The world’s water supply is in crisis.  Out of the Earth’s 333 million cubic miles of water, only 1% is actually usable by humans.  Projections say that by 2025, people will be using up to ¾ of the planet’s accessible freshwater supply.  Combine that with the severe drought that is plaguing many parts of the world, and the crisis elevates.  Farms and agriculture account for almost 70% of our water usage, losing more than 50% through leakage. 

In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a water conservation program called WaterSense.  This program promotes water efficiency and has increased the demand for water conservation products and practices.  Many manufacturers throughout the bathroom industry have created WaterSense labeled products, which use 20% less water than traditional bathroom products.  These products include toilets, showerheads, faucets and urinals.  “It’s important to note,” says Jim Lewis, VP of Marketing for Kohler, “ that federally, and in the vast majority of municipalities, there are no new regulations.  The EPA WaterSense program is voluntary in most places.”  Kohler has made a huge commitment to water conservation products and was even named the 2009 WaterSense Partner of the Year.  Kohler now filters the development of all new products through their More Environmentally Friendly concept.  “Water conservation is the major focus for the plumbing group, but we are looking at sustainable materials and processes with every product.”  For example, Kohler makes many bathtubs and sinks out of Cast Iron, which is made of 93% recycled goods.   

You might be thinking, what can a single person do to help conserve water in the bathroom?  Here are some tips from around the industry:

1.   Fix leaky faucets – That little annoying drip coming from your faucet can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year.

2.   Take a shower instead of a bath -  Bathtubs use 70 + gallons of water, while taking a 10 minute shower would use only 25 gallons.  If you are like me and can’t give up your baths, plug the tub drain before you turn on the water and adjust the temperature as the tub is filling.  This will prevent some wasting of water.

3.   Turn off the faucet – Turning off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth twice a day can save up to 2,920 gallons of water per year!  While you’re at it, men, turn off the water while you’re shaving as well, or shave while you’re in the shower.

4.   Update your toilet – Until 1992, toilets were allowed to use 3.5 – 5 gallons of water per flush (gpf).  In 1992 regulations were changed to 1.6 gpf, where they still are today.  However, in 2004 the developments of High-Efficiency Toilets (HETs) brought the number down to 1.28 gpf.  This is turning into the new standard and can save you up to 16,500 gallons of water per year.  These toilets are the same price as 1.6 gpf and flush just as well, so there is no downside!

'Tis the season for trade shows.  In April Best attended KBIS (Kitchen and bath Industry Showcase) and Coverings (Tile & Stone Show).  Boy, these shows have really dwindled in attendance over the last few years.  They were both about 1/3 of their size three years ago when I first started attending.  Luckily there were still some exciting new products and trends, so I'm here to tell you about them!

KBIS

While I wasn't able to attend this show, the owners of Best attended and I was given a briefing of all of the new products.  One of my favorite new products is from Robern .  Robern has always been a medicine cabinet manufacturer, and two years ago they introduced decorative glass options for their medicine cabinets.  This year they took their glass skills to a new level by introducing a contemporary glass and metal wall-hung vanity.  This vanity is so new that it's not even on their website, but here is a sneak peek!  It is available in many different sizes, with all of their decorative glass options.  The entire frame is metal, so you can set a hot curling iron inside of it without burning anything.  

COVERINGS

The Coverings show was in Orlando last week, and the big trend was "High Definition Tile."  I spoke about this a few months ago in a blog when we first saw this technology, but now it seems every porcelain manufacturer is catching on.  Most of them are using this technology to mimic slate and quartzite, which is great considering those are the most annoying natural stones to deal with because of the rough texture and the shaling.  The photo to the left is of a new tile mimicking Silver Sands Quartzite (also known as Desert Gold, among other names.)

A few weeks ago we hosted a booth at the Fairfield County Home Expo.  I learned a lot in those two days, but the most interesting fact came from a woman who stopped by the booth to enter our Free Powder Room Giveaway. 

"Do you know how the Powder Room got it's name?" the woman said.  I honestly had no idea, and was very amused by the answer!  Back in the early daysof this country (and probably throughout the world), there was a small room off of the bedroom where men would powder their wigs, hence the name powder room!  Eventually they moved the chamber into the room as well, and the modern day powder room started taking shape.

I found this so interesting, and I hope you do too!  What a great little tidbit to share at cocktail parties.

