Continuing on with shower systems...

   In my humble opinion, showers make the bath…they sell the bath…they drive the bath.  Once the proper engine has been put in place, you get to the good stuff…the outlets!  Showerheads of all types and sizes, rainbars, handshowers, body sprays, body jets, steam units…the list goes on and on.  To some people, this is daunting.  It shouldn’t be.  The plethora of choices and manufacturers brings the high end shower experience to everyone.  Once you’ve established what type of valve you’re installing, the aesthetic of your bath, and what the water pressure of your bath can deliver, you’re ready to go shopping!

We can start with showerheads.  We are eons removed from the barbaric days when the only choice you had was a little 4 jet showerhead whose only ability was to widen or narrow the stream of water.  

   

   Now don’t get me wrong…these type of showerheads still exist, and in the proper location and under certain circumstances (read: low water pressure), are ideal.  However, with that being said, we introduce the gaudy array of other options open to you.  Rainheads (or shower roses as they’re also known) have gained in popularity tremendously over the last several years.  The designs range from the basic 4” Victorian design to massive 24” (or larger) flush mounted multifunction heads, some with chromatherapy (light therapy) options.  

   Some of these heads require three separate volume controls to control!  They can utilize ½” or ¾” plumbing.  This can dramatically affect the amount of water flow being delivered.  In quite a few cities and states, there are code restrictions limiting the amount of water a shower head is allowed to deliver.  Manufacturers have found a way to circumvent some of those restrictions if you’re feeling in a less than green state of mind.  Some of the larger showerheads are now classified as water sculptures!  The end user has to sign off that they are using the head as a piece of art in their shower before they can take delivery! 

   Go figure...  

   These showerheads can be mounted from the wall or the ceiling via a dizzying selection of arms of different lengths, styles, finishes, and diameters.  Some of the showerheads don’t even require an arm.   They flush mount into the ceiling creating a wonderful rain experience within your shower cabin.  The most important thing to remember is to insure that the valve you have incorporated into your shower set up has the necessary water flow to deliver to whatever head you’ve selected, and if you are installing other outlets, that there is enough water to run those pieces simultaneously.

Handshowers are a mixed bag.  They come in an even wider selection of styles and options than showerheads.  

   They are light, maneuverable, and certainly practical.  You can mount them on a sliding bar to adjust the height and angle of inclination, or a simple parking bracket.  How else can you easily clean the walls of your shower or the interior of your bath, without filling up and tossing buckets of water?    If you go by the numbers, and many people do, you’ll find that handshowers deliver the same waterflow as a basic showerhead…generally in the range of 2.5 GPM.  People see this and think, Wow!  Let me use my handshower as my showerhead as I’m as good as gold!    Let me tell you from experience…this is not a great idea.  Handshowers do not deliver the same shower experience as a showerhead.  When used in conjunction with a tub spout and a pressure balanced valve with an integral diverter, they generally wear out the diverter assembly inside of a year. 

   Now please don’t think I’m handshower bashing…far from it.   When used in a system with a showerhead, they are invaluable for rinsing soap and shampoo from little children, giving the dog a bath, or in the instance that you are using a rain head, giving you a multifunction option to work those knots from your back after a tough day…

Richard K. Segal

1/28/2012

www.princesegaldesign.com

The Getaway Spot

The Getaway Spot

   I am sitting on my bed looking out of the window on the last day of the year. It is so serene with bare trees as far as the eye can see.

   It reminds me of the forest scene in the movie, Dr. Zhivago, without the blue translucent lighting, Omar Sharif and Julie Christie. This is my tranquil, feel good… what I call my “getaway spot”…where all my problems seem more manageable and I feel peaceful. Even my dog, Misha, has her special place next to me on the bed, curled up between 2 stuffed animals that she uses as a pillow.

   We all need a “getaway spot” and I realized it doesn’t have to be a separate residence, in a different town, or even on vacation. It can be a tiny area in your home that is totally yours. Where you can curl up with your favorite book, music, pet or merely your thoughts… to take a time out.

