Does the Bathtub Belong in the Middle of the Room?

Julianne Moore's home in New York.  Photo: www.home-designing.com

Recently I used the photo above as a reference when showing a client some ideas for her upcoming bathroom remodel.
I was showing her the photo as inspiration for colors and that this bathroom doesn't look too bathroom-y.  (Yes, that's a word, I just decided).
Anyway, her first question was "Does a bathtub belong in the middle of a room?"
Even though there's no way we'd put her bathtub in the middle of her bathroom (because her room doesn't have the layout for it), we proceeded to look at pictures of bathrooms with bathtubs in the middle for 30 minutes.
In the end I convinced her that yes, a bathtub could go in the middle of a room!

Here are a four of our favorite photos that we came across....

Contemporary Bathroom by Calgary Design-Build Firms Prominent Homes Ltd
 

Traditional Bathroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Matthew MacCaul Turner

Modern Bathroom by Glen Ellyn Kitchen & Bath Remodelers The Kitchen Studio of Glen Ellyn

Contemporary Bathroom by Red Deer Carpet & Flooring Carpet Colour Centre - Carpet One

So tell me, would you design a bathroom so that the tub was in the middle?  Do you like this layout or hate it?

Bathtubs Carved Out of Stone

Maybe it's due to the fact that I am a total geek about stone, but I LOVE bathtubs that are carved out of blocks of stone.
Stone Forest is one of those websites that I could spend hours on, swooning over their products.
Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite bathtubs from their site.

I love the shape of this bathtub. It's called the Rubix Bathtub and is shown in Carrara marble.

Photo: Stone Forest

Next is a Bathtub with a Rolled Rim. Shown in a multi-colored onyx.

Photo: Stone Forest

This Carrara bathtub is called the Papillon. It is my favorite. I sort of want to die over how much I love it.

Photo: Stone Forest

The Absolute Black granite Soaking Tub is pretty amazing. I am more of a lay-in-the-tub sort of gal though, so I don't think I'd spend my hard earned cash on this one....but it sure looks great!

Photo: Stone Forest

This Oval Bathtub in Absolute Black granite is polished on the inside and on the rim, and is chiseled on the outside. I love the look that this creates. I also love the setting of this particular tub on the pebbles, it's a great look.

Photo: Stone Forest

Last is the Old World Bathtub shown in Rasalia marble.

Photo: Stone Forest

All the bathtubs are custom made to order, on their website they show their lead time at about 3 weeks. You choose the stone that you would like to have your bathtub made out of.
I'm going to go ahead and assume these are pretty pricey, so I'll keep dreaming and swooning over their website for now.

Slab Sunday: Rojo Alicante Marble

Rojo Alicante comes from a bedrock quarry near Novelda, Spain.

It is a red marble with white veining. The white veins are concentrations of white and clear calcite.  The red can sometimes lean more toward orange, pink or browns, so be sure to pick out your exact slabs!

Traditional Bathroom by Minneapolis Architects & Designers David Heide Design Studio

 

Contemporary Bathroom by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc.

Traditional Bathroom by Wayzata General Contractors Hendel Homes

Other names for Rojo Alicante include:  Rosa Alicante, Alicante Red, Alicante, Alicate Rosso, Roggo Alicante, Roja Alicante, Rojo Alicata, Rossoalicante, Rouge Alicante and Rosso Alicante.

Photo: Classic Design Stone.

 I love this gorgeous kitchen from Baker Marble and Granite.  The edge detail with the mosaic tile is awesome! 

Mediterranean Bathroom by Bonita Springs Architects & Designers Sater Design Collection, Inc.

Traditional Kitchen by San Francisco Interior Designers & Decorators Jerry Jacobs Design, Inc.

Rojo Alicante is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs.

Whiteout Wednesday: 5 Contemporary White Baths

White kitchens and baths are definitely the hottest trend I am seeing right now. It's also the subject I get asked about the most. From white Carrara marble to white quartz there is a lot to consider when using white countertops.
Whiteout Wednesday is a weekly feature where I show five kitchens and/ or baths that have used white in a beautiful way.
If you have a white kitchen or bath that you would like to see featured here please email me.
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Contemporary Bathroom design by New York Architect Eisner Design LLC

Photo: Interior Design

Contemporary Bathroom design by Toronto Photographer Brandon Barré

Contemporary Bathroom design by San Francisco Architect Hart Wright Architects, AIA

Contemporary Bathroom design by Vancouver Interior Designer Space Harmony

Slab Sunday: Vein Cut Silver Travertine

Silver Travertine is quarried in Italy.

 

Photo: Counter Culture

 In this post we will be focusing on Vein Cut Silver Travertine.  The Vein Cut slabs are really popular right now.
Vein cut is the linear pattern.  To read the difference between Vein Cut vs Cross cut go here.

Photo: Walker Zanger

Designed by Steven Gambrel.  Photo: Elle Decor.

 Silver Travertine is a beautiful warm and grey stone.  There are quarries Turkey and Iran that produce a silver travertine as well, but what we mainly use here is the Italian Silver Travertine.

Photo: Kitchen Clarity

Beautiful conference room, they made the floor and table base the focal point instead of the actual table.  It's a great look.

