Monday, November 30, 2009

Bathroom Towel Storage Options Series Part Three-Open Shelves

Welcome back to my Bathroom Towel Storage Option Series! This time we will look at various options for storing towels on open shelves in a bathroom.  Enjoy the very diverse designs shown in the photos below.  Blessings.  …susan

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Source: Bathrooms by Chris Casson Madden

^The built-in shelves seen in the photo above serves many functions including a shelf for a television, audio controls, books, towel storage, and toiletries. I like how they used different colors of towels to enhance the shelves. I am not sure how functional and safe it is to have a lamp on the vanity counter. I do like the wall mount of the faucet instead of it being mounted on the vanity counter.

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Source: Timber Homes Illustrated

^I am assuming on the opposite end of the vanity which is not seen is the same medicine cabinet with open shelf for towels as shown above. This will provide a generous amount of space for towel storage. Note on the left side of the photo is the bath tub and there is a basket with wash cloths.

 

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Source: The Bathroom Idea Book by Andrew Wormer

^I like the thickness of the glass shelves shown above though I tend to shy away from glass shelves due to the fact the dust they collect is usually quite noticeable.

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^Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

I like these cubby holes created in the stone. Also not the side wall above the vanity is on an angle.  I like the long hardware handles used on the cabinets.

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Source: The Bathroom Idea Book by Andrew Wormer

^An interesting design using an aquarium instead of a fireplace. Note there are more towels in the chest on the shelf above the aquarium which I assume are the wash cloths and hand towels.

 

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Source: Bathrooms by Chris Casson Madden

^The glass shelves filled with floral printed towels shown above is a bit too busy for my taste though it offers another option for bathroom towel storage.

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Source:  Bathrooms by House Beautiful

^An interesting and different kind of bathroom design that on first look appeared to me to be a his and her side with the towels and seated area dividing the two sides. Upon further inspection the wall behind the seated make-up area is a mirror. Note how the drawers are on an upward diagonal. Those look like some powerful lights mounted on the mirror above the make-up table.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Bathroom Towel Storage Options Series Part Two-Furniture

Continuing my Bathroom Towel Storage Options Series, this post will focus on storing towels in a piece of furniture in your bathroom. I hope the photos shown below give you ideas for your bathroom.  Blessings.  …susan

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^Source: Great Baths Collection

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^Source: Villa Decor by Betty Lou Phillips

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^Source: Villa Decor by Betty Lou Phillips

 

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^Source Unknown- if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

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^Source: Beautiful Baths 2009

More posts to come so please check back!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Bathroom Towel Storage Option Series Part One-Vanity

Welcome to my Bathroom Towel Storage Option Series. Over the next two weeks I will publish several posts showing options for bathroom towel storage. This first post will give you ideas for storing your bathroom towels in the bathroom vanity.  You will find some towels are folded while others are rolled. Enjoy! 

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Source: Beautiful Baths 2008

^The white towels perfectly folded in the photo above add to the elegance of this vanity.  I think they would also look elegant if rolled.  Another option would have been a glass cabinet door.

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Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

^Don’t you think these open shelves add to the design of this vanity?

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Source: Villa Decor by Betty Lou Phillips

^The blue towels stored in the open shelves above serve as an accent color for this blue and white bathroom. 

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 Source Unknown-if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

^The double row of open shelves in the photo above is very spacious and provides many options for towel storage as well as other storage. There is plenty of space for folded or rolled towels. The baskets actually replace drawers. They could hold hand and wash cloths. The rest of the baskets could hold hair products, with another one holding make up, another hair dryers/curling irons/ flattening irons, etc. 

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Source: Bathrooms by House Beautiful

^A large open shelf as shown above gives you lots of towel storage options. They have rolled the large bath sheets, made a stack of bath towels with wash cloths on top, and then made a stack of hand towels. One could add a small basket and put rolled wash cloths in it to offset the basket of bath brushes. Another interesting detail in the photo above is the towel bar located under what appears to be a medicine cabinet. Take a moment and think about how you would store towels on this vanity shelf.

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Source Unknown- if you know the source and contact me I will note it.

^When I was looking for photos for this post, I ran across this one showing four cubby holes to store folded or rolled towels. An attractive option for storing towels. As I was studying this photo for this post, what caught my attention were the interesting sconces, the three-way mounted magnifying mirror and the shutter to cover the windows. Sometimes I find interesting elements in a photo I have chosen to support my post!

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Source: Bathrooms by House Beautiful

Above is another option- this time it is storing towels on a rounded corner shelf.  The monogram adds a design element.

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Source: Dream Baths

^Storing towels on an opens shelf under the sink in this photo is a great way to hide the plumbing. Additionally, I am wild about the drawer under the towels!

Of course you can always store towels behind a vanity cabinet door or in a vanity drawer.  Check back for Part Two of this series.  Blessings.  …susan

Monday, November 16, 2009

Storing Wine In Your Kitchen: Mistakes to Avoid

As a follow up to my Storing Wine In Your Kitchen Series, I want to share with you some mistakes to avoid.

1. Make sure the openings for storing wine is deep enough so that the wine bottle doesn’t stick out too far.

2. Don’t make the opening so tight it only fits the standard size wine bottle (750 ml). The 1.5 liter size wine bottle (magnum) is also very popular and I recommend that your openings be able to fit both sizes.

