A Crash Course in Bathroom Faucet Finishes

Article By: Michelle Gann

Choosing a bathroom faucet finish often stumps people. What's the difference between brushed and polished nickel? What are the benefits of satin brass versus satin bronze? Fear not. Here's a crash course in faucet finishes that will elevate your knowledge in less time than it takes you to brush your teeth. 

Eclectic Powder Room by Brooklyn Interior Designers & Decorators indigo & ochre design 

Keep in mind that most faucets have a lifetime warranty when it comes to finishes, so if you have an old favorite faucet that's looking drab, try calling the manufacturer to see what the warranty policy is.

If you're new to selecting finishes, it's a good idea to get all the other fixtures and accessories in a matching color. Some finishes are a standard color, such as chrome and most brushed-nickel finishes, but not all finishes from different companies look the same. 

To ensure you are getting the exact same finish, buy all the fixtures and accessories from the same company. When shopping for additional fixtures, take a sample with you to match.

Polished Brass

An all-time favorite. A polished brass faucet helps give the bathroom shown here a vintage look. 

Advantages: Easy to clean and easy to find. A durable finish. Easy to match with accessories and other fixtures.

Disadvantages: More expensive than other finishes, such as chrome and brushed nickel.

Styles it works with: Polished brass is actually coming back in style, so it looks great in modern, traditional and eclectic settings.  

Contemporary Bathroom 

Satin Brass

A nice twist on polished brass, the brushed-gold look has a lot of class. It's bold without being too showy. Don't be surprised if you see a lot more of this color in bathroom remodeling. 

Advantages: Offers a nice accent color without the polished look. Durable. Being a matte finish, it won't show fingerprints and water spots.

Disadvantages: It's hard to find and more expensive. It's also difficult to match accessories and other fixtures to satin brass.

Styles it works with: Piggybacking off the success of polished brass, this satin counterpart is going to be increasingly popular. Great settings for it are traditional, modern and contemporary.

Traditional Bathroom by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Shane D. Inman 

Oil-Rubbed Bronze

A great aesthetic alternative to standard chrome and brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze gives the bathroom a more traditional look and feel. 

Working on a budget? if you don't want to purchase all the matching accessories and you have other brass items in your bathroom, such as an old light switch plate or cabinet knobs, you can always use a brass darkening solution to make all the hardware match.

Advantages: Durable, easy to clean and easy to find. It's also easy to match oil-rubbed bronze with accessories and other fixtures. It won't show water spots or fingerprints.

Disadvantages: More expensive than other finishes, such as chrome and brushed nickel.

Styles it works with: Oil-rubbed bronze goes hand in hand with traditional and Tuscan or Mediterranean settings.

Eclectic Bathroom by San Francisco Architects & Designers Andre Rothblatt Architecture 

Copper

Copper is unmistakable and bold. It gives the bathroom a rich feeling, especially when mixed with a subtler material, such as marble on a countertop. 

Advantages: Copper has natural antibacterial properties. It's fairly easy to find and also has the ability to "heal" itself. Over a short period of time, a scratch in copper will become darker and eventually blend with the patina.

Disadvantages: A shiny copper finish might require a little more maintenance than brushed nickel, oil-rubbed bronze and chrome, but if you let it age naturally, copper will develop a beautiful patina. It's harder to match accessories and other fixtures to copper, and it's not as durable as other finishes.

Styles it works with: Tuscan and farmhouse. And, of course, steampunk. 

Industrial Bathroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs 

Satin Bronze

Satin bronze has a nice, smooth finish that's in between copper and oil-rubbed bronze. Having a subtler color gives this finish more flexibility for different bathroom styles and settings.

Advantages: Durable and easy to clean and maintain, this is a great alternative to copper and a lighter option than oil-rubbed bronze. Water spots and fingerprints won't show.

Disadvantages: Hard to find and more expensive. It's hard to match accessories and other fixtures to satin bronze.

