BlogtourNYC Day 3……

April 4, 2013 By

Day 3 was a bit chilly but clear and thankfully no rain had appeared to dampen our blogger spirits.

First things first, we hailed a NY cab.

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                      Photo credit – Ricarda Nieswandt

And we were off to visit Vicente Wolf Home.

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Vicente’s showroom had something for every taste or collection. It was like the best treasure hunt a design blogger could hope for.

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But I have to say even more thrilling than seeing all the treasures that Vicente has collected in his extensive travels, was listening to him speak.  He is a humble and gracious man, who was a true pleasure to meet and his talk will forever stay with me.  And when we talked to his colleague, Trudi, her love and admiration came through for this man she has worked with for her entire adult life.  She affectionally calls him “Indiana Wolf” for his sense of adventure when he travels and how he willingly sleeps on the ground or floor to ensure that he gets the real spirit of a place.  Thank you once again, Vicente and thank you, Trudi for the wonderful homemade Irish soda bread and muffins, they were delicious!

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Courtney even got this picture of me listening intently to Vicente.  Thanks Courtney.

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Photo credit – Courtney Mullins Price

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Here he is with the Veronika of Modenus, who makes these Blogtour possible.

Next up, we were off again to visit the offices of Bespoke Global.

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Pippa and Gwen gave us a warm welcome and served us a delicious cocktail called Regents Punch, which was favoured by the Prince of Wales, Augustus Frederick, son of George III, I’ll have you know 😉

Bespoke Global bridges the gap between a client looking for a commissioned piece of art or furniture and the artisan who creates such pieces.  Artisans are discovered and commissioned from all over the globe to bring their unique pieces of art into the homes of those who can appreciate such beauty.

Once again, we were off to see the dynamic and colourful offices of Fab.com.  They even had an original George Nelson Marshmallow sofa (click to read my post all about it)  in the entrance.  How cool is that? And it just kept coming…

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They also fed us a delicious lunch and did I tell you, they have their own ice cream machine.  I might never go home!

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I personally thought their politically incorrect posters were a riot.

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And Tim (the other part of Modenus, who tries valiantly to keep us bloggers in line) was more than willing to pose as the tweeter in this photo.

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I got some great shots of their space.

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And someone took this great shot of myself Munter (let me know who did and I promise to credit you). IMG_2509

Then once again we grabbed some cabs and were off to see Mr. Steam at the Central Kitchen and Bath Showroom.

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Irene and I had peeked into ABC Carpet and Home a couple of days before when we had a quick moment and of course, I was desperate to get back there and take some more in.   So after Mr. Steam we were on our own for the evening.  Irene, Ricarda, Desiree and myself made a beeline for the subway to more fully check out ABC Carpet.

All of this was just on the first floor…

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How gorgeous are these floors?

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Now we are heading to the second floor.

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IMG_2600 And we didn’t even have time to get to the other 5 floors :/

One of Irene’s clients suggested that we have dinner at Buddakan and boy, I was so glad Irene had mentioned it to us.  What a fabulous restaurant and the food was delicious too!

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These are lit library books on the bookshelves in the room where we ate.
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                       This photo is courtesy of Buddakhan

And with that, we are done Day 3.  Phew….

All photos not credited are my own, please credit me, if using.

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Filed Under: Blogtour New York 2013, Haven, Mr. Steam

Mr. and Mrs. Steam……

March 29, 2013 By

While in New York City for Modenus’ BlogtourNYC, we had the pleasure of meeting Blogtour sponsor, Mrs. Steam (or Martha), the woman behind Mr. Steam.  Can I say what a pure delight she is.  Friendly, outgoing and always with a big smile, she is so easy to like.  And I must say, with the most beautiful skin, which she credits to her daily steam showers.  Sign me up.

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So of course we discussed the benefits of steam therapy. They really are endless but here’s just a few that I’m highlighting:

1. Respiratory health – opens up nasal passages, helps to alleviate allergies, improves breathing, relief from asthma symptoms, soothes the throat and decreases croup symptoms.

2. Skin Care – cleanses the skin, may relieve acne conditions, opens up the pores, lubricates and hydrates the skin, rejuvenates and leaves skin with a healthy glow.

3. Holistic Health – removes toxins, increases circulation, helps our bodies get rid of excess sodium and relieves arthritic pain and discomfort.

4.Well-Being – relieves stress, encourages relaxation and promotes a deep and restful sleep. Adding Music therapy and/or Chroma Therapy will increase the stress reduction and mood enhancing properties.

5. Physical Wellness – increases circulation, boosts metabolism, removes lactic acid from overworked muscles and increases flexibility

All this and it uses less than 2 gallons of water for a 1/2 hr steam bath. It costs only cents to operate and can be added to an existing shower with no separate room needed.

All this and their new iSteam controls with a touch screen display that sits flush with the tiles, which really appeals to the designer in me.  And if you just don’t want to get up there is even an iGenie so that you can preheat the steam shower from up to 100 feet away.

 

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Don’t you deserve the pampering….I know I do!  Check out my City House Dream Bath and Country House Dream Bath to see how I’ve used them.

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Filed Under: Blogtour New York 2013, BlogtourNYC, Haven, isteam, Mr. Steam

Country House Dream Bath

March 18, 2013 By

And for the last instalment of my Dream Home series, this is my Country House Dream Bath.   It would be so absolutely dreamy to have all this!

