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!

Inspired by Chard?

I am...Whatever works right? ;)

I think the colors of Swiss Chard are sooo powerful and beautiful together, I just had to stop and grab my camera to share with you.

Then I got to thinking, this combo just feels so fresh....

I remembered that  Jonathan Adler now has a "design your own" software for pillows and rugs, you can actually choose your own color combos, so the choices are endless...For instance here are my "Swiss Chard" colors in a pillow and fun rug....

Then I started thinking how these colors could be used on furniture. so I was on Norwalk and created these 2 sofas to show you what you can do to recreate the chard look....

I think sites that let you play with color are so fun don't you?

As I was working on this blog this morning this lamp revealed itself so had to share recycled green glass table lamp good fit right?

I have a gorgeous bushy tree (apx. 7' high) outside that is also bursting in color, colors like my Swiss Chard...Just ran out, took a picture and here it is, (I love the digital world don't you?)

By the way, does anyone know what this bushy tree is?  If so do share. ;)

Also, if you have used this color palette before I would love to hear about it.

Sleep in Splendor

If you haven't heard of one of the finest beds in the world, now is the time.....Hastens.

They have been family owned and operated in Sweden since 1852, hand making each and every mattress, so I think they know what they are doing.

You can always spot the Hastens brand because of their distinct look....checked fabric, usually in blue, but they do have a rainbow of cotton checked fabrics to choose from.

The first time I eyed one of these mattresses in person, I was up in Seattle after walking all day, and went into the showroom and collapsed on one of them and was transformed into another world.

By the way, I don't promote any products for profit and quite frankly most companies don't even know that I am blogging about them.  All of my blog posts about products are my personal experiences with them. :)  

Their bed frames are made out of Swedish pine.  The stuffing is simply made out of cotton, HORSEHAIR, flax and wool.  The springs are made from heat treated Swedish steel, same quality found in piano wire.

This bed is 100% organic and can be recycled or if discarded it is totally biodegradable.  Unlike other mattresses out there this has no outgasses from synthetic materials.

Now with all of these benefits there are 2 downsides...This mattress is HEAVY!  Mattresses are already awkward but with the added weight it can be cumbersome to move. And lastly the price for a good nights sleep is expensive, I won't get into pricing here because really what is a good nights sleep worth to you and remember they say you do spend a third of your life in bed. ;)

So if you are like me and must try them out first, they now have hotels all over the world that have them, see this list.

I must finish this blog with my favorite shape of bed that they now carry....I need to go see this in person...But wouldn't it be fun to design around this?

I would love to hear of your experiences with this company and/or bed if you have them.  If not, I hope you consider them when you are shopping for your next mattress, you won't be sorry....If nothing else order the DVD it's very well done!