Each month this blog kind of sneaks up on me!  This year has flown so quickly that I completely missed my last blog!  I apologize, and one of my New Years Resolutions is going to be to write more often. 

I just attended a small industry conference, and there are some really cool new products out there.  Imagine being able to watch the Today Show while doing your hair, brushing your teeth and even SHOWERING!  There is a company (actually, I'm sure there is more than one company, but I just met with one) that has electric mirrors with TVs in them!  The company I met with, Electric Mirror, also has contemporary back-lit mirrors, waterproof TVs perfect for bathing areas where you may not want a mirror, and even defogging electric mirrors. 

The big industry show, KBIS, is next month and is sure to introduce some very cool new products.  I will make sure to keep you posted!

I don't think any of us have ever been so happy to see a year end.  2009 was a tough year for most of us, but 2010 is bound to be a better year.

We have a few New Years Resolutions here at Best.

1. Keep our showrooms updated with new and exciting products - 2007 and 2008 didn't see many showroom changes since we were prepping for the opening of our new Somers showroom and the MAJOR remodel of the other showrooms.    Those changes all occurred in 2009, and we are getting back on track with introducing new and exciting products multiple times per year.
2. Make sure we have the products that people are looking for - Were you looking for something that we didn't have?  Tell us! 
3. Continue to support our local communities - Are you involved in local charities or organizations?  Let us know which ones so we can help support those that are nearest and dearest to you.  Simply e-mail me (marketing@bestplg.com) or talk to your Best Sales Associate.
4. Make 2010 the best year yet - What can we do to make YOUR year the best yet?  

First I would like to say Happy Holidays and a Happy and Healthy New Year!

I have designed quite a few handicap bathrooms in my career, but have been lucky enough never to have needed the assistance of one.  Until now!  Last weekend I threw out my back.  You never realize how dependent you are on your back until all of a sudden you are stuck - not being able to walk, sit up, stand on your own, or even shower!

Now if you have read my blogs before, you know that I rent, and therefore am stuck with a very outdated and not ideal bathroom.  My bathroom posed quite a few challenges for me this week, and I would like to share them with you and how I would  design my bathroom to solve them.

1. My Toilet - My toilet is a very old, standard height toilet with a very heavy seat.  The seat of a standard height toilet sits just under 15" from the ground, and was the most common height for toilets for decades and decades.  Over the last few years, comfort height toilets have been gaining popularity throughout the country.  The seat on a comfort height toilet sits just over 17" from the ground, which is the height of a dining chair.  I found it very difficult to sit down on the low toilet this week, and had a very hard time getting up!  At work we have comfort height toilets, and it was a world of difference.
2. My Tub/Shower - One of the selling points of my apartment was the huge whirlpool bath in my master bathroom.  I love baths and take them as often as possible.  What I never realized was how difficult it could be to step into such a large, deep tub.  When my back went out, I couldn't lift my legs up high enough to get into my shower!  I had to use my secondary bathroom, which is a much smaller tub.  Neither bathroom has grab bars, making it hard for me to shower once I was able to actually get in.  Most people only think of putting grab bars in handicapped bathrooms, but I will now put one in every shower I ever build for myself!  Rohl makes a very cool grab bar that actually doubles as a hand shower slide bar (see image on right).  SOLD! 
3. My Towel Bar - It's funny, but just reaching out of the tub for my towel has been difficult!  I have had to put my towel on the ledge of my tub so I can reach when I'm done, and it has been getting quite wet!  In the future I will think about putting a hotel shelf in my shower and keeping some towels up there at all times.  See image on left for hotel shelf.

You love slate, but you hate the upkeep and the shaling that occurs.  You love marble, but can't stand the maintenance and using special cleaners.  Natural stones have met their match with new High Definition Porcelain tiles.  We are starting to carry two High Definition Porcelain lines, and I wanted to share them with you.

The first is called Legends.  Is is the most incredible faux-slate we have ever seen.  On the left is a picture of one of the colors in a kitchen application.  I actually had to touch the tile when I saw it to be sure it wasn't natural slate.  Very impressive.

