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

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!

Meet our Passport2Design Bloggers!

Bloggers: Yvonne Blacker, Erin Greene, Michelle Cortizo, Linda Holt, Megan Meyers,
John Kelsey, Kristina Crestin, Linda Merrill, Katherine Hawkins, Danika Herrick

With less than two months left in the Passport to Design $20,000 Home Makeover Sweepstakes, we knew it was time to get the final call to enter out there to as many people as possible! Who better to do so than a group of design bloggers? Last week we were one of the five North Shore showrooms that hosted a fabulous bunch of bloggers for a day long tour of the Passport to Design locations. 

Our road trip began at Circle Furniture in Danvers, after an hour we headed to Tile by Design, then to our Designer Bath showroom in Beverly, next stop was Landry and Arcari in Salem, and we finished up at Lucia Lighting in Lynn. The bloggers got exclusive tours of each showroom and have shared their favorite items via twitter, Instagram and on their own design blogs. For a complete recap with links to photos and blog posts (including my own) click here. We’d love to show you around, too, so stop by any of our participating showrooms before March 7th and enter to win!

 Visit Boston Magazine for sweepstakes details

Find true love on Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest? If you are considering a home remodel project for 2013, this is a great site to use as a way to discover what you really love. Besides being able to follow the boards of interior designers, shelter magazines, style curators and home decor businesses, Pinterest allows you to easily save and categorize the design images and ideas that appeal to you most. After pinning photos of glass tiles and soaking tubs over and over again to your inspiration boards, you can be pretty confident that incorporating both in your next project will create a look you could live with for years to come.

By sourcing design ideas online, you will be able to quickly identify the look and feel of your dream bath. Whether you covet a glamorous and sleek modern bath, or a simple and relaxed space suggestive of country charm, your boards will visually help you to narrow down your bath must-haves.

Once you have a good idea of what you love, set up an appointment with one of our design consultants. Before you even come into the showroom, you can request that the consultant check out your likes on Pinterest so that you are both on the same page. It’s a great way to quickly get started in the right direction towards achieving your personal version of a what a designer bath should look like. 

We are big fans of Pinterest and have started a number of boards that feature our favorite looks for the bath and kitchen. We also have a shared board with our local Passport to Design partners. Check it out to see what is new and on trend in our showrooms. And if you have designed a bath featuring fixtures from our showroom, tag your images with #mydesignerbath. We’d love to see them! 

{all images via Designer Bath on Pinterest}

From Studs to Stunning

photo courtesy: Toto

Earlier this month we hosted the first design presentation in the Passport to Design seminar series, “From Studs to Stunning: Remodeling Tips from the Pros.” A panel of local design experts shared their tips on the best ways to prepare for a successful bathroom renovation project from the point of view of a remodeling contractor, Gary Moffie of The Remodeling Company; a representative from the decorative plumbing supply industry, John Magruder of Magruder Associates; and an award-winning interior designer, Sally Wilson of Wilson Kelsey Design.

Guest panelist Sally Wilson with moderator Mary Beth Haggerty

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Their individual presentations were followed up with a question and answer period moderated by the President of the New England chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers, Mary Beth Haggerty of The Drawing Room Interior Design. We had a full house of guests who arrived eager to learn how to make bath remodel decisions with confidence. Whether creating a small powder room or a large master bath, taking the time to plan in advance was stressed as the key step to achieving the very best end results. 

Images from The Remodeling Company portfolio of projects ...

Bath remodeling statistics and advice from Gary Moffie ...

Bathroom remodeling has the second highest average return on investment when selling your house, preceded by kitchen remodeling.

The two finishes that maintain their original appearance the longest by far are chrome and stainless steel. Bathrooms 10 or more years old with these fixtures still look showroom new. Next best is satin nickel, and the least durable are bronze and brass/gold.

Upgrading your bathroom’s wiring, plumbing, and fixtures can substantially improve your home’s efficiency and safety.

