Piping Hot Design Trends

03 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, Liz Alton, The Home

Tags

bathroom, bedframe, bookshelves, country, exposed duct, historic, Industrial, Liz Alton, loft, minimalist, pipes, recycling, shelving, steel pipes, Storage, upcycling, urban, vintage, wine rack

One of the beautiful things about working in a historic mill building is the gorgeous exposed piping and ductwork. Combined with the brick walls and the high ceilings, it’s one of the selling points of the space. When I was coming up with some creative ways to accessorize the space, I found some visually striking examples of designs that integrated pipes along the ceiling or in accent pieces. If you love this look and aren’t currently calling a loft home, there’s some creative designer and DYI pieces on the market that you can use – from shelving to lighting fixtures.

Exposed Duct Works, Redux
Exposed ductwork is a hot look in a lot of urban apartment and office buildings right now, especially the ones that used to be factories, mills, or big commercial facilities. These lofts go for big bucks, and have tremendous character that you can work with. Lots of natural light, exposed bright, and rich woods permeate the space.

Piping Hot Design Trends

But not all exposed ductwork is urban. This beautiful country example of an exposed duct takes a really practical turn as place to hang pots and pans!

Photo Credit: Trilogy Builds

A colorful paint job makes this design a standout for a fun take on exposed pipes in a kids’ bathroom.
Piping Hot Design Trends
Photo Credit: Houzz

Hanging Storage Solutions
Who doesn’t love a creative storage solution? DIY crafters are rock stars at recycling and upcycling, and these pipe shelves are a great way of using steel pipes and even a bellowsflex hose to create unique shelves and bookcases that can adapt to almost any arrangement.

Here pipes double as both the supports and the mechanism for attaching the shelves to the wall.

Photo Credit: Interior Result

With pipes’ structural integrity, it’s really possible to combine shelves into ultra-creative configurations.

Photo Credit: Yellow Pelow

Hanging bookshelves in particular are a hot item, where shelves can double as both the supports and the bookends. This lighted version is great to illuminate a reading nook.

Photo Credit: Gear Culture

Industrial fittings are used in this one to give it even more character.

Pipe Shelves Scaled
If you love the pipe shelf look but need more than just a foot or so of shelf space provided by the hanging shelves, there are some great examples of floor shelves constructed of pipe. The key qualities translate over: a very artistic and modern industrial look with a highly configurable potential design.

Pipe and wood combine to a really unusual shape in this one – this would be a great idea for working with specific display needs or around an oddly shaped wall feature.

The pipes on this corner shelving unit help anchor the whole thing, while allowing it to fit into a tight space between window and door. Look at all the room you get for books, knickknacks and more.

Photo Credit: Modern Meals for Two

Funky Furniture
There’s also some really fun pipe and hose furniture. This vintage wheel cart combines pipes and antique box wood.

This pipe and wood wine rack is absolutely to die for.

Photo Credit: Manhattan Cleanline

It also makes a sturdy, minimalist bedframe.

Photo Credit: Design Fabulous

A lot of these items are commercially available, but they are all very doable as custom commissions or DIY projects. I think it’s time to sign my husband up for a welding class!

Written By Liz Alton

Guest Post: Small Bathroom Remodeling Ideas

01 Saturday Dec 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

ambient, bathroom, Fixtures, Henderson Properties, Light Colors, lights, modern, North Carolina, pedestal sink, relaxing, Remodeling, Sink, South Carolina, vanity

Even small bathrooms can be remodeled to look modern. With a little creativity and some effort, you can even create the illusion of a larger bath space without completely renovating the room. Here are several small bathroom remodeling ideas.

Change the Sink
To make your small bathroom appear larger, switch to a pedestal sink instead of a large vanity. This not only opens up the space, but gives you more room to move around.

Photo Credit: Home Renovations, About.com

Use Light Colors
Light colors, such as pale blues, yellows and pinks, open up a small room and make the area appear larger. This simple change doesn’t cost a lot of money and can instantly transform your bathroom into a more relaxing space.

Photo Credit: View Home Trends

Switch Up the Fixtures
This inexpensive remodeling idea allows you to give your small bathroom a new look without taking up any additional space. If your bathroom fixtures are old and outdated, visit your local hardware store to find new fixtures that will breathe new life into your bathroom.

Photo Credit: Homes House

Install New Lights
Over-the-mirror lighting is harsh, and can make the space seem even smaller. To give your bathroom an airy, open feel switch your light fixtures for ambient light sources. The whole room will appear brighter!

Photo Credit: Homesqu

Remodeling a small bathroom can be tricky, but with these simple ideas you can transform your small space into a room that appears much larger than it actually is.

{This is a sponsored post from Henderson Properties, a full service real estate agency proudly serving residents in North Carolina & South Carolina.}

Easy Ways to Update Your Bathroom

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Home

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

bathroom, color, diy, interior design, painting, repurpose, tub, white

The bathroom might not be the most important room in your home or the most used but it is surely important. Its a place where you have peace and privacy and most often get to relax. For me, having a beautiful clean bathroom is a must. Since my husband and I had a low budget when we bought our home, we couldn’t do much to the master bath. But besides completely renovating, there are things I have done to make it more bearable and better looking.

Our half bath downstairs is also a small project we haven’t gotten to yet but plan to in the near future. With just a little bit of paint, new flooring and a new sink, it would totally be transformed and it wouldn’t even cost much. I love home projects and doing it all ourselves is always fun too. I enjoy doing the work and taking all the credit but in the end, its all about taking a step back and seeing the beautiful space you have created.

