Interior Design: Hot Bathroom Remodel Trends for 2021

March 24, 2021April 1, 2021

An Interior Designer’s Tips for What’s Hot in 2021 for Master Bathroom Design

Zero Entry (Curbless) Oversized Glass Showers continue to rise in popularity because they visually expand size of your bathroom while also providing a more universal space that’s safer and more usable whether you’re recovering from surgery or are aging in place and want to avoid tripping over a curbed shower.

2. Bold Contemporary Chandeliers not only make a grand statement in your bathroom renovation but they also can update your look by bringing in an unexpected element whether its a more artistic piece or modern like shown here.

3. Marble Tiles never go out of style and bring a timeless appeal to your bathroom that will last for years whether its a classic gray and white or more contemporary color.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Free Standing Tub Ideas for a…

December 17, 2020December 15, 2020

Dreamy Options for Soaking Tubs

Ever dream of soaking in a fabulous free standing tub without a care in the world? Read on for wonderful design possibilities for your bathroom

Karen Mills' blog — Interior design by Karen Mills

Enhance your tub as a focal point with a fabulous chandelier. In this stunning Lenexa master bathroom we designed as part of a remodel, we replaced a solid wall with a glass wall to enhance the view of the tub when entering the space, while also adding a soothing blue wall color beyond and rustic flooring underneath to enhance the relaxing vibe.

2. Add an accent wall behind your tub to add interest. For this master bathroom remodel we did in Overland Park, we ran an accent wall of tile to the ceiling to make the tub pop and show off the grand height of this room. A linen bench and rug help soften the space.

3. Make it Personal In this serene Leawood master bathroom the clients wanted a refuge from their hectic workday so we created a personal spa for them with a wall of candles, teak accessories, white towels, and best of all – a photo of them on the beach.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Big Mistakes to Avoid with Your…

September 14, 2020September 14, 2020

One of our biggest fears as a homeowner is that we will make a costly mistake when remodeling, especially one that could cost thousands of dollars. Read on for 3 HUGE MISTAKES I see repeated over and over as an interior designer who specializes in bathroom remodels

Poor Layout – One of the biggest keys when space planning your bathroom is to ensure it functions well for you. Not only do you need adequate space to move around and access what’s needed without bumping into things but you also want a beautiful bathroom that invites you in for a bathing experience. Here in this gorgeous custom bathroom, we added glass shower walls to make the space feel larger and lighter, while also creating a focal point beyond with a free standing tub and beautiful chandelier with plenty of space to maneuver around.

2. Too Trendy – Even though I love timeless spaces, I have to admit its fun to add a trendy element that’s new. But I only recommend adding a trendy finish if it either enhances the design and if its easily replaced without much expense like a back splash, wall paint, or light fixture.

In this lovely spa bathroom remodel not only did we open up the closed off spaces in this tiny master bathroom in a historic high rise, but we also went with a classic marble finish to create a more timeless look that could last for years instead of adding trendy accent tile that often dates a bathroom quickly.

3. Wrong Finishes – Wrong finishes can be anything from the wrong color, size, or pattern to how all the finishes (cabinetry, paint, tile, light fixtures, etc) come together to create a cohesive whole. The biggest problem I see as an interior designer are the homeowners who chose to do it themselves, but don’t have an eye for design. The final result? Thousands of dollars of investment in what may be beautiful cabinetry, tile, and lighting that just doesn’t play well together.

Here in this calming bathroom we selected finishes that were classic and simple in style to create a calm inviting space that will appeal for years to come.

For more great ideas and photos on bathroom remodels/design or custom design, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

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Interior Design: How to Remodel Your Bathroom to Look…

October 3, 2019February 25, 2021

Remodeling a Tiny Bathroom into a Visually Larger Space

Master bath before remodeling

As an interior designer I think you will find this master bath remodel quite amazing not only because of the transformation of this historic brick high rise built in the early 1900s, but also because of how it visually lives so much larger in the same size space.

When we entered the master bath shown here the space was chopped up by a walled in shower placed in the middle of the room making the space feel cramped, small, and unattractive.

To the right of the shower was a dimly lit dressing area with a small amount of storage that didn’t function well.

To solve this interior design dilemma we ripped out everything but one small closet and started over. By pushing back the shower we gave the bathroom a bigger sense of volume and were able to expand the vanity to accommodate two people instead of one.

As you can see the transformation was amazing! By placing the same marble style tile from Italy on the floor and walls the room suddenly visually expanded into a beautiful timeless space with an over sized shower for two. To help the bathroom live even larger we also eliminated the shower curb and placed a solid glass panel along the front so the shower space virtually disappears.

For the former dressing area I designed a double vanity that also included usable top drawers that wrapped around the plumbing for more storage.

The result? A gorgeous bathroom that ended up in Kitchen Bath Design News – the national design magazine for kitchens and baths.

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Interior Design: 3 Biggest Mistakes We Make in the…

May 9, 2019May 9, 2019

As homeowner one of our biggest fears when remodeling is that we will make a mistake, especially one that could cost thousands of dollars. Read on for 3 common mistakes I notice as an interior designer that homeowners often make in their bathroom remodels.

