"Twique Your Style!"  

from:  Twiques:  The Art of Home Comfort 
In This Issue
Bathroom Renovation Issues
Updating your Bathroom with Colour
Warm Metals Make a Splash
Quick Links
Join our list
Join Our Mailing List

Issue #4                                                        January/2009


Good morning.  Welcome to a new week.  
This week,  we will be looking at colour for the bathroom and what you can do to update your style in this, one of the most used rooms of the house.
 
Remeber, if you are thinking of selling, but decided to wait for the market to improve, now is the time to prepare your house so that you will be ready to take advantage of any market improvements right away.
 
Happy reading!
 
Judith Lowe,
604-725-2935 
 
Bathroom Renovations
 schematic bathroomPrior to renovating the bathroom, check out possible problem areas 
 
 According to CMHC, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, renovating your bathroom is a great way to add value to your home - both for your family's daily living and for future resale.

However, before you decide to go ahead with a renovation, it's critical to have a good idea of any underlying problems that could cause unwelcome and costly surprises. Taking time to find problems before you start your renovation will save you money, protect the indoor air quality and preserve the durability and structure of your home. 
 
In this bathroom schematic, problem areas are highlighted as places you need to check and plan for improving or repairing when deciding on what to do in your bathroom and how to budget for the overall costs.
 
 A bathroom renovation is one of the most common home improvement projects. Bathroom renovations come in all types and sizes-from a simple update of the flooring, to enlarging the room and replacing all fixtures and finishes.
 
Each bathroom renovation project is unique, however, CMHC has a list of areas that most people's projects will fall into.  Areas to consider are as follows:
  • Size and design - The room may be small or poorly designed.
  • Fixtures - The fixtures may be outdated, small, hard-to-clean, leaky, cracked or inefficient.
  • Structural - There may be problems that require structural changes or repairs.
  • Moisture - Excessive bathroom moisture may have deteriorated the bathroom surfaces, affected the indoor air quality or jeopardized the structure of your house.
  • Plumbing and electrical - If your house is 30-40 years old, the plumbing and electrical services may be outdated and need upgrading. Houses built prior to 1950 often have lead piping that may pose a health hazard.
  • Heating and ventilation - Bathrooms are often cold because of poor insulation or poor heat delivery. Ventilation is often inadequate, non-existent or causing secondary problems that need to be fixed.

The above information is courtesy of CMHC.  For more indepth information go to their web site at:  http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/renoho/refash/refash_014.cfm and investigate your areas of need or concern, they even have a planning sheet at the end of the page called the "Bathroom Assessment Worksheet" which allows you to record the present condition of all areas, cost involved with repairing or redoing and guidelines for the renovations .  Good luck with your project!bathroom photo

 

Bathroom Renovation tips
wallpaperUpdating your Bathroom with Colour!
 
When renovating your bathroom, you want to keep your fixtures classic so that you can easily change the feel of your room with colour and texture when you want to update it.
 
Bathroom trends had been very neutral with white fixtures, beige tiles and the overall feel was that of a spa.  People are now moving toward colour once more.  Since the basic fixtures are usually white, it allows the homeowner to inject hits of colour and texture to create a bathroom of interest and movement.   Wallpaper is making a comeback with organic designs and details as many wallpaper manufacturers are producing wallpaper that can deal with the moisture issues.  One thing you do need to check on is that you have an excellent ventilation system to remove excess moisture.  This turquoise/robin's egg blue is a fresh hit of colour in a room that was all white or white and beige. 
 
If the organic and fanciful shapes are too much, you can try a wallpaper with a subtle pattern, or a tone on tone pattern, like the one here: 
this Farrow and Ball pattern is considered a 'drag' where the texture is subtle and give a gradual introduction to wallpaper.
strie farrow and ball paper
 
 
red colour way farrow and ball wallpaper
 
This Farrow and Ball paper could be a bold colour statement in a bathroom with white and beige where the tone on tone pattern is the next step from the strie paper above.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Colour in the bathroom is making a huge comeback.  Wallpaper is one way you can introduce both colour and pattern to give life to the space.
 
If these colour ways are too bold or too much for your initial foray into paper, consider a coloured pattern on white like the one here:farrow and ball white with pattern paper
 This Farrow and Ball small print comes in a variety of colour ways including green for a very subtle feel.   green melrose
 
 
The inverse colour ways with the colour and then the white in the pattern are also an option.gold melrose
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
To read more about the different colour ways for these Farrow and Ball papers, check out their website at this link to see the rest of their fabulous patterns and colours:  Farrow and Ball traditional papers and paint.  The nice thing about this site is that you can order samples to see them in your space and then when you find what you love, you can order it on-line.  Enjoy!
 
Not sure about wallpaper and you want to inject some colour and interest into the space, consider some of the fabulous tiles available on the market - just be sure you love them as you will be living with them for a long time - or until you renovate again!
Here is one way to get that colour in!tile in bathroom
 
 
 
 Which ever way you choose to inject some colour use the colours you love and that will help you to create a retreat that is a treat to go into!
 
Want more information on what is hot in tiles for the bathroom?  Check out Style at Home at: http://www.styleathome.com/kitchen-and-bath/bathroom/bathroom-renovations-tile-style/a/838
for tile do's and don'ts.
Love colour but want to stick with your neutrals to change your room with the seasons, here is one take on how to use colour in the bathroom:bath with red
Whatever you choose good luck and have a colourful time!
Warm Metals are Making a Comeback in the Bathroom
 
 Copper and Brass make a splash in the Bath!

tapset 
 
Fixtures in the bathroom are considered the jewels of the bath.  Previously nickel, polished chrome, and satin finishes were the forerunners of choice in the bathroom.  We are seeing a resurgence of the warm metals in many rooms. and bathrooms are one of them.  These metals mimic Old World charm in the satin finishes or glamour in the polished finish.  Even if the brass is not on your fixtures, you can introduce it in the form of frames for the mirror, or artwork, towel bars, or accessory items.
Enjoy your week and remember that whatever your interest:  renovating, decorating or preparing for selling, we can assist you to achieve your goals.  We are certified Redesign, Staging and Interior Decorating professionals who specialize in helping homeowners create a place of rest and relaxation.  We, at Twiques:  The Art of Home Comfort, would like to help you solve your design and decorating dilemmas; our goal is to help you create a haven to come home to at the end of your busy day. 
head shotCall us for a consultation today!
 
 
Sincerely,
Judith Lowe
Twiques: The Art of Home Comfort