To all of you who feel the same and enjoy doing DIY projects around the house, here are some great ideas I scooped from Better Homes and Gardens on what to do to spruce up your bathroom. Enjoy!

Using white items tend to cost less because manufacturers make them more often. Plus, white is a perfect color for the bathroom because it looks fresh and clean.

Just by updating the hardware in the space, the room can look like it had a facelift. Most hardware is affordable and very easy to install. Definitely a DIY project you can do in less than an hour.

By changing or updating your tub area, you can easily make the bathroom look different. There are plenty of companies that you can hire to help with this problem. Instead of remodeling the whole area, why not call in someone like Bathfitter who can simply cover it all up and make it like new. For under $5,000 you can get this checked off the list.

Add more storage to what you already have so you can stow away items that don’t need to be seen. Maximize your space and get organized!

Get creative and turn a piece of furniture you love into a vanity. All you need is to cut a hole out for the sink and you have a beautiful piece that will transform the room. Look for great finds at outlets, garage and estate sales and craigslist.

A little bit of paint goes a long way. Revamp your space with a new color or treatment and just see the room transform.

Use fabric to create a skirt to go around your sink and hideaway plumbing and storage. Its affordable and fun and adds a nice touch to the space.

Think out of the box and repurpose other pieces to use in the space. Like this drawer being used for a shelf. Its easy and looks really cool.

{For more ideas visit Better Homes and Gardens, Low Cost Bathroom Updates}

Guest Post: Tints & Tones-Brilliant Colors that Work for Every Room

30 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Home

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

bathroom, bedroom, color, decorating, design, home, interior design, kitchen, living room, open colleges, tess pajaron, tints and tones

One of my favorite parts about starting a new decorating project, or moving into a new home is picking out the color palette. Color has an instant effect on how we feel every time we step into a space. They can help define the mood in the room and can even have an influence on how we act. Each room, however, is different. In some rooms, you want to sleep in a relaxed and peaceful environment, while other rooms are made for spicing up your life with some culinary excitement. Because of this, your color scheme will change depending on which room you are decorating.

If you are starting a new design project, or moving into a new space, here are a few tips to get you started as you choose your colors and make your home your own.

Kitchen
The kitchen is one room where you spend a lot of time whipping up delicious meals for you, your spouse and your friends. In this room, the senses are generally very fine tuned as you smell your food for the perfect spicing, sip your wine as you cook, or listen to your favorite music to make you feel at ease. This is the room where people also head to fit their cravings, and painted with the wrong color, all of this can go awry.

Red and yellow are two of the most popular colors in fast food chain logos. The reason for this is because they inspire hunger and action. While it is true that you head to the kitchen to make something to eat, having your kitchen painted the wrong color can actually affect your appetite and cause you to eat more than you should. These are two colors to steer clear of.

In the kitchen, keeping colors that allow you to unwind while you cook are a much better option. Take a cue from nature and use the psychologically calming color of green. Green kitchens offer a great place to unwind after a long workday as you prepare a culinary delight as they lend themselves to feelings of relaxation. For a touch of sophistication, add deep purples. Not only do these colors go well together, but the touch of purple will inspire just the right amount of creativity you need to make each meal extra special.

Bedroom
The bedroom is your haven to relax and get your much needed rest before heading out into the hustle and bustle of the world again. Because this is your place to escape, you will want to feel at ease as soon as you enter the space to relax and go to bed each night.

The best color to do this with is blue. Blue inspires a natural feeling of serenity. The color of water and nature, this hue can help you feel as though you are mentally washing away the troubles of the day and going to sleep each night ready to be refreshed when you awake. Studies have shown that people who look at the color blue have actually experienced a slowing of their blood pressure, respiration and heart rate. All of these bodily functions inspired by the peaceful color of blue create an optimal setting for rest.

To use this color right, it is best to avoid blues that are too light or too dark. Lighter blues can give the room a cold and unwelcoming feel, which is the opposite effect of what you want in your bedroom. Dark blues on the other hand can inspire sadness – a feeling no one wants to be surrounded by. Using blues in the middle is the right pick for bedrooms.

Living Room
Your living room and family room are the opposite of your bedroom in that they are places to socialize and converse. When you bring people together in your home, you want to create a warm area where people feel at ease and able to be themselves.

The best way to create this space is with a combination of colors. To start by creating a warm feeling, using neutral colors is best. Whites, tans and greys are perfect colors to use on the walls as they inspire a feeling of calm. To peak conversation, however, using red and yellow accents can brighten a space and make people subconsciously want to converse. This hue helps to boost your heart rate, making it a good color for night time conversations and parties where people stay late.

Bathroom
The bathroom is another very serene room as it is a place generally only used in solitude. For this reason, you should consider the place where you feel most serene. For many people, this is the beach. Using teals, sea foam green and tan colors paired with white towels and accents can make your bathroom more inviting and reminiscent of your favorite days on the beach or in the calming air of nature.

For many people choosing a color scheme is done based on gut reaction. But before you pick your colors for your next home or project, think also about the effect they will have on how you feel.

Tess Pajaron is part of the team behind Open Colleges. Her background stems from her exposure to their family-owned construction business. She is a lover of minimalist modern designs and architecture. On her spare time, she loves to travel.