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First off, I have to include, Mr. Steam…I mean once, you have it in one house, you’d have to have it in every house thereafter…right?   Click on the link below to check out their newest video showcasing their steam shower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTdqicHfn4A&feature=youtu.be

 

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The sleek  little control panel on the wall is as easy as your smart phone to operate.  It features temperature controls, duration, aromatherapy, chromatherapy and music, which are all hidden until needed.  It’s also available in both black and white.  The iSteam steamheads are design to match and are cool to the touch.  And there is even an iGenie ,which is an optional molded wireless control which remotely preheats the steam shower from up to 100 feet away.

As I mentioned in my City House Dream Bath post, be sure to visit their website to see the full range of products and accessories, including towel warmers and shower seats.   The interactive planner where you can pick and choose your accessories is great to use and they even have some at home spa treatment recipes you can try.

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And I’ve been drooling over the Cabrits bath from Victoria + Albert ever since I saw it.  It’s elegant and organic all at once, its really pure perfection.  Contoured to fit your body but as you can see below, two can fit as well!

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This bath, as are all Victoria + Albert baths, is made from Englishcast, which is a finely ground volcanic limestone mixed with resin. This allows each tub to be made from one piece, hand finished, warm to the touch with excellent insulation properties.  It has a naturally white, gloss finish with excellent stain resistance and it is incredibly strong.   As it is a solid material, internal scratches simply polish out and it’s even drillable for plumbing considerations. Victoria_Albert_Cabrits_US1

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Together with these gorgeous matching Cabritis 55 vessel basins, the bath is almost complete.

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Of course, we still need faucets, so I’m going with this beauty from Barber Wilsons Co Ltd, with the Regency china lever handle in the weathered bronze finish, just like the kitchen.

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The finishing touch is always the hardware and again, looking at Du Verre Hardware.

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I would choose the lovely Lotus knobs, in the oil rubbed bronze finish to go with the gorgeous faucets.

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 So there you have it my Country House Dream Bath, courtesy of Modenus’ Blogtour NYC sponsors.

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If you want to hear even more about Blogtour and what we’ll be up to, click here to read all about it direct from Veronika at Modenus.  Be sure to follow me along on Modenus’ BlogtourNYC on twitter, FB, Instagram and of course, right here.

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Filed Under: Bathroom, Blogtour New York 2013, BlogtourNYC, Haven, inspiration, isteam, Mr. Steam, Victoria + Albert Tagged With: , , ,

City House Dream Bath

March 14, 2013 By

Today I’m featuring what would be included in my dream city bathroom, courtesy of some of the wonderful Blogtour NYC sponsors.

First up this dream bathroom would have to include isteam, from Mr. Steam. I don’t know how I would ever leave the bathroom again, but I’d like to certainly give it a try.

Ahh, can you just imagine how relaxed you would feel after a steam shower.   The sleek  little control panel on the wall is as easy as your smart phone to operate.  It features temperature controls, duration, aromatherapy, chromatherapy and music, which are all hidden until needed.  It’s also available in both black and white.  The iSteam steamheads are design to match and are cool to the touch.  And there is even an iGenie ,which is an optional molded wireless control which remotely preheats the steam shower from up to 100 feet away.

Be sure to visit their website to see the full range of products and accessories, including towel warmers and shower seats.   The interactive planner where you can pick and choose your accessories is great to use and they even have some at home spa treatment recipes you can try.

And on the days, you want a leisurely soak I’m thinking this pure gorgeousness from Victoria + Albert would be the perfect compliment.

This is the Ravello tub made out of Englishcast (Quarrycast for the rest of the world outside of North America).  Englishcast is made from finely ground volcanic limestone mixed with resin. It is made out of one piece, hand finished and warm to the touch and keeps it’s warmth due to it’s high insulation properties.  It has a naturally white, gloss finish with excellent stain resistance and it is incredibly strong.   As it is a solid material throughout, internal scratches just simply polish out and it is even drillable for plumbing considerations.  The exterior can even be painted, if desired, after purchase.

The photo above even shows the matching Ravello 60 vessel basins.  A certainly winning combination.

And just to mix it up a bit I would use traditional styled fixtures from Barber Wilsons and Co Ltd.

Barber Wilsons is the oldest family owned, independent manufacturing of water fittings in the UK.  They have offered classic and outstanding quality for over 100 years.

The fittings are each reproduced using a portfolio of drawings from the early 19th century.  They may look the same on the outside as 100 years ago but on the inside they have used modern materials and components. This has allowed them to blend traditional craftmanship and contemporary manufacturing which in turn gives their fixtures elegance, quality and authentic styling.

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This one above in the Mastercraft style below would be my choice in the nickel finish for the bath tub.

And the final piece of luxury would be this little piece of jewelery by Du Verre designer William Harvey.

This is the Arroyo collection and it is pure luxury.  The silhouette mimics man made water channels, which the finishing touch in a luxury bathroom. Available in satin nickel it is the icing on the cake!

And there you have it my City House Dream Bath!

And as usual, if you are looking for inspiration to help you with your bath, visit the National Kitchen and Bath Association.  And to quote them,  “KNOW the value of working with a trained design professional. “

 

 Next up, the Country House Dream Kitchen!

And by the way, this time next week, I’ll be in the Big Apple (yes New York City) with Modenus’ BlogtourNYC.

Be sure to follow me along on

twitter, FB, Instagram and of course, right here.

P.S. If you hare having trouble receiving my blog posts by email subscription let me know.

Filed Under: Bathroom, Blogtour New York 2013, BlogtourNYC, Haven, inspiration, isteam, Mr. Steam, Victoria + Albert Tagged With: , , ,