Strategies and Secrets from the Notebook of a London Bathroom Design Professional - Imagining the Possibilities
Over the years, bathrooms have gained an ever more important place in the home, and the bathroom design profession has expanded considerably. Homeowners invest increasing amounts of money every year in what has become a real spa culture - bathroom design today includes Jacuzzis and whirlpools, water jets, huge bathtubs, saunas and steam baths, indoor swimming pools, and even high-end audio-visual equipment for the ultimate cinema-spa-bathroom experience. The possibilities are really endless. In this series of blogs, I rely on my experience as a London-based bathroom design professional to uncover the secrets of how both historic and contemporary bathrooms can be wonderful spaces to luxuriate, unwind and refresh.
Showing posts with label Bathroom Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bathroom Design. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Strategies and Secrets from the Notebook of a London Bathroom Design Professional - A Brief History of Bathing
Strategies and Secrets from the Notebook of a London Bathroom Design Professional - A Brief History of Bathing
Exploring London bathroom design schemes is often very fascinating - and not only because of the wonderful sense of tradition and connections to the past! Most British people love to wash and get dressed in a designer bathroom that feels seventy years out of date, because it appeals to the cultural sensibilities of the nation. We Londoners love to make do and hold onto the familiar, rather than having to deal with all the hassle and disruption of a bathroom design update! We absolutely adore anything that seems antiquated or historic.
In the 1800s, many London houses did not feature a room that was designated for ablutions. Indeed, in those days the profession of bathroom design was only just beginning. As far as we can tell, residents of London in the 1850s washed much more infrequently than we do today. The lack of good approaches to bathroom design meant they would typically wash themselves in bedrooms or walk-in wardrobes. Their key implement was a piece of furniture called the "washstand" and plenty of waterjugs that the servants would fill from the local public fountain and heat over the kitchen fire. Only the poshest bathroom designs would include a bathtub with its own water supply via built-in pipework. Even though London 's first ever piped-in bathtub dates from the 1100s, such luxuries did not become widespread in British bathroom design until many centuries later!
Exploring London bathroom design schemes is often very fascinating - and not only because of the wonderful sense of tradition and connections to the past! Most British people love to wash and get dressed in a designer bathroom that feels seventy years out of date, because it appeals to the cultural sensibilities of the nation. We Londoners love to make do and hold onto the familiar, rather than having to deal with all the hassle and disruption of a bathroom design update! We absolutely adore anything that seems antiquated or historic.
In the 1800s, many London houses did not feature a room that was designated for ablutions. Indeed, in those days the profession of bathroom design was only just beginning. As far as we can tell, residents of London in the 1850s washed much more infrequently than we do today. The lack of good approaches to bathroom design meant they would typically wash themselves in bedrooms or walk-in wardrobes. Their key implement was a piece of furniture called the "washstand" and plenty of waterjugs that the servants would fill from the local public fountain and heat over the kitchen fire. Only the poshest bathroom designs would include a bathtub with its own water supply via built-in pipework. Even though London 's first ever piped-in bathtub dates from the 1100s, such luxuries did not become widespread in British bathroom design until many centuries later!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Learning Bathroom Design from the Experts in London
Automagical Bathroom Lighting
My good friend and fellow London bathroom designer Donna is a true "early adopter" in home automation technologies. Recently I had a chance to chat with her about how she finds the "touch-of-a-button" home automation scheme she is currently testing out. She reported to me that it can be extremely convenient, but it's not completely flawless quite yet. As a bathroom designer herself, she loves to be able to select different mood lighting schemes for the bathrooms in her London residence. We discovered that our respective bathroom design teams will both preferentially recommend Crestron systems because they are so flexible and offer many budget options. The Crestron lineup even comes with a special media plug-in that allows our clients to store music and video on the Internet and automagically pipe it into the audiovisual system that is part of their bathroom design!
Multi-function Bathrooms
Our most cutting-edge London bathroom design clients are always seeking out the latest and greatest innovations. In our opinion, the one thing that no bathroom design should be without is "attitude" - and that often means a multi-function approach! Bathroom designs are no longer simply about showering, makeup, shaving and luxuriating - our clients crave interesting wall treatments or paintwork, clever but practical storage zones, audiovisual services, and underfloor heating for long sessions in front of the makeup mirror. Some of our latest "green bathroom" design schemes in London even include built-in wastebaskets that are divided into different compartments for easy recycling! Otherwise it can be all too easy to forget to recycle the huge number of discarded containers that often comes from a busy family bathroom.
