AbbeyK — On Interior Design

Great Shower Baskets

I just love these baskets by Ginger.

They are from the splashables line. The one on the top is a combo corner: 11" on each leg and has a compartment for soap. The bottom one is also 11" and has room for many many many bottles of shampoo, conditioners, or liquid soap.

What do I love about them?
• Well, first of all they make great use of space, getting soaps and lotions and potions off the ledges of the tub. Water streams through so they don't get gunky like ceramic soap holders.
• They look nice.
• Deep baskets hold tons of stuff.
• Contours and rounded edges avoids poking your naked body.
• They hold up beeautifully -- stainless over solid brass and the wires are soldered on for strength.
• The finish is guaranteed for life.
• Everyone loves them who has them -- they are worth every expensive penny.

Sounds good to me.

What do you think?

Silk Fabric

Silks the pros and cons:

If you have small children who will be in the space, the only safe place for silk is on a pillow. Silk stains easily and it also will rip on an upholstered piece that is not backed. If you have direct sunlight, silks can be a challenge in a window treatment because over time they’ll yellow, fade or burn. Literally, the sun can fry the ends of silk like toast.

It is very, very popular right now to do silks on window treatments. They are fabulous. They shimmer and they are luxurious. Embroidered silks are all the rage. Lined properly, they are luxurious and rich.

Some clients with direct light choose silk window treatments. If they want silk, I’m more than happy to give it to them, but I want them to know about silk's issues relating to direct sunlight exposure. Full disclosure for full exposure.

A nice alternative if the technical issues get the best of you is a faux silk in a poly. Ones made of CS Traviera are not necessarily less expensive. An added bonus, they are fire retardant.

Cambridge Kitchen finished at last!

A few issues to take care of: a disposal that sounded like it always had a spoon in it, a scratched refrigerator panel that the vendor took care for us.

But overall, a marked improvement! That pink floor was a disaster.
Scroll through the multiple views of before pictures....

What did we do here? Well with such a small space, it's all about details and maximizing storage.

• We added a second row of cabinets where only a counter was before.
We didn't have standard depth so we knocked the cabinets down to 18". Then we extended the length of
the counter so it covered the garbage can. We made sure to pick a model whose top would open.

• We put a self venting microwave above the stove to free up counter space in great demand.

• We moved the stove over just a tad so it wasn't right up against the wall. This allows space to put
something down on the counter on both sides of the range.

• We used open shelves over the sink and above the
new row of cabinets. Why open shelves? In a galley kitchen, open shelves make for a more open look.
(P.S. They are also more affordable than regular wall cabinets and we were on a budget.)

• The clients did not want a dishwasher and wanted to keep their stove so it stayed.
(In case you were wondering.)

• We kept the color palette warm and used the same tones as in the bathroom.

Can you believe it's the same kitchen?

Red Sox Sweep the Yankees!

In honor of Boston's wonderful 3-game sweep of the Yankees, here are some incredibaly hip brooms.

Ask anyone in Redsox nation, and as witnessed below, sweeping can be beautiful.

Normann Copenhagen - Ole Jensen - Dustpan

mago broom
Designed by Stefano Giovannoni

Propaganda

Working with Vendors

Some fabrics are available from more than one vendor, and they’re called jobber fabrics, and the mills that make them sell to more than one supplier. Those types of fabrics, which typically are more basic fabrics, I buy from vendors who are going to give me the best customer service, and take care of problems when they happen.

For fabrics that are only available from one vendor, I buy from that vendor. I might have a customer who wants a specific color and a specific pattern or weave and in that case, there's little choice -- we’re going to buy from that exclusive vendor. Sometimes these exclusive lines are not so well-organized. When this is the case, I let the client know to manage expectations.

As far as other vendors go, like upholsterers and window treatment workrooms, or plumbing suppliers, In general, I continue to do business with people who
• Offer good customer service
• Do quality work
• Fix problems and return phone calls
• Help me and make my clients happy.

Unless items are exclusive, I stop working with vendors who cannot help me do my business well.

One thing I have found is that choosing vendors purely on price is a futile experience. You get what you pay for. Ever tried to return plumbing supplies to an online source? Ever try to find a sales person who can give expert advice on the difference between two products from a big box store?

All it takes for me to get help is a phone call.

