Guest Post: Kristina Crestin Design

Designer Kristina Crestin with Mindy Sevinor-Feinberg at
last summer’s Designers Shine with Designer Bath Awards.

We are very excited to announce our new Guest Blogger series! At the Designer Bath showroom, we work with a lot of design/build professionals who rely on our team of showroom consultants as a resource to facilitate the completion of their design projects. Some designers are working on dozens of bath projects at a time, and we are there to help them finalize the numerous selections while managing the ordering and delivery process. We thought it would be nice to share some of this collaborative work with our readers. 

Our first Guest Blogger is Kristina Crestin of Essex, MA. You may remember her from our Passport to Design Blog Tour post from earlier this year. Kristina shops our showroom on a regular basis, and has completed many projects with Mindy.   

“Working with Kristina is always an exciting privilege. Every project is different then the next. Her creativity and depth of skills are infinite. I feel that by working with her she expands my potential. Kristina is one-of-a-kind. I always enjoy helping her bring her projects from design concept to completion.”

– Mindy Sevinor, Designer Bath Showroom Consultant

image courtesy: Kristina Crestin

Guest Post: A Citrus Bright Bath by Kristina Crestin ...

I always have fun working on kids baths – typically it’s an opportunity to take more risks and be more creative. There is also the challenge of being able to bridge the gap in age appropriate design as the kids grow up.

We’ve been thinking industrial fun on this one; playing with color and materials to start. I stumbled upon this cool vintage metal cabinet at Apartment 528 and we were sold! We liked that it was vintage without hitting you over the head with the “industrial” idea. That led me to the idea of a textured glass to integrate into the shower wall. Initially we were thinking something retro and reeded, but if we can source chicken wire glass we’re going to totally do that! That would be a nice connection with the sconces from Schoolhouse Electric that we like, along with the simple styling of Grohe’s Somerset faucet that I’ve used over and over again.

Cross your fingers that we go ahead with the design! (follow Kristina’s blog to keep track of her progress)

Photo sourcing: Materials shot from our studio at Kristina Crestin Design LLC with tile from Discover Tile, sconce from Schoolhouse Electric, cabinet from Apartment 528 and Grohe faucet from Designer Bath. 

See more of Kristina’s work at the following links ...

VISIT US: http://www.kristinacrestindesign.com

LIKE US: https://www.facebook.com/StudioKCKristinaCrestinDesign

FOLLOW US: http://www.eatsleepbreatheinteriordesign.com

PIN US: http://pinterest.com/kristinacrestin/

FOLLOW US: https://twitter.com/KristinaCrestin

FOLLOW US: http://www.houzz.com/pro/kristinacrestindesign

Designing a Room: Yard Sale Style

It’s not unusual to see drivers pulling over on the side of the road to look for bargains on someone’s front lawn during summer months in New England. Once a year, we host a sprawling tag sale of our own under huge tents set up in both the Designer Bath and Beverly Depot parking lot. Our friends from Moynihan Lumber, Landry and Arcari, and Lucia Lighting join in the fun. For one day only, showroom items and overstock inventory from all four locations are offered at super low price points. Deals are everywhere!

“After hearing so many good things about it, we decided to check out the 23rd Annual Yard Sale at the Depot in Beverly. What a treat! All four businesses sold exceptional items at incredible prices.” – Linda Hentschel of i-Design Interiors

We have regular yard sale customers who plan their home improvements around this annual event (this year was our 23rd Beverly Yard Sale!) With so much to choose from, the difficult part is deciding what to take home. Some of our seasoned shoppers take the following approach ...

1. Build from the ground up. Find a large inspiration piece and then shop the rest of the sale for bargains to match it.

Floor coverings from Landry and Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting

2. Bring home what you love. Chances are good you will find a special place for it. 

Many took home bling from Lucia Lighting.

3. Give something new a try. At yard sale prices, it’s worth the minimal investment.

Benjamin Moore paint samples were 5 for $1 under the Moynihan Lumber tent.

What a great way to test lots of color swatches at once! 

4. Plan ahead. Is there a room in your home that you would like to tackle? Start with a low priced sale item then shop later for the rest. By saving money at the beginning of the project there is more in the budget later for finishing touches.

(FYI: There is still time to save at Designer Bath: our showroom sale ends Monday, June 24th!)

5. Have fun! Shopping a sale is a lot like a treasure hunt. You never know what you will discover, but you have to pull over to find the real gems.

Thanks goes to everyone who stopped by and made this year’s Beverly Yard Sale a great success! Special appreciation goes to the team from 92.5 The River who provided cool tunes to shop by, plus music giveaways. We hope to see you all again next year for more bargain-hunting-fun under the tents!

{view additional Yard Sale photos on our facebook page} 

One-Day Yard Sale this Saturday!

If you have a home improvement project on your summer to-do-list, and are looking for a bargain, then mark this Saturday, June 15th on your calendar to attend the 23rd Annual Multi-Business Yard Sale at Beverly Depot and in our 97 River Street parking lot. From 8am to 4pm, rain or shine, look under the tent for huge savings on quality merchandise from Designer Bath and Salem Plumbing Supply ... 

faucets, fixtures, furniture, accessories, soakers, sinks and more

Landry and Arcari Oriental Rugs and Carpeting ...

hand-woven oriental rugs, bound area rugs and carpeting, huge bargains

Moynihan Lumber ...

doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, hardware, paints and more

Lucia Lighting and Design ...

outdoor lighting, paddle fans, bath lighting and much, much more!