Styles it works with: Traditional, eclectic and Mediterranean. 

Eclectic Bathroom by Fairburn Kitchen & Bath Remodelers Change Your Bathroom, Inc. 

Polished Nickel

If you like a smooth, shiny finish but are tired of chrome, try polished nickel. It's darker than chrome, and with different levels of lighting, it can appear to change in color. 

Advantages: Easy to clean. A durable finish. A great alternative to brushed nickel.

Disadvantages: More expensive. It's hard to find matching accessories or fixtures for it.

Styles it works with:Like chrome, it looks great in a variety of settings: modern, contemporary, traditional and eclectic.

Modern Bathroom by Edison Kitchen and Bath Fixtures VIGO 

Brushed Nickel

The soft metallic look of brushed nickel has stood the test of time. 

Advantages: This is one of the most durable finishes; it has a tendency to keep its finish longer than oil-rubbed bronze and chrome. It doesn't show wear, fingerprints or water spots.It's easy to clean, easy to find and easy to match with accessories and other fixtures. It's relatively inexpensive. Brushed nickel tends to be pricier than chrome but does not cost as much as oil-rubbed bronze.

Disadvantages: Does not coordinate well with stainless steel; it blends in instead of being a statement piece.

Styles it works with: Almost every style.

Contemporary Bathroom by Saint Paul Interior Designers & Decorators Indicia Interior Design 

Chrome

Chrome is currently one of the most popular finishes because of its versatility. 

Advantages: It's generally the most inexpensive finish. It's a very easy finish to clean and maintain. It's durable, easy to find and easy to match with accessories and other fixtures. 

Disadvantages: Shows water spots and fingerprints. 

Styles it works with:Almost every style.

Contemporary Bathroom by La Canada Flintridge Window Treatments The Art of Room Design 

Matte Black

Black faucets are becoming increasingly more popular in the bathroom, because of their ability to match other items, such as vanities and accent pieces.If you want to make a classy statement, or you are just doing a small renovation that doesn't involve changing all aspects of your bathroom, matte black may be the perfect finish for you.

Advantages: Easy to clean. Does not show dirt, fingerprints or water spots. It's easy to coordinate a matte black faucet with bathroom accessories.

Disadvantages: It's hard to match other fixtures to it, hard to find and expensive compared with more popular finishes, such as chrome and brushed nickel. 

Styles it works with: Modern and eclectic.

Modern Bathroom by Phoenix Interior Designers & Decorators Red Egg Design Group 

White

Looking for a clean, brilliant finish? Go with a white faucet as a contrasting statement piece or something that blends beautifully in an all-white bathroom. The white finish comes from durable plastic or porcelain. 

Advantages: Easy to clean. Does not show water spots or fingerprints.

Disadvantages: Porcelain fixtures are more fragile than metal, which makes them more prone to chipping. Porcelain can be expensive, too.

Styles it works with: Farmhouse and modern.

Wood in the Bathroom? Absolutely!

Article By: Mark Clement

The conventional wisdom is that tile is the go-to for bathroom surfaces. We see tile everywhere, from the bathroom at work to the subway, to everybody's house.

I love tile, but just because it's so popular doesn't mean we have to design with it. And tile and grout aren't as impervious as you might think and are not required for looks, durability or cleanliness in wet areas like kitchens and baths. 

In fact, you can do amazing things with wood, even in the bathroom. The way it feels, sounds and even reflects light is wonderful. It also offers color and depth, and can soften the look of hard ceramic finishes. 

Traditional Bathroom by New Canaan Design-Build Firms TR Building & Remodeling Inc. 

While wood is a durable choice for bathroom floors, it's also fantastic on the ceiling. It adds a sense of natural warmth in a space where, well, most of us are au naturel. 

