Recently on Unclutterer, we stumbled upon some more great tips for keeping your household clean and organized.  I know my bathroom tends to become one of the most cluttered areas of the house, so I’ll be using these tips to prevent that from happening.  Check out our five favorites below, or head over to Unclutterer to read the rest!

1. Reset your home each evening. This doesn’t have to take long, but it’s really effective. Spend 5 or 10 minutes on a quick run-through of your home. Straighten books and knickknacks, return dishes to the kitchen, and hang up jackets. Don’t strive for perfection, this is just a quick pick up.

2. Never leave a room empty handed. Look around you. Are there things that don’t belong? When you leave the room, for whatever reason, be sure to grab a glass and return it to the kitchen, or whatever the case may be.

3. When you’re done with something, put it away. Right away. Clutter arises when we take something out, use it for awhile and neglect to return it to its proper home. Remember the Unclutterer’s gospel, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.”

4. Hit the laundry basket. Every time. It may seem easier to simply let your clothes fall where they may, but this only creates clutter. Take 30 seconds to hang up your clothes or put them in the laundry basket. Erin recommends getting ready for bed an hour before you plan so you’re not exhausted when handling your clothes.

5. Take out the garbage. Perhaps garbage day occurs only once a week, but emptying the garbage nightly, even if not entirely full, is a great habit start. Over-flowing bins are not attractive.

We love Apartment Therapy! Last week, we saw this round-up of dual sinks that is simply to-die-for! We loved this take on bathroom design so much, we couldn’t stop thinking about it all weekend.  Naturally, we knew you’d love these bathroom design ideas, so check out the pictures below, or head over to Apartment Therapy for more information!

Apartment Therapy continues to be our go-to source for interior design inspiration.  Since bathroom design is my specialty, I love seeing what fun ideas Apartment Therapy comes up with, and figure out how to apply them to my bathroom.  Bathroom renovation can often be a daunting thought, but sometimes a simple updated bathroom design can be all it takes to turn your bathroom from a snore to a delight.  We recently saw these ideas for soft metallic accessories, and I think they would look fabulous in any bathroom that needs a design turnaround.  Check out some of my favorite images below, or head over to Apartment Therapy for the full display.

We know the easiest way to revamp your bathroom decoration and make it feel like a full bathroom renovation is to repaint your walls.  Adding color to any space, particularly the bathroom, can add new life to the room and make it feel as though you’ve done much more than alter its hues.  Check out the roundup we’ve created below for great painting tips and color tricks that will help revamp your drab bathroom into a fabulous space.

1. We’ve heard it plenty, and even posted about it earlier, but green is an amazing addition to any room! Use it as a neutral color, and you’ll be surprised what your results are.

2. Speaking of green as a great neutral, we found this great post about using ochre as a color in your interior (and exterior) design.  We think it would look great in your bathroom.

3. HGTV has some excellent tricks for powerful color combinations that will turn your bathroom decor into something worth talking about.

4. Tired of those brush marks you get when painting your walls? Here’s a great trick for how to get rid of them!

5. Check out our website! We have awesome photo galleries, with plenty of colorful walls, that are sure to inspire your next bathroom transformation.

Ever the excellent source for bathroom design inspiration or interior decorating ideas, Apartment Therapy recently featured this post about out of the ordinary sinks.  We’ve placed pictures of a few of our favorites below, but head over to read the full article here.

At this point, you loyal readers know how enthusiastic I am about bathroom design and bathroom remodeling, and, the truth is, I love sharing my enthusiasm with you.  But, I can’t take all the credit for the great information we’ve got going on this blog, because a lot of it has been inspired by my very own favorite interior design blogs.  I’ve seen so many great posts going on in the blogosphere lately, that I think it’s about time I give you guys a list of my creative sources of information.  Check out the list of awesome interior design and bathroom design inspiration blogs below.

Apartment Therapy – You don’t have to live in a major city to have access to the design inspiration on this blog.  They truly are” saving the world, one room at a time.”

Real Simple – Recipes, workout routines, and clothing galore make this magazine’s blog great, but absolutely NOTHING beats their home design ideas!

Unclutterer – Got a problem with organization? Fear no more! This blog gives you all the tips you need to clear the clutter from your house and life.

Knock Off Wood – Want a gorgeous new bathroom sink on a budget? This blog’s author creates knock offs of expensive furniture pieces, then posts the directions for readers to do the same.

Decor8 – Written by an interior design consultant, this blog provides a ton of “fresh finds for hip spaces.”

Cleopatra is remembered as one of the most beautiful and majestic women of all time, but what was her secret? The solution is simple: bathing in milk! I’m always on the hunt for new ways to make time in the bathroom more enjoyable, and nothing seems more relaxing than the idea of soaking in a warm lavendar milk bath a la the famed  Egyptian enchantress. Where did I get this idea, you might ask? Check out the article below.

