Having a colorful, vibrant home is easier to achieve than most people would think.  There are many different ways in which you can add color to your living space.  Accessories are an easy and popular way to add a pop of color to any room.  Within the bathroom, there are many vibrant bathroom accessories out there that will compliment any bathroom design.  You can use a shower curtain to spice up your bathroom or other bathroom accessories like bath mats and soap dishes to add a splash of color as well.  Whatever area of your home that you want to add color to it can be made easy with these Apartment Therapy tips.
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Many of us know, more or less, what colors we’re drawn to the most, but have you ever spent time thinking about how you apply color to your space? There are different color applying personalities that show through in homes, and we found a few examples in recent Apartment Therapy house tours.

We’ve pinpointed five different ways in which color can be applied to the home. By no means a comprehensive list, we like the idea of exploring what kind of color personality we have. After all, if you know what patterns you lean toward when it comes to color, it’s easier to both enhance your natural habits and break away from them to shake things up. Here are some thoughts:

1) It’s in the accessories A common trend for most folks, bringing color in through accessories and items that are easily changeable means that your spaces are flexible — and it’s not as scary as throwing a lot of paint on the walls. Color’s usually seen in tabletop accessories, pillows, cushions and more.

2) Pops of color Similar to the accessories approach, this can even be more powerful because it pairs a subdued color palette with small but carefully-placed pops of color.

3) It’s in the art This allows for the bulk of the color in your space to come through in the art — simple, elegant, powerful and bold.

4) All over the walls Requiring a bit of a leap of faith that you’ve chosen your colors wisely, placing them on walls, other large surfaces and furniture surrounds your whole home in color and shows you mean color business.

5) A combination of any of the above Color lovers often don’t pigeonhole themselves into any one category, choosing instead to incorporate color any way they see fit, whether through accessories, art, wall colors or a little bit of everything!

Source:  Apartment Therapy

Some of our BATH FITTER franchises across Pennsylvania sponsored 15 different breast cancer walks across their territories in 2011.   Their theme was “Together We Make a Lasting Impression”.  Here are some employee submitted photos of their family members and friends.  The following images were taken at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Harrisburg, PA.

Is your home decor drab or lacking in color?  This House Beautiful article is here to save the day! Conquer your fear of color with these tips for home decorating.  Spruce up your bathroom design with a splash of brightness by incorporating colorful bathroom accessories or switching up your bathroom wall color.  Break out of your shell and be adventurous with your decor in all areas of your home by implementing some or all of these tips.
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Whether you want orange in the entry or blue in the bathroom, here are some of our best tips to brighten your home.

Start Small

If you’re afraid to go bold, try starting in the smallest room. It’s not as much of a commitment, plus you’ll spend less time and money. This tiny — but cheery — bath in a New Jersey home makes a strong statement. “Powder rooms are places where you can gild the lily. We used a loud geometric in a bright ocean blue to give it a slightly over-the-top feeling,” says designer Mona Ross Berman. Wallpaper is Recessed from Studio Printworks.

Temper Hot Colors With Cool Ones

Because orange can be too intense on its own, Berman added blue accents in the mudroom. “It’s such a welcoming color. Orange feels like a younger, fresher version of red,” she says. “But it can be a hot color, and I needed a little bit of cool as balance, to cut through the heat.” Wall color is Benjamin Moore’s Fresno. Anchor pillow by Jonathan Adler.

Balance Glossy and Matte Surfaces

In this Beverly Hills living room, designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard choose Jean de Merry slipper chairs in Schumacher Sargent Blush silk taffeta. “Silk enriches every hue,” he says. For every glittering color, however, there has to be a matte one to offset it: “You must balance the ethereal with the earth.”

It’s Okay to Mismatch

For the kitchen of a Missouri lake house, designer Rhoda Burley Payne’s client choose a pistachio Aga range. Unsure what to do with the cabinets, Payne decided to paint them in a similar color. “We did them in a green that blended, but didn’t match.” Subtle differences in hues make for a more sophisticated palette. The cabinets are in Benjamin Moore’s Everglades, thinned to a stain so that the grain of the pine shows through. Wall tiles are by Flores Grandes.

Keep Pink in Check

To create a modern living room for a Capitol Hill row house, designer Barry Dixon choose a pink and brown palette. “It’s both masculine and feminine. They set each other off,” he says. The dark browns keep the pinks from appearing too frothy. The French Club Chairs are by Niermann Weeks and a Tuscany ottoman is by Stewart Furniture. Bell lantern by Chameleon.

