Here is our elevation sketch for this project: where we used four ideas for a bathroom update.

A) Pendant lighting.

This is a unique and new way to light vanities… working the same way that sconces do – providing that great overall lighting on your face. Overhead vanity lighting and pot lights create a dark shadow on your face and a great solution for this is sconce lighting or this pendant lighting with the centre of the fixture hung at 5′-6″ A.F.F. Above is an example of a Tech Lighting pendant over vanity – beautiful.

B) Wall mounted faucet.

These faucets are a great choice if you want to add a little bit of interest to your bathroom. Used with a vessel sink, above counter sink, even a under-mount sink – these slick faucets are pretty great. They take a little more thought when specifying them – i.e.. height above sink rim- comfortable height for on/off lever and of course a plumber who has installed them before – it’s a little like a shower rough-in, but easy enough to figure out after a little research! Above are a few examples of more interesting wall mount faucets from our friends at Kohler and American Standard! We used the last example for this application.

C) Floating vanity with under-cabinet lighting

If you are going for a more contemporary look this is a great option – also adding more visual appeal to your space. When you have this great feature –  a floating vanity – what better to accentuate this, but with under-cabinet lighting. An easy way to achieve this look is with 3 LED puck lights surface mounted to the bottom of the unit. Unless you bend all the way over, you’ll never be able to see them, and this is much more cost effective that those amazing LED strips (they are amazing, you have no shadow gaps or visible fixture – but they are expensive!) This light feature will help you set a great mood or provide a neat night light.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! See you in 2012!

We all use the chair – and therefore they are all around us. What we don’t realize is that they say so much – they speak to us about how we interact with life. There are so many iconic chairs that we have all seen before but we don’t realize their significance – or their actual place in history. I am excited to share with readers a little bit about why they are important.

Series1: Louis Ghost Chair

I could literally write a novel on my love for this chair… But I won’t. (Your thinking – thank goodness!)

via starck.com

via starck.com

This chair was designed by Philippe Starck, for the Kong Restaurant in Paris – for that installation they came with different faces on the medallion back. The chair is a polycarbonate design that is transparent – or comes injected with colour. It is currently produced by Kartell.

Kong Restaurant in Paris - Interior

This chair references the Baroque (Rococo-late 1700s) period of the 18th century – and the Louis XV style. The proportions of this single moulded chair makes for a comfortable seat. One of the reasons I love this piece, is because of it’s vitreous quality – which does not obstruct light and therefore makes for great use in small or dark spaces – It is just a great statement piece. This chair has been duplicated by “inexpensive” versions, has started a lucite/polycarbonate revival of sorts, and is seen all over the world in restaurants, residential dining rooms, wedding banquet halls, hotels.. you name it – THERE IT IS! I personally love this chair (did I mention that already??) and am happy to have one in my home to enjoy for years to come… It’s a great reference to the past, but yet with it’s stylized manner – feels extremely grounded in todays aesthetic.

Philippe Starck is a genius – you need to know about him and research everything that he has had a hand in creating – massive influence in our design world today (I had the opportunity to do a project on him while I was in Design School – his work gets me every time.)

Classic Starck circa 2006 via www.starck.com

Hope you have enjoyed our first ‘For the Love of The Chair’ series. Come back again – you’ll never know when you’ll learn something new about that piece of furniture you are sitting on right now.

Check out ChairB, IDOChairs  or ChairW for more amazing displays of True Chair Love.

When we want to create an inviting scene in a room, we will often “style” the room to create interest. For the most part we do this for our photo shoots – to make the spaces feel warmer and lived in… But, we all love the idea of having these perfectly styled homes with everything in place and all these decorative touches that showcase our most prized possessions with a real warmth along with a strong sense of organization and structure. BUT… how to achieve this is a different story.

The first place I always start is the Vignette – defined by Dictionary.com (I know!) as:

Any small endearing scene, view, picture. etc.

SMALL – that key word is a great place to begin. Choose one or two decorative pieces in your home and then arrange them with scale, purpose, and aesthetic value in mind. Remember that simple is always best, so stay away from too many colours, textures or themes – instead layers items with similar qualities together. Contrast is important – so that visual interest in created, but one should pay close attention that pieces don’t compete with each other.

