FOOD FOR THOUGHT #4 - Why aren’t more powder rooms (and public restrooms) purse-friendly?

It happens all the time… I’m at a Barnes & Noble, Outback Steakhouse or Best Buy and there’s nowhere clean or dry to rest my purse while I wash my hands. You have a strap on that bag, so why not just hang it on your arm, you ask…

Well, that doesn’t work terribly well if I want to find whatever has inevitably migrated to said bag's least accessible corner. Usually, it’s my lip gloss or nail polish for touch ups. Murphy’s Law of Purses dictates that whatever one needs is always going to be buried at the bottom. I have found this to be cruelly and consistently true!

This anti-purse problem isn’t unique to public restrooms either. Many powder rooms, (and, sometimes, guest baths), I visit have the same shortcoming. The main difference is that I’m less squeamish about setting my purse down on a friend’s or relative’s bathroom floor or toilet tank than a public space's.

Still, there are numerous solutions to this problem that before now you didn’t even realize you had. (Aren’t you glad you stopped by!) I offer the following suggestions as a public service to all of your purse-wielding visitors and house guests.


Solution #1: If you have some floor space available, consider a small, rectangular side table or bath cart that coordinates with your décor. You can find them at your favorite furniture store, home center or even discount chain stores like Target.

Affordable, contemporary bath solution - 3 Tier Jumbo Cart from Bed, Bath & Beyond

Transitional choice adds a storage shelf below - Marin Side Table at Crate & Barrel

Luxe traditional bath choice adds great storage - Mirage Side Tables from Horchow

Solution #2: If you don’t have floor space, consider a wall shelf. Install it in a spot that won’t get easily bumped or interfere with outlets or towel hooks. This could be on a wall near the sink or above your toilet tank. (This second location calls for a shelf that isn’t deeper than the tank itself so you don’t bang into it when standing up.)

Sleek shelves for modern baths - West End's Paxton Wall Shelf

Rustic elegance for traditional baths - Glass Shelf by Restoration Hardware

Transitional bath shelves - Cafe Shelving from Ballard Designs

Solution #3: If neither is possible, consider adding a double robe hook to the back of a non-pocket door or a nearby wall. This works for hanging purses and coats, (another item that sometimes needs a hygienic resting spot!), or small purses without straps that can rest on the double hook instead of sitting on a wet counter.

Modern Bath Solution - JVJ Hardware Prism Pewter Double Robe Hook on Bellacor.com

Rustic hooks for transitional baths - Pottery Barn's Wire and Wood Double Hook

Double hook for a classic traditional bath - Bancroft Double Robe Hook by Kohler

There are so many choices in each of these categories that can match your décor, space availability and budget that you have virtually no excuse not to invest in at least one of them! That’s all I’m saying.

Welcome to Chez J - Update #1

As many of my readers know, I moved back to Southern California last year after a decade away. (Oh, how I missed you, Golden State!) I had long wanted to live in San Diego and finally made that dream come true. I'm so glad I did, as living here has been even more wonderful than I imagined it could be.

I found my new home last summer, and after a protracted buying process, moved into "Chez J," a three-story South Bay town house, the day before Thanksgiving. (I had so much to be thankful for. Still do!)

The place was built in 2006 and in mostly move-in condition. This enables me to take my time in making it mine. I have a long wish list, but find myself short on time to coordinate it all. I also have to be careful not to over-improve the place, as I always advise my clients against doing!

I've already made some small updates, like getting my beautiful Brizo Talo faucet installed in the kitchen and a new light fixture, shower rod, rings, curtain, cabinet hardware, a small wall storage cabinet and accessories for my own en suite bath. (I just couldn't stand looking at the ugly stuff any longer!)

My main focus has been the powder room, since it's the smallest room in the house, thus the quickest to update. Here's what I've achieved there so far, working part-time around projects and deadlines.

You'll note that my taste is simple, not exotic. I'm not looking to make a statement, just to create a comfortable, functional, appealing (to me, at least!) space.

I changed out the builder basic faucet, towel bar, mirror, light bar and TP holder. I added an accent rug to coordinate with the paint I'm planning for it and a bath cart to hold tissues, guest towels and the soap dispenser that won't fit on the too-small pedestal sink.

That sink is due for a future change, too! Maybe to this Bancroft pedestal from Kohler, maybe to something similar. I like its simple lines and the wide top that gives plenty of room for faucet and soap dispenser!




