AbbeyK — On Interior Design

Air Mattresses, are they all hot air?

Stephen Treffinger "Road Tests" air Mattresses in the New York Times article, Guests? Just Roll Out the Air. He sleeps on a variety finding the Ultimate queen Insta-Bed, the most fun. I have an Aerobed, but over the years, my guests have complained it was too cold. We've tried a variety of solutions to no avail: blankets around it, cozy mattress pads. Nothing seemed to help. The air was cold all night long. Some home dwellers do not always have control over their heat -- city apartment dwellers, especially, so I am wondering if that's the case for Stephen, the writer of the article. But at my house, the heat goes way down at night so I assume the air temp of the mattress matches the air temp on the thermostat, or close to it, anyway.

I have slept on my air mattress as well, giving my mom my bed when she has visited. Those were some cold, sleepless nights. Maybe it's a winter in New England complaint? Maybe in Tempe it's not an issue?.... so I was wondering what you all think?  

P.S. My sister told me I must get a sofa bed after her last visit. I am deciding between a few. Maybe I'll even splurge on an Avery Boardman....stay tuned for posts on that decision. I feel a little bad for waiting so long to act on the too cold air mattress guest situation, but I will fix that soon. I promise!

Renovating a Bathroom: grab all space you can

When your bathroom is only 5 x 8, the case in many urban homes, every inch counts. I recently renovated a bathroom and stopped by to see the finished room. We had also done the living room and the master and the office and I'll post those soon. (I am completely in love with how the bedroom drapes came out!!!)

So the bathroom was original to the 1920s brick building. I do love the classic look but this one was tired. Mold was coming through the tiles in the shower. It didn't feel clean any more. Homes have life cycles just like everything else and for this bathroom, it was just time. Plus, water was leaking into the unit below. That pushed my client to re-do. Here are before pictures.

One of the chief complaints of this bathroom was the lack of storage. Where's a girl to put all the products? She had a low free-standing storage piece, but it was spilling over. This client is very neat and it was driving her crazy. It would me too!

Many homeowners attempt to solve the space dilemma with a vanity. But truthfully, in small space, a pedestal sink makes the space feel bigger. Clients are not usually convinced though. For this space, the tape measure informed the decision. You wouldn't be able to open the door to the vanity. The tub was too close. We even considered some of the vanities with drawers. Ultimately it was the same issue. No room.

So we solved the storage issue other ways. We put in a 40"high Robern medicine cabinet over the pedestal sink and built-in a storage closet to the left of the sink. My contractor maximized the space by stealing every single inch. He was able to build 8" deep for most of the cabinet, but he had to go around heating pipes (which could not be moved) so there was about 4" on the inside in front of the pipes. That 4" space is perfect for small items like make-up brushes. While the deeper space houses baskets and larger items. Don't the baskets just look great? Love them!!!

Good-bye plastic bins on the floor. Good-bye spilling over of "stuff."

The tiles in the wet area are 3 x 6 tiles from Sonoma Tile. The cushioned edges give them a bit of dimension so they have some interest beyond a standard subway tile. You can see this better on the front of the tub. Walls are a nice Ben Moore soft green. (We used their Aura brand low-VOC paint.) Porcelain floors from Tile Showcase were a pleasant surprise. I thought the tile was consistent in its color, but they actually varied to look more like stone (which delightfully also hides more).

Anyway, it's fresh and clean and feels happy and is a huge improvement. Client is happy. So am I. YAY.

Belmont Renovation and other projects

Had a big meeting Saturday for my Belmont renovation. Reviewed kitchen plan, how to open up the space to the adjacent dining room and discussed options. Made really good progress. Really excited about moving this forward! Next step? Finalize the floor plan so we can get firm pricing on cabinets/granite, and labor including electrical and plumbing and painting. Stay tuned.

Another project is just about to go to order. We did the LR/DR/Master bedroom and office. It's a cozy 2 BR condo in Cambridge and another nice client. But there's a mold problem in the bathroom, and it's leaking to the unit below. Yeah, it's simply time.... so that needs to get done. The contractor is going over tomorrow for a walk through and then we'll pick a date for demo. Everything is quoted. Just have to get it ordered. My plumbing guy says only 3 tubs in stock and the Toto toilets have been running with a lead time too, so I told my client, let's set the date and get everything ordered ASAP. The last thing you want to do is start demo before all your vital items are in, esp. when you have just one bathroom!!! No one likes a delay due to product delays, once demo starts.

Friday I am meeting with another client and her husband to sit in furniture for her kitchen and den and hopefully finalize that. Then we'll be onto her guest room, son's room and bathroom renovation. Wrap up the dining room and lighting.... I can't wait to see how everything comes out.

I have an office project and we need to schedule to look at products, so that's going well too. What else....waiting on a few meetings and proposals out for upcoming work, but current projects are getting exciting and it's going to be a busy winter and spring. Tomorrow I need a day in the office to catch up on small stuff, work on the never ending to do list and start getting on it.

Looks like the renovation projects will be staggered which helps with the manageability. (and luckily, they are all close by too so quick pop overs are a breeze.)

A Tiny but Terriffic Table

I just cannot get enough of small tables.

Every chair should have a table and since space can be at a premium, why not pop a tiny table down to hold your drink, book or remote! This one gets the job done with the smallest of footprints.

In love with small tables

They can be such a challenge to find, but such a wonderful addition when you locate the perfect one.

When to Break the Rules

According to design rules, in a low-ceilinged room you should only place furniture with low backs. Following in the same vein, a small room should only have small-scaled furniture in it.

But sometimes the tried and true is not the right answer. Sometimes a really big chair in a small room feels just right. You have to think of the whole. How the room relates to other rooms nearby. How much much light there is. What would feel just too predictable.

Crazy about small tables

I have posted many times about small tables. I just love them. Here are some I found recently on an excursion at the Boston Design Center.

Small scale tables, glass and mirros

When space is tight, go for materials that reflect or open up the space like glass or mirrored surfaces.
Here are a few tiny tables that get the job done.

Love them!!!

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.

Small Spaces

In designing small spaces, editing is key.

You'll want to unify and simplify as much as possible
This might not be the place for bold shifts of colors from room to room.

Get rid of all clutter, devise out of sight storage solutions. When in doubt, throw it out.

Make sure you have proper lighting — dark, small space feels crampt.

Find furniture that can do double duty. A desk chair can beturned around for extra seating when guests arrive.

A mirror can do wonders for bringing in light and making space feel larger—great spots are behind the couch or over the mantle. A third idea is to add a mirror the same proportion as the windows. It can feel like an extra window and if it catches the light from outside all the better.