Homeowners considering renovations are anxious to ensure that their improvements will help their resale value, so naturally they’ll want to stay away from extreme design decisions that only Elvis could love.

Ideally, they’ll create a space that is an investment while still enhancing their own enjoyment of the space. Here’s a quick guide to ensure that the marketplace will be willing to pay top dollar for your redesigned bathroom.

• Remember the little black dress. There’s a reason no sane woman would ever part with theirs – it’s classic in every sense of the word. It’s always in style, and it’s perfect for any occasion. So resist the urge to go with that trendy, in-the-moment color scheme or funky mosaic tile. In a few years, it will look “SO 2013″ and will serve as the room’s own personal “born-on” date. Think classic and timeless. White subway tiles have been in style forever, much like their counterpart – mini hexagon floor tiles.

• Go green. Concern for the environment is not a trend; it’s a permanent mindset of consumers. Saving water is also more economical – another attractive selling point. Seek out the dual-flush toilets and the low-flow showerheads – for your sake and the planet’s.

• Tighten up those lines. The tighter your grout lines are, the more expensive the tile in your bathroom will look. Since big, fat, wide grout lines are the best way to hide the imperfections of inexpensive tile, the look is synonymous with cheap. Spring for the “rectified” tiles, whose straight lines and uniform size allow you to the lay them tight with a 1/16-in. grout line.

• Don’t sweat it. Buyers think a shower with a sauna/steam feature is a major luxury item that carries a hefty price tag. But the reality is that they’re not nearly that expensive to build. Simply create a tight seal using glass doors and panels, then add a steam fixture. Don’t forget to cant the ceiling – encouraging condensation to run down the walls instead of on your homebuyers’ heads.

• - Turn up the heat. Radiant floors are also associated with indulgence. And like steam showers, they’re relatively inexpensive to create. Install a heat-producing electric floor mat before laying your tile. You’ll need to create channels in your sub-floor for the power cord and perhaps use a little more mortar than usual, but the result is toasty warm floors on a cold morning –  and a potential “YES!” moment for your buyer.

 

- James Hart is the principal and co-owner of Sold with Style, a company that provides pre-sale consulting and home staging services for clients in and around New York City. Hart is also the president of the NY Chapter of the Real Estate Staging Association.

 

As someone somewhat new to the kitchen industry – definitely new to the bath – I felt a little overwhelmed in the weeks before my first KBIS show. A lot of planning went into what we at K+BB planned to cover in the magazine post-show, and there were a lot of other fast-moving parts and pieces that needed to slow down. But such is the planning of a major trade show, the beginning of a new career and the launching of a bigger and better magazine. The momentum is ever present.

Surprisingly, the night before I left for KBIS, I was as calm as a cucumber. I was ready to take on my new role and hit the ground running at what I knew was going to be an extremely successful show for both the industry and for me as the new editor of K+BB.

The energy at KBIS was apparent on the very first day I set foot in the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. It was hard to believe that less than 24 hours later, booths that were just being put together would be chock full of the latest kitchen and bathroom products – all set against shiny, new backdrops filled with smiling people to answer all of your questions.

The day the show opened, I was able to attend the opening session and was enlightened by Gary Vaynerchuk’s presentation on how social media can foster a successful business. I was also present for Tammy Erickson’s discussion on the “Influence of the Generations on the Kitchen and Bath Market.” She provided extremely useful information on how to attract and retain the best talent from the Baby Boomer, Gen X, Gen Y (or Millennial), Traditionalist and Gen 2020 generations. More info to come on that session on our website and in the pages of K+BB.

When I wasn’t attending a presentation, which was a good part of the time, I spent my time meeting kitchen and bath industry experts, introducing myself and learning more about this dynamic industry. I asked their opinion about the co-location of KBIS and IBS next February in Las Vegas, and the result was resoundingly positive – they have been waiting for this for a long time, and it’s going to be the must-attend event. When asked about the state of the kitchen and bath design industry, everyone I asked had a good attitude about what is to come and feel it is positioned for a definite comeback.

I spent an entire day with a photographer trying to capture as many new products in as many booths as our schedule could handle, and I have to tell you, there are some really awesome innovations out there. Among some of the notable products I noticed included storage for hiding trash bins and cleaning products, mobility for hard-to-reach shelves, self-cleaning toilets, laminates that mimic just about every other material known to man, concealed drainage systems and energy-efficient water heaters. And those were all in the first aisle!

When all was said and done, and it was time to leave KBIS and return home, I was shocked at where all the time had gone. I spent so much quality time getting to know people and learning all there is to know (in four days) about the kitchen and bath industry (and eating really great seafood and even enjoying some New Orleans jazz one evening), I didn’t even realize the show was coming to a close.

I guess you could say with all sincerity, “it was a really great show.”

Repurposing old elements to create a fresh design approach

I just spent a solid hour browsing through Pinterest looking at pictures of gorgeous rooms using salvaged materials. I “pinned” some of them and will share some of my favorite images with you. But first, here’s a couple of photos from a house I designed in Orlando for GreenBuilder Magazine a couple of years ago.

As a “green” designer, I love using anything I can to create the look I want while also being low-impact. Using salvaged materials isn’t just for us “greenies”; it also creates a one-of-a-kind custom look that will always please your customers. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to use stuff that’s already in my client’s home, which I then try to find new and different ways to display. For example, I had these shelves made from shipping pallets that were used to ship ceramic tile to the house I was working on. The mantle on the left was made from a scrap of leftover micro-lam lying around the job site.

The dining room table top was made from salvaged bleacher seats!

Here are some awesome images from Pinterest from various sources showcasing salvaged design
at its best:

When this homeowner discovered 100 years worth of linoleum and sailcloth under the kitchen floor, he salvaged enough to cover one stair with each layer.

Italian marble tops the kitchen’s custom cabinetry, while salvaged Victorian corbels serve as distinctive brackets for the stove’s hood.

Adding character to a kitchen with a salvaged sink

Island corbels from salvaged Victorian porch

 

Shelving ideas…

Here’s a salvaged headboard turned chalkboard:

So pretty !

—Patricia Gaylor

We love Design. Our work is about visualizing the next best space. It isn’t about racking up as much volume as possible. That’s very obvious when you look at the sum of our never realized projects from the past few years.

Love of Design is why we persevere when specifications are incorrect, materials come in damaged or warped, the completion date gets pushed and clients declare bankruptcy. When we are passionate about our clients and our work, we take the nuggets of information we learn from designing the custom wine room that was scrapped or the efficiencies gained when aiming to meet the modest budget of a dreamer.

So we keep designing and hope that our work resonates with our client’s passions and we are thankful when it aligns with budgets, lead times and personalities.

When the destination we create with our Design path is successful, we like to humbly point to it with Pride, but of more importance, it fills our sails and helps us navigate trouble times.




May your Season be bright with Success and your New Year be warm with Joy!


—Ann Porter