   Your “getaway spot” has to be comfortable, beautiful and inviting like an overstuffed chair or sofa that envelopes you. The fabric should be as inviting as the furniture style. And if it isn’t… invest in a slipcover to make it special. Today you can purchase covers to fit any style and every budget. Or buy a throw, soft and snuggly, which you can take out of the closet ONLY for your getaway time.

     If your special spot is your bed then purchase a set of sheets that just say “welcome.” Consider a print or color that you have always coveted in one of those ultra style magazines. That one bedding set whose only criteria is nestle, luxuriate and burrow. You don’t have to break the bank… there is always Target or Home Goods. Or splurge and get that over-the-top designer set that you have only dreamed about. And remember… it doesn’t have to be an entire set. Just some new pillow shams, preferably European size, or decorative throw pillows scattered on the bed can create a cozy nook. Pile them up around you and you have yourself a retreat.

   Design changes to make your life more pleasurable do not have to involve major renovations. It doesn’t require a nail, a hammer, or even a can of paint. Most of the time it just involves a change of mindset and a few well chosen accessories. It is really quite simple and merely requires you to designate one spot in your home that you can truly call your own… your “getaway spot.”  

  

    

Chris N. Prince

1/28/2012

www.princesegaldesign.com

“The Perfect Accessory”

    Is there the perfect accessory? I don’t know if there is such a thing as ONE perfect accessory because I BELIEVE in accessories!!

    The right accessory makes your home different from any other home… it makes it uniquely yours. The operative word is different. Take 10 identical sofas covered in the identical fabric, throw a different pair of decorative pillows on each one, and suddenly you have 10 different looks. 

Take the same kitchen cabinet… same style… same finish and use different decorative hardware and each set of cabinets will look entirely different. This is the one design element that can EASILY change… update… give the right “pop” to your bed, coffee table, bureau, wall… the list goes on. There is no limitation except your imagination.

      An accessory gives you so much for relatively such a small investment. A decorative pillow or ceramic vase doesn’t have to break the bank. Look around your home… you would be surprised how many things you have that are functional… which if displayed in the right manner would suddenly work as design accessories. I took a bunch of umbrellas and walking sticks that have been accumulating over the years… put them in an umbrella stand… 

and now it serves as a “wow” element when you walk into my house.

    Don’t limit yourself as to where you find that perfect piece (s). Keep your antennae up. It can be at a tag sale… that little nothing shop you have passed by a dozen times… chain stores like Pier One or TJ Maxx. My girlfriend found a lamp on the street curb one day that someone threw out. I still wonder if it is an unsigned Tiffany treasure.

    And remember… change your accessories and their location from time to time. Take that bowl that has been resting on your dining room table since you can’t remember when… fill it with lemons and put it on the kitchen counter… and suddenly you have your “new” perfect accessory. Change the lemons to apples. Or even vegetables. (When you use one kind of anything, like ALL lemons versus a mixture of fruits, it tends to make more of a statement. Or ALL in one color like green apples with green pears. But that is another blog). When summer approaches fill the same bowl with coral and shells and put it on your coffee table.  Same bowl… NEW look.

    And the most important thing is to have FUN with your accessories. Because they represent such a small investment…they are so easy to change without feeling guilty. That’s what’s so perfect about the perfect accessory… it doesn’t have to be perfect for very long!!!    

Chris Nicole Prince

1/14/2012

Shower Systems in All Their Glory and Removing the Mystery…Part 2

What about alternatives to the thermostatic shower system?  Not everyone or every bath in your home is going to require that much water flow or that many outlets in the shower.  There has to be a simpler way to get the kids, guests, and / or the mother-in-law bathed.  Rest assured, there are…

The most basic is the pressure balanced valve. 