Small Scale Tables

Each chair should have a table next to it to pop down a drink, a book, or any item, for that matter. Sometimes, you just run out of space for end tables. That's where these little tables from Pierce Martin come into play.

These adorable Pierce Martin end tables remind me of the artist,Giacometti , for some reason.

With a Very Small Bathroom, Every Inch Counts

A while back, I got an email from a client whose bathroom I was renovating.
The day the toilet was installed I got an email with the
subject line: toilet length

That's a funny subject line for an email, but the situation wasn’t so funny.

My client told me that the toilet felt too tight in the space and there would be little room for standing at the sink.

What good is that? None.

I told her I'd be back the next day to figure it out and to reassure her she wouldn’t be with a toilet that didn’t fit her space --after all, there are smaller ones available. The first thing I did was to check the order and the dimensions of the toilet I ordered. Sometimes the wrong product ships, so it's important to figure out who made the mistake.

This time it turned out to be me. I am human after all!

Why did her toilet not fit? Oh it's long and complicated …. mostly technical details…. It's the story of an old style of toilet being right against the wall, an unusual rough-in distance (that's the distance from the wall to the hole the water goes through), and a new toilet with an elongated bowl on a comfort height seat that mounts further from the wall than the old one. (Yes that is all English.) The outcome is that it was the wrong toilet for her space.

I made a mistake and didn’t consider all of these details together.

So I went to my plumbing supply place, Moniques, reviewed my measurements with Vinnie and ordered a toilet we could get in a few days.

Betcha didn’t know that some toilets have lead times. Some of the Toto toilets are hard to get. Vinnie hooked me up and in 2 days my client had a toilet that is perfect in her space.

Anyone need a Toto toilet? I have one that's never been flushed!

Cambridge Bathroom finished at last!

Well, the kitchen and bathroom have been done for a while. These clients actually live abroad most of the year, so there was some delay getting the punch list done. Punch list items are those little check off items to be done after the installation such as: remove pencil mark on tile, install basket in corner, etc.

Here are before and after pictures. Pretty spectacular change!

How did we achieve this look?
• Simplify materials and color palette.
• Tile to the ceiling. This got rid of the distracting line that your eye follows around the room. For the price of a few extra square feet of tile, it makes sense to tile all the way up. Also because we could not install a fan in this apartment building, tiling to the ceiling helps deal with moisture issues. P.S. Contrary to popular belief, it makes the room look larger!
• Choose products with very clean lines.
• Maximize storage with a large medicine cabinet and shelving for over the ceiling and wall-mounted baskets for toiletries. Mount 2 towel racks one over the other and don't forget the robe hooks on the back of the door.
• Install a deeper tub since you cannot do a longer one in a fixed space.
• Use slab of solid stone around the window opening. Wood in time will warp and need maintenance.

Here are more close ups.

Got any small bath tips not included in this post?
Feel free to share them!

What to Look for in an Interior Designer

I do think it's important to have some kind of personal connection with a client. Communication styles have to mesh on a certain level, because it's important for both designer and client to get ideas and information across and to be heard. A larger project can take 9 months to a year or more. Life is short and you should like the people you are going to spend time with. This doesn't mean you have to become best friends, but it's helpful to have rapport.

In addition to design acumen, I think a certain amount of business sense is vital for a successful project. A designer should be good at management and should be professional, should return your phone call, should return your e-mail, should follow up with what they say they’re going to do. A client should feel they know what they are getting in an order and be kept abreast of scheduling. A designer should be able to get along with the other people involved in the project like the architect, contractor, etc.

What else would you add to the list?

Test Your Paint Colors

It's a challenge for many people to pick paint colors, but many paint colors are tried and true. With few exceptions, the historic colors from Benjamin Moore always look good. Greens and purples can be the hardest to hit, so if you are not sure, test your paint colors before committing.

Here are some tips.
Instead of painting directly on the wall, I suggest painting a board. This saves on prep time down the road.

Sample pots of many of Benjamin Moore's most popular paints are now available to order online. They cover approximately 4 sq feet of wall space.

C2 is renting cans of paints (good for the environment.) you bring back what you don't use and they rent the rest to the next customer. They also sell poster-sized giant paint chips for about $8. Call ahead to see if the colors you want are available in the large poster-sized samples. C2 Paints can be found at limited locations, but they are worth the travel, especially for deeper colors.