bathroom – KAREN MILLS

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: 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/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.

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