  Most people know what this is, even if they don’t know what it is called.  It is the simple single handle control on a round plate that is found in mid-priced motor inns the world over.  A ½” valve capable of delivering somewhere in the vicinity of 4-7 GPM, depending on the brand, quality, and water pressure in your abode, to your tub spout and / or showerhead.  It really is simplicity personified (in a way of speaking).  You begin to turn the handle on the valve counter clockwise, and water begins to flow, from cold to warm to hot, but with no control over the volume, to your tub spout or showerhead.  In the case of tub / shower combinations, or if a hand shower is being added, a diverter must be incorporated.   In the case of a simple tub / shower combination, the diverter can be built right into the valve itself and activated by pulling on a plunger usually located on the plate.  Sometimes it is found on the tub spout.  In the case where you are using three outlets, such as a showerhead, hand shower, and tub spout, a three way diverter must be used.  This is always going to be a valve independent of the pressure balanced unit itself.  In an instance where a hand shower is being used in lieu of the showerhead with a tub spout, a separate 2 way diverter is a good idea, as that type of configuration tends to wear out integrated diverters within about a year of being installed.

Of course, there are those old school folks out there as well…you know who you are…They still love the three or even four handle tub / shower valve configurations that they grew up with. 

  Mostly, but not entirely, these have vanished from the plumbing landscape.  Most municipalities have banned them from use because they provide no protection from being scalded.  Most of you who have used these systems are familiar with being in the shower, minding your own business, when all of a sudden, Mr. Pink upstairs flushes his toilet, and you end up with a back (or scalp) full of scalding hot water and no place to run.  Not a pleasant experience!  However, if you absolutely dig these configurations and must have them, there is still a way, that meets code, protects you from that malicious toilet flusher upstairs, and maintains your delicate design sensibilities.  You need to utilize independent volume controls (compression types if you can find them) for your hot and cold controls, a diverter if required, and most importantly, a Remote Pressure Balanced Valve.  

This chunky piece of brass is what equalizes the pressure between your hot and cold flows and prevents you from being burnt if the cold water is suddenly pulled from your shower.  The valve itself is buried in the wall.  You’ll never even see it.  It gets installed between the hot and cold risers and your hot and cold controls.  If you go with a four handle configuration, you still get only one of them.  Tub fillers generally do not require anti scald protection, only showers and hand showers.  Check with your builder, plumber, or architect, to insure this is the case where you live!  Very important…there is nothing worse than finishing your plumbing install, and having your friendly neighborhood  building inspector notify you that your installation is illegal and needs to be removed.  Your project is stopped, and there is much gnashing of teeth and beating of breast.  Communication with the professionals you are working with is key here.  Just remember to ask questions, and you will get what you want!

Richard Segal

Jan 2, 2012

The Inspiration for Designing Your Own Home

DESIGN INSPIRATION

   My partner asked me the other day about the inspiration for designing my house in East Hampton. Design inspiration is a difficult thing to define… especially for an eclectic designer like myself… whose VERY first purchase for the house (before practical things like beds, china or one sofa or chair) was a table carved like a sunflower. It just seemed… right… although you can’t even put a glass on it.

   If I have to pinpoint the primary inspiration I would say Italian. The truth is I would TRADE my house, which I cherish, for a farmhouse in Tuscany in a split second! You know the one I am talking about… stone, many 100 of years old, 16” walls with a winding road framed with tall, sinewy trees and a vineyard in the valley below. But I digress.

   With no clients to dictate direction or impose restrictions, I was free to just create… although that is not always an easy thing. Sometimes restrictions keep you focused and on a somewhat straight path. And having me as a client can be daunting. Just ask the salesperson who wrote up my decorative hardware order… we lost count on the finishes.

   I love natural materials… organic and tactile with a matte finish. In the kitchen I chose slate counters with a slate farm sink. It was actually the first slate sink made by the fabricator. My house was his testing ground and I was his guinea pig. The walls are cross cut travertine. I used the material in a show house I did in New York City (published in several books – see our website) and knew I would use it for my house. I inserted terracotta decorative tile and molding to add contrast. I even dyed some of the terracotta so it would be the perfect color. You get the picture… I can be compulsive. But I justify it by convincing myself that in interior design this is a GOOD thing.

   And then there is the kitchen range hood! Suffice to say my Mother called it my Sistine Chapel. It took a year to complete. Most Saturdays my wonderful Italian contractor, Francesco, would come from the city to work on the house. For the hood he would cut my marble tiles into little pieces and would mud a small section of the hood and I would actually put the pieces on each section… designing as I went. I was on a ladder and would have to bend down for each little piece. My back!!! While I was “creating” he was sitting watching the soccer matches drinking my best cognac. The two ceramic heads were actually plaques from Italy. I removed them from their iron holders and don’t have a clue how he got them on the hood. Francesco could do anything all I had to do was ask. When I told him I wanted the hood bordered in copper (I love copper) mimicking the design on my stone trim on the walls, he got his brother (who had just come to America on his very first visit on his very first day) to come to the house and with a blow torch… and voila… a border.

