Do You Love Your Home?

Greg and Gayle Nowak, Bonnie Collins, and Donald Egan

Winners of the Northshore Magazine

“Love Your Home” Design Event Challenge

photo courtesy Northshore Magazine

At a recent Northshore Magazine event, held on April 4th at Landry and Arcari in Salem, MA, several readers who were faced with challenging spaces in their homes, were the fortunate winners of free design solutions from North Shore home design experts. After many readers submitted photos of rooms that were not working for them, along with a “fix this” wish list, three specific challenges were selected to be solved by Howell Custom Building Group, Sue Adams Interiors, Landry and Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting, Lucia Lighting and Design, and Designer Bath. The three challenges were chosen based on the idea that other homeowners might have similar projects that are not moving forward because they also are in need of a combination of both professional insight and product recommendations.

Home owner submitted “Before”

DESIGN CHALLENGE #1: Existing space includes two full baths, a utility closet, and a master bedroom closet.

• Second full-size bath is not necessary.

• Would like a half bath, creating more space to move washer and dryer up from the basement.

• Would like to update baths with new fixtures, plus a walk-in tile shower for the master bath.

rendering by Howell Custom Building Group

The first step in the virtual re-design process was a site visit from Howell Custom Building Group to two of the locations. After taking measurements of existing conditions, the expert draftsmen at Howell went back to the drawing board and executed 2 and 3-dimensional floor plans of newly defined spaces including new bathrooms for two of the homeowners. Floor plans were created with the help of interior designer, Sue Adams, who suggested improvements to the spaces along with selecting new fixtures from Designer Bath with the help of showroom consultant Mindy Sevinor-Feinberg. 

Mindy with Sue Adams at the Love Your Home event on April 4th

“Sue has so much knowledge and expertise. It is always a real pleasure to work with her, and insightful as well!”

– Mindy Sevinor-Feinberg

photo courtesy: Steamist

A Total Sense steam shower from Steamist was a recommended addition to the existing master bath in Challenge #1. Just a few of the benefits of steam shower therapy include: relief for allergy sufferers, the alleviation of joint pain, and improved circulation. The new laundry room, which would include a half bath, was designed to include classicly inspired fixtures from Kallista.

photo courtesy: Kallista

laundry room rendering by Howell Custom Building Group

DESIGN CHALLENGE #2 required a virtual makeover of the attic space in a local Victorian home. New fixtures were requested for the existing bath along with a room plan for the under utilized attic space which had become a catch all/storage area with no real function. Sue Adams suggested adding custom bookshelves to each side of the room to provide decorative and useful storage, comfortable seating in the turret section of the attic to accompany this newly acquired reading nook, and new but Victorian-inspired bath fixtures in the attic bath. A fresh color palette of pinks and greens was chosen along with a vibrant striped carpet from Landry and Arcari plus dramatic lighting from Lucia Lighting and Design. The virtual end result is a welcoming space within the existing footprint of the home that provides additional real estate without having to add on or change the existing roofline.

rendering by Howell Custom Building Group

a sitting area with lighting from Lucia Lighting and Design

carpet from Landry and Arcari

Benjamin Moore paint color choices

fixtures selected from Designer Bath

fo attic bath in this Victorian home

DESIGN CHALLENGE #3 involved sourcing carpets and furnishings for a local home with ocean views. Below are a couple of the mood boards designed by Sue Adams that incorporated selections chosen to warm up the space while keeping the focus on the outside view. Seating arrangements were also recommended. 

carpets from Landry and Arcari with furniture and lighting selections

by Sue Adams Interiors and Lucia Lighting and Design

Sue Adams with her carpet selections

from Landry and Arcari

After the unveiling of the design challenge solutions, guests at the Love Your Home event were able to visit information tables set up by each of the participating home design experts and were able to pose their own challenges or ask questions about the selections made for the winners.

Beezee Honan of Designer Bath

Lucy Dearborn of Lucia Lighting, Julie Arcari of Landry and Arcari,

and Susan Howell of Howell Custom Building Group

The evening also included a couple of giveaways including a raffle prize featuring a $2,500 mini-home makeover that included gift certificates from each of the participating home experts. Proceeds from the event raffle benefitted Merrimack Valley Habitat for Humanity.

To see more photos from the Love Your Home Event held on April 4th, visit our Facebook page. Be sure to pick up future issues of Northshore Magazine for updates on this event, the winners and their virtual makeovers. To see images from the related “Love Your Home” Pin It To Win It contest, visit our Love Your Home inspiration boards on Pinterest.