Poor Layout – One of the biggest keys when space planning your bathroom is to ensure its functional. Not only do you need adequate space to move around and access what’s needed without bumping into things but you also want a beautiful bathroom that invites you to experience it. Here in this gorgeous custom bathroom, we added glass shower walls to make the space feel larger and lighter, while also creating a focal point beyond with a free standing tub and beautiful chandelier with plenty of space to maneuver around.

2. Too Trendy – Even though as an interior designer I admit that I love timeless spaces, have to admit its fun to add a trendy element that’s new. But I only recommend adding a trendy finish if it either enhances the design and if its easily replaced without much expense like a back splash, wall paint, or light fixture.

In this gorgeous bathroom remodel not only did we open up the closed off spaces in this room, but we also went with a classic marble finish to create a more timeless look that could last for 30 years or more instead of adding accent tile that often dates a bathroom more quickly than anything else.

Here in the bathroom we selected finishes that were classic and simple in style to create a calm inviting space that will appeal for years to come.

For more great ideas and photos on bathroom remodels or interior design, sign up for our weekly interior design blog here

Plus become a fan of Kansas City’s interior designer and former host of the Living Large design show, Karen Mills, on
INSTAGRAM and FACEBOOK here!

Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: 3 Ways for Small Bathrooms to Live…

December 15, 2017December 21, 2017

If you’re tired of your cramped small bathroom and considering remodeling here are 3 tips to help your refinished bathroom live larger!

1. Monochromatic color scheme – One of my favorite tricks to make a small bathroom look bigger begins with using one color on all the walls, furniture, floors, and decor such as bright white to give it a fresh clean look and bounce existing light around the room like the photo above.

2. Reflective surfaces – To visually enlarge your small bathroom, use mirrors to reflect light and a shower of glass surfaces to give your space a light airy feel like we did in the shower above.

Adding legs to your vanity like the one above also makes your room feel larger.

Interior design by Karen Mills

3. Increase your floor space – Start by swapping out an existing vanity cabinet for a floating vanity/sink or pedestal style sink (see photo below) or swapping your swinging door for pocket doors or barn doors like the bathroom we completed above.

You can also install your toilet tank in the wall along with more shallow sink vanities or use a floating vanity like above.

For more fabulous bathroom interior design tips, sign up for our blog here

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: Top 4 Bathroom Design Trends of 2018

November 22, 2017November 21, 2017

The bathroom remodel industry has continued to explode this year and doesn’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. As a bathroom designer I’ve been immersed in so many bathroom remodels the past two years I’ve lost count and the phones just keep ringing. But during this season, I’ve noticed four bathroom trends in the U.S. that I believe will continue into 2018.

Clean Lines with a Zen Feel – Hotels and restaurants figured out years ago that ambiance is key for creating an inviting atmosphere and homeowners are starting to crave this inviting look too. To create a simple zen feel, opt for cleaner lines, less pattern, a mix of textures, and vanities that look more like furniture than a boring row of cabinetry along the wall.

2. More Timeless – For years our interior design firm has advocated interior design with staying power in our custom bathrooms but now its becoming a trend as seen in the trend towards classic marble, cleaner lines, less ornate architectural details, simpler tile designs, and less patterns.

3. Luxury – The word luxury doesn’t mean that your bathroom design has to cost a fortune or be stuffy. Luxury can be had through beautiful options like free standing tubs, steam showers, heated floors, custom cabinetry, or technology. Technology could include heated towel racks, a coffee bar, hidden plug ins for hair dryers, adaptable cabinetry for more efficient storage, or remote control window treatments.

4. Rustic Elements Products that fall into this category could include wood walls made of boat wood (duck board or engineered wood flooring, wood surrounds for tubs, concrete vanity tops, concrete wall finishes, river rock vanities, rock floors or walls, stone vessels, or rustic tiles, among others.

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Interior Design/Interior Decorating

Interior Design: The Making of a Beautiful Bathroom

November 10, 2017November 10, 2017

Interior Design: The Making of a Beautiful Bathroom

November 4, 2016

After working as an interior designer on over 1200 projects , I’ve realized that most homeowners have no idea the amount of detail that goes into successfully creating a beautiful bathroom. That’s why today I’m sharing an award winning bathroom project we designed in a collaborative effort with our clients that’s currently being featured by Elle Decor magazine and MSN.

The clients had a wonderful vision of a Hollywood Glam style bathroom and we helped them turn that vision of a timeless classic into reality, while ensuring the bath was also warm, inviting, and up to date.

Since we already had a vision for the Hollywood glam design style, we began by selecting a color scheme from Benjamin Moore.

Karen Mills' blog

The existing fireplace was not being used, so we decided to replace it with a fabulous custom make up cabinet where our client could relax and get ready.

As we began designing the beautiful custom vanities, we made sure they were functional with drawers deep enough to fit requirements for storage and built in electrical outlets for recharging toothbrushes/razors. We did the same thing for the custom make up cabinet, opting for mirrored fronts instead of glass on the upper cabinet doors to hide toiletries and make up.

finishes

Marvel floor tile by Atlas Concorde

shower-tile-configuration-2 shower-in-progress

But we didn’t stop there. Once the walls were up, we sketched plans on exactly how to layout all the different colors and sizes of tile we had selected so we would have just the look we wanted.

The result? A beautiful one of a kind award winning bathroom that our clients enjoy every day that helps reduce stress and make life better!

For more great ideas and photos, sign up for our weekly design blog here!

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