This is my new faucet from Huntington Brass, suggested to me by plumbing guru Dennis Hargraves at Fixtures. I really like its clean, retro lines!




My new light fixture looks like this Restoration Hardware Dillon Double Sconce, but cost less than $100 at Home Depot! I like how its square lines echo the faucet's.




My new mirror, also a home center steal, pivots like this one, but has sleeker posts to better coordinate with the sleek faucet and light fixture.




This Burnished Brandy by Sherwin-Williams will probably be the powder room paint color. (Of course, your monitor settings might not display its warm, chocolatey tones.)


Eventually, the powder room flooring and that of the adjacent hall, living room, kitchen and dining room will all be wood. While I love dark floors, I think this engineered Amber Valley Oak from Lumber Liquidators -- or something like it from one of my trade sources -- will work better in my space. (A very similar wood floor looked great with my furniture in Florida, and was very easy to live with!)




In the meantime, a brown/blue edged area rug (in the back of the image below) from Bed, Bath & Beyond covers much of the boring 12-inch, tan ceramic tile.



When the new paint goes on, I'll share some powder room pics. I won't make you wait for the wood floors or new pedestal sink... Promise!

Sensible Style Kitchens and Baths for Home Sellers

This is a special edition of Sensible Style, one geared toward the thousands of homeowners wanting - or needing - to sell their average, everyday homes, condos or townhouses, the kind you find scattered through neighborhoods everywhere. (It's not intended for the mansion set!)

It's also a "preview" of a seminar I'll be presenting at the Del Mar Home Show on Friday, October 15, 2010, and of a possible e-book (or printed volume).

You can now also get a Sensible Style consultation for the home you want to sell, either in person in the San Diego area, or electronically in other parts of the country. Contact me at 760-705-8319 or jamie@jgkitchens.com for details.

As a house seller and house hunter myself, as well as a professional kitchen and bath designer, I can share tips from every perspective... How your home looks to a buyer. What reads well and what doesn't. How to boost the perceived value of your place, especially in its crucial kitchen and master bath areas.

My goal for this Sensible Style Kitchens and Baths for Home Sellers post is to help you sell your place quicker, and for more money. The tips here are all low-cost and can improve how your home shows to prospective buyers without a major investment of materials or labor.

In fact, most of the resources included in this post are available through The Home Depot, (except where noted). Most are regularly-stocked items there, too, though what is stocked varies by region.

One note: These tips are geared toward transitional and traditional homes, rather than contemporary. That's because more homes on the market fit into those two categories. There are certainly options like these available for modern homes, and I offer Sensible Style consultations for contemporaries, too.

So, let's get started on getting your home sold sooner, and for more money!


Paint: First, lasting impression

This is one of the first things buyers will notice about your place, and one of the most affordable to change. Realtors always rave about "neutrals throughout," but neutrals aren't the mainstay of the magazines, websites, catalogs and even the model homes buyers look at through the home selection process.

Even neutrals are showing up now in deeper, richer tones - e..g, coffee rather than beige, and new neutral definitions include woodsy greens like sage. The more your rooms resemble current, stylish home images, the quicker your place will sell.

Use color schemes shown in popular magazine spreads or at upscale retailers. Restoration Hardware has a nice, rich palette that I like to work with.

Choose a rich palette, like the Restoration Hardware selections, for an affordable upgrade.

For suggestions on which paints go with which cabinets and countertops, please check out this earlier Winning Color Combinations Sensible Style post.

Lighting: Let there be improvements!

I've replaced hundreds of bare bones light bars in six years of bath remodels. Do yourself a favor and replace yours if it looks like this one. Choose a model that works with the other finishes in the room, but adds some updated style. It's cheap. It's easy. It's one of the simplest improvements you can make to your bathrooms, especially the master!

You wouldn't be seen naked in your bathroom before a prospective buyer; why should your bulbs???

Add style with this World Imports Satin Nickel Bath Bar instead.

Flooring: Potential trouble afoot?

Flooring is often perceived as a big ticket item, and it can be in many instances. I'm currently renting a condo with ugly sheet vinyl flooring in the kitchen. Had I chosen to buy this place, that would have ka-chinged big time in my brain. Will your kitchen and bath floors resonate with your prospective buyers, so they'll be seeing good looks, rather than "gotta change this" when they walk through?

This old school resilient flooring won't resonate with buyers.

These Ceramica Exodus 12 x 12 Resilient Tiles by Trafficmaster would be an easy-install upgrade.

