Happy Friday everyone! This beautiful summer weather has just been lovely on the wast coast, and it’s been inspiring some truly great designs out there in the bathroom renovation world. So, of course, we’re back with another Weekly Round-Up! This week focuses more on DIY tips to really get your creative juices flowing. Maybe this weekend will finally be the one wherein you tackle that bathroom design project you’ve been postponing, or perhaps it will be a marvelous brainstorming weekend for you! Embrace the possibilities!
In this edition, you’ll read about: the coolest, sort of creepy modern bathroom design we’ve seen in a long time; small bathroom renovation tips and tricks that will yield lots of productivity with minimal effort; DIY towel racks to replace boring chrome towel bars; a study on cluttered rooms and how they affect our stress levels; and finally, a creative re-purposing of a classic bathroom accessory.
So let’s get going! This week’s Round-Up is a fun one and will surely leave you inspired. Have a happy and safe Friday and we’ll see you again next week!
1. Big Bonaparte is Watching
How’s this for an “out there” design? Nearly bordering on the voyeuristic, this bold modern style is nonetheless very intriguing. You might even call it breathtaking. The Bonaparte bust is made of hundreds of individual wall tiles and is split longitudinally down the center, opening up on your bathroom workspace for a really compelling design effect that draws you in. Dark colors clash with light, glass cascades into tile, LED lights create a soft and soothing blue glow, and everything comes together in one of the more fascinating modern bathroom designs we’ve ever seen. Check it out in the pictures at the link above! Creepy? Cool? Or Creepy-Cool?
2. Small and Easy Tricks to Make Your Bathroom Renovation Easier
Via Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Seattle PI addresses the growing trend of DIY renovations in America, and suggests some very helpful, small, “get started” tips to help you kick off your new remodeling project. They touch on some tips that get discussed all the time, as well as a few smaller and more unique suggestions such as beveled mirrors, curved shower rods (gives you more elbow room!), decorative frosted glass shower doors, and others. Small changes can lead to a HUGE impact on your bathroom design!
3. DIY Towel Racks to Make Your Bathroom Brilliant
Via Decoist
Are your bathroom towel hooks and hangers leaving you feeling a little… blah? Then you should definitely look through this article on Decoist, which exhibits some really inventive and lovely DIY towel racks that are easy to make, install, and enjoy! At TWI we especially like the rustic, real-wood grain towel hangers, though we recognize that this look may not suit every bathroom. Which is your favorite?
4. Is Home Organization Stressing You Out?
Via HuffPo
Is your home’s clutter stressing you out? If you’re anything like 84% of people who recently responded to a Huffington Post survey, then the perceived clutter and mess in your home is in the back of your mind, adding on to your anxieties. Of those 84%, notably, 55% named organization and clutter issues in their home as a primary source of stress in their lives. This makes home organization concerns roughly as stressful as unexpected expenses, not spending enough time with loved ones, and not spending enough time on oneself. These findings are in keeping with past research, which found that cluttered home environments led to increased production of cortisol, the “stress” hormone. If you’re stressed out, try taking a little time to organize your bathroom!
5. Shower Caddy, Turned Kitchen Caddy: Re-purposing Your Bathroom Accessories
Via Down to Earth Style
At Trade Winds Imports, we just love it when people get creative with their home accessories. So of course, we just loved what Holly over at Down To Earth Style did with her old shower caddy. These caddies were taking up space in her linen closet (see: Clutter causes stress, above), so Holly got proactive and creative! She cleaned them up, attached them to a kitchen island, loaded them up with seasonings, and then called it a day. Super simple, super creative, super effective… it’s just thrilling when things like this come together. Hopefully Holly’s creativity can help you inspire some creativity of your own! Re-purpose and re-use old accessories and let us know about it. We may feature you in our blog!
That’s it for now. Until next time, we hope you have a fantastic week! Get out there and be creative in your bathrooms!
The Weekly Round Up is collected and commentated by Michael Bowman. He loves home improvement projects, writing, cool designs, and he has crippling anxiety over the amount of clutter in his master bathroom.