A silky warm milk bath sounds sumptuous doesn’t it? And why not? How many times have we heard that milk is good for you? For ages nutritionists have been raving about how good milk is for your bones and teeth, so why wouldn’t it be good for your skin and complexion, as well? What most people don’t realize is that women have been using milk as a beauty product secret for centuries and it is not until recently that the general public has been made aware of the replenishing wonders of a milk based bath. Milk baths, when taken on a regular basis, can soften and smooth your skin, even making it firmer, more radiant and silky to the touch.  This is due to to milk’s natural exfoliating properties. A milk bath not only offers you the benefits of skin care in a home spa, but you can also add other natural ingredients such as honey, oatmeal, lavender and even natural clay to increase the beautifying affects of your milk bath mixture.

Liquid or powdered

While you can use liquid milk, dry powered milk is the better choice because it has a longer shelf life and you can measure and premix convenient milk bath combinations in containers ahead of time. As mentioned, you can premix the powered milk and other dry ingredients like oatmeal and store it in a vessel so that you can lay it away. When needed, you can retrieve it and sprinkle the elements into your bath as your tub fills. Or you could follow these instructions: Before you are ready to take your bath, pre-stir all the ingredients including the liquid components (such as the water, honey and essential oils) to make sure everything is properly dissolved.  Then pour this pre-stirred smooth mixture into your awaiting bathtub before you get in. Using this method avoids the clumping of the dry materials along the sides of your bath and ultimately aids in the clean up process.

Budget friendly

The naturally occurring acids in milk act as a gentle cleanser which helps to remove the old skin cells making way for the newer ones underneath. This is a vital step in keeping your skin looking young and vibrant. While it is possible to purchase commercially pre-made milk bath product to use in your lavatory. It is quick, easy and even cost effective if you make it yourself in bulk.

For all skin types

Because a milk bath is pretty mild, it can be can be taken by all skin types and may even be good for those suffering mild skin blemishes, as long as you don’t stay in too long.  Suggested time is no more than ten to fifteen minutes. Clean up is pretty important too, especially if you are using liquid milk.  Commercial cleaning products or things like rubbing alcohol go a long way to making sure your bath doesn’t stink or smell sour from the milk residue. Products with citrus in them can greatly reduce the smell both in and after your milk bath.

Be like Cleo

All in all, milk baths are great for your complexion!  Try one today and you, too, can experience the beautifying affects of a milk bath made famous around the world by Cleopatra of old, who was said to have bathed in camels milk to keep her skin looking supple and young.

Source: Bathroom Guru Review

2010 is getting off to a great start, and I am more than excited to get the ball rolling on my resolutions – especially those changes I want to make to my bathroom design.  But what will some of the interior design trends be for this exciting start to a new decade? Check out the article I found below for some tips and hints!

Is glamour dying?

At the very least, it’s being redefined during an uncertain economy as we approach the next decade.

“There’s a change away from the hip modernism we’ve borrowed from hotels with all the Lucite, mirrored furnishings and bright yellow and turquoise geometric carpets,” said interior designer Peter Dunham of Los Angeles, whose client list includes Ben Affleck. “We want comforting things. More American pie, less flash in the pan.”

So what exactly is in store – and will be in stores – for our homes in 2010?

“More craft and things that have been touched by hand,” said Keith Johnson, buyer-at-large for Anthropologie stores and the subject of the Sundance Channel’s “Man Shops Globe.” The eight-episode series followed Johnson to South Africa, India and across Europe as he sped through flea markets and met with artisans in search of Holy Grail furnishings and accents.

BLACK ON TRACK

Black walls are turning up in home mags and blogs, much bolder versions of the grays we’ve grown used to.

“Dark walls actually make smaller rooms look bigger,” said Susan Bartlett Crater, granddaughter of Kennedy White House decorator Sister Parish. Crater and Libby Cameron this year wrote the book “Sister Parish Design on Decorating” (St. Martin’s Press, $35). “Black also pops color in a sophisticated way.”

Patricia Shackelford of Kansas City, author of the nationally recognized design blog “Mrs. Blandings,” included a post on world-renowned interior designer and Kansas City native Thomas Britt’s black walls of the 1970s. Some of the rooms looked as if they could have been ripped from modern magazines that feature black rooms with crisp white trim and accents.

Designer Peter Dunham is even seeing black in furniture upholstery, such as black Chesterfield sofas. And Edwardian-like black coincides with what’s popular in fashion, he says.

TO GRANDMOTHER’S HOUSE WE GO

We’ve heard “this ain’t your grandma’s …” A new buzz phrase just might be “that’s so granny.”

