Networking with New England Home

One of the fun parts of being in the design industry is meeting and networking with the amazing design professionals working in the Boston area.  Tonight I am going to an industry networking party hosted by New England Home Magazine in Watertown at Mount Auburn Village, a church and historic homes converted into luxury living condos and townhouses.  These residences are the eptimony of luxury outside the city, offering indoor heated parking with an elevator to the residences, luxury kitchens, amazing bathrooms, and other exciting perks.  The event is expected to be attended by over 100 designers, builders, architects, and luxury suppliers.  It's sure to be a great night meeting some of the best in the industry!

Design Ideas- What to do?

Sometimes the hardest part of a building or remodeling project is assembling your ideas together into one design. A great way to get ideas for your projects it to take peaks at completed projects, cut/print pictures, and bring them to your designer/builder/architect/plumbing showroom. Together, your team can pull your concepts together into your ideal projects.

Kohler works with industry publications and assocations to create "Idea Homes", incorporating different plumbing, kitchen, furniture, and paint products together to create themes. On the Idea Homes website, you can look at completed homes and view a list of fixtures, furniture pieces, and even the paint colors used. This site is so helpful in assembling your ideas!

Wet Rooms- Too European for New England?

The Wet Room is a popular bathroom design layout in Europe, and become increasingly popular in the United States. A wet room is typically all tiled, with all faucets/fixtures open. Showers may have a glass panel to block general splashing, but the room is really open. This makes a small bathroom seem much more spacious and open.

Some cautions for a wet room-

1. Make sure you have a reputable contractor/plumber who can work the drainage correctly.

2. A handshower is a must- cleaning the tile room will be a breeze with a handshower.

3. Consider resale value- a wet room is a great luxury feature, but if this is the only bathroom in your home, another homeowner may not be comfortable with the open layout.

Our vote is that a Wet Room is not too modern for a New England home, and creates a unique bonus in your home. This design style is also great for a bathroom off a pool, near a mudroom, or anywhere where it would be easy to hose off children.

The Design Process- Where to Shop?

Making selections for your new home or remodel can be overwhelming. Just picking a builder or a designer can be a huge process, then comes the product selections. There are hundreds of brands of all sorts of products and the amounts of materials you need to pick can be numerous. A great place to start is your local, specialized home magazines. They have great local resources to find everything you need. Snow and Jones can give you suggestions on where to start, and our showrooms often have issues of local magazines you can take complimentary.

Our first suggestion on where to start for advice is the New England Home Magazine Gold Guide. This pocket reference book lists local suppliers, builders, architects, designers, and specialty craftsman that all have well known reputations for excellence in service and products. New England Home is always a great resource for design ideas and inspiration as well. Stop by or call Snow and Jones Kitchen and Bath Solutions showrooms for the newest issues, or for your own copy of the Gold Guide.