Yes, this ceiling is above a shower. You can imagine the potential moisture problems. I always recommend using a fan in the bathroom, but adding a second barrier between the steam rising from the shower and what's behind the ceiling might be smart here. I recommend sealing the wood surface with boiled linseed oil and/or urethane. I also recommend sheeting the ceiling joists with 15-pound tar paper (the black paper you see under roof shingles) before installing the wood. 

Tar paper is water resistant and will keep moisture that does make it through the ceiling (not much, if any) inside the room. The moisture will evaporate back into the room and dry with the rest of the air, especially if you're using planks instead of a tongue and groove material.

Contemporary Bathroom 

Wood on an accent wall — in this case, beveled siding — softens and adds texture. Moisture is always a concern in a wet area, and the usual go-to bathroom coating is semigloss paint. 

When it comes to wood, I like the texture to be the star, so I prime the base coat with oil (it's smelly, so do it outside) and make sure the end grains and backs get coated to thoroughly seal the wood. 

Installing wood is often easy, fast and cleaner than sanding drywall.

Contemporary Bathroom by Alpharetta Kitchen and Bath Fixtures Inspirations Kitchen and Bath 

When you're remodeling a bathroom, there are many materials you can use for the walls that'll help battle ever-present moisture. Water-resistant drywall (often called green board) and cement board are popular, but they're not necessary or any more durable than natural softwood planks like eastern white pine. 

Bare wood will stain, but coating it with a water-based urethane will help keep all that natural wood grain vibrant. And having different-colored wood cabinets and storage is a nice touch, with clean, horizontal lines drywall can't touch. 

I recommend tongue and groove stock, as opposed to planks, to create a continuous barrier to minimize moisture migration into the walls. 

Contemporary Bathroom by Highland Park Architects & Designers Becker Architects Limited 

Think creatively. Wood is used on decks and docks, where it is constantly shifting between wet and dry (and getting snowed on). So why not use it the shower floor or another bathroom area?

This pallet floor is custom detailed for this shower assembly. An easily customizable pallet built from any number of widely available lumber species — pine, cedar, Douglas fir — could be designed for a standard shower with a poured and sealed shower pan in place of tile. Or it could cover tile, which is my preference, because I find it easier to clean. 

I also like the idea of creating a simpler element inspired by this design: a wooden bath mat. Wood is easy to seal and clean with basic household detergents, and it's much less slippery than glazed tile.  

Contemporary Bathroom by San Francisco Architects & Designers Erickson Zebroski Design Group, Inc. 

Using wood in the bathroom enables a mix of materials to create depth and warmth across different materials and styles. This concrete wall might have appeared cold and heartless were it not for the soaring rafters and V-joint roof decking above. Scale this feature down to convey the same effect in a smaller space. 

Traditional Bathroom by Fort Washington General Contractors HomeTech Renovations, Inc. 

I've installed wood flooring in bathrooms. Not only does it deliver a sweet style, but it's durable, in large part because urethane finishes are fantastic. I always put 15-pound tar paper down to protect the floor from any water that does get through.

Farmhouse Bedroom by Austin Architects & Designers Rauser Design 

Other reasons to use wood floors in the bathroom, besides looks, are ease and continuity. It's easier to run flooring that exists in the other rooms of the house through to the bathroom. And it creates a flow, a feeling of continuity, that I find calming.

6 Great Places for a Discreet Mini Office

Article By: Tiffany Carboni

Not every house has a room that can be set aside for work alone, but the beauty of the home office is that it can be integrated into almost any room. The trick is making the dual purposes play nicely with each other without (come on, it just has to be said) their dueling. Here are some tips to make the best of one room with two motives. 

Contemporary Home Office by New York Interior Designers & Decorators Celia Berliner Design, LLC 

1. Spare bedroom. A spare bedroom and office combo is one of the most common setups. It makes a lot of sense. Unless you're constantly playing host to out-of-towners, an uninhabited bedroom can be a great workspace. 