Choose One Color, But Use Many Hues

Creating an idyllic bath for a Long Island home, designer DD Allen choose a blue palette but did not limit herself to one shade. The custom watery blue of the polished Venetian plaster walls picks up the blue in the floor tiles. Waterworks Classic Undermount tub. Venetian Plaster by JJ Snyder Studio. Architecture by Michael Pierce.

Add Contrast to a Neutral Palette

To make the master bedroom of this Alabama home more dynamic, designer Betsy Brown choose bright white bedding and a white lampshade. “A room of creams and beiges needs something stark and shiny white. You have to interject elements that add intense personality,” says Brown. Walls are Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. Saber Leg ottoman by Formations. Cashmere blanket from Suite Dreams.

Source: House Beautiful

Now that it’s autumn, it’s time to consider revamping your home decor style.  The latest fall trends are in and a rustic-refined mix seems to be the latest hit for the season according to this Detroit News article. These latest fall trends can spruce up your home decor, especially within the bathroom. Enhance your bathroom design with some rustic or nature-inspired bathroom accessories and you will be set  for the season with a fabulously decorated bathroom.
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The change of seasons is a good time to gauge what’s happening in the world of home decor, especially if your surroundings could use a little boost. Jackie Schwartz, owner of Home Interior Warehouse — Furniture and Design in Walled Lake, shares some hot options for the home this fall.

“There is a significant trend of mixing rustic and refined furniture and accessories in a room,” says Schwartz, whose store is celebrating its 21st anniversary in October. For instance, you might pair a classic sofa silhouette with rustic tables that are family-friendly.

More distressed looks are in but paired with sophisticated, dressier accessories such as mirrored pieces, beautiful pillows and even antique mirrors. Even light fixtures are mixed.

“We are seeing very casual iron-look lighting fixtures adorned with crystals,” Schwartz says. French-inspired accessories, such as pillows with French writing, are popular this season. “We are seeing more artifact-inspired accessories. There is a focus on anything worn and weathered with a little glitz mixed in,” she says.

Nature-inspired accessories, specifically botanicals and birds, are another hit.

Neutrals with grey and taupe are very strong. “Grey is the new brown in home decor,” Schwartz says. “If your personal style calls for color … it’s all about red.”

The key to remember is that a little red goes a long way and the hues can be mixed. Anything from wine shades to plum and lipstick red work well for accessories, accent pieces and accent walls.

“Red makes such a strong impact,” Schwartz says. “Even in a neutral palette, adding a few red accents can create a sense of warmth.”

For instance, even a bland piece of furniture flanked by red lacquer urns will make the room come alive.

For faux floral arrangements, it’s all about being natural. “We love the variety of high-quality silk flowers that are botanically correct,” she says. “Single elements in a vase are popular now vs. a traditional bouquet. Clean, simple and dramatic use of one kind of flower is popular, too.”

When it comes to patterns, anything animal print continues to be strong. Schwartz has seen a rise in demand for woods. “Hardwood flooring is more mainstream; it’s available at every price point,” she says. “People are paying more attention to their floors and walls as a backdrop for their furnishings and accessories.”

For the full Detroit News full article click here.

If you are looking to revamp your home decor through the use of accessories, then you definitely want to continue reading this blog post.  I found a nifty eHow article that provides step by step instructions for upgrading accessories in your home.  Any room in your home can be updated by simply adding and changing up accessories.  For example, in the bathroom you can add bathroom accessories like soap dishes, toothbrush holders, shower curtains, picture frames, and more.  You can always find different types of accessories to accommodate your bathroom design and any other room in your home.
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Rather than invest time and money in a full home redesign, consider the power of accessories. Upgrading accessories can refresh the space, increase functionality and provide new focal points for your interiors. Gather inspiration for accessorizing by studying furniture showrooms, antique stores, decor magazines and catalogs. Note which pieces, colors, materials, patterns and textures catch your eye.

Instructions

1)  Study your current decor scheme. Try rearranging furniture, artwork and other accessories to open up space and make interiors flow. Identify the pieces that weigh down the space or do not fit in with your aesthetic. These accessories are prime candidates for an upgrade.

2)  Determine your focal points in various rooms. Typically, the spaces above the fireplace mantel, above the dining room table, across from the living room couch and above the heads of beds have eye-catching accessories. Make these areas your priority, and choose accessories for them. Then accent with other details throughout the room.

3) Use artwork, heirlooms and do-it-yourself projects as key accessories. The best accessories are those that tell a story and reflect a side of your personality. Hang a favorite painting in a prominent frame over the fireplace mantel, and make a vintage vase or bowl the centerpiece of the dining room table.

