DIY 80s Master Bathroom Into Modern

 

What do you do with a bathroom that had its heyday during the decade of big hair and shoulder pads? This master bath with its light pink toilet and tile floor was oh so very chic in the 80s but no so much today. It’s a classic case of trendy design now past its prime. For most of us, bringing this bath into modern-day means you’ll be DIYing most of the updates. Here’s a primer on how to go from not so Pretty In Pink to a Mod-Mother Nature Motif, a look that’s having its moment in home interiors. For this remodel, homeowner Julia Reilly kept the original vanity to save some money. To update it, she cut a hole in the top for a new sink and stained the base cabinetry with General Finishes gel stain in java at a cost of $30 a quart. The base cabinets required three coats of gel stain that Julia wiped on allowing for a 24-hours between coats to properly dry. Julia recommends waiting five days after last coat before applying the gel topcoat.

For a complete transformation of the original countertop, Julia used Envirotex, at a cost of $30, to create a shiny hard bar coating. Before applying the Envirotex, she painted the countertop white. To properly prepare the Envirotex, Julia recommends mixing it with 200 stirs and then pouring immediately to avoid it setting prematurely.

 

Resurfaced Vanity using Envirotex

“The Envirotex self levels but to avoid bubbles in the surface, you must blow put the bubbles with either your breath or a blow torch. Not a hair dryer. It's not the heat; it's the co2 that breaks up the bubbles,” advises Julia. Another tip: do this in an environment free of airborne debris and make sure the area is well ventilated. Although the countertop was painted white, the Envirotex turned it into a cream color. After reinforcing and priming the vanity, Julia installed a sink and faucet purchased from a salvage yard at a cost $75 for both. She purchased the new hardware from Lowes. To get rid of that pink shower tile, Julia stripped the shower down to the studs and built in a niche and support for a new single pane of glass to replace the shower curtain. Then, she tiled the shower with Serso black walnut grain porcelain tile in horizontal planks size 6-in X 24-in purchased from Lowes at a cost of $2.35 per square foot.

 

The shower’s Moen 4-inch single function wall mount hand shower with hose and slide bar in a chrome finish cost $166 and the Moen single handle posi-temp pressure balanced valve trim with metal lever handle cost $23.78 both were purchased from the online store www.faucetdirect.com. The bathroom floor’s pink tile was replaced with a very on-trend pebble tile that Julia found on eBay at a cost of $7.50 per 12x12 sheet.

For a clever vintage accent, Julia turned the existing medicine cabinet into a stylish framed chalkboard by painting the mirror with chalk paint and gluing on an old frame that she repainted yellow to match her DIY bathroom Barn Door.

  

DIY Barn Door for under $100

To finish off the look, Julia hand painted stripes on the bathroom walls.

She taped a striped pattern on the wall then painted the stripes in Benjamin Moore Whitestone in satin applying two coats with long strokes using a foam roller. She then removed the tape pulling along the diagonal. Like any smart DIYer Julia knew when to call in a professional to handle the tasks outside of her skill set.  SB Tile and Stone did the floor and shower tile installation.

The total cost for this bathroom makeover is just $2,500. Consider that the average bathroom remodel costs $16,000 according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association and I would say this Mod-Mother Nature Master Bath is a refreshing example of sticker shock in reverse!!

London Design Finds That Do it Better

The quest for a better way of doing things often powers and inspires the design world of home interiors. It's a realm that European designers tend to dominate with their witty, space-saving, streamlined and strategically engineered interpretations of all things related to the home. I wanted to personally experience this European ingenuity so I scouted the UK’s largest design trade event, 100% Design, as well as the shows Design Junction and Tent London for products that prove my theory. Here is the first in a series of blog postings on my Design Finds That Do It Better.

 

Design Blogger, Writer, Host Karen LeBlanc in London for the 100% Design Show

Rock Star Style

 

The Hooked Lighting Collection by UK Lighting Designer Buster + Punch

London brand Buster + Punch presents its avant- guard take on luxury furniture, inspired by a world of custom motorcycles and the rockstar lifestyle. I spoke with Buster + Punch Founder and Designer Massimo Buster Minale who says his company aims to "kick minimalism in the teeth" with a rock star aesthetic that is sexy and dark and oh so cool.

Design Blogger Karen LeBlanc with Buster + Punch Designer Massimo

His new lighting collection Hooked draws inspiration from the custom motorcycles that Massimo designs for celebrity clients. The bikes are prized for their knurled brass handlebars that appear as lighting fittings in the Hooked collection.

 

The famed knurled brass handlebar on Massimo's custom motorcycles that is the inspiration for The Hooked lighting fittings.

I'm infatuated with this collection because it amps up the whole Edison Bulb lighting trend with its raw exposed filaments. Each Hooked light is attached by a bronze hook so you can raise and lower the light and even move it to another area of your living space.

 

The bronze hook that allows you to raise and lower the light and even move it around.