Patricia Shackelford thinks we’ll see more patchwork quilts, hooked rugs, needlepoint and chintz.

“On ‘Top Design,’ a contestant (Ondine Karady) was criticized for being too ‘grandma’ for using a crocheted throw,” Shackelford said. “Actually, she was on to the next trend.”

Shackelford said it’s the return of Sister Parish design, using heirlooms or pieces with history. “It’s a way to bring comfort to formality,” she said.

Susan Bartlett Crater said using family pieces can be stylish. “My grandmother always said houses should be receptacles of memories,” Crater said. “What better way than using grandmother’s things?”

GRAFFITI FURNITURE

Antiques in recent years have become more affordable. But some pieces can be unwanted, drab even, and call for help.

“Antiques don’t always have to be these sacred things,” Keith Johnson said. “They can be reinterpreted.”

When “Man Shops Globe” visited Belgium, Johnson asked an artist to breathe new life into a wooden Louis XV headboard by spray-painting it, graffiti-style.

MADE IN THE U.S.A.

In 2010 and beyond, a “made in the U.S.” label will resonate strongly with buyers, because people want to strengthen the economy. Buying more local items also is better for the environment.

HOMESTEAD CHIC

More of us are growing vegetables, crafting our own cheeses and battling city hall to keep chickens in our backyards. Just as we’ve been reconnecting with the land, look for that bond to strengthen in the rest of the home. We’ll use more locally harvested wood and reclaimed barn wood.

We’re becoming fonder of burlap-style grain-sack and rustic linen pillows. The fabrics follow on the heels of the classic rural European look popularized by Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt. He sparingly mixes industrial furniture with worm-holed unstained wooden pieces. Restoration Hardware’s latest furniture seems to be directly inspired by Vervoordt, Peter Dunham and Patricia Shackelford say.

FLEA MARKET FRENZY

Many made their first visits to flea markets and thrift stores in 2009, a trend that will get even bigger in the new year.

A recent visit to the Salvation Army store turned up 48-cent pieces of classic creamy Ironstone dishware.

“People aren’t doing the full-scale bathroom and kitchen re-dos they were a few years ago,” Dunham said. “But they can easily perk up a room with textiles or a new lamp.”

“Wary Meyers’ Tossed & Found: Unconventional Design From Cast-Offs” by Linda and John Meyers (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $27.50) features how-to ideas for Aunt Millie’s stuff and thrift-store finds.

INNOVATIVE RECYCLING

In an episode of “Man Shops Globe” in which Keith Johnson travels to South Africa, he talks about how recycled items will be purchased only if they are beautiful. On a visit to a store called Magpie, he fell in love with a chandelier made of Barbie legs and milk-bottle caps. At the end of the show, we learn President Barack Obama commissioned a $4,800 recycled chandelier for his daughters’ room at the White House (based on Johnson’s recycled find).

DESIGN MAGAZINE EVOLUTION

Two popular design magazines, Domino and Metropolitan Home, published their last issues in 2009. On the upside, 2009 saw the start of a new online-only magazine called Lonny ( www.lonnymag.com). We wonder if there will be more.

CONVERGING LIKE CRAZY

We anticipate more design apps (short for applications) for our smart phones.

Sherwin-Williams in 2009 introduced color-matching software for the iPhone. You can take a picture on your phone and match it to a paint color, which is highly useful now that camera phone quality has improved.

LAUGHTER INDUCING

We don’t mean talking Jerry Seinfeld bobbleheads, although those would be stellar desk toys. What we do expect to see are more imaginative everyday household items designed to tickle our funny bones.

This month, Keith Johnson visited Design Miami, a show that is gaining prominence worldwide, and “Grandfather Clock” got his attention. It’s a large wooden piece with a clock face in which a blurry gentleman on a screen keeps passersby up to the minute by erasing the old time with a paper towel and redrawing the current time with a dry-erase marker.

“We need things that make us laugh,” Johnson said. “Or at the very least, make us smile.”

Source: Bradenton.com

Here at Bath Fitter, we love bathroom design and bathroom remodeling.   Transforming your bathroom into a new space can begin with even the simplest of bathroom items: the mirror.  A beautiful mirror can really liven up the space in your bathroom. Our friends over at DoItYourself have some great ideas for sprucing up your bathroom mirror at home.  Check them out below:

Frame it Up

If your mirror has a frame, then it’s time to revitalize with a fresh coat of paint. There are many different ways to do this. For example, you can give it an antique, worn looking French Country faux white finish or a modern stainless steel spray paint treatment.

Have even more fun, apply a decoupage scheme to accent your shower curtain, tiled walls or floor.