The second line is called Evolution, and mimics Calacatta Marble, which is one of the most inconsistent and expensive stones we sell.  It is a white marble with gold and grey veining.  For the last few years, it has been sporadic, and often comes in muddy or with very little gold.  This is my favorite marble, but even I wouldn't put it in my home because of the inconsistencies.  This new porcelain line solves my problem!  It is available in both Matte and Polished finishes, making it great for both floor and walls. I would use it in my home in a heartbeat.

Hopefully more manufacturers will be using this new process and every porcelain tile will look this real.

Both of these tile lines will be in our showrooms by the end of the year - make sure you come by to experience the new High Definition Porcelain!

With the housing market not quite as great as one would hope, any extras you can do to your house are bound to make it stand out.  I have noticed lately that many customers are coming into the showroom looking to remodel their baths to help sell their house, rather than remodeling for themselves.  Here are some tips if you are in this situation:

• KEEP THE DESIGN NEAUTRAL - While your design instinct will kick in and you will want to pick out what you like, you have to remember that you are not planning on actually living in this bathroom.  While you might love a bright red vanity top, most buyers will not appreciate that and may find it hard to visualize themselves in the house because of it.
• USE NEUTRAL COLORS -While we all say that we love color, BEIGE is actually the most common color in design.  For bathrooms, the most popular fixture color is white - combined with either a plain white tile or a beige stone or stone-looking tile.   It may or may not be your cup of tea, but it will allow most home buyers to more easily visualize themselves in your home.  While you're at it, you may want to neutralize the paint colors throughout your home; but that is not my area of expertise.
• STICK TO THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE HOME - You have a 1920 Tudor, but you tend to like contemporary design.  Your furniture is contemporary, and you want to use contemporary fixtures and furniture in your bathroom.  This would be fine if you were planning on staying in the house for a while, but most of the buyers will be expecting the bathrooms to be similar to the architectural style of the home.
• FIND ITEMS ON CLEARANCE - If you can, use items that are on clearance.  In our Somers showroom we have a section of clearance items that were ordered incorrectly, slightly damaged or are overstock.  These items may not be exactly what you would want in your own bathroom, but for up to 80% off, who cares?  It's not going to be your bathroom for long.
• SPEND A LITTLE MORE IN THE MASTER BATH - If you were remodeling the house for yourself, you would spend more in your master bath than any other bathroom.  It is important to do the same when you are remodeling to sell.  You want to buyers to come in and say, "wow, this is a very special master bath."  If you can fit a separate tub and shower, do it.  You may not be a bath person, but the buyer very well may be.  While you don't have to spend thousands of dollars on a dream shower, use at least two shower heads (a stationary head and a hand held), especially in the larger showers.  It will give the look of a fancy shower.
• DON'T WANT TO COMPLETELY REMODEL YOUR BATHROOM? - No problem.  Simply changing out your faucets and light fixtures will give the batroom a fresh new look - especially if your bathroom still has brass fixtures.  If you have an old laminate or cultured marble counter, you may want to swap that our as well.  In many cases you can simply paint an old vanity white to spruce it up.

Westchester Magazine recently asked me to write for their "Resident Expert" blog, and below is what I wrote for them.  

Last week a woman named Ana came into the showroom looking to remodel her master bath.  She had started the remodel process last summer, but put everything on hold when her husband got laid off from his Wall Street job.  With a new job securely in place, they decided to pick up the remodel, but have decreased their product* budget from $25,000 to $15,000.  

Here is what we did to get her the bathroom of her dreams:

• The original tub Ana had chosen was a beautiful 6’ airbath from Kallista for $4200.  We were able to switch it to Kohler’s new Underscore 6’ BubbleMassage, which has the same clean lines, for $3255.

The Kallista tub on the left is twice the price of the Kohler tub on the right.

• For the shower, Ana had wanted the works – dual shower heads with separate thermostatic controls, three body sprays on each side of the shower, steam, etc.  She had also wanted everything to be a brushed nickel finish.  This type of shower costs approximately $5000.  Steam was the most expensive element in the shower, and Ana decided that having the dual shower was much more important.  Ana also saved money by switching all of the metal finishes to chrome, and her shower cost about $2500.  

• The vanity area is a very expensive part of any bathroom, and Ana had planned on having her kitchen cabinet company create a 72”custom cabinet with hutch for the bath as well.  This would have cost over $5000, not including the countertop.  We were able to create a similar look with our semi-custom cabinet company for about $5000, which includes the stone top and two sinks. 