You can create these scenes in different areas of your home – and being that these Vignettes are usually small groupings – this is not an overwhelming task and one that can be done by simply rearranging things that are already present in your space. Great places to start are: bookshelves, kitchen counters, bathroom cabinets (open storage), bedside, entry and dining tables. Once you have put together your vignettes on the small scale – you can move into arranging your larger items: occasional chairs and side tables into small groupings.

Designer’s tested and true styling favourites: hardcover books, magazines, sculptural vases or bowls, candles, reflective or translucent surfaces, photos, rolled up or folded towels and organic matter – which includes the all time favourite: fresh flowers. Some more vignette ideas from CCSR Interior Design below… Happy Styling.

CCSR Interior Design and Julian’s Tile Marble Venatino Gioia

More Inspiration from CCSR Interior Design and Julian Tile Products

I have been wanting to order this book for some time now, and finally placed my chapters.indigo order this evening. I have heard so many great reviews – and for someone who currently lives in a Small[erish] (not sure if it’s Cool) Space – 968 sqft for two adults and two children… I feel like I have a vested interest in this subject matter. I am also a designer who LOVES to plan interiors that do not waste a single MORCEL of space. (Albeit, not quite to Apartment Therapy’s standard – but still!)

This need to optimize space is so reflective of the stage of life that I’m in right now – ie. mother of two with clever storage on the mind, also realizing that “real estate” is expensive – therefore we must use every nook and cranny we have! I’m sure that with time this tendency will ease up – but for now I will take pleasure in getting new space-saving ideas from this great book and in my sleep will continue to dream of new ways to make our Little Garden Suite seem Larger Than … 1000 sqft???

Well, CCSR Interior Design had yet to do a contest – so here we found ourselves wanting to give it a whirl. We are asking 100 people to “LIKE” our Facebook Page and once we have reached our goal then we will draw for a small $60 gift certificate to Urban Barn – where your money seems to always go far! We are almost at our mark – so CLICK, LIKE&WIN! Thanks all!

UPDATE: We announced our Winner via Facebook on Wednesday! Congrats to Leslie from Vancouver! Thanks for everyone’s support – on to 200 “LIKES” now!

In July, we posted about an outdated Pink Bathroom in West Maple Ridge… Although, the colour was an issue in this ensuite, the layout was definitely the reason for the renovation. (Especially since there are websites devoted to Pink Bathrooms – see THIS to believe it!) In this 12′-0″ x 8′-6″ room, the large soaker tub took up half of the floor area. There was literally no storage because of the pedestal sink and the shower was one of the typical 3′-0″ x 3′-0″ enclosures with the angled exterior corner door – which was just not functional for daily use.

So, it was to the drawing board for us – how do use our space wisely and create a functional environment that also has amazing form. We designed a beautiful 5′-6″ vanity with lots of storage, it also had two sinks and it’s lines mirrored the master suite furniture. We added lighting above head and a sconce to provide eye height lighting (which does not cast uneven shadows on the face) and the client also thought it would be lovely to include a chandelier above HER freestanding dream soaker tub. All of the elegant plumbing fixtures are finished in polished chrome to add to the sparkle and reflection in the space, along with the glass shower door enclosure – which continues to enlarge the room. The marble – in various sizes, 12″x24″, 6″x18″ and 1″x1″ was used to create pattern and interest in the floor and 6″x18″ tile was used on the shower wall with a 2″x12″ chairrail to finish the edge. We were also able to include details such as; a heated floor mat (laid under the tile) and a heated towel unit, and we also ordered pulls from a specialty retailer in Victoria.

These clients, (as all my clients are) were again wonderful to work with – with such close attention to detail that all parties involved in the process, myself included (!!!) were so pleased with the result. Hope you enjoy seeing how we came up with our solution to our previous Pink Problem…. Here are some before and after photos as promised.

PS… If you are a fan of apartment therapy – they apparently enjoy Pink Bathrooms as well…. Although … WAY more stylish than ours was!

As promised. Finalement…