4)  Integrate high-end functional pieces into your home decor. Switch out plain furniture hardware for designer, artisan or vintage handles, knobs and hooks. Cover a boring light fixture with a stellar shade, such as a Moroccan hammered-tin lantern with colored glass insets. Hang a chandelier, a series of pendant lights or a bouquet of bright silk lanterns over a bed, coffee table or dining area. Outfit bathrooms with long bath sheets in Egyptian or organic cotton. Fit beds with high thread-count sheets and down comforters in beautiful duvet covers. Line a bed, couch or day bed with throw pillows in luxe fabrics.

Source:  eHow

Do you get bothered when getting out of a hot shower or bath to find that all your bathroom mirrors are foggy? Well you’re not alone.  Foggy mirrors can be rather annoying and sometimes it takes awhile for the fog to clear up.  Here I found a helpful eHow article that explains ways to keep your bathroom mirrors fog-free after a bath or shower.  Read up on these instructions before you bathe next in order to help eliminate fog from taking over your bathroom.
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Fog immediately covers bathroom mirrors when trapped steam from a hot shower is let loose by the opening of a shower curtain. This poses a problem for those who want to brush their teeth or shave immediately after showering. However, there are a few tricks that utilize products commonly found in your home that you can use to keep the mirror fog-free.

Instructions

1) Drape a towel over your bathroom mirror before you jump in the shower. The towel acts as a barrier so that when you open the shower curtain, the moisture is absorbed into the towel instead of it having rest on the surface of the mirror. Simply remove the towel when you are ready to shave or brush your teeth.

2) Squirt some shaving cream on a paper towel and rub it all over your bathroom mirror. Take a fresh paper towel and rub the mirror again until you no longer see traces of the shaving cream. The shaving cream acts as a natural defogger and prevents the fog from ever building up on your mirror.

3) Apply anti-fog spray made for the windshield of a car to your bathroom mirror following the product label’s directions. The anti-fog spray will do just as good of a job keeping fog from forming on your mirror as it does on a car windshield.

4) Replace your mirror with a fog-free mirror, sometimes referred to as a fogless mirror. These mirrors are a bit more expensive, but they will save you from having to use a towel, shaving cream or an anti-fog cream on your current mirror.

For the full eHow article click here.

BATH FITTER is teaming up with Virgin Radio in their Annual “SHAVE to SAVE” for the month of October.

VIRGIN RADIO 96’s Shave to Save is an annual fundraiser for the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. The event takes place throughout the month of October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Money is raised by people having their heads shaved.  Individuals and/or companies are challenged to raise funds for the cause.  We need to raise $2K or more per head and Virgin Radio will come out to our location on October 27th to perform the shave.

The funds raised will be donated to the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.  Since it first started in October 2000, Virgin Radio 96’s Shave to Save campaign raised $ 3.7 million for the cause.

By the fall of 2011, the Foundation will have contributed more than $20 million to a wide range of Quebec-based research projects, and has funded several initiatives in recent months, including a financial support program in partnership with the Kelly Shires Foundation and the modernization of mobile mammography units in collaboration with the Institut national de santé publique du Québec.

Donations like yours make it possible for the Foundation to make such investments and provide more support services that meet the needs of women in our community.

Let’s put our heads together and start raising money!

Autumn has arrived! Now that the seasons have changed it’s time to start thinking about switching up your bathroom décor.  There are plenty of bathroom accessories out there that you can incorporate into your bathroom design for the fall season. Take a look at these autumn bathroom décor tips from Go Articles and let us know what ideas are your favorite!
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Autumn is finally upon us. It is the season of vibrant colors. In the fall they are all around us. Look outside your window and you will likely see the brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges of turning fall leaves. And let’s not forget the oranges and blacks of Halloween! In short, it is a spectacular time of year, one that can be used as a theme for home décor.

Many individuals already incorporate some form of autumnal aesthetic into their interior design schemes during the months of September, October, and November. Those can take any number of forms. For example they can be a range of simple classic elements of autumn, such as the aforementioned leaves, or pumpkins, apples, other signs of the season. They can also be tied into a holiday and feature spooky and whimsical Halloween decorations or a nostalgia inducing Thanksgiving theme. Whichever way they go however, often times this decorative scheme does not make its way into the bathroom.

While it first may seem a bit silly to incorporate autumn décor into one’s water closet, the bathroom is such an integral part of our lives it would be odd not to include it when putting up autumn themed home decorations. Here are some great tips for decorating your bathroom this autumn.

There are a number of different options when it comes to seasonal bathroom decorating. Just as there are themes to general autumn home decorating, there are those very same themes available for bathroom décor. Picking one is important, and of course it can change from month to month.

