Three themes for the bath; how do you interpret your bath?

The Classic bath includes a chandelier, seating, a neutral rug, mosaic tile and personalization.

How about the Fresh bath? Simply elegant marble tilework, brass sconces, daylight lit bathtub, freestanding washstand, and a canvas covered classic chair create the elements of this style.

Finally a Natural bath-freestanding tub, side table for book or drink, mosaic vessel sink, botanical art.

More ideas for small bathrooms

“The Furniture Wars: How America Lost a 50 Billion Dollar Industry” by Michael K. Dugan in Paperback; $20.99 Michael Dugan is past President and CEO of Henredon Furniture Industries. He served in that position for 17 years from 1987 to 2004. The book chronicles the impact of globalization on the furniture industry.

This book provides real-life information about the downturn of a critical industry. As someone who works with the generations of talented individuals who lost their livelihood to globalization, it is a poignant message. What returned in the form of furniture from Asia is pseudo-furniture; looks like furniture but quickly finds a way to the nearest landfill.

Reed Business writes

The book offers an insider’s critical look at the impact of globalization on the American furniture business, an industry that went from making ‘world class’ products to shutting down plants in 5 years. With tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars at stake, the industry was taught a painful lesson. The failure to learn from the experience will result in more losses for the furniture business and other industries as well, making this book particularly relevant to our times.

Professor Dugan is currently the Chair of the Business School at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Previously he was the President and CEO of Henredon Furniture Industries, a position he held for 17 years. Widely recognized by insiders as an industry pioneer and marketing guru, he played the lead role in building the Pennsylvania House brand and co-founded his own furniture company, Jamestown Sterling. He is a contributing editor to “Home Furnishings Business” magazine and writes book reviews for the “Hickory Daily Record.” A frequent guest lecturer at other colleges and universities, Dugan teaches a graduate course in Leadership and an undergraduate course in Marketing at Lenoir Rhyne. His business career involved working with many influential people including Polo chief Ralph Lauren,long time Bloomimgdale’s ceo, Marvin Traub, and designer Barbara Barry. A graduate of the University of Toronto, where he majored in English Literature and Medieval Philosophy, he holds an MBA degree from Syracuse University.

What do you think about the loss of the furniture industry?

You can use these tips to make your small bathroom seem like a large, luxury room . Plan an effective renovation by using concepts like those below to provide an illusion of height and space.

You can also see images from my award winning bathroom from HGTV Designer’s Challenge as examples.

• An illusion of height comes with moving the eye vertically so consider a tile installation from floor to ceiling. Think vertical with mirrors, sconces, accents, shelves to emphasize vertical.
• A crown moulding will also create height.
• Wallpaper with a vertical pattern or a painted vertical stripe is another option.
• Mirrors add depth, width and length to a small room. The mirror reflects and distributes light throughout the room.
• Clear shower doors increase space and light. A fully frameless shower removes barriers.
• Consider a skylight or Solatube to add light to the bath.
• Large tiles increase a sense of space. Rectified porcelain tiles allow narrow, nearly invisible grout lines.
• Floating cabinets, a pedestal or wall mounted sink also make the floor space seem larger. A vanity cabinet unit takes up a lot of floor space, so avoid if possible.
• Light coloured walls, floors and simple décor makes a room seem larger.
• Clutter exacerbates the problems of a small bathroom so select storage solutions to minimize it.

This post is for city types who choose to live in the hustle bustle of urban life. We yearn to be close to one another and feel the rhythm of the streets. We want to be right on top of it all, close to our friends, near the energy. If anything, we want a view, we want sunlight and we want location, location, location. Space, we are willing to give away.

Thanks to Apartment Therapy for compiling these ten tips. Here is the starter list for our fellow cliff dwellers.

Ten Tips for Small Spaces

1. Remove your interior doors (use curtains instead on closets and doors).

2. Replace your big refrigerator with a smaller, undercounter model. It’s more than enough room.

3. Treat yourself to a really good small vacuum (we heart Meile).

4. Use track lighting aimed at walls to free up floor space and create an expansive feeling.

5.Install lighting inside closets so you can see what?s in there. They will be easier to maintain and you will gain the feeling of more space.

6.Clean your windows often so that more light comes in and your gaze is not blocked.

7.Buy really good cookware, tableware and linens (small luxuries go a long way).

8.Go wireless and transfer all your music to your computer. Sell all your CD’s!.

9. Use full spectrum light bulbs to energize and enliven your home.

10. Have lots of dinner parties. People socialize better in small spaces and social homes are better kept up.

Send your comments with your ideas to expand a small spaces.

Sometimes I encounter rooms with little usable wall space. Typically space is challenging to begin with and then there is a window wall, a closet wall and the door entrance so furniture placement is difficult. I prefer not to place the bed opposite the door for privacy reasons. When this situation occurs I utilize the corner of the room and make it a focal point of the room.

In this photo you see an example of a corner bed placement. Here are some key principles to keep in mind to make this design treatment successful.

• Divert attention from the corner by using a monochromatic color scheme on the walls and bed coverings.
• Maintain the color symmetry with subtle differences in your choice of floor coverings whether carpet or rugs.
• Allow the window treatments to support but not compete with the corner placement. Keep them simple but functional and attractive.
• Reinforce the asymmetry of the bed placement by mixing elements like the lamps or tables. One or the other should match but not both.

Finally, it makes no difference if the style is traditional, modern or contemporary. Maintain the balance and consider the visual weight when you situate the bed in the corner for a pleasing design statement and the best use of the space available.