Built-in cabinetry will make the most of your room. Keep a few drawers empty for guests; dedicate the rest to files and supplies. Desks with pullout features provide more space when needed and keep delicate equipment safe when visitors wielding oversize luggage come over. 

Contemporary Home Office by West Palm Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Cindy Ray Interiors, Inc. 

To squeeze every inch out of your bedroom office, use a sleeper sofa. Here a built-in bookcase frames an elegant sofa that can accommodate business meetings during the day and guests overnight. 

Contemporary Home Office by Solana Beach Interior Designers & Decorators Lori Gentile Interior Design 

2. Living room. When integrating an office into the living room, make sure the space has a welcoming, sophisticated air, just as you'd expect from any other well-designed living room. That way guests won't feel like they're encroaching on your private workspace — or worse, sitting in an untidy office. 

In this room the emphasis is on warm, community-oriented features: the fireplace, bookshelves and a variety of seating options. The desk, while spacious and functional, recedes into the background and complements, not competes with, the atmosphere. 

Traditional Home Office by Milton Photographers Michael J. Lee Photography 

A desk that matches the living room's level of formality is a clever way to hide an office in plain sight.Here an antique desk is matched with an antique chair and mirror.

Contemporary Home Office by Dallas Photographers RUDA Photography 

3. Closet. If you can afford the space, a walk-in closet can make for a highly effective work environment, thanks to its quiet nature. When the doors are shut, you could go unnoticed by the rest of your household for days.

One obstacle that could stand in the way of a closet office is a lack of adequate light, as closets generally don't have windows. Adding a light tube (if the closet is on the top level of the house) or getting creative with lighting fixtures can solve this issue.

Contemporary Home Office by Park City General Contractors Todd Arenson Construction 

4. Family room. An office in the family room has pluses and minuses. On the one hand, working near the kids offers family integration. Parents get to hang out with their children; the kids don't get resentful that Mom or Dad is always too busy for them.

On the other hand, noisy distractions and important deadlines don't mix well. If you can work out a schedule that suits everybody's needs, the office–family room combo can be a huge success — especially in a room like this, where built-in benches hide toys and provide a cozy environment both during the workday and after hours. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Wellesley Kitchen & Bath Designers Divine Kitchens LLC

5. Kitchen. Every family kitchen should be equipped with a mini office. At least it might feel that way to a parent getting bombarded with requests for signed permission slips and help with homework in the middle of fixing dinner. Itcan be as simple as a drawer organizing system that holds everything from a stash of writing utensils and paper clips to the checkbook for those "I forgot I'm supposed to bring money" moments.

If you can afford more space, a sweet setup like this one keeps household affairs in check and gets closed off behind cabinet doors when not in use.

Traditional Home Office by Vancouver Photographers Heather Merenda 

6. Dining room. No, this isn't about using the dining table as a desk, though honestly its size isunbeatable for large projects. Here a desk is built into a hutch, and a low-profile stool gets tucks out of the way under the counter. When the owners host a dinner party, they can even move the stool and computer and use the desktop as a serving area.

Eclectic Home Office by Mill Valley Interior Designers & Decorators SC Interiors and Designs 

If a built-in hutch isn't a possibility, an antique secretary desk is a great alternative. Its streamlined silhouette and fold-away tabletop allow it to be disguised as furniture appropriate to a room's primary function.

Smart Investments in Kitchen Cabinetry — a Realtor's Advice

Article By: Tiffany Carboni

The kitchen is the most expensive room in the house to build. The national average cost of a kitchen remodel is $50,000, though the real cost can vary widely, depending on where you live, the scope of the project and the materials you choose. New cabinetry can take up much of that expense. Make the most of this big purchase by treating your new cabinets as an investment. 

Realtor Victoria Gangi offers insider tips on how to get the best return on your cabinet investment, even if you're not moving in the foreseeable future. 

Eclectic Kitchen by Falls Church Kitchen & Bath Designers Cameo Kitchens, Inc. 