Moisture is your bathroom’s greatest enemy. Mold and mildew will make quick work of any renovation you’ve done so be sure to install a vent fan of appropriate CFMs for the square footage of your bathroom. 

Universal Design: Another trend in master bathrooms is the use of universal design. This approach, designed to accommodate people of all ages and abilities, includes wider doorways, showers with no raised lip around the bottom, larger shower doors and more room around fixtures. Once thought of as industrial-looking, universal elements such as grab bars now blend seamlessly into even the most luxurious bathrooms.

Consider water efficiency: shower heads, toilets, and faucets have all become more water-efficient in recent years.

Guest panelist Gary Moffie (plaid shirt) answering questions from the audience.

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Gary also stressed the importance of working as a team and trusting your contractor to keep the best interests of your project – and your budget – in mind.

When a design plan is decided in advance, homeowners will be more likely to meet their deadlines and stay on budget by avoiding costly change orders.

Another important tip: beware of lead times. Find out when an item will be available before committing to it in your final design. Tile shipping from another country, for example, could delay the completion of a project if it does not arrive when everything else is ready to go.

When constructing a bathroom, be sure to block (add framing lumber support) for towel bars, toilet paper holders, wall mounted vanities and other heavy-use items that must be secured to the wall. The Remodeling Company will often use strategically placed sheets of plywood to ensure that adequate wall space is designated for these purposes.

Guest panelist John Magruder shared industry trends ...

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Some trends that John is seeing in the decorative plumbing industry: double bowl vanities, vanities with open shelf designs, free-standing soaking tubs, attention to aging in place (hand-showers that act as grab bars), shower enclosures without thresholds or headers, wall hung products like vanities and toilets as a small space solution, and environmentally responsible products that conserve water while considering their manufacturing impact.

When planning a bath remodel, John recommends choosing the shower valve first since that has to be roughed in at the beginning stage of the project. A valuable option today is a universal thermostatic shower valve which can accomodate dozens of different trims choices.

John notes that the clean, minimalist lines of contemporary design are showing up more and more in the collections offered by the quality brands that he represents. Where the purchasing trend in New England used to be around 90% traditional design, John is seeing that number change to around 70% traditional, with contemporary and transitional choices making up the difference.

Images from Sally Wilson’s portfolio of bath projects ...

When planning ahead for a bath remodel, Sally recommends that you ask yourself “What have I always wanted in my bathroom?” Start from there in order to prepare an attainable budget that balances desires with necessities.

Designer upgrades that Sally’s clients have appreciated the most: the statement of a custom mosaic tile pattern, the comfort of heated floors especially when paired with marble, the luxury of a Toto washlet, the joy received from a soaking tub. With some of these heavier options, such as marble flooring or a large soaking tub, Sally cautions to plan in the construction phase for added floor weight considerations.

When asked about the influence that trends have on design decisions, Sally encourages her clients to go for what they love and not worry about what is currently considered popular in shelter magazines. Many looks and styles return to fashion after a period of time, so choose based on the style of your home paired with what appeals to you.

When trying to determine the look for a bath, she recommends starting with the faucet. “There are lots of beautiful faucets out there but you can’t own them all.”

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Vice President Jason Sevinor and Sales Consultant Beezee Honan

with guest Dani Poole from FBN Construction

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Designer Maureen McGrain with Designer Bath associates Maureen Hodgkins

and Michelle Ritchie, plus Lisa Amore of lucia lighting and design

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Food by Timothy S. Hopkins Catering of Ipswich

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Floral arrangements by Laura Thomson Design
photo credit: Laura Thomson

photo credit: Yvonne Blacker

photo credit: Yvonne Blacker

photo credit: Andrew Swaine

Thanks to everyone who joined us for this first seminar in the Passport to Design series! Next up will be “New Fabric Trends” which will be presented on Thursday, December 6th from 6:30-8:30pm at Circle Furniture in Cambridge. Click here to register to attend. Then pick up a Passport and enter to win the $20,000 Home Makeover sweepstakes and you, too, could be on your way to creating the designer bath of your dreams : )