Remodel Spotlights

BATHROOM SPOTLIGHT
The Key: Balance, Precision

Achieving a sense of individuality in your home can be as easy as selecting tile. Fox Group Designs has shown how it’s done with two distinctive and eye-catching designs. The guest bath mixes porcelain, glass and metal tiles. The choice of colors connects the space to the rest of the home. The key to making it work? Balance and precision; the textures, shapes and sheens are harmonized in an intricate pattern based on repetition and rhythm.

The master bath design introduces elements from nature. The rough and irregular shape of the pebbles contrasts with the marbled appearance of the porcelain tile. Using pebbles on the shower floor creates a spa-like atmosphere. Russchelle Fox of Fox Group Designs says: “The materials you choose and the pattern in which they are installed can add a sense of individuality to the space; it’s the personal touches that make a house a home.”

  

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BATHROOM SPOTLIGHT
Bathroom Concrete is Cool

Concrete-N-Counters supplies local remodelers with a number of lead- ing-edge bathroom products, including pedastal sinks, precast, two-inch thick vanities and vanity tops with hand-chiseled edge detailing.

    

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KITCHEN SPOTLIGHT
Shedding Light on the Subject

Lack of adequate lighting was a huge problem in the kitchen of this 1980s condo on Longboat Key. To get more natural
light, Bob Elmes of Creative Kitchen and Baths by Bob Elmes, knocked out a wall with a pass-through as well as a hallway wall. “We then removed all the ceiling diffusers and fluorescent lighting and modified the recessed area of the ceiling, making it larger,” Elmes says. Then the remodeler finished the new ceiling area and added crown molding to
the lower section of the raised area. Behind the crown molding, he placed slim fluorescent lamps around the entire perimeter, while adding recessed can lights in the soffits above the countertops and installing fluorescent under-cabinet lighting. To enhance function and style, the refrigerator was relocated and white Kraftmaid cabinets – topped with a quartz countertop – were installed. A darker cherry cabinet, topped with another quartz, became an island with seating where the owner could work. The owner’s daughter, Jackie Skidmore, helped with the design.

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KITCHEN SPOTLIGHT
Update, But Save the Marble

After a complete renovation of the two secondary baths, the owner of this Tampa Palms home also wanted to update and maximize the function of their kitchen without having to demolish it.   A major factor was keeping the white marble flooring, which adorns the entire first floor including the kitchen, intact. “We had some minor plumbing changes, according to the new design, such as moving the island sink and updating the electrical systems,” says Jon Greaves of Greaves Construction. With some adjustments in the cabinet layout and new finishes such as a tile backsplash and granite and cabinetry detailing, the owner now has a kitchen that really functions well and looks great, says Johanna Seldes of Interior Design Consulting. “The specialty backsplash accent tiles were something the client has really liked,” Seldes adds. “It took some research but we found the perfect mix of accents.” Upon completion of the project the marble flooring was completely refinished and the new kitchen was complete. The accent tiles were supplied by Gulf Tile and the cabinetry by Camelot Cabinets.