Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

One of the main reasons people remodel kitchens is to add more storage. Of course, just because you’re remodeling doesn’t mean your house has gotten any bigger. You have to focus on ways to make the most of your space. One way is by designing narrow racks into the backs of your cabinet doors. What could you hold in such a limited space? How about a cutting board? This cabinet door from Kraftmaid is made to hold a rectangular cutting board. That means one more thing you don’t have to worry about leaving out on the counter or throwing on top of the refrigerator. Let’s hear it for more storage!

http://www.kraftmaid.com

If you’ve decided to remodel your kitchen, you may be thinking of adding a cooktop independent to the oven (they’re popular additions to kitchen islands), but what kind do you want? Today, you can choose from gas, electric, and induction cooktops. So, what’s the difference?

Gas cooktops are favorites among professional chefs because they start up quickly, cook evenly, and are easy to control. Many homeowners choose coil-style electric cooktops, because they are less expensive. They heat up quickly but they are slow to cool, and they can be more costly than gas cooktops to operate. Today ceramic-glass cooktops (also electric) are popular because they make cleaning easy with their smooth glass surfaces. In the last couple years, induction cooktops have gained in popularity, too, for their sleek look and safety features. Because induction technology heats the cookware and not the cooktop, it’s impossible to burn yourself on the element. Like gas cooktops, they heat quickly and offer precise control, but because the technology is still fairly new, they are more expensive than the other kinds of cooktops.

Source: Design Ideas for Kitchens

Tired of boring white bath tubs? Well, here’s an idea: take an animal hide, wrap it around your tub, and voila: zebras in the bathroom. Can you hear the call of the grassy plains of Africa yet? Signature Hardware offers both zebra- and cow-hide “skirts” for their 85-gallon, free-standing tubs. If you have doubts about whether the hides are the real thing… well, the mane is still attached to the zebra one. Note: if you buy this tub, it might not be a good idea to invite your animal-activist friends to use your bathroom. The price for this quirky luxury? $4,995. That, of course, includes tub and skirt.

Signature Hardware

I’ll give you a hint: you sit on it. It’s a couch, sort of. Created by Scandinavian design company Lyx (the Swedish word for luxury), Topografi Seating offers a flexible system with three sections: Straight, Exchange, and End. These modules can be taken apart and combined in unique ways to create seating that perfectly suits you and your family (or those closest friends you dearly want to impress with your cutting edge furniture). Depending on the materials you choose, the fancy couch can work both indoors and outdoors. The price is $1650 per section (four sections shown here).

http://www.lyx.com via http://www.designjournalmag.com

If you’re one of those people who stomps on spiders, you can just move along. This gadget isn’t for you. The spider catcher is for anyone looking for a spider-friendly way to get them out of the house, because you don’t want to harm the little beasties (or maybe you just don’t want to clean up the mess you get from squishing them). The spider catcher is basically a stick with a pistol-grip handle and trigger on one end and a bunch of bristles on the other. You squeeze the lever to open bristles, position them over the spider, then let go of the lever quickly. The spider is caught by the bristles when they sweep together. Then you can carry the whole contraption outside and squeeze the lever again to release the spider to roam somewhere else.

http://www.spidercatcher.net/ via HGTV’s I Want That

Ok, so you’ve just installed beautiful hardwood floors (or maybe it’s on the to-do list), and maybe you’re looking for a way to accent them. You wouldn’t want to cover them up entirely, but rugs can help define areas by breaking up the floor, and they’re also nicer under foot than cold wood or tile. Of course, you can get rugs at Home Depot, but some generic off-the-shelf pattern might not be to your tastes. The Rug Company’s “Grand Rose,” by designer Diane von Furstenberg, is an example of what you can get from a specialty seller. It’s made from Tibetan wool and features everybody’s favorite flower (or at least the most well known flower).

http://therugcompany.info

Architects, interior designers, general contractors–who does what and whom do you need? Let’s take a look at the roles of each in a remodeling job:

Architects – These professionals plan, design, and oversee the new construction for major remodeling projects. They know how and what to build to maintain the structural integrity of your house. You’ll need one if your project involves moving or eliminating walls or an otherwise extensive makeover.

Interior Designers — These folks specialize in making the room visually appealing. They know what matches what and what styles go with what features. They can be a big help in selecting everything from fixtures to paint colors, but they do not generally have construction expertise.

General Contractors — These hard-working professionals typically work from the plans drawn up by architects. They oversee the project, handling everything from getting permits to hiring and dealing with subcontractors (like electricians and plumbers).

Some other specialists you may encounter are certified designers that usually are professionals in one area. For example, a Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) is schooled in all aspects of kitchen design, everything from creating layouts to buying materials to handling wiring and plumbing. Depending on the project, he or she may be able to take the jobs of both architect and general contractor.

No matter which professional you choose, make sure your design sensibilities mesh before deciding to hire someone. When you’re spending thousands of dollars for the home of your dreams, you want the whole process to be a dream, not a nightmare.

Source: Design Ideas for Kitchens

Sometimes we talk about designer products that add elegance and class to your home. And… sometimes we don’t. This toilet seat is perfect for a cat lover or perhaps a kid’s bathroom, but you’ve got to have a sense of humor to appreciate it. The “Kiki” is made by Bemis Toilet Seats, one of several seats they offer featuring painted covers. There’s a dog seat, for those who prefer canines to felines, and others that offer swirling designs (i.e. “Tropical Topic” and “Sea Song”) instead of animals. Go ahead. Give your toilet a bit of whimsy–it’s got a rough job.

http://www.bemismfg.com

Most people’s showers are tucked into a dark corner of the bathroom, but if you’ve got a little more space to play with, you can have a free-standing enclosure right out in the open. With its all-glass walls and doors, the “Duschtempel” from Duschqueen Shower Enclosures looks more like a display case you’d find in an up-scale jewelry store than a piece for someone’s bathroom, but if you don’t mind your shower being the focal point of the room (and you’ve got money to spend), then you’ll want to check out this and other offerings at their site.

http://www.duschqueen.com

If you like those rain-shower showerheads (the kind that mount to the ceiling and drench you right from above), take a peek at the interesting things Lacava Bathroom Design is doing to take them beyond bland circular shapes. Their star-shaped 0167H1 (no bonus points for creative names) is available in polished chrome for $1,226 and brushed nickel for $1,360. (There are also two wall-mounted versions for $100-200 less if you prefer that.) The diameter for the 0167H1 is 9″ and the showerhead hangs 12.5″ in height, so you’ll want to make sure you have some headroom if you’re thinking of a shower like this.

http://www.lacavadesign.com