Cover Art

Are you of the age that you not only know what record albums are but still have yours?  I do, I can't seem to part with them, they all mean something to me, especially fond memories like pretend kissing the guy (didn't even know his name) from this cover, the top left picture, from the Bay City Rollers, hey in 4th grade they were huge! :)

Well I just saw this cool way to show off your album "art" here.  They hold up to 6 record albums at a time.  You can display them horizontally or vertically.

The best part is you can change them out as often as you want very easily.

Did you have any special memories of your record albums, I would love to hear them.

Ceiling Fan: Reminder

I have written about this before, but just as a reminder....

Now that the heat has gone away and cool weather is upon us, don't forget to switch your ceiling fans in the REVERSE (clockwise) position.  If you run it at a low speed it will gently draw the room air up towards the ceiling and force the warm air down and out towards the walls so as to avoid the wind chill effect.

It's All About The Bend

Have you seen the somewhat new Kohler, Karbon articulating kitchen faucet yet? I would assume so, it seems like everywhere I look lately it's there....Now that is a good thing because I think it's not only sexy but it works so intuitively as well when you touch it, it seems to read your mind, okay I won't go that far but seriously I love the way it moves. ;)

Here are some of it's cool features:
-It has an intregrated spray nozzle
-Can be fully extended to fill large pots
-Lowered into the sink for food prep and cleanup
-Compactly folded and placed out of the way when not in use
-Pivots easily into any position and REMAINS there for hands free operation

See how it moves on YouTube.

It also won a bronze award in the IDSA annual IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) competition, so not to shabby.

It originally was released in just chrome and stainless but now Kohler has released it in a total of seven finishes for the perfect look, see them on Kohlers site in detail....

As I was writing this post I was thinking, "now they just need a pot filler, how gorgeous would that be", but after looking up finishes, look what I stumbled upon...It's truly sooo much more than a pot filler it's a true wall mount fixture for the sink, but it could be used as a pot filler too.....

Okay, so I must ask, are you as enamored with these as I am?

Splish, Splash

I am a shower girl....Meaning, I shower 99% of the time and on the rare occasion, I will take a bath.  I am shocked though how many of my clients actually bathe in a tub more than shower, all women, which doesn't surprise me.

What are you a shower person or tub person?

Regardless, check out these tubs for the ultimate in cool.....It may change your mind.

Mti Whirlpools This is the Intarcia tub which can be customized with decorative inlays.  This particular one has been optionally inlaid with blue lacquer wood.  You also have a choice of an optional pedestal or inverted pedestal base.

Villeroy & Boch  The distinctive Aveo was influenced by the egg.  It is made of an exclusive material, "Quaryl" which is slip resistant and it conducts heat very slowly for a longer lasting soak, ahhhh....

Victoria & Albert bath Taking its name from a town along the Italian Riveria, is the Ravello tub.  This tub is made from 100% Englishcast which is made of a mix of white volcanic limestone and resin.  Every bathtub is as strong as cast iron but naturally white, featuring a renewable, scratch resistant surface.

Hopfoot's Vasca definitely captures the essence of nature in its earthy wood tones.  This tub is made from handselected teak or Canadian cedar, each steam contoured tub is preserved and sealed with natural finishes such as olive oil.  Now before you get tooo excited about this tub I do have to forewarn that the price for the teak version is pricey, as in almost $50,000 pricey, that is not a typo by the way.

This is the Origami tub from BainUltra is made for two bathers.  Chromatherapy and sound therapy are available to make for a totally relaxing experience.

Here's a new brand of tub to me, #1 in Europe, just found it and is it gorgeous, Kaldewei.  This is the Luxxo Duo Oval made in steel enamel and it comes in white as well but the black is sooo sexy isn't it?  These tubs were specifically designed for two and is fitted with a pair of identical facing backrests with curved shoulder support, ooohlala.

And last on this list but surely not least is the Morphosis soaking tub from Jacuzzi.  This tub is 74.8" in length so it definitely encourages maximum lounging.

Just writing this blog has got me thinking about going and taking a long soak in my own tub....

Glass Fetish

I try not to show too much of my glass fetish when writing this blog, but I definitely have one and if I could I would blog about glass every day, well not that often, but more than I do now.  Here are just a few of my glass fetish blog posts "Jewelry Box Bath", "Now This Blows", "Ice Ice Baby" and "Glass Tile Possibilites", see I have it bad don't I?

I always want to add just a little of it somewhere in all of my designs, I love the shine and color.

One of my favorite glass tile companies is SICIS, they are the "Art Mosaic Factory" and I simply love their glass!!!  All of their tiles are made in Italy.

It's Sunday, so sit back and let's take a peek at some of the beauty they create....

Just beautiful isn't it?   You are limited only by your imagination and their create your own mosiac area, even then, not so much, because they do provide all the imagination you need.

Do you like the look of glass tiles?

Master Makeover is Complete!

Well I meant to get this out sooner rather than later but we had an issue with one of the table lamps that has now been corrected.

Remember this room?

If you want to read the back story and see more "before" pics check that out here.  But for all of you who are eagerly awaiting the completed room, here it is.....

Of course we aren't totally done, because even though they still don't want a duvet cover they would like some king shams to cover up their sleeping pillows....We are going to have them made in the same fabric as the valance, my client LOVES that fabric.

We made it all work quite beautifully don't you think?

One of the stunners of the bedroom are these beautiful, handcrafted crystal finials from Orion Ornamental Iron.....

They almost have a rainbow of color in them depending on how you look at them.  The hubby was afraid at first, thinking they may be way over the top, code word, "girlie" but the wife tells me that he looks at them quite often and says how "cool" they are.

If you like them too they come in many shapes and sizes...

Do you like the extra drama created with the crystals?

I love it when we finish a clients room/home and they not only love it but they want to show everyone who walks in the door of their home, that makes me feel good, my work here is done...Well except for those king shams we still need to make. ;)

Saved by the Dim

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to save energy is to use dimmers on your lighting?  The more a light is dimmed, the greater the energy savings.  Dimming can cut lighting costs by more than 70% while reducing environmental impact.

The average cost for a single dimmer is less than $20 so it pays for itself in about 26 months.

FUN facts....The cumulative impact of dimmers can save enough energy each year to light 4.5 million homes in 12 months and installing 1 dimmer in every US home, for instance, in place of a standard light switch would save $816 million in electricity annually and reduce CO2 by 4.3 billion pounds per year.  Which is like taking 370,000 cars off the road.

Of course the best part of dimming lights is we all tend to look better in them. :)

So here is my not sooo good attempt at a "before" dimming DR and an "after" dimming DR.

I realize my camera skills suffer in showing this and have to say that dimming in person looks soo much better than on camera, ha!