In American culture, the bathroom is a fairly utilitarian space: take a quick shower in the morning, brush your teeth, do your business, rinse, repeat. This is starting to change somewhat with the growing popularity of luxury bathrooms, but even so-called spa bathrooms are mostly seen as a place to unwind and get a little R&R. But luxury bathroom design offers a wealth of opportunities to crea

For a long time, toilet design has stayed pretty much the same. From around the time the flush toilet was perfected in the late 1800s up until the new water consumption regulations of the 1990s, a toilet was, more or less, a toilet. But the last 20 years have seen dramatic innovation in terms of toilet functionality, and even more recently – within the last few years – an evolution in

Yesterday I mentioned that home improvement projects are making a big comeback in 2013. It’s going to be a good year to remodel, renovate, fix up, or update your home, but the common thread between all the most common projects is eco friendliness and sustainability. If you’re looking to green your home this year but aren’t quite sure where to start, here are a few types of “

There are plenty of things to get excited about if you’re doing a big bathroom remodel, but I’m willing to bet that getting a new toilet isn’t at the top of your list. After all, most people don’t think of their toilets as pretty, assuming they think about their toilets at all. As a nation, we don’t even like to say the word toilet. In fact, we tend to think of the wo

Today we got our first real snow up here in the frozen north, and waking up to all that white powder (and a home that’s a few degrees colder than I might like) got me to thinking about ways to keep warm this winter. I’ve already raided my spiced tea stash and fought the cat for a fuzzy blanket, but I’ve also come up with a few home improvements to help beat the cold that don̵

The green movement is in full swing, especially when it comes to bathrooms. Homes and businesses across the country are switching to water saving options to try to reduce water consumption (and sewage expenses), but one of the best ways to do so is one you might not have even heard of. Waterless urinals dramatically reduce water consumption in your bathroom (residential or commercial) while also m

If you subscribe to any home and garden magazines, or spend any time surfing HGTV, you’ve probably noticed wall toilets creeping into designer bathrooms all over the place. These are toilets with tanks installed directly into the wall, and bowls that don’t touch the ground, suspended beautifully on the wall in a nice compact package. But many people believe these types of toilets are n

Seasons come and go and design trends change right along with them. So even if you’re in the habit of updating your home regularly, last year’s words of wisdom usually don’t still apply. And if it’s been even longer since you’ve updated your bathroom, it can be even harder to figure out what’s hot and what’s not. As we chug along towards the new year, I wa

In the last two hundred years, the concept of the indoor bathroom has evolved from not existing at all to being one of the most popular places in the home to do a luxury remodel. These days, many homeowners are looking back to the opulence of the past to help create a relaxing, decadent getaway. The Victorian Era is one that most people think fondly of, and the one that people most often turn to f

I have a pretty eclectic design taste, but when it comes to a modern design, I strongly prefer styles that are more elegant than angular, eschewing geometric, utilitarian designs in favor of more artistic minimal lines. You can only imagine how happy I am to discover that one of the most famous modern bathroom designers in Europe has finally started to become available in the US. Laufen is a Swiss