Note that the picture is of a much larger vanity area than Ana’s, and is in a much more traditional style than we used.  It does, however, show many of the components we used.

•  The Dornbracht faucet she had originally chosen was $2000 for each lav faucet and $3000 for the tub faucet.  We switched that to a beautiful contemporary Kohler set for $1500.

• The toilet was the easiest part.  She wanted something contemporary, and Kohler just came out with an inexpensive contemporary toilet that sells for $270.

• Accessories complete the plumbing fixtures in the bathroom for about $500.

• It was very important to Ana to have a stone bath, and she wanted to put limestone all over the bathroom from floor to ceiling.  In order to keep within the budget, I suggested simply tiling the tub surround, shower and the floor, bringing the cost from $4000 to $2000.  Ana selected a paint color in the same tone of the tiles for the rest of the room to get the Zen room she was looking for.

There you have it!  A dream master bathroom completed for approximately $15,000.

*These costs are for products only and do not include any labor charges.

As summer fades and the crisp, cool autumn air begins to creep in, people start nesting--hunkering down and bracing for the long, dark winter hibernation. To take the chill out, savvy homeowners are equipping their homes with the latest bath accessories designed to add comfort and warmth to the one room of the house that has become THE place for refuge and serenity:  the bath.
  
Heated toilet seats and towels bars. Hot, steaming showers and bubbling massage whirlpools.  Even dry heat bidets and fog free medicine cabinets .  These are some of the latest cold weather accessories to keep the chilly weather outdoors where it belongs.

If you are anything like me, you dread getting out of bed in the morning and leaving the snugly warmth of your blankets. Ease the transition by installing radiant heating underneath the tile flooring in your bath and send a wave of warmth from the bottoms of your feet to the top of your head.  Not only will this warm your tootsies, but it will also warm the entire room, which is great if you have one tiny baseboard, like me, unit that hardly works.

Now that your feet are warm, awaken your senses with Kohler’s DTV II shower system , which controls ambient chromatherapy lighting, music from your iPod and purifying, aroma-therapeutic steam. Choose the showerhead, Water Tile round bodysprays or sleek designer wand handshower that’s right for you: from gentle mist to pulsating massage to the natural feeling of rain. Add eucalyptus oil to your steam head to help clear congestion in your head and chest.  I am not lucky enough to have this system, but I add the eucalyptus oil to my baths when I have a cold!

Now don't you wish you could step out of the shower into a plush robe and dry off with a fluffy WARM towel?  Well you can with a heated towel bar!  

And the pinnacle of any cold-weather friendly bathroom:  a heated toilet seat or a bidet seat with heat and adjustable warm-air dryer.  For these items, you will need an outlet behind the toilet, so keep that in mind when planning renovations!

Wind down and relax after a long day by grabbing your favorite magazine, pouring yourself a glass of wine and enjoying a long, hot soak. Best carries air baths, which provide a full-body hydro-massage, and effervescent whirlpools, which emit a cascade of soft, champagne-like bubbles. Other whirlpool designs contain backjets, which ease tension in backs and shoulders, and neckjets, factory-installed pillows that relieve neck stress.

Best also carries the latest in bathtub relaxation technology: Kohler’s Fountainhead VibrAcoustic, technology-based sound vibration, chromatherapy and music are choreographed to provide relaxation second to none.  The VibrAcoustic bath helps to slow your breathing and heart rate resulting in a complete surrender of the day’s events.

Customizable bathrooms are becoming the perfect place to begin the day, unwind after work, prepare for a night out or relax and get away from it all.

Enjoy the rest of your summer and get that bathroom ready for the fall!

Do you have a neglected foyer, a large bathroom, or a sun room in need of some interest?  Try spicing it up with tile in a grand design!  Here are three large floor designs that we just installed in our Somers showroom:

Classic Marble Masterpiece

This floor uses two colors of marble - White Carrara and Bardiglio.  The front rug is a small classic basketweave of the two colors, surrounded by a metal liner.  The main section of the floor is a much exaggerated basketweave, using 8x16 field tiles and 4x4 dots.  To enhance the look of the pattern, we combined two textures, with the honed Carrara and polished Bardiglio.  The beautiful mosaic listello bordering the main section is made with Carrara, Bardiglio and Black Absolute, and is hand crafted here in Westchester County, NY. 

