Tombolo from Victoria + Albert

When I saw the Tombolo, a sleek wood bath caddy on a recent media release from Victoria + Albert, I knew I had to blog about it.

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I mean it is PERFECT. Sleek, sophisticated and it actually holds two wine glasses so you can have an intimate tete a tete,  while bathing.   I know this would be a fabulous gift for a few of my fellow TBBers..shhh…don’t tell them.

It’s gentle curves are specifically designed to fit over the edge of some of Victoria + Albert’s rimless baths – like the Amalfi, Barcelona, Edge, ios and the Napoli.  It even has a built-in towel holder.

Made from European sourced hardwood, it is available in either light oak or walnut laminate and it will hold up to a wet bathroom environment.  The exposed edges reveal the wood layers for a modern and stylish feel.  With non marking and non sliding strips underneath, it will move smoothly and not mark up your beautiful Victoria + Albert bath.

Now, go indulge yourself!

*This is not a sponsored post.

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Victoria + Albert inspiration…..

Whenever, I’m planning a space, the first things I look for are the statement pieces, in a living room that may mean the sofa or fireplace.  In a bedroom, it would be the bed and headboard, so it makes sense that in the bathroom it is going to be the bathtub.

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Victoria + Albert‘s tubs are perfect when you are seeking inspiration or a starting off point. Once you have the bath sorted out, you can move on to the tiles, fixtures and lighting.  Keep in mind that these lovely baths are made out Englishcast, which is a finely ground volcanic limestone mixed with resin. It allows each tub to be made from one piece and is finished by hand.  It is naturally white with a gloss finish and has excellent stain resistance, a huge plus in the bathroom.

These are just a few that I would love to incorporate in a breathtaking bathroom.

The Barcelona  Victoria_Albert_Barcelona_US2

The Calbrits

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or the Toulouse below.

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And I was lucky enough to try out the very comfortable Calbrits while at the Architectural Digest Home Show.

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So which one would you use?

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BlogtourNYC Day 2…..

Day 2 started out with a hearty breakfast at the coffee shop, Viand, around the corner from our hotel.  Speaking of the hotel, I have to share my view with you from my hotel window.

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Wait, is that a house on the roof of a nearby building?  Why yes it is, a house, complete with a front screened in porch and dormer windows.  Now I’ve seen everything! DSC_0124

Now back to Day 2, after breakfast we all hit the cabs for the trip to the Architectural Digest Home Show.

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Upon arriving we were exhausted and thirsty, so we headed right to the Marys and Mimosas Bar, to start the day off right!  The Marys and Mimosas Event was originally started by Veronika of Modenus and has become the “must be” place at the ADHS.

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                         Photo from Marys and Mimosas’ at the ADHS website

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While here, we met and mingled with design royalty and other media types.  I’m still trying to keep all the names and faces straight.

Then we went on a curated tour of DIFFA’s Dining by Design headed by Barry Dixon himself.  Ok, this in itself, took up a huge amount of my camera card space, so I will just show you Barry Dixon’s space for Arteriors.  This really needs to be a totally separate post, which I promise, I will do up at a later date.

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The custom designed wooden screen was my favourite part of Barry Dixon’s dining area.  It was inspired by a piece he found from an old church bell tower.  The new piece even replicated the chipped and worn paint just as the original had.

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One of favourite thing in the show was the La Cornue booth.  I seriously could have just moved into this kitchen.  I loved the stainless steel island and cook tops and that wood octagon back splash was absolutely gorgeous.

IMG_2196 IMG_2195 IMG_2199 I mean it was swoon worthy!

And for my coffee drinking friends, the TopBrewer by Scanomat, is total luxury. All the workings are concealed under the counter, and it is controlled by your Ipad or Iphone.  So you can customize your brew and save as a favourite, so it is perfect every time!

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Another favourite was the Oborain outdoor showers in bamboo, teak or mahogany.  I can so see one of these at my cottage.  They are really beautiful in person and will hold up to the Canadian elements, with a little preventative care, of course, or you can let them weather naturally, your choice.

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And of course, we had to keep up the Blogtour tradition of getting in at least one or two of the beautiful Victoria + Albert baths. Here’s a couple of bloggers who were more than willing to oblige.

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Munter and I are in the Cabrits bath and Michael is in the ios (loved the British flag painted on the side).

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The Miele booth was particularly stunning with it’s green theme. The hanging garden done by Green EcoWalls was a huge hit and perfect for any space.


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And I loved the colour blocked refrigerator with the wood panelled front. If only the inside of my fridge looked like this. IMG_2258

The Jenn-Air booth was another highlight with its lovely fresh pop of orange.

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In the second picture above you can see the new Jenn-Air 36″ Accolade Downdraft Ventilation System that conceals itself into the counter until needed.  It is remotely controlled and I took a couple of short videos showing how it works.

It would be ideal in a sleek and minimal kitchen or one where a traditional range hood would be in the way.

These exterior showers by Jee-O were also beautiful and sculptural.  And I think that poster in the back was meant to catch all the ladies attention.

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Ok, I think the rest of the gorgeousness will have to wait for yet another post, or this post will take you hours to get through.

After an entire day of gazing at beauty and inventiveness, we were all ready for an All American New York kind of dinner, so when Veronika suggested 5 Napkin Burger, we all jumped at it.  It was all that we were expecting and more.  In fact, some of the vegetarians didn’t quite believe that their burger was really vegetarian.

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5 Napkin Burger 5 Napkin Burger-1 The three above pictures are from 5 Napkin Burger’s website

I took these photos on the walk back to the hotel, some of New York’s famous landmarks.

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So that’s the end of Day 2.   Remember, there are still two more days….

All photos not credited are my own.
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Country House Dream Bath

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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City House Dream Bath

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.

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