Funsy Furniture

 

The Swing Table by Duffy London at Tent London

The Swing Table by Duffy London caught my attention because it illustrates how design can turn a daily routine into a novel, engaging experience. Imagine dinner time in your household with the Swing Table. I know my kids would run to the dinner table and eat their veggies if they could swing while they eat.  I admire how Duffy London breaks all the rules of conventional furniture design by  playing with the concepts of gravity, geometry and illusion.

 

The Swing Table by Duffy London

The Swing Table also works as a great ice breaker and conversation starter at a dinner party. How could not you not crack a smile as you swing away with your cocktail in hand. A Geo lampshade and eight hanging chairs are suspended from the four-poster frame around a walnut table top. The Swing Table also is available in sizes to seat four and up to 12 people. Each one is handmade by local artisans and craftspeople using ethically sourced materials.

The Beatnik Chair

 

I noticed a recurring theme or dare I say "trend" at the many exhibitions and trade shows during the London Design Festival: it's the concept of cocooning furniture that envelopes you and provides your own private respite away from the white noise and distractions of your environment. The Beatnik chair is what I would call a "musical cocoon" because it allows you to retreat into your own soundscape with airplay speakers embedded in the furniture. Designer Matej Fegus  calls this piece of sound furniture a "mood booster".  Made by Solvenija manufacturer Donar, The Beatnik recently earned the prestigious Red Dot Award for its clever design and engineering.

 

Design Blogger Karen LeBlanc tries out the multimedia capabilities of The Beatnik Chair

You can connect your digital music player and listen to your favorite tunes, pipe in a phone call or use your smart tablet with a mount fitted on the chair.  Fegus says it's  the first chair with built-in Apple AirPlay technology, also supporting BlueTooth connectivity to virtually any device containing music and audio books such as laptop, mp3 player, mobile phone, tablet computer or even TV or Apple TV system. Stylistically, the chair looks like something out of The Jetsons cartoon and perhaps that's why it's fast becoming a media darling. The BBC recently picked The Beatnik chair to feature in an upcoming sitcom says Fergus.

 MultiTasking Furniture

 

Le Huit by Isidore Design on exhibit at 100% Design in London

Le Huit by French company Isidore is a stylish solution for outdoor furnishings because it's two chairs in one: lawn chair and lounge chair.

 

Design Blogger Karen LeBlanc lounging in Le Huit at 100% Design in London

The chair is reversal allowing you to tip it over to one side for a lawn chair and the other side for a lounge chair. Notice in the picture that I am sitting in the lounge chair. The legs on the back of my seat are the feet of the lawn chair and the long platform for my legs becomes the high back for the lawn chair when reversed. Here's why I would totally furnish my outdoor living space with Le Huit: I no longer need to crowd out my pool area  with both types of chairs (lawn and lounge) when I've got a sleek, weatherproof, colorful dual purpose alternative in Le Huit.

 

Le Huit as a lawn chair by Isidore Design

Clever Storage Solutions

Italian Design Company Ronda Design caught my eye at the show 100% Design for its magnetic shelving system called the Y shelf. It's a clever, flexible way to build a shelving system without a handyman or even a hammer.

 

The Y Shelf by Ronda Design on exhibit at 100% Design

The L shaped magnetized shelves are available in painted metal or wood and each piece sticks to any metallic surface and you can configure it in a variety of stylish ways to custom craft your own shelving system.

 

The Y Shelf by Ronda Design on exhibit at 100% Design

This is such a brilliant design idea because you can change the configuration or even move the shelving system to another magnetized surface so it gives you complete flexibility to redesign your living space without being tied down to built-in shelves.

I also love the product's sculptural quality and doubles as wall art. In the office you can see how the books are artfully displayed in color blocks—functional and artistic. The Y Shelf is available for sale in the US and retails for $392 per set.

Pedaling Wall Art

 

The Pedal Pod by UK designer Tamasine Osher

The Pedal Pod takes on the function of bike storage with style.  UK designer Tamasine Osher created the shelving system to show off your bike instead of hiding it from view in your garage. The Pedal Pod is available in solid oak, solid walnut or veneer. In Europe where space-saving design often dictates products, The Pedal Pod offers an ingenious solution by turning your bike into wall art with a few spaces for storing books or displaying decorative items.

Labels Out

So if you love your vino like I do, then you are probably proud of your collection. Why not show it off with The Vintage View.

 

Design Blogger Karen LeBlanc discovers The Vintage View at 100% Design

This linear wine storage system caught by eye because unlike the typical wine storage systems that store bottles with the cork facing front, The Vintage View stores the wine bottles labels out so you can display your favorite vintage. The linear racks come in one, two or three bottles deep, and nine or twelve bottles high providing a flexible and effective way to store wine bottles in nearly any space, regardless of height, depth or width limitations.

 

The Vintage View wine storage system

The architectural possibilities are many: display your wine in a niche, under a staircase, in your wine cellar, on a kitchen or living room wall. The linear racks come in a black or platinum finish and are easy to install by simply using a screwdriver to attach them to the wall. They retail starting at approximately $72 and up depending on the size of the linear rack.

Check back in for more London Design Finds as I continue to curate. 