 The “tile” rug embedded into the wood floor, in front of the sink, is glazed tile and terracotta. I designed it and had it fabricated in Tunisia. Time was NOT my enemy… this house represented my design laboratory and fantasy all at once.

   

In the back hallway I had an artist, who had a small handmade tile company, create ceramic leaves that Francesca embedded into the floor… one painstaking leaf at a time. I laid out the tiles so it looked like the wind blew in the leaves from the side door. He then, by hand, chiseled out the wood and inserted a leaf. It took several hours to do each one. It was worth every drop of my cognac!

   I have had people come to the house, some have even become clients, and say they want me to duplicate the house for them. But my response to them is that this is my vision… and what I can do is help them find theirs. Everyone has “design inspiration” they just have to find a way to tap into it.

   The truth is every time I walk through the front door the house inspires me… with a sense of beauty and tranquility. How great is that! 

Chris Nicole Prince

Jan.2, 2012

CHERISH THAT CHERISHED ITEM IN YOUR HOME

CHERISH THAT CHERISHED ITEM IN YOUR HOME

    It is the new year… a time of the year I dwell on more serious thoughts (perhaps it is no more philosophical then NOT dwelling on all the food I have been stuffing in my face). And I thought about the one design item I cherish in my home décor.

   I am referring to the item that if I moved… I would always take with me! And the item I would find a place for in my new abode… no matter the size of the item or the size of the space. My close friend refers to it as her “feel good piece.” This is different then the “sentimental piece” you keep, even if it is less then beautiful, because you cherish the person who gave it to you and it keeps that person close even if they are gone.

   My girlfriend made the distinction. She has a ballerina lamp that her Mother, long deceased, hand painted and added items to make it more personal. Although she admitted that it was somewhat gaudy… she would take it with her and use it in her bedroom… always! But I persevered! What about something you have, probably purchased, that you cherish because of its design beauty and/or distinction? She bought a rug from Home Goods some time ago that is loved for its style and especially the vibrant colors. She will take and use that rug wherever she goes. (Since her house is for sale that may be very soon). Her gorgeous home interiors are built around these particular colors that she will  carry through in her new home.

   In my apartment I have a painting that I cherish. It is about 5 feet tall and it has moved many, many times. Its first home was a 5000 square foot turn-of-the century house in the South… and has resided in several New York City apartments… the first was a one bedroom.  You get my point…I always made it work!!! When I lived in the South my antique collector friend called from New Orleans one afternoon. I am with a dealer he explained, who purchased an antique furniture lot, and one painting came with it. He didn’t want the painting and would sell it for $500 but it could not be returned. Not to mention that my friend, emphatically told me, that if he schlepped the painting over 2 hours hanging out of his car (pre SUV’s) I was stuck with it, if I liked it or not. Since he had remarkable taste in furniture, accessories and art and we often made a beeline to the same artwork in galleries… I took a chance!

   Like… it was LOVE at first sight! 

I know nothing about the artist even with all the research on the internet. The painting’s signature says DUNLAP and was applied to the canvas with stick on letters that are peeling off. What does that say about the artist… my imagination is racing. Did he want to keep the owner of the painting constantly guessing? Was it a statement of the permanence of the art itself versus the artist who painted it? Was it a message or an insight into the painter’s psyche? The bottom of the painting is clearly a copy of Johannes Vermeer’s famous painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” residing at the Mauritshuis in the Hague. 

The top portion of the painting is a portrait of a man, eyes starring, much like the girl’s gaze which is as intimate as it is intense, with nail heads on two sides and the word FINIS screened in white paint on white paint… discreet but visible.

