Problem solved (for now)

The search is over! My husband and friends have had to listen to me moan and complain for months about my inability to find the perfect bath rug in the perfect shade of green. Not grass green, not lime green, not pale green -- asparagus green (according to the Behr paint on my walls).

Let me explain -- when my husband and I bought our fixer-upper over a year ago, the bathroom was public enemy #1. The powder blue drop-in sink resting on a faux-wood vanity with wicker-front doors. The powder blue toilet with a cracked tank lid. The brass fixtures and hardware. The tulip light shades. And worst of all -- the CARPETED floor. That's right, I said CARPETED.

We spent weeks gutting, repairing, and redecorating. The end product -- a clean, modern abode. A new white vessel sink. A new sleek toilet. A white 3X3 tiled floor. A round mosaic mirror, stainless fixtures, and a stainless wall cabinet with frosted glass. My fave part - the asparagus green and tiled walls. It's bright, clean, and minimalistic.

Now, I'm not a fan of bath rugs. When done improperly they're unsightly and unstylish - not to mention a potential breeder of mold and mildew. However, my pristine white tiled floor proved to be slippery after a relaxing shower -- enter the bath rug. I found a decent rug -- and thought white would be the natural choice. Clean, crisp, simple. Ha! After a few months my gleaming bathroom had a glaring problem - a dingy bath rug. No amount of bleaching would return it to its original state.

So the search began -- white was out. I was initially open to a multi-color masterpiece -- but the idea of bringing unnecessary hues into play seemed just that - unnecessary. The field was narrowed to a textured design in solid green. And the frustration began. Never the right green! Never the right size! Never the right texture.

Things were looking grim. I considered teak, but it would never work with the wood in the rest of my home. Then, just as I was about to give up, my friendly postal carrier delivered what I'd been searching for - the CB2 catalog. As I paged through what I thought would be another useless book of products offered by at least 10 other retailers, I saw it -- the Circus Rug in Peel. The small fluffy pompoms will add whimsy to the space -- and the price tag ($19.95) won't hold me slave to my choice (I tend to change accessories and decor with the seasons).

--allie

Tags: modern bath, bath rugs, green rugs, contemporary bath accessories

But how does it work?

It's lovely, it really is. I love the stark white, smooth Corian. I love the clean lines mixed with gentle slopes. I just don't understand how the water stays in...

Antelope, a bathroom collection from Alex Vitet Design, consists of 4 washbasin forms, shelves, and boxes, allowing the buyer to manage space and construct to meet their needs. However, their hard-to-navigate site frustrated me and broke my spirit before I could discover just how the water avoids spilling all over the floor!

--allie

Related Categories: Alex Vitet Design, Modern Bath Products, Modern Bath Trends

Tags: modern bath, modern sinks, sustainable design, Corian

Brilliant bamboo

When I purchased my bamboo bed in Toronto 5 years ago, it wasn't out of my love of green design (a relatively new consumer term), or my desire to be more environmentally friendly, but because it was beautiful!

I loved the way each shoot was varied in color and shape, forming an imperfect perfect form. Every time I crawled into bed I felt as though I was entering an oasis. Thankfully, in recent years more designers are jumping on the bamboo bandwagaon -- recognizing its sustainable functionality and clean, modern appeal.

(Pictured: Cabinet from Iannone Design, modern bamboo chaise)

Check out the Cebu Exhibit (held in the Philippines) to learn more!

--allie

Tags: green design, bamboo furniture, sustainable design

MGS Stainless Steel Faucets

With green concerns on the rise it is no wonder faucet manufacturers are plating their brass fixtures to appear satin or polished to come across as stainless steel. After all, stainless steel has revolutionized the kitchen and is even making its way into the modern bath as evidenced in MGS’ collection of contemporary wares.

But aside from aesthetics, stainless steel is 100% recyclable and is a full life-cycle material – not to mention self sustaining. Furthermore, stainless steel has an excellent environmental track record as a material that is actively recycled on a large scale around the world. Systematically separated and recovered back into the recycling process, scraps are recharged into an electric furnace for re-melting back into stainless steel.