Come early for best selections and be prepared to save big! Bring a truck (no delivery available on yard sale items). 92.5 The River will be giving away music freebies including concert tickets throughout the day. See additional photos from last year’s yard sale on our facebook page. For directions and more info, visit www.beverlyyardsale.com

Design Trends from New York

Window dressing at Artistic Tile in New York 

A trip to New York is always inspiring design-wise, but especially so when the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) is in town. Recently I visited the Javitz Convention Center where this exhibition of the latest and greatest in global design was held in late May. Over 500 exhibitors from over 30 countries showed off their best new product designs in a range of home furnishing categories including kitchen and bath. I returned with a round up of fab finds in decorative plumbing from some of the quality brands that we represent in our Beverly showroom ... 

Seen at ICFF, also in our showroom: Morphing Tub by KOS 

Agora Collection from Zucchetti

Zucchetti KOS unveiled their new Agora Collection which is a fusion of both traditional and modern design aesthetics. The collection includes elegant taps and tub fillers, plus a sculptural tub and wash basin.

From Victoria + Albert: A modern take on a vintage soaking tub.

The Drayton Collection from Victoria + Albert stood out with its bold, all white re-design of a classic slipper tub. 

The clean and simple lines of this Victoria + Albert limestone vessel pairs beautifully with the graphic pattern of a mirrored-front black vanity.

Axor Starck Organic lavatory faucet designed by Phillipe Starck for Hansgrohe.

The newly introduced Organic lav faucet from the Axor Hansgrohe brand is a minimalist design by Phillipe Starck that offers dynamic water saving features. Water is released in a pearlized spray that reduces the actual amount of water that is used by about 50%. The temperature control is at the top of the fixture, while the on/off valve is at the bottom of the spout which reduces the delay in the time it takes to shut if off after done with use.

There are many world class designers in the Axor Hansgrohe stable. Read about them here.

The Duravit brand displayed a new collection, the Happy D.2. It comes in a range of sizes, from powder room petite to much more expansive. With its rounded edges this collection has a distinctly feminine quality. The newest option in finishes is a brushed linen look that is a warm greige in color – not quite gray, not quite beige, with a hint of pink. Hopefully we will have a sample in our showroom soon.

New warm-gray brushed linen finish from Duravit

The Happy D.2 suite // photo courtesy Duravit

There was a lot of warm gray at this years ICFF including this transitional painted vanity cabinet from Fairmont Designs. This model will actually be in our Beverly showroom in the near future. It, too, is available in larger widths (up to 48 inches) and has an optional matching mirror to complete the look.

Brizo had an eye-catching display of new free-standing tub fillers at the show. Each model complements the distinctive design of an existing lav faucet from their fashion-forward bath suite collections. 

Style Modern by Samuel Heath

Samuel Heath introduced a new Art Deco inspired lav faucet and tub filler collection that has a definite Great Gatsby air.

Style Modern by Samuel Heath

THG Paris at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair

THG Paris is a luxe brand that we offer through our showroom. While not currently on display, any of our sales associates can help you place an order for your next over-the-top design installation. I fell in love with their new crystal knobs made in collaboration with Baccarat. They are based on a lotus flower shape and come in red, blue, black and crystal clear.

Petale de Cristal from THG on display at ICFF

Dragon Widespread Lavatory set in brass from Altmans

We do have a large display of Altmans products in our showroom. This ornate brass dragon faucet, however, is not currently in house, but I do know some fabulous local designers who would include this in their “faucets are the jewelry of the home” design plans.

I Ballacchi Taps // 100 Fountains Project: Fantini for Africa

Another item I would like to get in our Beverly showroom were these colored taps from Fantini, especially the bright Designer Bath orange version in particular. How fun would these be (with matching colored spout, of course) in a modern powder room or child’s bath?

The mission of the 100 Fountains Project: Fantini for Africa is  “ ... to bring water to those who do not have it, to give greater dignity to everyday life and the hope of a better future. Good water changes lives: having it close to your home, within reach, simply pouring out when you turn on the tap, transforms behavioural and hygienic habits unexpectedly and radically.”

Every 10 sets of I Ballocchi taps sold will finance a water delivery system in the villages of Masango in Burundi, Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world where children spend most of their days fetching water, leaving no time for education or play. 

There were other booths that got my attention at the ICFF that are worth sharing ... 

From Stone Source: Tile trends included inkjet porcelain that resembles salvaged materials, along with gray palettes warmed with cream and gold tones.

Oceanography inspired lighting and objets d’art from designer Gilles Caffier of Paris. Such remarkable textures!

Jessica Rosenkrantz and Jesse Louis-Rosenberg of Nervous System

photo courtesy: Nervous System

A very cool product shown at ICFF was digitally fabricated lighting, furniture and jewelry by locally based Nervous System of Sommerville. Using computer simulation and 3D printing technology, delicate orbs in organic shapes appeared almost etheral. I really loved the pendant lighting along with the option to customize designs.
 

And I couldn’t resist posting this very cool use of copper piping by exhibiting artist TJ Volonis. If you’d like to try your hand at fashioning some pieces of your own, contact our trade side, Salem Plumbing, for materials. The inspiration, however, is up to you!

I discovered even more inspiration during a private blogger tour of the 41st Annual Kips Bay Decorator Show House, which was also happening in New York during my visit. To learn more about this outdoor bath by West Chin Architects and see other fabulous New York designer spaces, click here.