 Is it a self portrait of the painter? How did it end up in an antique cache? It is exquisitely painted! Even the Vermeer portion is crackled to look worn and old. Every time I look at it, hanging prominently in my living room (even if it skews the symmetry of my couch and coffee table… not an easy thing for an interior designer) I stop and think how lucky I am to own it. I wish I could tell the painter how much I cherish it.

   So stop and look at your space and take note of that piece (or pieces) that makes your home, even if you have the same sofa with the same fabric that hundreds of other people own… uniquely yours. And CHERISH it.

   By the way… if anyone can shed any information on the artist… please contact me through our Facebook page, Prince Segal Design, or email me at Chris@princesegaldesign.com. I would really appreciate it!!!! Or if you would like to share one of your cherished items with my followers… send a picture with any details and I will post it. 

Chris Nicole Prince

12/27/2011  

Shower Systems in All Their Glory and Removing the Mystery...

Being in the bath business a long time, I’ve seen and heard from a lot of different people.  One of the things that causes more undue consternation among my clients is picking out a shower system.  It causes people to stress, panic, and make rash decisions.  I am here to tell you that designing a shower system, no matter how simple or complex is NOT ROCKET SCIENCE!!!  It is a step by step process that when done correctly, can add a wonderful bathing ritual to your life…

Now I have to admit…I love showers.  There are bath people and there are shower people.  I can appreciate a good soak, but it requires a different mindset, time, and patience.  Benjamin Franklin loved baths.  He would conduct business meetings while in the tub using a cover of his own design in order to  maintain a certain level of modesty.  I love showers…I do my best thinking in the shower.  It is my personal space.  I am only surrounded by steam, air, and my thoughts.  To me, it is conducive to thought, meditation, and relaxation.  In order to remove the mystique, stress, and strain from its design, I offer this small primer.

The most important thing to remember before you figure out what are your best options for your shower, are what you are looking for in your shower, the type of water pressure your home or building is providing, and the space allocated to the shower.  You should also ask your contractor or plumber about building codes in your area.  A lot of municipalities now mandate the use of anti-scald valves in any shower installation.  This is not a probem and actually can make the entire process simpler. 

One of the best anti-scald valves out there is called a thermostatic mixer. 

It is a wonderful piece of equipment that provides the basis for most of the shower systems I design.  It is generally a ¾” temperature setting valve (although it is available in ½” & 1” configurations as well)  Depending on the manufacturer, it allows a water flow rate of anywhere from 10 GPM (gallons per minute) to 22 GPM!  All the thermostat does is control water temperature…it turns no water on or off.  You need what are called volume controls to actually control water flow.  For each and every outlet, and you can have more than one…you need a volume control.  Just make sure you know the water output of your various showerheads, bodysprays, rainbars, et al. so you don’t over tax the capacity of your thermostat.  Some people make use of multiple thermostats in their shower so they don’t run low on water flow to their various outlets!  There are also diverter valves that can be used to move water from one source to another, but with the thermostatic valve, this limits the reason you made the choice the upgrade the valve in the first place…water flow.  Due to the fact that you have this increase in water flow, and that you have independent volume controls turning on and off your water flow, with the thermostat, you can actually have more than one source going at the same time.  Imagine if you will,  you’ve had a rough day, and you are stressed to the n’th degree.  You step into your shower…a 14” diameter (or larger) shower head starts raining down upon you from your ceiling,

 while multiple body sprays massage you from every angle  erasing the knots from your body, and allowing your mind to clear itself.

Or, maybe, you wake up (too early), for work.  Your preferred shower temperature is already set on the thermostat.  You turn on the volume control to your multifunction showerhead and a powerful torrent of water hits you, throws you against the back wall of your shower (kidding…sort of)  and helps to wake you up and get you ready for the day ahead.

The beautiful thing about thermostats is that they really are available in just about every price point and style you can think of .  Years ago, thermostatic valves were part of the rarified air that only wealthy people could afford to have installed.  Finding plumbers who knew how to install them was a challenge.  Now, like computers, and automobiles, the trickle down theory applies, and the price of the these great valves has dropped like a stone making it possible for almost anyone to incorporate them into a shower design.  My next article will discuss simpler and more basic shower set ups.  

Richard K. Segal

Prince Segal Design