MGS faucets, composed of solid stainless steel, are extremely hygienic -- one of the few faucets pre-approved by the National Sanitation Foundation. While other materials, such as brass, require a water-based wash to pass NSF tests, stainless steel is completely pure in composition, assuring that no lead or other toxic particles will leech into drinking water.

Modern Rain Shower Head

This advertising image is really doing its job. I'm sold. I want to get in this shower immediately - and I'm not even dirty.

This gorgeous gadget is the Dream Light from JACLO. A canopy of rain available in rectangular, cube and round shapes, the Dream Light features a thin stainless steel sheet complete with LED lights. The water is illuminated in a rainbow of refreshing white, soothing blue, calming amber, motivational red, peaceful green and warm white.  The lights can be programmed to turn on manually with the flip of a switch or encoded to start automatically whenever the shower is turned on. The light intensity is fixed. All Dream Lights feature a full rain spray and multiple colors are available in a single head configuration.

Sweet dreams

Winnie the Pooh, Disney characters, action figures, and all Nickelodeon cast members belong on TV, the big screen, and coloring books -- not your child's bedding. (The same goes for the wide-eyed Precious Moments figures).

Finding children's bedding without licensed characters dancing about can be a difficult task -- until now. When Jeanice Skvaril, owner and creative director of Boodalee, looked down at her infant son cloaked in his modern baby bedding, she had a terrifying thought -- “What the heck kind of bedding are we going to outfit your big-boy bed with?”

Craving alternatives to the commercial children's bedding offered by large retailers, Skvaril created minimalist bedding designs to fit her modern home -- and stimulate her little one's imagination as it grows.

Check out the full line

--allie

Tags: children's bedding, modern kid's room, modern children's design

Modern Kitchens on the Web

The ALEX VITET DESIGN website delivers what consumers looking for innovative bath products have been begging for: a full service, e-commerce for international residential and commercial customers.

Alex Vitet's goal for the site is to preview new items before the residential or commercial market is made aware of them. And based on my run-through of the products available there, he's already doing a good job of that.  The ANTELOPE
bath collection-1 is the first segment launched. A premiere collection of 55 essential items, the line is American manufactured under Alex's creative direction.

ANTELOPE is made of DuPont Corian with four washbasin designs, countertops, shelves, earth graphic panels, shower landing and boxes. The individual selection and mix of these items together create a unique composition suitable for homes, restaurants, hotels, or resorts.

The collection's decorative graphic panels are based on true, hi-res, digital photographs of sandstone. Meant to evoke a look and feel of serenity, these panels are made of Laminated Glass with full-color, digitally printed inter-layers.

So far a gorgeous collection promising new products in lighting, furniture and table, Alex will continue to add new items to  the site and to the Antelope' collection.

Shine Refined

METALLIC ACCENTS   New metallic finishes sparkle in cutting edge kitchen appliances.

From deep oil-rubbed bronze to sleek gun metal, appliances sport recast metallics to make fresh, colorful statements. Sub-Zero and Wolf offer appliances in three stainless-steel finishes and Jenn-Air has introduced an oiled bronze option.

Homeowners and designers latch onto these these innovative finishes to get the streamlined style of a commercial kitchen with the warmth wanted for residential settings.

However, for those nervous about jumping into the new trend by outfitting a large appliances like a range hood or refrigerator in a bold metallic finish, implementing the look in a faucet is an easy way to transition.  We saw an exclusive black metallic faucet from Dornbracht for the new Porsche designed Poggenpohl kitchen (see earlier post here). And MGS' architectural Vela, crafted from 100% stainless steel, sports a new carbon finish. The look is a nice complement to contemporary black appliances and stainless steel fixtures.

Under the Hood

OK - One more from Thermador...

Most small scale appliances have less power than their large-sized counterparts, but with Thermador's new Chimney Drawer Hood, skimping on size doesn't equate to a weaker machine. 

With a unique design that slides out for use and retracts for a smaller profile, the Chimney Drawer Hood can change in size by 45% –– a stylish way to have it all.