And this budget Marazzi Montagna Lugano 16 x 16 Porcelain Tile is an even better choice.

Bonus: If you opt for ceramic or porcelain tile flooring and add a coordinating backsplash, you'll up the perceived value of your kitchen even more. Many of the trims and mosaics that go with stock porcelain or ceramic tiles are also in stock for an easy, affordable upgrade.

This is one of the in-stock accent tile options that coordinates with the Marazzi porcelain floor tile. It can make a kitchen-enhancing backsplash an easy, affordable option.

Windows: Covering yourself

To me, nothing says cheap like aluminum mini blinds. (They also get bent easily by folks checking out your views.) Buyers look at them and imagine their replacements being a custom - i.e., expensive - change. It doesn't have to be. I like two-inch white faux wood blinds as a reasonable alternative to custom shutters. They'll look like an upgrade when you're selling, but many common sizes can be found in stock at home centers.

Aluminum mini blinds are outdated, unattractive and take away from your views.

Opt for 2" Faux wood blinds instead, like these DesignView Grandwoods in many stock sizes.

Another cheap-looking window treatment is plastic vertical blinds, especially on windows. (I see them all the time on patio doors.) You can use faux woods on windows, as noted above. I'd suggest long, wide fabric window panels as the most affordable option for doors. They're widely available in discount stores like Target, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Ikea, as are the rods to hang them on. Go simple and solid in a natural fabric like white cotton to offset your richly-colored, newly painted walls.

This Woolrich Grommet Window Pair from Target is a visual upgrade from plastic vertical blinds for your patio doors. Keep them open during showings.

Hardware: An easy upgrade

Cheap plastic hardware will make your cabinets look cheap themselves. No hardware (except on sleek modern cabinets) can have the same effect. Replacing them can be easy and affordable if you stay with the same spread, (i.e., hole to hole distance), to avoid repairs to the doors and drawer fronts. Or you can choose hardware that covers the old holes if you're changing sizes. I replaced knobs with bin pulls on my last home's kitchen drawers, which achieved the desired result without a drop of wood putty! Nice hardware can really dress up builder grade cabinets; consider it jewelry for your kitchen or bath!

You wouldn't spot these in a Parade of Homes tour home!

Dress up your cabinets with brushed nickel Amerock Inspirations Plain Pulls for a not-so-plain upgrade.

Faucets: Style turn on opportunity

Another turn-off is plastic-handled faucets in your kitchen or bath. They'll be noticed immediately and read low budget to your buyers. Sink faucets are very easy and inexpensive to change out.

They're cheap. They're ugly. And they're in kitchens from coast to coast.

Give your prospective buyers a sleek Delta Cicero pull-out faucet with soap dispenser, too, for an easy, richer-looking faucet impression.

The single-handle plastic knob faucet is in bathrooms everywhere and enhances none of them!

This Kohler Archer faucet easily replaces the abomination above and instantly upgrades your bath!

Tub and shower faucets are not as easy to replace, unless you can get ones that fits the existing valves. One way to tell if this will be possible is to note the manufacturer name on your current faucets, take a photo of them to your nearest home center and look at their special order books. If they show your model, they'll also show its valve and you may be able to find a new set that works with that same one. If so, that's an easy handyman replacement. (I did it at my last house for less than $200, including parts and labor.)


Details: Little ones can make a big difference

Though they won't deter a buyer, there are a couple of small details you can improve that will make your place look a bit richer. One is replacing the white plastic flush valve that comes with just about every builder toilet I've ever seen for one that matches your other hardware.

A decorative flush lever, like this Moen Banbury, will upgrade your bathroom instantly. Consider it for a powder room, and if your toilet is in a highly visible location in the master bath.

Another easy change is replacing those dreadful plastic shower hooks with better-looking metal ones that fit the style of your bath.

Shower Curtain Rings with Bearings or other coordinating styles and finishes, will improve the look for your bathroom.

Topping things off

Changing countertops can be an expensive proposition, but changing what's sitting on them doesn't need to be. Consider stainless steel countertop appliances and limit them to just one or two. Nothing else needs to sit out at all. Plastic drainboards and soap bottles are a definite detractor.

Your budget may not allow for stainless steel appliances, but a stainless steel toaster oven you can take with you can add countertop eye candy to your kitchen. This one by Breville at Williams-Sonoma features convection cooking, as well.