Warm Earthy Retreat

The majority of this floor is Durango limestone, with accents of Dark Emperador marble.  For this floor, we created a large rug in the center.  The field tile within the rug is pillowed, giving the rug texture.  The mosaic Dark Emperador accent dots accentuate the pillowed effect, acting as tufts.  The mosaic listello border separates the pillowed Durango in the rug from the honed Durango field tile on the outside.  This border is made in china and is stocked at Best, making it a much less expensive border option.  Keep in mind that with most tile, less expensive also means lesser quality, as is the case with this border.  The Dark Emperador mosaics around the edge of the floor add a bit of interest to the outside of the floor.

Statement Maker

This floor is a statement maker!  The entire floor is Bianco Onyx which, as you can see, has a tremendous amount of range and variation.  As an accent, we mixed in some solid bronze tiles that will hold up to the traffic in any home.

After almost 2 years of construction, our new Somers showroom is open to the public!   Here are some of the new and exciting changes that we have made.

VIGNETTES

• We have updated over 80% of our vignettes - from new tile walls to new vanities and lights.  There are more contemporary displays in response to this growing trend.

SHOWERING

• Kohler's DTV II is now on display! This digital showering system controls water, sound, light and steam with the touch of a button.  The display will be partly live, allowing you to test out the interface, adjusting the lights and sound.
• We have added brand new displays showing the different showering systems - pressure balance, exposed thermostatic, concealed thermostatic and thermobalance.  This allows you to better understand how your shower will work.

BATHING

•  Kohler's VibrAcoustic tub is now on display!  This new bathing concept uses sound therapy and chromatherapy to give you a one of a kind experience.  While there won't be any water in our display, you will be able to sit in the tub, turn on the sound therapy and feel the sound-wave vibrations throughout your body.
• We also added some new baths to our showroom, such as Kohler's Sok and Underscore.

TILE

•  Our beautifully updated 2,000 SF tile gallery boasts new vignettes as well as a new format.  The new presentation format is much easier to use, showing an installed floor right below the product line.

*The updates mentioned in this blog are currently in the Somers showroom only.  The rest of our showrooms will be updated with the same displays within 90 days.

Over the last few months I have given you some ideas on ways to remodel on a budget with some easy upgrades, but I thought I would get more specific this month.  A friend of mine called me up last month and said he wanted to completely renovate his bathroom and had budgeted $4000 for the plumbing and tile products (labor not included).  Normally this is not a problem, but he was insistent on having a 6' whirlpool in his bathroom, which made it a lot more difficult.  After much finagling, we were able to get it done.  Here is what we did:

• It was very important to my friend to have a marble bath, and he wanted to put the marble all over the bathroom from floor to ceiling.  In order to keep within the budget, I suggested simply tiling the tub surround and the floor, bringing the cost from $2300 to $1300.
• My friend wanted a whirlpool more than anything, and had space for a 6' tub.  Large whirlpools are quite expensive, ranging from $1100 to over $4000 (I would say the average is about $1500-2000.)  There were a few different ways to go since he was on a budget.  We could use a smaller whirlpool, which would leave him a 6-12" ledge on one side of the bath and would cost much less, splurge on the 6' whirlpool, or use a 6' tub without a whirlpool.  My suggestion was the larger tub without the whirlpool, since the whirlpool he could afford was very basic and wouldn't necessarily help out with resale.  He decided this was worth the splurge, and we selected a Kohler whirlpool that ran $1100.
• For the shower itself, we were able to use a Kohler tub and shower kit that cost $175 and included a pressure balance valve, shower head and tub spout.
• The vanity area is a very expensive part of any bathroom, and this is where we had to watch ourselves a bit.  My friend fell in love with a new contemporary vanity that we have, but it runs around $800, which was too much for this project.  The lease expensive way to go is to use a pedestal sink, which would run you under $300, but doesn't give you very much storage.  Kohler has a nice intermediate option, their line of petite vanities.  The Archer Petite vanity uses the same sink as a pedestal, but instead of a pedestal base you get a nice dark wood vanity with an open shelf and a drawer.  This piece is $500, the faucet we selected was $200, and we were able to throw in a Kohler medicine cabinet for extra storage for $130.
• The toilet was the easiest part.  He wanted something contemporary, and Kohler just came out with an inexpensive contemporary toilet that runs $270.
• Accessories complete the bathroom for about $100.