Design Dilemma: Embracing the Tiny Bathroom
Do tiny bathrooms have to be ugly? Somehow, it seems they always are. What’s necessary seems to overtake the aesthetic, and many of us with small bathrooms simply give up on style. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Style can be had! How? Let us count the ways:
1) Try out a stylish claw foot tub. Like the stand alone bathtub above and the old fashioned claw foot tub below, claw foot tubs are long on style and tend to take up less visual space. (And actual space too!)
And here:
And here:
2) Add a striking floor. A floor with a distinctive look can add personality and sizzle to a bland space, making you forget all about its diminutive size. Below, a geometric design adds a bit of a 70’s feel to this bathroom.
Black and white adds a fresh, funky feeling:
Pebble floors add personality and an organic, “spa feel” without overwhelming the eye:
Simple brick floors lend a clean industrial feel:
3) Opt for small-scale, cool fixtures.
Bold, black fixtures are like a beautiful punctuation mark at the end of a very compact sentence.
And here, a wall-mounted sink and toilet are great when you’re short on space but longing for style:
Just a sliver of a sink is functional and striking:
A contemporary wall-mounted toilet looks like a simple box:
4) Do something interesting with tile.
If you don’t have a whole lot of wall space to play with, a little slice of an interesting wall treatment goes a long, long way. Below, a small scale red tile is unexpected, eye-catching, and the perfect touch, adding just the right amount of color.
And more here:
Below, a tiled tub surround adds just the right touch of color and interest:
Here, classic marble goes contemporary. A basin, stand alone tub and wall-mounted sink help to extend the small bathroom’s spacious feel:
Design Dilemma: Embracing the Tiny Kitchen
Sometimes, all it takes is a vacation to reach an epiphany. For many of us, summer is that opportunity. We take camping trips, rent a beach house, take an RV out on the open road, or shack up with friends and family by the lake. And more often than not, we’re confronted with tight and tiny little kitchens that require we cook and clean communally. For some of us, it is a grand revelation of something we had never believed to be true until we experienced it: cooking in a tiny kitchen can actually be easier and more fun than cooking in one the size of a soccer field. So as a paen to the small kitchen, we thought we’d take a look at a few of the most efficient designs we’ve run across.
San Francisco is home to many a tiny kitchen, and below, we’ve stumbled across one (above and below) that still manages to feel airy and modern. The 1912 kitchen reimagined by Steve Justrich manages to pack in style and efficiency in just 90 square feet. Justrich managed to get everything in by implementing a few tricks: 1) Above, he keeps the refrigerator flush mounted to open up floor space. 2) Below, a tiny dishwasher cleans up a day’s worth of dishes. 3) He also designed a built-in cutting board and strainer which expands counterspace.
Part of the design includes deep, pull-out drawers that are deep enough to hold pantry items.
Keeping shelves wide open helps create the illusion of spaciousness.
Even smaller than the kitchen above is this little kitchenette situated in a 260 square foot Spanish apartment. The “kitchen” hidden behind panels in the wall is built to integrate with the rest of the apartment and is smartly efficient when in use, and good-looking too.
Believe it or not, this kitchen includes a dishwasher, electric stovetop, a fridge and freezer, a sink and a microwave all on one small wall. After meals, everything gets put right back into its hidden panel. Check out the hidden refrigerator:
Finally, a Bratislava kitchen below shows that small can be beautiful, not just utilitarian.
An electric bright blue provides a fresh feeling without feeling overdone. Things are kept efficient with an electric stove top and an oven set flush into the cabinetry. Here’s more:
Everything that’s needed is within hands reach, and the whitewashed brick, wooden open shelving unit and beamed ceiling provide character and Old World charm.
Next up, this New York kitchen proves that you can have slick polish in a tiny space too. Appliances are high end, countertops are kept clear, and details like the sliding red panel add just a bit of snap.
So what’s the takeaway if you’re considering designing a small kitchen?
- Utilize compact built-ins that are high on style but use less space.
- Keep all appliances flush-mounted when possible, and choose smaller styles.
- Consider open shelving to help a small space feel open.
- Keep countertops clutter free for an airy feel.
- Use color in unexpected ways. It will help provide focus and a pulled-together feel.
- If you can afford to, go high-end on appliances. What your kitchen lacks in space it will make up for in quality.
Design Dilemma: Moving Away from Minimalist White
When we think of clean, modern style, it seems that white always plays a starring role. White walls have been seen as classic and bright, the perfect way to lighten up any drab interior. But lately, the stranglehold that white has had on minimal, modernist interiors is beginning to loosen. Even in Scandinavia, the land of white minimalism, color is now coming back into vogue.
Is it possible to put a color on a wall when the effect you’re after is one of lightness, modernity, architectural purity? We think so. Let’s explore!
Pastels push out white
The Scandinavians know a thing or two about keeping things airy and bright and simple. But lately, even they have embraced the idea of more color on their walls. The colors they are choosing are often pastels, which manage to act almost as neutrals, allowing other aspects of the room to stand out. The living room below is one example, where a salmon pink nicely balances a deep gray paneling.
And here, another minimal pink:
Very pale blues, grays and greens can also serve as perfect backdrops to a modern interior.
Above, a color between lavender and gray adds an unexpected backdrop to a simple interior. And below, a soft cloud gray allows elements, such as the pendant lamp and decorative wall hangings to take center stage:
The interior below is simple and modern. What’s unusual is its lavish use of color, not only the blue on the walls, but the pops of color via lamps, the desk, and pillows. This is what they call happy modern!
Deep jewel tones in simple spaces
But don’t get us wrong. Pastels are not mandatory. Check out below, the home of Scandinavian interior designer and architect Daniel Heckscher of Note Design Studio in Stockholm painted his home the surpising colors of turquoise, orange, pink, blue-green and bright yellow.
Special paint treatments
One interesting way to bring in a whole new dimension into simple modern interiors is to have fun with special painting treatments. Below, by painting stripes that seem to fade out from deep peacock blue to white, a fun, optical “fade-out” look is achieved.
Here’s a closer look. The owner requested that the paint shop add 10 percent white to principal cyan color for each subsequent stripe, continuing the gradation for an ombré effect.
And below, in the same home in a living room, geometric colored cut out shapes define the space in a bold way that doesn’t disturb.
>Designers have come to label colorful, modern interiors as “happy modern” and it’s clear where the term comes from. In the past, minimalism connoted a certain righteous purity that was always serious. But who says simplicity has to be serious?
