New Bathroom Idea Book

Available from The Taunton Press and written by designer, author and KBDN contributing writer Jamie Gold, CKD, CAPS, The New Bathroom Idea Book lives up to its promise, offering a wealth of inspiring ideas for the bathroom.

The book covers all of the major areas of the bath, from vanities, countertops and bath fixtures to flooring, lighting and finishing details. More than 370 photos showcase a wide array of bath configurations, with creative imagery reflecting a variety of design styles that will appeal to both consumers and the trade.

Gold also addresses key hot button topics, including energy use codes, and accessibility and aging in place – which are increasingly important to both aging baby boomers and younger generations who may end up with both young children and older parents sharing their home.

The book leads off with a “Plan Your Bath” section, in which Gold offers consumers helpful tips for assessing their needs, the space and the scope of the project.

The author also addresses budget issues, as well as explaining the difference between different types of professionals, from architects and design/build firms to bath designers, interior designers and general contractors.

Subsequent chapters look at how to work with the existing space; tips for identifying and finding a style that fits with both the homeowner’s tastes and the rest of the house, and a look at products, including fixtures and faucets; storage; the shower space; floors, walls, windows and doors; lighting, heating and ventilation; entertainment, electronics and extras; and decorative touches.

In each chapter, a “Hot Trends” section focuses on recent bath advancements, from digital shower systems with multiple presets to medicine cabinets with built-in speakers and more.

The book provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand guide for consumers looking to educate themselves as they begin their journey toward finding the right design professional to partner with on a new bath or renovation project. While geared for consumers, design professionals will find plenty of inspiration within the pages, as well as useful ideas for introducing their clients to new ways of thinking about their upcoming bath projects.

What's App: Photo That Measures

Kitchen & Bath Design News
April 3, 2017

Courtesy of Big Blue Pixel Inc.

What it is: An app for keeping track of measurements on a picture of a room or object.

What it does: The app allows users to take a photo of a room and directly draw measures on it that can be saved and referenced at a later time. Additional features include zooming in and out of the photo to provide more precision; the ability to quickly add text as comments when more than just measures are necessary; native support for angles; the ability to save measures in imperial or metric units; organizing photos by category; exporting the dimensions in high resolution by email or in the device’s photo library; exporting the file as a PDF or JPG, and importing photos of any size and aspect ratio. The cost of the app is $6.99, but there is also a free “Lite” version available with a few limitations: “Lite” only allows for two photos to be measured, and all exported files include a watermark.

Who it’s for: Designers, architects, contractors and homeowners.

Why kitchen and bath designers need it: Photo Measures allows designers to include accurate measurements on photos they take of the projects they will be working on, providing a visual reminder as well as necessary information. Additionally, the action of taking note of project measurements at a first meeting shows the client that you are resourceful and able to start work on their home right away.

Available since:  January 2011 on iTunes, October 2013 on Google Play

Who makes it: Big Blue Pixel Inc.

Platform: iOS for the iPhone and iPad, Android OS

Where to find it: On the iTunes Store, on Google Play