Bathroom Countertops
Just recently I read an article online about the best countertops for bathroom designs, and I thought I should write a quick blog post here to offer my perspective on this critical question. Personally, I adore Corian or CeasarStone bathroom countertops. These options are supremely workable, sophisticated and available in a wide range of colours. We have even suggested bathroom designs with these countertops in high-gloss white and they have looked stunning. For more adventurous clients, our London bathroom design team has been known to recommend stainless steel, natural stone, or plastic with metal edgework for a "retro" look. But as with so many bathroom design questions, it often comes down to beautiful versus workable. Natural stone requires so much care to avoid scratches and maintain the desired look that we often point our London bathroom design clients in the direction of synthetic alternatives.
Fabric in the Bathroom
In the earliest days of bathroom design, built-in fabrics in bathrooms used to be a huge "no-no." But in recent years that has changed with the emergence of shower curtains, window fabrics and comfort bathmats. But the bathroom design teams at our London-based firm always remind our clients that there are a few "caveats" to using fabrics in bathrooms. First and foremost, the fabric must be lined and interlined to protect it from fading and disintegration caused by repeated water or steam exposure. If we are covering a sunny window, silk is probably the very worst material to use, but even that can work if we specify a robust lining/interlining treatment in the bathroom design master plan. Similarly, textured fabric sunshades can look very classy beneath the primary curtain or Venetian blinds. My London bathroom design team reminded me just the other day of one last top tip: treating the window with an ultraviolet or one-way coating can further help protect bathroom fabrics from fading, while also enhancing homeowner privacy.
My good friend and fellow London bathroom designer Donna is a true "early adopter" in home automation technologies. Recently I had a chance to chat with her about how she finds the "touch-of-a-button" home automation scheme she is currently testing out. She reported to me that it can be extremely convenient, but it's not completely flawless quite yet. As a bathroom designer herself, she loves to be able to select different mood lighting schemes for the bathrooms in her London residence. We discovered that our respective bathroom design teams will both preferentially recommend Crestron systems because they are so flexible and offer many budget options. The Crestron lineup even comes with a special media plug-in that allows our clients to store music and video on the Internet and automagically pipe it into the audiovisual system that is part of their bathroom design!
Multi-function Bathrooms
Our most cutting-edge London bathroom design clients are always seeking out the latest and greatest innovations. In our opinion, the one thing that no bathroom design should be without is "attitude" - and that often means a multi-function approach! Bathroom designs are no longer simply about showering, makeup, shaving and luxuriating - our clients crave interesting wall treatments or paintwork, clever but practical storage zones, audiovisual services, and underfloor heating for long sessions in front of the makeup mirror. Some of our latest "green bathroom" design schemes in London even include built-in wastebaskets that are divided into different compartments for easy recycling! Otherwise it can be all too easy to forget to recycle the huge number of discarded containers that often comes from a busy family bathroom.
Bathroom Countertops
Just recently I read an article online about the best countertops for bathroom designs, and I thought I should write a quick blog post here to offer my perspective on this critical question. Personally, I adore Corian or CeasarStone bathroom countertops. These options are supremely workable, sophisticated and available in a wide range of colours. We have even suggested bathroom designs with these countertops in high-gloss white and they have looked stunning. For more adventurous clients, our London bathroom design team has been known to recommend stainless steel, natural stone, or plastic with metal edgework for a "retro" look. But as with so many bathroom design questions, it often comes down to beautiful versus workable. Natural stone requires so much care to avoid scratches and maintain the desired look that we often point our London bathroom design clients in the direction of synthetic alternatives.
Fabric in the Bathroom
In the earliest days of bathroom design, built-in fabrics in bathrooms used to be a huge "no-no." But in recent years that has changed with the emergence of shower curtains, window fabrics and comfort bathmats. But the bathroom design teams at our London-based firm always remind our clients that there are a few "caveats" to using fabrics in bathrooms. First and foremost, the fabric must be lined and interlined to protect it from fading and disintegration caused by repeated water or steam exposure. If we are covering a sunny window, silk is probably the very worst material to use, but even that can work if we specify a robust lining/interlining treatment in the bathroom design master plan. Similarly, textured fabric sunshades can look very classy beneath the primary curtain or Venetian blinds. My London bathroom design team reminded me just the other day of one last top tip: treating the window with an ultraviolet or one-way coating can further help protect bathroom fabrics from fading, while also enhancing homeowner privacy.