For example, in September you can have a bathroom aesthetic that incorporates the general themes of autumn. A great way to set the mood is buy to buy a festive shower curtain that features a pattern or color scheme that is symbolic of the season. For example, a shower curtain depicting autumn leaves is a fantastic option. Another way to incorporate autumn motifs into your bathroom is with scented soaps. There are a number of different companies that makes soaps that smell like pumpkin pie, apples and cinnamon, or even autumn leaves. Each and every time you wash your hands you will be rewarded with a whiff of seasonal delight. In the same vein, air freshener companies also create an extensive line of fall themed potpourris an plug-ins that will leave that bathroom smelling fall fresh.

When October rolls around and all things dark, spooky, and mysterious emerge from their shadows to give us all a good fright, you can make your bathroom part of the Halloween fun. Depending on your own personal preferences you can make it either cute and whimsical or seriously creepy and scary, or, of course, anything in between.

For the full article click here.

Have you ever walked in to a bathroom where the mirror was hanging too high or very low?  There is a strategy to hanging mirrors that some people may not know of.  It’s very important to take into account the height of the people who will be using the bathroom mirror the majority of the time.  If your family is on the taller side, then you will want to hang the mirror slightly higher or if your family is short then you’ll want to hang the mirror a little lower.  Whatever your bathroom design is, this eHow article will help you figure out the best height for hanging your mirror.
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Use Average Eye Line Height As a Guideline

According to interior decorator Carmel Maguire, the average person’s eye line is right around 5 feet. To meet this average standard, she recommends hanging the mirror so that its center is 5 feet from the floor.

Consider Users’ Heights

According to Starcraft Custom Building, it is important to consider the height of those who will be using the mirror when determining how high to hang it. If most users are taller than average, the mirror should be hung higher. Hang it lower for shorter users. It may not be possible to satisfy everyone’s needs, but height considerations can help you make the right decision.

Bottom Line

The standard average height can be used as a guideline for how high to hang a bathroom mirror, but ultimately the decision depends on the users’ needs. If you have small children, keep a step stool in the bathroom so that they can safely use the mirror.

Source:  eHow

With the huge amount of options available today, choosing a color for your bathroom design can take a while. It requires more than just matching a color to your bathtub, shower or other bathroom accessories. I found this Bathroom Designs Ideas article very helpful because it breaks down the meaning of colors and how they affect us and bathroom design. After reading this article I hope you get a new found understanding and appreciation of color, and can apply it to your home accordingly.

Understanding meaning of colors will help you to choose bathroom colors

The bathroom colors chosen can affect mood and even visually change the size of the bathrooms, make it looks smaller or larger. Become acquainted with some basic color wheel information as well as meaning of colors and how colors affect mood and you’re on your way to finding the right color scheme – perhaps a pretty-in-pink or black and white bathroom.

But first – the color wheel

The primary color wheel has only red, blue and yellow (sometimes called the primary colors) and any one of them can be used alone in a room, if mixed with lighter and darker shades of a single color. Using a single color creates a monotone theme. But red, blue and green each can have very different effects on mood so you’ll want to make sure and pick the right color for the right room.

By mixing the primary colors, other shades can be made. Red and blue create purple, yellow and blue makes green and yellow and red make an orange color. Each new color also affects mood and every color has variations that affect the way a room is perceived.

Let’s talk about meaning of colors

Knowing meaning of colors will help you to choose correct colors. What feelings and images come to your mind when you think of blue? The color generally helps to reduce stress and increase tranquility, peace and calmness. Being in a blue room may even help to make people feel more trusting. It may be an ideal bathroom color as well because of the calming effect, perfect for those wanting to slip into a soothing bath or shower. The stress may literally drain away. If a bathroom is going to be used by both males and females, blue is a safe bet.

Red, yellow and green create different moods than blue. Because green is often seen outdoors, perhaps on the leaves of a blooming flower or in a grassy meadow, it can be soothing. However, the shade of green is very important. No one wants an institutional green in a bathroom.

Red is even trickier because it generally increases energy and passion. While a red bathroom may help in keeping a person alert before work or be ideal for a guest bathroom, it might not be the best choice when trying to achieve a sense of peace and quiet. It is very popular for children’s bathrooms, however. A true, deep red will make a small bathroom look even smaller, unless one wall is mirrored.

Yellow generally creates a mood as sunny as the color. People talk more in yellow rooms and the color helps to lift the mood. Intense shades can be overwhelming, however, and should be used primarily as accents in bathrooms.

Most other colors in the color wheel can be made by mixing shades of red, blue and yellow. White and black tend to stand on their own, creating a crisp, contemporary look when they are the only two shades used in a bathroom colors.

For the full Bathroom Designs Ideas article click here.