Create an optimal layout. Long before a kitchen starts to take actual shape, there needs to be a well-crafted plan for how the kitchen will be laid out to offer maximum benefits to the homeowners and their guests. 

"Layout is the number-one feature home buyers are looking at in a kitchen," says Gangi. "You will lose your audience if cabinets aren't designed in a functional way with good flow." 

Traditional Kitchen by Minneapolis Interior Designers & Decorators Kimberly Arnold Fletcher 

A kitchen or cabinet designer can help you get started. Don’t make any rushed decisions in the planning process. 

One way to help visualize a designer's plan is to tape out the dimensions of the new cabinet configurations on the floor and walls. Granted, you're going to need a really good imagination for this to work, but it will give you an opportunity to literally walk through the measurements to see if things feel well spaced. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Vancouver Photographers Heather Merenda 

Invest in quality cabinetry. Once you've got a plan for where everything's going to go, decide on a style and quality that will age well and withstand trends and changing tastes.

Quality cabinets are one of the smartest investments in a kitchen remodel, saysKarl Keul, owner of Cameo Kitchens. "The lesser grades of cabinets tend not to age gracefully and often need more upkeep,” he notes.

Modern Kitchen by Aspen Architects & Designers S2 Architects 

The quality to choose will depend on your long-term plans. “Midrange cabinets are generally a good bet," Gangi says. "If you intend to sell your home, these cabinets will look attractive to buyers, and you’ll likely see a return on your investment."

She adds, "Even if you plan on staying in your home for the foreseeable future, this is still a safe option, because they'll last. Choose top-of-the-line cabinets only if you have the money to create the kitchen of your dreams without any worries of recouping the money.” 

Contemporary Kitchen by Houston Architects & Designers Collaborative Designworks 

Integrate the door style. Choose a door style and color that integrate well with the rest of your home, especially rooms that look directly into the kitchen. If the rest of your house is traditional, you’d be better off steering toward a more traditional or transitional door style than going completely modern, and vice versa.  

Farmhouse Kitchen by Lodi General Contractors WL INTERIORS 

"Don't choose a style that's too ornate or too modern," Gangi advises. "Modern is good; people like clean lines and clean finishes. But ultramodern or any style that's too out of the norm isn't what buyers tend to want." 

Contemporary Kitchen by Austin Architects & Designers Loop Design 

In general the best kitchen designs are those that work in harmony with the rest of the home's architecture rather than try to fight it. A harmonious house is easier for potential buyers to understand and, in turn, to want to outbid each other for. 

A savvy designer can help navigate you toward the best cabinet options that will work for your home and budget.

Contemporary Kitchen by Framingham Photographers Mary Prince 

Choose light colors. Lighter-colored cabinetry will appeal to more buyers. "Dark kitchens are out," notes Gangi. "People prefer light and bright." 

Contemporary Kitchen by Tampa Interior Designers & Decorators Paul Anater 

To integrate the appliances or not? Integrated appliances significantly increase the cost of a kitchen, not only because of the added cabinetry door fronts, but also because the appliances needed to facilitate this option are more expensive.

While this feature may look attractive to some home buyers, especially in a price range where integrated appliances are an expectation rather than an exception, your may not see the return on this high-priced detail in a midrange-price house. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Los Angeles Home Stagers Platform 

According to Gangi, your cabinet investment can be safe even if you don't integrate the appliances. "Stainless steel appliances are still very popular and well accepted by buyers," she says. 

Traditional Kitchen by Raleigh Kitchen & Bath Designers J Maness Designs 

Choose cabinet details that matter. What's inside the cabinet is just as important as what's on its outside. "Buyers are on the lookout for rollout and quiet-close drawers," notes Gangi. "This is where that choice of midrange versus low-range cabinet quality becomes important. Spending the extra money it takes to get good-quality slide rails and quiet-close features will come back to you."

