understanding about what my clients go through when their house is torn up. I’m always the one reassuring my clients that it has to look worse before it can look better but living with the mess and disorder deserves more empathy than that. I was my own worse client. I was questioning every decision I made and it actually affected my disposition…just ask my contractor.

What I was reminded of has been my belief about the importance of interior design but I needed to be reminded of it. When our home is not in order or there is something about it that really isn’t working the way it needs to for our lifestyle, we cannot focus on what is really important. A missionary in Haiti confirmed my understanding. He tells everyone who visits his beautiful home that a home needs to be a sanctuary, a place that nurtures and refreshes you in order for you to be effective outside its walls. I’m sure you can understand how important that is for someone who has been serving the people in Haiti for over 20 years.

I’m enjoying my new bathroom (especially the larger shower) and the extra space created with the removal of the Jacuzzi. I’m saving now for a free standing tub which will sit on top of the tile. It will take a while before I can actually get the tub but in the meantime I have a beautiful space in which to start my day…Here’s to being more effective outside its walls.

Master Bath Renovation

When I started this blog I promised to show you the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let's start with the bad shall we? I had planned to do a partial renovation in my master bath. Phase 1 was going to be to replace the tile floor with a polished stone. Phase 2 would be to replace the shower tile and glass enclosure. Unfortunately once the tile was pulled up, what reveled itself underneath was rotted sub floor and floor joists. Sometimes you have to prepare for the unexpected when taking on a renovation. So now I'm moving forward!

Let me bring you up to speed on the design updates I've made so far. In 2000 I made the first changes to the master bath. Painting the cabinets and adding new hardware and faucets gave the vanity a fresh look. I also added some decorative molding to the plate glass mirror to finish it off.

I'll update as soon as the tile and shower are in. I can't wait to show you the final product. More to come...

Bathroom Update

New Features

The bathroom renovation is coming along nicely. We're just waiting for the shower glass, the floor heaters, and the shuttersfor the windows to be installed. I thought this might be good time to talk about some of the newer features we introduced in this bathroom so you can keep them in mind for your future renovations.

Floor heaters - One of our clients' major objections to using tile in this bathroom was that tile is cold. This bathroom is over the garage and the bathroom is always cold in the winter months because of the unheated garage space below. The solution was these new baseboard type heaters that fit right in the toe kick of the cabinet. They are virtually invisible because the grill is painted the color of the cabinet. They can be on a thermostat so the floor is consistently warm or they can just be turned on when you get in the shower. By the time you step out, the floor and the room are warm and toasty.

You may be wondering why we didn't go with the under tile electrical system. I have not found a tile installer, yet, who likes to put these in. They tend to be very delicate and if something in the wiring goes wrong you end up with cold spots in the tile and the tile has to be removed to fix the problem. Ouch!

I fear that they are like those pre-lit Christmas trees where a section goes out every year until you're left with no lights. I'd love to be proven wrong on this one so please comment if you've had any experience with this type of system.

Ventilation Fan - Ventilation fans don't have to be an eyesore anymore. You can now get a light and fan combination that is a recessed light fixture with fan vents as the trim kit. It fits flush with the ceiling and blends in with the other recessed lighting used in the bathroom. This model is by Broan and it is also available for flourescent lighting.

Although we didn't use this decorative flush mount light and fan combination, I thought I would show it here as another attractive option. This is also a Broan fan and is priced under $100. They even have some that are very contemporary and you can even add a time control so that they go off automatically after you leave the bathroom.

Pendant Lights - I have always been a fan of recessed lights in the bathroom instead of a bar light fixture over the mirror. In f act, that is what I chose for my own bathroom. I have

to admit, however, that the recessed light tends to throw more shadows because they only cast the light downward. This is particularly bad for the application of makeup. A bar light fixture directs light down and out because of the glass globes.

I have added buffet lamps to the counter in my own bath to get the light I need. It's beautiful but not everyone has the length of countertop that I have.

In this bathroom, we decided on a newer approach...pendant lights which are more commonly used in the kitchen. The lighting effect is perfect and it's a great look.

Mirror Surround - This is one of my favorite tricks and I use it whenever possible. I like the openness of a wall of glass (as opposed to separate smaller mirrors over each sink) but I hate the unfinished look of a plate glass mirror glued to the wall. In this bathroom we created a unique mirror surround out of 1 by 12, fluted molding, and wood bullseyes you can buy at Lowe's. The treatment is applied over the existing mirror and is less expensive than buying separate decorative mirrors.

There's much more to come with this project. We're now moving into the clients' bedroom and when everything is finished we'll share all of the before and afters.

Celebrate life and rejoyce!

Joyce Caldwell

Welcome to my new blog. I've been thinking about this for a long time because I want to be sure that this blog is of value to you. So after some thought and discussion, I have decided to alternate my blogs between projects I am working on and design tips and tricks, including creative solutions, trends, new products and places to shop. I promise to share the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now the best way to make this blog valuable to you is for you to participate. I encourage you to add your comments and send me questions about your design dilemnas. I want to know what you're working on and I'd love to help you.

Trend: Bathrooms are Big...Especially the Showers

Since the first of the year I have received several calls from clients who need bathroom makeovers because their shower pans are leaking. Of course, the shower has to be torn out so it is the perfect (although expensive) time to redo their bathrooms. Now what do you think is the number one objective with the renovation? Yes, enlarge the shower to add a bench and get rid of the dated shower enclosure.

One of the newest trends in bathrooms is the European shower. In Europe bathrooms are typically all tile and the shower has no door. I actually stayed in one hotel in Italy that had nothing separating the shower from the rest of the bathroom and it was a small room. When I took a shower everything got wet...the toilet, the mirror and the sink!

Fortunately, in the U.S. we have more room in our bathrooms for a totally separate shower. We tend to still use glass to partition off the space but there is no door with it's heavy metal frame. You simply walk in. For those of you who like to party in the shower, there is space for multiple shower heads and more than one person.

Project: European Shower

I'm working on a bathroom renovation at this time so I thought I would share some pictures of the progress that has been made. Here is a before picture. The shower was about 4' square and my client wanted a bigger shower. I was reluctant to do a enclosure that was entirely tile because it would make the tub look as though it was in a long alley. The solution was a European style shower using a combination of tile and glass. The glass serves to visually open up the space and showcase the tile.

At this point, the shower has been enlarged to 4' x 9'. The shower floor is in and the walls are being tiled. Please keep in mind that every renovation looks worse before it looks better. The new shower configuration has already improved the bathroom space. In fact, the client as decided that the tub doesn't need to be replaced because it fits the space so much better than before...a significant cost savings.

I'll keep you updated on the progress. In the meantime, please post your comments, ideas and suggestions and tell friends about this blog.

Celebrate life and rejoyce!

Joyce Caldwell