Guest Post: North Fork Design Co.

Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst of

North Fork Design Co.

For this month’s guest post, I would like to introduce you to North Fork Design Co. of Boxford, MA. Design principals Caitlin Flynn and Elyse Parkhurst are in the process of re-designing a bath at Glen Magna Farms in Danvers, an early 1800 country estate owned by the Danvers Historical Society which is currently used as a special event venue.

photo courtesy Glen Magna Farms

This grand mansion has entertained many guests over the years, and is in need of a bit of updating, both functionally and aesthetically. It will be completely transformed by a team of design firms this fall, and will be open to the public for a two week Holiday Showhouse starting December 1st through December 15th. Designer Bath was happy to be asked to sponsor this local renovation project, including supplying fixtures for the space that North Fork Design Co. is working on. I asked Caitlin and Elyse to share a sneak peek of the design plans they have put together for their project.

Glen Magna Showhouse Update ...

We are so excited to be collaborating with Designer Bath on the Guest Bathroom of Glen Magna Farms for the Designer’s Holiday Showhouse!

BEFORE PHOTOS: The Guest Bath at Glen Magna

photos courtesy North Fork Design Co.

At our initial visit to preview the property, we immediately saw the potential that the guest bathroom had. With the beautiful trim molding and clawfoot tub, we began the process of working though our ideas and inspiration to make the space feel clean and refreshed. We could already envision the impact that new flooring would have on the space.

drawing courtesy of North Fork Design Co.

We decided to propose our take on a classic black and white tile floor, using a black hexagon tile and white offset border. With the help of Wm. Smethurst and Son, Inc. in Malden, we will be adding a granite tile “carpet” in front of the sink that has a water jet engraved image of the famous Derby Summer House, which is located on the grounds of the property.

The Derby Summer House // photo credit David Bohl

courtesy of Glen Magna Farms

By taking the classic mosaic styles, reversing the contrast and having the black be the main mosaic color with a white offset border, we will create a fresh perspective on a classic look. 

design proposal courtesy of North Fork Design Co.

The bathroom is also receiving some incredible upgrades with the addition of several new fixtures, which are being generously donated by Designer Bath. It has been a pleasure to work with Jason Sevinor, who has had some wonderful ideas of which fixtures would be most appropriate to make our design vision for the bathroom a reality. The existing sink and toilet are being replaced by the Porcher Sonnet Petite Console, and Calla II Toilet. We are also installing a range of chrome fixtures from the Gatco Charlotte line. The existing shutters on the window are being removed, to make way for a tailored roman shade, which is being made in a classic yet elegant striped fabric. With the addition of beautiful time-­honored bath fixtures and accessories, the space will be reintroduced as a handsome space that feels cohesive. 

image courtesy of Danvers Historical Society

“It’s an honor to be a part of the team in charge of giving new life to the Glen Magna Show House. North Fork Design Co. has great plans to make our plumbing fixtures come to life. We can’t wait to see the finished results!” 

– Jason Sevinor, President Designer Bath  


For Showhouse Gala Event and ticket info, click here.

Guest Post: Linda Holt Interiors

Linda Holt is an interior designer
with a photographer’s eye for details,
scale, and color.  She posts often on
current design trends and what
makes a room have soul.

This month’s guest blogger Linda Holt shares what’s bright and beautiful in the Designer Bath showroom ...

Statement Pieces at Designer Bath

Over the past several years there has been a seismic shift in how homeowners want their home decorated. Most likely influenced by design blogs, decorating TV and popular online sites such as Pinterest and Houzz, homeowners are no longer interested in living in homes that look like someone else’s style or even worse, furniture store catalogs.

The majority of homeowners today want their home to reflect their unique personality and be authentic to how they and their family live. Hand made, custom made and unique items are all trending and it seems that the number one buzz phrase used by designers is that “they strive to have their designs reflect the personality of the homeowner.”

On a recent visit to Designer Bath I decided to dig deep and investigate what was available beyond the many beautiful, timeless and classic sinks, vanities and tubs. I wanted to see what was possible as far as statement pieces and unique items that would suit those clients who wanted that certain unique something that would express their personality. I must say I was not disappointed. Here is just a small sampling of some of my unique and fabulous finds.

Vanities are a great way to add personality to the bath. This glass topped one caught my eye and as you can see in the photo the glass comes in several different color options.

Designer Bath has several vanity options for color lovers including this line of vanity bases from Duravit that come in a range of different wood stains and colors.

Look at all these great color choices!

For homeowners looking to express their love of bright color just imagine how fun this vanity would be in that bright lime green that is displayed on the color ring.

Sinks are another great way to express your individuality and Designer Bath has something for every taste. One of my favorites is this beautiful hammered copper vessel sink from Native Trails. The organic yet industrial look would suit country style, industrial style, or even a rough-luxe look.

I also spotted these beautiful glass vessel sinks which are available in several different colors and would make such a great statement in a powder room.

Any one of these three gorgeous sinks from Stone Forest would make me happy. The only dilemma? Choosing my favorite!

A sink that would really make a statement is this tall onyx pedestal basin also from Stone Forest. Just imagine how beautiful this would look in a mountain vacation home.

Soaking tubs are very popular today and I spotted several that would appeal to someone looking to express their personality.

Classic black and white is always timeless and I just adore this black tub from Zucchetti with the matching black tub filler.

This white claw foot soaker with silver feet will appeal to those who love retro and want a vintage feel in their bath, as well as add a little sparkle and bling.

Lastly, my biggest find of the day was not even on display. While on my hunt for the really unique and that one of kind item you could be sure your neighbor won’t have, I discovered animal skin wrapped tubs. Talk about a statement piece in the bath! You can choose from a relatively conservative red leather wrapped tub ...

or go for a bigger statement with a crocodile wrapped leather tub ...

or my favorite ... a zebra tub! Perfect for that safari themed bathroom you’ve always dreamed of ...

So as you can see, Designer Bath really does have something for every personality and taste. Which one is your favorite?

For more from Linda, visit her website and blog.

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