If you have a design challenge that needs solving, consider giving one of our North Shore home design experts a call. We are all happy to help!

Designer Bath orange ...

Kallista // Northshore Magazine, May/June 2013

Have you seen any of our recent ads? When deciding which photographs to feature, I have to admit that the product images that have pops of orange always get my attention. Combined with shades of gray and we are in business!

Zucchetti Jingle lav faucet // Boston Globe Magazine

Style Issue, Spring 2013 

Brizo pot filler // Boston Home Magazine, Spring 2013

Some images are chosen because they are fun ...

Grohe “Singing in the Shower” Guy // Design New England, March/April 2013

Or because they are gorgeous ...

Kallista // New England Home Magazine, March/April 2013

Sometimes the pictures help our customers imagine how their baths could look ...

Runtal towel warmer // Boston Globe Magazine, April 21, 2013

(Print and save! Coupon valid through April 30th!)

And some images are chosen to get attention ...

Have you seen this guy on TV lately? Channel 5? HGTV? Bravo?

Seriously, who can resist a cute little puppy? If you prefer adorable babies, we have one of those, too, in our new TV spot. Check it out here. We all love to share pretty pictures (follow us on Pinterest to see more), but at Designer Bath and Salem Plumbing Supply we also love water, and we care about how our customers experience water on a daily basis.

Hansgrohe faucets // Boston.com

The products in our showroom are chosen because we can stand with confidence behind their excellent quality. Some say it’s the little things in life that really matter, and we agree. Paying attention to detail, providing the best possible customer service, and offering beautifully manufactured products that are a pleasure to use. Morning, noon, and night. 

Next time you visit our showroom, let us know where you have seen us. We would love to get some feedback on whether our “pops of orange” campaign is getting your attention!

Bath Therapy

photo courtesy: MTI Baths

This past week, three of our showroom consultants were hosted for several days by MTI Baths near Atlanta. MTI is well known for its high quality, made in America, custom bath products that range from soaking tubs to air baths to shower bases and more. While MTI has spent decades focusing on the creation of innovative products of the very best quality, they should also be recognized for their company-wide commitment to expressing gratitude. “We have made a careful study of happiness and have found that being thankful is just about the best way to attain contentment,” their CEO, Katherine Adams, states on their website. They sincerely appreciate their customers and take great strides to take care of their needs and overall satisfaction. This is one of the main reasons we offer this like-minded brand in our showroom.


The Japanese soaking tub pictured in the photo above was in one of the guest rooms at the lodging where our consultants stayed while in Atlanta. There is no doubt that this is luxurious. But besides being beautiful and inviting, it is important to note that an escape to the quiet solitude of a warm bath (no matter what size tub it is) can also lift the human spirit, providing serenity and “a haven to renew and refresh the body and mind. Air bath therapy produces the effect of well-being throughout the whole body. It relaxes the muscles while stimulating the production of our natural analgesic hormones know as endorphins.”

– A Salute to Japanese Bathing, MTI website


While some might rely on multiple shower jets to wash away their cares of the day, there are times when a long, quiet soak in a warm bath can soothe the nerves and perhaps provide a bit of momentary comfort and peace. Go ahead, take a time out. You certainly deserve it.

This post is dedicated to first responders, samaritans, medical professionals, civic leaders and law enforcement agents in and around the city of Boston. We thank you.

Our Passport to Design Winner!

Passport to Design $20,000 Home Makeover Sweepstakes winner Scott Goodby

with the Passport to Design showroom partners at Landry and Arcari in Salem.

photo courtesy: Boston Magazine

We are excited to announce the winner of the Passport to Design Home Makeover Sweepstakes: Scott Goodby. Scott’s name was drawn by Boston Magazine as the winner of the $20,000 prize which includes gift certificates totaling $20,000 from the five participating showrooms: Designer Bath, Circle Furniture, Tile by Design, Lucia Lighting and Design, and Landry and Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting. Scott will be able to shop at each of the five showrooms and choose items to “make-over” his home.

Over the course of the Boston Magazine sponsored promotion period (which began in October of 2012 and ended in mid-March of 2013) homeowners, design professionals and design enthusiasts were invited to attend a series of five seminars, one at each of the participating showrooms, to learn the latest home design trends.