Other upgrades

Fluffy white bath towels and mat will read "spa" to prospective buyers and also contrast richly with your new paint color. So will brushed metal, natural wood (that doesn't clash with your cabinetry) or woven accessories, like bamboo tissue holders or wicker trash can. Remove anything that screams Walmart or Motel 6.

This Bamboo Square Bath Ensemble by simplehuman at Bed, Bath & Beyond will instantly add natural, updated style to your bath.

Final thought

Declutter. Declutter. Declutter. I was looking at an otherwise spacious townhome this week with ridiculously-overstuffed closets. It gave the impression that there wasn't enough storage in the place. Whatever doesn't fit in neatly, allowing both doors to open easily, needs to be stored somewhere else. The same holds true for linen towers, kitchen cabinets and bath vanities.

Details #5 - Finishing Touches

This is the final installment of a five-part, first week of the month series with The Decorating Diva. Each focuses on a single room detail that can make a huge difference in the success of that space's style.

Last month we looked at hardware. (See links for the full series at the end of this post.) This segment focuses on those last little details that sometimes go unfunded or get overlooked. Think about the last time you walked into a darling powder room, only to notice plastic clips on the mirror or an ugly white switch plate. Or try to imagine this bathroom with plastic towel holders? (As its designer, I try not to!)

Master bath by Jamie Goldberg Kitchen and Bath Design, LLC

Design is in the details. So this edition of Details focuses on finishing touches.


Mirrors

We look at them every morning when we comb our hair, but when was the last time you really looked at yours? Are the edges chipped or rusting? Does your mirror lack a frame? Mirrors glued to the wall are tricky and hazardous to remove, but can be framed for a richer look. Clip-on mirrors or builder grade medicine cabinet mirrors can be more easily replaced. For a couple of hundred dollars or less, you can give your bathroom a much, much better look!

For a great splurge, check out this beauty. (I want one in my next home!)

It's a mirror. It's a television. It's a stylistic and engineering marvel. It's a Seura!

I can see this Crate & Barrel Largo mirror really enhancing a bath with cinnamon cherry cabinets.

Pottery Barn's Kensington Mirror creates an instant bathroom upgrade

Installed Accessories

Chances are, your home has some permanently-installed accessories in one or more room that are taking away from their appeal. Examples include dime store kitchen paper towel holders, plastic flush levers on your toilets, plastic towel bars in your bathroom and builder basic switchplate covers. These are easy DIY upgrade opportunities on their own, or should be factored into any larger remodel plans you're making.

Flush out ugly tank levers with coordinating versions, like this Brantford model from Moen

Vent your home fashion frustrations with a stylish register cover, like this Scroll model from Restoration Hardware.

Switch to better-looking outlet covers, like these Porcelain beauties from Rejuvenation... Perfect for a retro bath!

Countertop Accessories

This is the easiest, most affordable, no tools or handyman required, update you can make to a kitchen or bath. If your canisters or drinking glasses are looking dated, visit your favorite home goods store or web site for an instant upgrade. They tend to be smaller, lower cost items, so changing out every few years isn't a budget buster. (Donate your old set to a charity, please!) They're also a great way to add color, texture and a new style component to your space.

Give your bath modern, international flair with Jonathan Adler's Berlin accessories

Add pared-down elegance to your bath with Pottery Barn's Quinn Beaded bath accessories.

Form meets function in these stainless steel canisters at The Container Store.

Countertop Appliances

What is your toaster or coffee maker saying about your kitchen? I'm tired... I'm old... I'm bargain basement? Countertop appliances are also easy upgrades, albeit a little more expensive. The first principle of countertop appliances, however, is store the ones you don't use daily. The only appliances that should sit out are part of your morning or dinner routine. If the food processor or stand mixer only gets used once a month or so, it doesn't need to take up room on your countertops. For those essentials you do use daily, consider models that add functionality and style to your kitchen.

Give your kitchen coffee bar style and flexibility with this Cuisinart Coffee on Demand machine at Williams-Sonoma.

Think of it as a toaster on steroids! This Breville Countertop Convection Oven, also at Williams-Sonoma, is so much more. I want one of these, too!

Breville also makes a top-rated, darned good looking juicer! Available through Amazon.com.

Enjoy the entire Details series!

Details #1 - The Lighting Edition
Details #2 - The Faucet Edition
Details #3 - Fabrics and Fibers
Details #4 - The Hardware Edition
Details #5 - Finishing Touches