If the mirror doesn’t yet have a frame don’t let that stop you. If the mirror is attached to the wall, you can build a frame around it that is attached directly to the wall. You can use basic pre-made door trim, or any sort of framing material of your choosing. You could even frame it up with complimentary tiles of any color and design.

Don’t limit yourself to the existing bathroom scheme.  By framing or re-framing, your bathroom mirror will become a central attention-getting focal point in that necessary room. Now is your opportunity to choose an entirely new design style.

Change the Reflection

Most bathroom mirrors are large enough to allow for some border accents. Glass etching is easy and fun. Visit your local arts and crafts store to find a safe but effective etching in a bottle product. You will also need some sort of stencil either pre-made or hand made which will be taped to the mirror to guide the etching compound.

One warning with this, your etching will be permanent so be sure that whatever you design, will be enjoyed for as long as you own the mirror. Also, ensure enough clearance with your etching project to not impede any functional use of the mirror.

Another way to dress up your reflection is to add a smaller, magnifying mirror directly onto the face of the existing mirror. This offers a finer examination function and adds dimension to the natural reflection in the bathroom.

There are adhesives on the market today that will securely glue the second mirror onto the first.  Here again, most will be permanent, so choose size, shape and position wisely.

There are other ways to accent your mirror without the more radical methods mentioned above.

Window treatments are also easy to install and do not present a permanent change. Use a Cluny or Venice lace to create a Victorian look. Try a Twist Cord for a Casual Country touch. Drape, hang, tack or tie, above all, experiment.

Need something more formal? Use fabric swag treatments. Experiment to discover the look that works best for your bathroom decor. Try a simple swag or flourish it up with a decorative swag holder. Another option could be a window type design complete with tie backs again, to accent or coordinate it to the shower curtain.

LCD or small Christmas lights draped over the mirror create impressive sparkle. Mood lighting is important in any room but for those relaxing moments in the tub, these lights are a simple luxury.

Create bathroom flair. Be formal or informal, bold or exotic, it all starts by dressing up the bathroom mirror.

These bathroom ideas below come courtesy of a great blog, commonfloor.  Read below to find their tips on keeping your bathroom design free of clutter and looking bigger.

A well maintained bathroom gives refreshment, freshness and the delight of taking a bath. You can make your bathroom clutter-free by organizing bathroom accessories, installing suitable cabinets and clearing counter tops. Here are some useful tips for you to organize and make your bathroom clutter-free.

Clean your medicine cabinet

Dispose of expired medications and throw away bottles of perfume, lotion and nail polish that are almost empty. Keep up on the products you and your family members like and use most.

Use storage spaces

You can organize your bathroom by using closed, hanging and open storage. Always remember the size of your bathroom when you try to place cabinets, dressers or vanities in your bathroom. Vanity cabinets make storage organized and clutter-free. Wall attached cabinets are also good for storage and organization in your bathroom. You can also place a mirrored door cabinet above the wash basin to increase the sense of space. Bathroom shelves provide open storage in bathrooms, while cabinets are used to provide closed storage. Cabinets under the sink give extra storage space to the bathroom.

Give a spacious feel

If you think the space in your bathroom is not enough, paint your bathroom in light colors as they give a spacious feel. Use mirrors to make space appear larger because they reflect lights in all directions, as well as provide a decorative touch. You can place full length mirrors to enhance  the décor of your bathroom. Opt for cabinets, drawers, shelves etc. to maximize storage space in bathrooms.

Use baskets

A basket serves as a storage element for all of your beauty necessities and accessories. Include a toothbrush case, toothpaste and a small glass in a separate basket. Place the more cluttered basket on a higher shelf so that the contents will not be within view. Provide space for a tissue box. When you are done getting ready, place it underneath the sink in the cabinet. Keep these shelves limited to a few items that require quick access on a daily basis.

Make personal bath totes

Placing each family member’s items in their own container makes it easy to store these things under the bathroom sink. This also keeps their personal hygiene items together making it easy to find their comb or hair detangler and its no problem to move to another bathroom when company comes.

Other useful tips for clutter free bathroom

* Install towel rails and racks that match with your bathroom countertop on walls  and put rolled towels and washcloths on it.
* Use hooks on the back of doors to hang towels, gowns etc.
* Put cotton balls or swabs, combs, sponges in small wicker baskets and store them on the shelf.
* Use one large rug or runner instead of several small rugs.
* Avoid multiple dispensers and holders around the sink.
* Store your bathrobe on a hook in your bedroom closet instead of on the back of the bathroom door.
* One sheer curtain covering the entire window will provide privacy and abundant light during the day. A shade behind the curtain can be pulled down at night.

A clutter free bathroom helps you and your family members to get ready and save time in the morning.  And remember, a well maintained bathroom gives refreshment, freshness and delight.