Wilson Kelsey designed master bath // photo courtesy: Sally Wilson

Seminars began at our Designer Bath showroom with a presentation titled “From Studs to Stunning” where guests learned trade secrets to designing the bath of their dreams. Other seminars: Circle Furniture presented the latest fabric and color trends at their Cambridge showroom, Lucia Lighting and Design’s three-story Lynn showroom illuminated the newest and brightest lighting technologies on the market, Tile by Design presented expert tips for creating a masterful backsplash, and Landry and Arcari shared a wealth of information on choosing the perfect carpet. For a recap of these seminars, visit our Passport update page.

January 2013 // Bloggers Passport to Design Showroom Tour

Local design bloggers were also invited on a special one-day tour of five of the showrooms located on the North Shore. Each blogger posted, tweeted and instagrammed what they saw and loved at the Passport to Design showrooms. For links to each of their posts – and to check out their “favorite faucets” seen here at Designer Bath – click here. 

At Designer Bath, we have enjoyed sharing our showroom with many new visitors over the last six months.We sincerely look forward to assisting new and existing customers with their future home-makeover projects. If you have never been to our Beverly showroom, feel free to stop by anytime (or call ahead to schedule an appointment) and one of our showroom consultants would be happy to give you a tour!

While you are in the area, consider visiting one of our Passport to Design partners. We have a lot of great design resources here on the North Shore that make shopping for a home design project a successful and enjoyable experience.

Passport to Design Update!

On March 14th we held the final seminar in the Passport to Design series at the Salem showroom of Landry & Arcari. Check out our recap of the event on our Passport to Design page. It is hard to believe that the six month promotion period has ended! Stay tuned for an announcement from Boston Magazine of the winner of the $20,000 Home Makeover Sweepstakes!

Lucy Dearborn, Lucia Lighting & Design with Jason Sevinor, Designer Bath

photo credit: Barbara Lynch Photography

“The Passport to Design promotion had a wonderful conclusion at Landry & Arcari’s Salem showroom. I feel very fortunate to be a member of a program with such wonderful, local business establishments. Not only are they lots of fun to work with, I know when I send referrals to them our customers are in great hands. Promoting other local businesses is a great opportunity. And if it makes the customer’s project go smoother, achieving a better result, what’s better than that?”  – Jason Sevinor

Is it time for a makeover?

Fresh for spring: Stone Forest Salus Potting Sink on display at our Beverly showroom.

Could your home use some sprucing up this spring? How would you like to choose something shiny and new for the rooms that need it most? Well now is your chance! This is the very LAST week to enter to win a $20,000 Home Makeover from Boston Magazine’s Passport to Design program featuring Designer Bath, Circle Furniture, Landry & Arcari Oriental Rugs & Carpeting, Lucia Lighting & Design, and Tile by Design. Originally scheduled for March 7th, this event has been postponed to March 14th due to yet another winter storm (which means more time to enter to win!)

Showroom picks curated by Kristina Crestin Design.

On March 14th, the final seminar in the Passport series will be held at Landry & Arcari in Salem MA from 6 to 8pm. Jerry Arcari will present the rage in rugs, sharing his tips on how to lay a stylish foundation in order to build a beautiful room that you love coming home to. Click here for more information on registering. Join us for refreshments, and turn in your passport after the event if you already have one. The winner will be notified after this event.

What would you do with $20,000 worth of showroom gift certificates? Would you tackle your kitchen or bath? Would you work on a master bedroom? Design the family room of your dreams? The choice is yours, but you have to enter to win!

Ikat rug from Landry & Arcari featured on Roost design blog.

Visit Boston Magazine for more information on how to register for the Passport to Design Seminar and Sweepstakes. Click here for a review of the other four seminars in the series. 

Good luck!

Getting Glamorous with Jason Wu

Anna Wintour, editor of American Vogue, looks on (front row, black shades)

as the Jason Wu Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear Collection walks a Park Avenue runway

during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in New York on February 8, 2013.

Brizo fixtures on display in the Designer Bath showroom include a

collection dressed in a matte black finish designed by Jason Wu.

Premium faucet brand Brizo has been the official fashion week sponsor of designer Jason Wu since 2006. Their partnership extends to a bath collection that Wu designed for Brizo in his favored matte black finish. What brought a young faucet company (owned by the Delta label) and a now famous dress designer (Wu has designed the last two inaugural gowns for First Lady Michelle Obama) together? Recently I had the opportunity to find out.

Design bloggers on the runway of the Jason Wu fashion show, February 2013

I was invited along with a select group of design bloggers from across the country (a couple of which traveled from as far as Dubai) as the guest of Brizo to learn more about the inspiration behind their brand AND to attend the Jason Wu Fall 2013 fashion show in New York. We even got the chance to meet Wu at an after-party celebrating the launch of his latest Ready-to-Wear collection. It was quite the fairytale experience!