Reid Berman's Home

My Ode to the Lava Lamp

 

Molding Marble Into Light

Marble's pliable, fluid properties form the DNA of some of the world's greatest works of art and architecture. From Michelangelo's David, Venus de Milo  and other masterworks of ancient Greece and Rome to The Lincoln Memorial on Capitol Hill, we owe a debt of gratitude to this hard crystalline metamorphic form of limestone. Fastforward to modern-day where this ancient stone takes on the unconventional function of contemporary furnishings. A budding UK design company called On Entropy recently debuted a marble collection of contemporary furnishings and lighting fixtures at 100% Design during the London Design Festival.

Design Writer/Blogger/Host Karen LeBlanc at the 100% Design show in London checking out the Ray Marble Light by On Entropy

It seems counterintuitive that a solid stone can illuminate a space so I was surprised by the design and engineering feat of Architect Niki Moskofoglou, who was able to tame marble's properties into a beautiful translucent glow.

The Particle marble floor light made of bronze legs by On Entropy

Ray Marble Light Pendant by On Entropy

Moskofoglou's light, On Particle, explores the connection between the marble void with 4 bronze flat pieces rising up the marble shell and three legs supporting the structure. The bronze legs are oxidized to give prominence to the structure. The marble light fixture Ray exploits the connection of the marble to the metal work. Notice that the strings and fixing are barely visible. Moskofoglou says the interchange on the rawness of the marble and the technologically advanced LED is intentional to enhance its presence.

 

The On marble light by On Entropy

"The concept of entropy sprung over the last two years, as I was designing marble furnishings for friends and clients. I started designing furniture because I could not find in the market exactly what I had in mind," explains Moskofoglou, who draws from his background in architecture to create interactive experiences with his creations.

His fascination with marble began as a teen while working in a marble quarry. Moskofoglou was drawn to the strength and fragility of this material. "The ability of such a sturdy material to collapse under certain pressures and different slip surfaces is something that still blows me away. It is a natural material and I do admire its uniqueness, as one can never find the exact same piece twice," says Moskofoglou.

 

Aerial Marble floor light with solid bronze legs by On Entropy

The creation of marble light fixtures is a time-consuming process. Moskofoglou chooses marble based on its properties like color, mineral content and its fragility. For light fixtures, he carves out parts of the raw stone to create a void that hosts the light.

 "After experimenting with what each different piece can do, I set up a design brief. Then metal work follows.  All bronze detailing is hand-crafted with care and a certain level of experimentation to the finish of the metalwork is undertaken. My aim is to produce fine items, which engage most senses," says Moskofoglou.  All items are designed and made as single, seamless cut marble pieces. On entropy also designs and manufactures contemporary furniture that mixes marble and metal such as bronze.

 

The Orbit marble coffee tables with metal base by On Entropy

 

The Blast marble and bronze shelf by On Entropy

On entropy's custom marble lights and furnishings are available in the US on demand.  

Prices range from $500 to $5000 depending on the size and detail entailed in each item.

The Unexpected, OffBeat and Over-the-Top Design Finds

CUE design agents represent Melogranoblu in the UK, as well as number of other European furniture, lighting, kitchen and wallpaper brands.  The brand list includes Crassevig, Baltus Collection, Expormim, Wall & Deco,

Luxury Design Finds for the High End Market

Fameed Khalique at Clerkenwell Design Quarter

17th September saw the unveiling of Fameed Khalique's debut couture hand-embroidery collection for the first edition of the Clerkenwell Design Quarter during LDF. The embroideries were eagerly previewed by a crowd of influential designers, press and industry cognoscenti who had gathered to celebrate the launch of the collection and the official first night of CDQ.

The exceptional collection was developed by Fameed over many months in close cooperation with a small specialist haute-couture embroidery workshop based in India.

The LcD collection by Luc Druez at Fameed Khalique had an incredibly successful debut at Decorex 2013. The LcD textile collection is a limited edition of copper fabrics made from technical fibres, produced in a small-scale workshop in Belgium. The unusual translucent fibres drew huge crowds and provoked much wonderment and delight from both the design community and members of the public alike! The textiles created from materials such as synthetic horsehair and raffia in a mesmerising palette create a spectacular effect in a collection dedicated to light.

Inside the Design Mind of Victor Monserrate

 

Chair designed by Victor Monserrate

Victor Monserrate is an industrial designer, native to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. Post graduating from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn,NY, he moved to Brazil and interned with design superstars, the Campana Brothers. Upon his return to Puerto Rico, Victor established the VM design studio where he designs and fabricates the vast majority of his pieces. His Kanutos chairs have been featured on many websites including NotCot and Kanye West .

His work has also been exhibited at the Pratt Show in NYC, BBC News, The L.A. Times,The Circa Art Fair in San Juan, and the Shanghai Contemporary Art Expo, WANTED/ ICFF in New York, and 100% Design London. His work usually arises from the desire to tame a process or material. The result is a functional and modern cleanliness that refuses to forget it's tropical roots , even from foggy London where Victor has recently finished a double master's of Innovation Design Engineering at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College.