Contemporary Kitchen by Tucson Kitchen & Bath Designers Dorado Designs 

Opt for clean-lined hardware. "Buyers prefer drawer pulls and handles to be just as clean lined as the cabinetry," says Gangi. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Jersey City Design-Build Firms Brunelleschi Construction 

If you like ornate hardware, go for it. However, should you sell your home, expect to replace those fancy pulls with a more streamlined set that will appeal to a broad range of buyers. The good news is that your fancy hardware can move with you.

9 Ways to Configure Your Cabinets for Comfort

Article By: Jennifer Ott

Those of you building or renovating a kitchen face countless decisions. Just for the cabinetry you have to select the material, frame type, door style, hardware and more. 

I hate to add to your list of selections to make, but there are a few details to think about when it comes to ergonomics, too; how you configure your cabinetry can make your kitchen a comfortable and efficient workspace for you and your family.

Beach Style Kitchen by Philadelphia General Contractors McCoubrey/Overholser, Inc. 

1. Minimize uppers. Wall cabinets can be a stretch for many to access — or altogether out of reach for some — so consider removing wall cabinets and putting in a bank of windows instead. This is an especially smart move if doing this will give you a nice view. 

Traditional Kitchen by Putney Design-Build Firms Kenzer Furniture 

2. Be shallow. Instead of wall cabinets, I like to install shallow floor-to-ceiling pantries. They're an efficient use of an interior wall, where you can't have a window anyway. By limiting the depth to just 6 to 9 inches, you are forced to line up your dry goods in a single row, making everything easier to find.

Contemporary Kitchen by Nantucket Architects & Designers Joe Olson 

3. Go for open shelves. If you really need wall-mounted storage, try installing a few open shelves. They're a more efficient way to store items, because you (and your guests) can see where everything is, and you don't have to open and close cabinet doors to access things. Limit the stored items to those you use often so they are less likely to collect dust. 

Contemporary Kitchen by Menlo Park Architects & Designers Barker Wagoner Architects 

4. Lift up, not out. For those who want closed wall cabinet storage, take a look at horizontal cabinets. There's only one door you need to open to see everything in the cabinet, and you don't have to step out of the way as you open and close it. 

Modern Kitchen by Bonita Kitchen & Bath Designers Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS 

5. Install drawers. When it comes to base cabinets, I can't recommend drawers over doors strongly enough. Deep drawers can hold almost anything you need to store in a base cabinet. Plus, it's much more efficient to just pull the drawer out and have all the contents on view right in front of you than having to open two doors and root around for what you need.

Contemporary Kitchen by Chicago Architects & Designers Gary Lee Partners 

6. Avoid corners. If you can design your kitchen to not have corner cabinets, do so. Corners tend to cause traffic jams in kitchens, and corner cabinets can be awkward to use. 

Traditional Kitchen by Edina Kitchen & Bath Designers The Woodshop of Avon 

7. Or make the best of your corners. If you can't avoid corner cabinets, then at least make them as functional and easy to use as possible with fully rotating lazy Susans or clever corner drawers.

Contemporary Kitchen by Oceanside Cabinets & Cabinetry Trueline Woodworks, Inc. 

8. Upgrade cabinetry.Soft-close door hinges and drawer glides are more must-haves. It is totally worth the small extra charge for these features, which allow you to shut doors and drawers with one efficient push and no slamming.

Traditional Kitchen by Mississauga Architects & Designers Parkyn Design 

9. Vary countertop heights. While the standard kitchen countertop height is 36 inches, there are many tasks that are more comfortably performed on a lower or higher surface. This is especially true for those who are taller or shorter than average. 

Typically you want your forearms to be at or near level when you're working at the countertop. But for us tall folks, that'd require a surface height of 42 inches or more — a difficult height for kids or shorter members of the household to use. 

The solution is to set up areas with differing countertop heights to accommodate the various statures of the users and their tasks. Extra storage room in the cabinet underneath is an additional upside to taller work surfaces.