Besides all the sparkle, glitz and glam of the NY fashion scene, what I came away with from our time spent with the Brizo team is how much they love what they do. They truly are passionate about providing innovative products that offer high performance while functioning as works of art for the home. 

First, a little bit about the brand ...

The Brizo brand was introduced in 2004 on the pages of the September issue of Vogue magazine. From the very start, the goal was to present a line of faucets with a true sense of style that appealed to both interior designers and homeowners.

– photo courtesy of Brizo –

A year later, up and coming fashion designer Jason Wu was introduced to Brizo to create a number of dresses for a series of ad campaigns, and in 2006 Brizo sponsored Wu’s first fashion show at Bryant Park. A collaborative relationship was born. 

2007 print campaign by ad agency Young & Laramore featuring ballerinas

photographed underwater wearing Jason Wu designed gowns.

photo credit: Howard Schatz

Sketch of faucet designed by Judd Lord, Director of Industrial Design at Brizo

End result: the Belo faucet by Brizo with available deck-mount bud vase

– photo courtesy of Brizo –

It wasn’t long before Wu was asked to design a collection exclusively for Brizo. After seeing a prototype for a new faucet, Wu came up with the concept of a matte black finish applied to a sleek, minimalist design that was in keeping with his finely tailored fashions. Next, Jason showed the Brizo team images of interiors that he found inspiring and relevant to his design aesthetic. From those photos, baroque flowers were pulled out as a design element for the collection, featured as back plates and even defining the shape of the waste basket. Smoky glass shelves, like the ones in Wu’s fashion studio, were also incorporated into the Brizo collection. His signature owl emblem is even stamped on the top of the lav faucet handle (come see it up close and in person at our showroom!) Of course, he was also on the production set once again with a model being photographed wearing a dress of his making, this time for the 2012 ad campaign introducing Jason Wu for Brizo. 

– photo courtesy of Brizo –

– photo courtesy of Brizo –

Brizo has a wide variety of fashion-forward models to choose from, each with an equally compelling story and distinct design point of view. For example, the Venuto below, designed by Judd Lord, was inspired by Japanese hair ornaments seen on a visit to a Sake bar while on a trip to Milan. Note the fine detail of the slanted tip on the simple and elegant faucet lever.   

Venuto kitchen faucet and inspiration board by Brizo

A working Brizo Solna model, designed by Seth Fritz,
is on display at the Designer Bath showroom.

Besides looking good, Brizo faucets are water-sense certified and also sport SmartTouch and SmartTouch Plus Technology. With hands-free, touch sensitive, and proximity sensing abilities, Brizo faucets offer a level of convenience and control that improve human-to-fixture interactions on a daily basis. Temperature control technology is also embedded in these models, further providing an efficient end-user experience.

In everyday terms, using faucets that magically turn on and off with a slight tap anywhere on the faucet or with a wave of the hand is sheer genius and super fun!

To learn more about these advanced technologies, click here.

Snapshots from my Brizo sponsored trip to New York ...

Bloggers meet and greet at the Eventi hotel: Todd Venditouli, Adele Young,

Judd Lord of Brizo, Marilyn Russell, Barbara Elza Hirsch and myself.

Product Marketing Director Kristen Baum discussing the

Brizo brand with our group of design bloggers.

photo credit: Jayme Thornton

Touring the LEED certified Hearst Towers and Elle Decor Magazine:

myself, Katrina Stumbo, Nick Prihoda of Young & Laramore, Ellen Cheever

Making our dinner at Sur La Table. My team included Senior Brand Manager
for Brizo Laura Brooks, Cristi Holcombe, Donna Hall and Laura Bielecki

A favorite look of mine from the Jason Wu Fall 2013 Collection

Posing with a line up of Jason Wu designs at the after party.

Jason Wu for Brizo spotted in the powder room.

Jason Wu being interviewed by stylist-extraordinaire and good friend “Cannon”
(Cannon first introduced Jason to Brizo) during the runway show after-party.

Some of the fabulous team responsible for organizing our whirlwind NY trip: 

Laura Brooks, Katie Feltz, Paula Warner, and Sarah Sinetean

To see more photos from the Jason Wu fashion show and the blogger events that I attended courtesy of Brizo, watch for related posts on Design Vignettes.

And please consider yourself invited to stop by our Beverly showroom at anytime to check out the line-up of Brizo fashions that you can take home for yourself!