Photo: Marble of the World

Other names for Silver Travertine include: Siena Silver, Silver Screen, Ocean Silver and Amorium Silver.

Photo: By Design Builders via Houzz.

Here's a picture of the block of travertine before it's been cut and processed. 

Photo: Alibaba

Incredible sink and bathtub from Stone Forest that are made from blocks of Silver Travertine.

Photo: Stone Forest

Photo: Artistic Stoneworks

Usually we see Silver Travertine used in pretty contemporary spaces.  As you can see in the photo below, it doesn't have to be the case.  This stone looks great with the Ogee edge detail and with the more southwest looking tile.

Photo: Pacific Stoneworks

Photo: Italy Stone Marble

Silver Travertine is available in 2 cm and 3 cm slabs as well as tile.

FAQ Friday: What is the Difference Between Vein Cut and Cross Cut Travertine?

There are two common ways to cut travertine.  "Vein Cut" and "Cross Cut".  Both are the same stone, they just cut the block differently.
With Vein Cut stone they cut against the bedding so the plane is revealed.  This gives the stone the amazing linear pattern. 
Cross Cut (also called Fleuri Cut) is cut along the bedding plane.  This cut reveals a "flowery", sometimes circular pattern.  Most travertines on the market, especially in tile, are Cross Cut.

Here are some examples of Vein Cut Travertine...

Vein Cut Silver Travertine.  Photo: Counter Culture.

Photo: Alaturca Natural Stones

Photo: Kitchen Clarity

 Below are some pictures of Cross Cut Travertine so you can see the difference.

Photo: Andean Stone Company

Mediterranean Bathroom design by San Francisco General Contractor RJ Dailey Construction Co.

Mexican Noce travertine.  Photo: MGS by Design.

5 Striped Bathrooms

I love a good stripe.  I think it's a unique and clean look that is beautiful in a bath.
Here are 5 baths that have used stripes in a creative way...

These first two photos are from the same home.  It's an apartment in Paris owned by Interior Designer Jean-Louis Denoit.  See the entire home on Elle Decor.  The Kitchen and the Living Room Fireplace are just stunning.
The picture below is the Guest Bath.  The striped wall and ceiling are actually strips of French Limestone and Lagos Azul Limestone.  Isn't it amazing?!  The tub deck is a slab of the Lagos Azul limestone.  

Photo: Elle Decor

Below is the Master Bath.   The cabinetry is painted to mimic the plaster-fluted walls.

Photo: Elle Decor

This next bath was designed by S.R. Gambrel. The Vein Cut Travertine provides stripes in the shower and on the vanity countertop.

Photo: S.R. Gambrel

One of my all-time favorite stones is the Equator Marmara marble.  I love how they used it as slab on the countertop and tile on the wall and floor in the bathroom below designed by James Michael Howard.  There are lots of stripes but I think they designed it in a way that they don't fight and it's not overwhelming.

Photo: James Michael Howard

  Last we have this gorgeous Powder Bath.  The vertical tile almost looks like a waterfall. 

Spaces design by San Francisco Interior Designer Artistic Designs for Living, Tineke Triggs

What do you think of all the stripes?  Would you use stripes in your bath?

FAQ Friday: Is Marble More Expensive Than Granite?

You would think so right?
A lot of people assume marble and limestone are quite a bit more expensive than granite.
That's not necessarily true!
Natural stone has quite a few factors that determine the price.  Origin, availability, and a yield of a given quarry are the main factors.
With both granite and marble there is a broad spectrum of pricing. 
The popular Emperador Dark and Carrara marbles are both similar in pricing to a group 2 priced granite like Giallo Veneziano.

Beautiful Emperador Dark marble on the tub deck in this traditional bathroom design

If you like the look of marble (and are okay with the maintenance) don't disregard it because you think it will be too expensive.  It may just be right in your budget!

White marble in a Traditional Kitchen design by Birmingham Photographer Sylvia Martin

Darling Grandkids Bath with Carrara Marble from MGS by Design

I'm still working on showing you guys all of the pictures from the Parade Home we did this summer.  This was a big house, so I'm breaking it up into quite a few posts.
In case you've missed what I've posted so far, here's a recap...

• Silver Travertine in the Master Bath.  Oak Bamboo quartzite in the Master Closet.
• Carrara Marble Powder Bath & Galaxy Black Great Room Fireplace.
• Chocolate Truffle CaesarStone in the Guest Bath & Laundry Room. 
• Absolute Black & Australian Reef Granite in the Kitchen.

This home is gorgeous, so take the time to catch up if you need to.

Today we are on to the Grandkids Bath.  That's what I'm calling it anyway and you'll see why.  While working on this job I always referred to it as the 'Loft Bath', so when I went to the home to take pictures after it was all finished I was so surprised by this adorable bath!

Yep, that's a firetruck bathtub!
Of course I love the Carrara marble and the fun yellow and green accent tiles, but that firetruck bathtub was such a fun surprise to me!  I'm a 30-something year old woman that was excited to see this tub.....think of how much their grandkids probably love it? 

We did the polished Carrara marble countertop on the vanity.  The edge detail is the 1 1/2" Ogee Bullnose.

Countertops: MGS by Design
Interior Design: Clayton Thompson (He doesn't have a website, email me if you'd like his contact info).
Home Builder: Peterson Builders