Learning Bathroom Design from the Experts
Bathroom Colour Schemes
Often our London firm will field questions from clients about bathroom design colour schemes. Sometimes clients have heard that certain colours tend to work best for larger rooms, while others tend to be preferable for smaller rooms. And certainly in some of London's more compact flats the bathroom can sometimes be a little space-constrained! I always respond that the most important question is what colours will make the client happy. For bathroom designs, we will often recommend a set of darker shades in order to emphasise the personal and sanctuary-like feel of the space.
Colours to Avoid
The other question that often comes up in bathroom design - although of course it applies to any room in the home - is whether there are any paint colours that should definitely be avoided. Personally, I have fallen in love with black bathroom designs, lilac bathroom designs and even steel blue bathroom designs - so really I tend to believe that no colour is strictly off-limits! But I often remind my London-based clients that context is critical. For example, don't choose a bathroom design colour for your main residence in London that is also going to be used in your Florida winter condo, where the sun's rays are completely different!
Gadgets and Gizmos
The other day our London-based interior design firm received an email from a regular client asking about the latest electronic appliances that our bathroom design teams are currently seeing on the market. Today, we are increasingly proposing bathroom designs that include some sort of home entertainment features. The latest Sony and Samsung ultra-bright TVs can be coupled with high-end audio systems, DVD players and cable hook-ups to allow our clients to luxuriate in the bathroom while catching up with the morning's business news on Bloomberg or CNN. In larger London residences we have recently been installing a lot of the Miele built-in espresso machines as part of our higher-end bathroom designs. These appliances are elegant, sophisticated and very stylish. They quickly become a hit with the whole household - it's like having a personal Costa Coffee branch built right into your London bathroom design!
Bathroom Automation Systems
The other day I was talking with one of my colleagues about the latest full-automation and touch-of-a-button home wizardry systems, and specifically their compatibility with our bathroom designs. The concept is that multiple services are grouped together so that homeowners can remotely activate lights, electronics, alarms, appliances, and - in bathroom designs - elements like towel rails and mood lighting. We are increasingly recommending these options to our most discerning London clients, and the effect can be amazing if the client is technology-interested. But our bathroom design team always makes sure to emphasise user simplicity. There's nothing worse than our client not knowing how to activate the underfloor heating in their luxury London bathroom design just because they can't figure out which remote control to use!
Often our London firm will field questions from clients about bathroom design colour schemes. Sometimes clients have heard that certain colours tend to work best for larger rooms, while others tend to be preferable for smaller rooms. And certainly in some of London's more compact flats the bathroom can sometimes be a little space-constrained! I always respond that the most important question is what colours will make the client happy. For bathroom designs, we will often recommend a set of darker shades in order to emphasise the personal and sanctuary-like feel of the space.
Colours to Avoid
The other question that often comes up in bathroom design - although of course it applies to any room in the home - is whether there are any paint colours that should definitely be avoided. Personally, I have fallen in love with black bathroom designs, lilac bathroom designs and even steel blue bathroom designs - so really I tend to believe that no colour is strictly off-limits! But I often remind my London-based clients that context is critical. For example, don't choose a bathroom design colour for your main residence in London that is also going to be used in your Florida winter condo, where the sun's rays are completely different!
Gadgets and Gizmos
The other day our London-based interior design firm received an email from a regular client asking about the latest electronic appliances that our bathroom design teams are currently seeing on the market. Today, we are increasingly proposing bathroom designs that include some sort of home entertainment features. The latest Sony and Samsung ultra-bright TVs can be coupled with high-end audio systems, DVD players and cable hook-ups to allow our clients to luxuriate in the bathroom while catching up with the morning's business news on Bloomberg or CNN. In larger London residences we have recently been installing a lot of the Miele built-in espresso machines as part of our higher-end bathroom designs. These appliances are elegant, sophisticated and very stylish. They quickly become a hit with the whole household - it's like having a personal Costa Coffee branch built right into your London bathroom design!
Bathroom Automation Systems
The other day I was talking with one of my colleagues about the latest full-automation and touch-of-a-button home wizardry systems, and specifically their compatibility with our bathroom designs. The concept is that multiple services are grouped together so that homeowners can remotely activate lights, electronics, alarms, appliances, and - in bathroom designs - elements like towel rails and mood lighting. We are increasingly recommending these options to our most discerning London clients, and the effect can be amazing if the client is technology-interested. But our bathroom design team always makes sure to emphasise user simplicity. There's nothing worse than our client not knowing how to activate the underfloor heating in their luxury London bathroom design just because they can't figure out which remote control to use!
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