We had a great first blogging season here at Uniform Design and we enjoyed creating the posts and interacting with our audience.  A big thank you to all our readers, supporters and clients – without you, there would be no point in what we are doing.  We would like to wish you all a fantastic year 2012 full of fresh ideas and dreams come true.

Below you will find the best of the best – the most popular blog posts of 2011.

The Backstory of Naturalist 1 was one of the favorite inspiration stories for our designs.

The Renovation Dos and Dont’s were and will remain a good resource for anyone who considers (or is in the midst of) a renovation.

White remains a classic favorite color for bathrooms, therefore the Story in White  was well received.

We were very excited about the Customized Townhouse 1 Bathroom in Europe, and so were our readers.

The Natural Accessories post provided simple and inexpensive ideas for introducing that feel of nature to any bathroom, and was very well received.

The Customized Naturalist 2 bathroom may be the smallest in the world, but arguably it is also one of the most beautiful.

To be continued next year…

We are 2 weeks into the construction of a customized Naturalist 2 bathroom in New York City. The new shower lead pan has been installed along with the rough – ins (parts of plumbing fixtures that go in the wall). The recessed storage niches in the shower and across from the washbasin, where integrated medicine cabinet will be installed, have been framed. Wall tiling is halfway done. The stone tiles look great, they are perfect proportions and size for this bathroom, are very light and have subtle variations.  The contactors will be installing the plumbing fixtures and accessories this week, can’t wait. Also, see CUSTOMIZED NATURALIST 2 IN NYC – PART I.

New shower lead pan.

Niche at shower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medicine cabinet niche framing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tiling - half way done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shower bar and thermostatic pressure valve – going in this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washbasin, 25in wide, 12in deep, 5.5in high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Washbasin faucet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The owner of this apartment in Warsaw, Poland appreciated the Townhouse 1 design, but needed some adjustments.  The layout of the existing bathroom was different from our basic layout, and the owner requested to place a shower cabin instead of the bathtub.  A washing machine needed to be incorporated into the layout, and we designed a simple, elegant closet to conceal it.   We also suggested to the owner to use large size floor tiles instead of a marble mosaic, as the area of the bathroom floor was relatively large.  Our client did not wish to have a medicine cabinet or vanity so we proposed a large wooden counter and open shelving below.  You must agree with us that the results are stunning!

Photography: Adam Bochinski

Renovating your bathroom (or your entire apartment) can be exciting.  It can also be exasperating.  Often it is both.

We put together a list of good ideas to implement and bad ideas to avoid during your renovation process.  We hope that this advice will make your remodel more fun and less hassle.

DO:

+ Price your renovation with at least three contractors. Even if you have a contractor that you know and trust, it is a good idea to get pricing from the competition.  Not only will this be  helpful in your contract negotiations; each contractor may give you some good ideas about cost savings or technical advice.

+ Sign a contract with your builder. Put at least the following in writing: the names and addresses of both parties, the location and scope of the project, the renovation cost and renovation schedule.

+ Order all materials and fixtures prior to commencement of renovation.  Or have your contractor do it for you.  Some items may have very long delivery times – it is beneficial to know about it upfront to avoid delays or last-minute changes.

+ Request samples of materials.   This way you can make sure that you will be getting the product you imagined or be certain that two materials match one another.

+ Inspect the work.  Even if you are not a professional, you may notice issues that the contractor missed.  Address mistakes and problems as soon as you notice them.

DON’T:

- Expect that you can avoid problems.  Problems are inevitable, so be prepared, do not panic and approach them with a clear head.

- Make last-minute changes.  Changes made during the construction is in progress tend to be expensive and may lead to mistakes and/or delays.

- Pay your contractor for work up-front.  Only pay for work that has been completed by the contractor and inspected by you.

Find more renovation advice in the Renovation Tips page of our Web site.  We also recommend you explore our entire Additional Resources section for more useful information regarding apartment remodeling.