3. Pay attention to the location of the kitchen windows and make sure sunshine will not shine directly on your bottles of wine.

4. If you store wine behind a cabinet door and want to be able to lock that cabinet, inform your builder/cabinet maker before the cabinets are made.

5. Consider any physical restrictions you might have that would prevent you from stooping over to retrieve wine stored below the kitchen counter or reaching high to retrieve wine stored above the kitchen counter.

6. If you have young children, make sure wine stored below the counter is located behind a door which can be locked with a key or childproof locks can be applied.

7. Though in the series I showed some photos of wine stored above the refrigerator, it is important to make sure the heat generated from the refrigerator motor does not reach that area as it can dry out the cork and spoil the wine.

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Source of photo unknown

8. Avoid storing wine above an oven due to the heat that escapes when the oven door is open. IMG_0018

9. Ice makers generate a lot of heat so make sure if you are storing wine near an ice maker it will not be affected by the heat.

10. Spend time calculating how many bottles of wine you will be storing so you do not end up not having enough storage or you end up wasting space with too much storage.  In the photo below over 100 bottles of wine can be stored under the island. If you do not have that much wine, a better use for some of the space would be to add  cabinets, drawers, or shelves for cookbooks. IMG

Source: The New Smart Approach to Kitchen Design by Susan Maney

11. Make sure if you use decide to have individual storage using the criss-crossed design that the wood is substantial enough so it will not split or break.

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Source: Kitchen Ideas That Work by Beth Veillette

My hope is that you enjoyed this series- giving you ideas and preventing mistakes!  Blessings.  …susan

PS I forgot my laptop at home when I left town this past weekend so I skipped my Spiritual & Inspirational Sunday Post.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Storing Wine In Your Kitchen Series Part Five-

Welcome to the final post of my Storing Wine In Your Kitchen Series. To view the previous posts, click here for post one, here for post two, here for post three, and here for post four.

During the time that I have been working on my Storing Wine In Your Kitchen Series, I happened to have dinner at Giovanni’s- which happens to be my favorite restaurant in Nashville. With wine storage options on my mind, I was drawn to the enormous wine bottles on display in the bar (see photo below-note in front are regular size bottles of wine to give you a visual comparison). I asked Giovanni if I could take a photo as he rattled off the names of the bottles and told me there are some that are even larger. I had seen a Jerobaum which is 4.5 liters and assumed that was the largest size. Little did I know. What about you, did you know there is a size called a Sovereign which is 25 liters and it pours 125 glasses of wine?  I could barely lift the largest one in the photo below and in comparison it is half the size of the Sovereign.  I cannot imagine anyone trying to lift and pour the Sovereign. I will ask Giovanni if it is used purely for display and if not, how is it poured and report back with the answer.

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From the back row right-to-left is Nebuchadnezzar, Balthazar, Salmanazar, and the last two on the left are both Methuselah. It appears the second to last is larger due to the height but both are 6 liters. The diameter of the bottle on the left is extends higher to counter for the height. I placed standard bottles of wine in front of these monsters to give you an idea of the size of these bottles of wine.

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Giovanni’s is located close to Vanderbilt University and Music Row.

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Giovanni came to the United States from Northern Italy in the mid-seventies making New York City his new home.  He learned to speak English and in 1982, he opened his first restaurant in New York City. In 1994, he moved to 55th between 5th and 6th in 1994 and remained at that location until closing the doors this year. He opened Giovanni’s in Nashville in November 2008. Many Nashvillians were customers in his New York restaurant and became friends of Giovanni and his lovely wife, Nieda. In fact, he and Nieda, have had an apartment in Nashville for sixteen years. They now call Nashville their home.

Below is a list of 19 bottle sizes which gives you the name of the bottle, size, and number of glasses it will pour.

Bottle
Size
Number of Glasses
Comments

Mignonette
5cl to 25cl
-
Is used as a sample

Piccolo
20cl
1
1/4 of a standard bottle

Chopine
25cl
1.25
1/3 of a standard bottle

Half bottle (or demi)
37.5cl
1.875
Also known as Split or Tenth

Fillette
37.5cl
1.875
Same as Half
In
Loire Valley only

Bottle
75cl
3.75
Standard bottle

Magnum
1.5l
7.5
2 standard bottles

Marie-Jeanne or Dame-Jeanne
2.25l
11.25
In some areas it can contain 3l

Double Magnum
3l
15
4 standard bottles

Jeroboam
4.5l
22.5
In
Bordeaux
In
Burgundy and Champagne, Jeroboam is 3l
First king of Israel

Rehoboam
4.5l
22.5
In Burgundy and Champagne
Son of Solomon and King of Judah

Imperial
6l
30
In Bordeaux
8 standard bottles

Methuselah or Mathusalem
6l
30
In Burgundy and Champagne
Patriarch in the Bible

Salmanazar
9l
45
12 standard bottles
King of Assyria

Balthazar
12l
60
16 standard bottles
Regent of Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar or Nabuchodonosor
15l
75
In Burgundy and Champagne
20 standard bottles
King of Babylon

Melchior
18l
90
In Burgundy and Champagne
24 standard bottles

Solomon
20l
100
Very rare

Sovereign
25l
125
In Champagne, rare

A glass is 20cl of wine (0.21 US quart / 0.42 pint / 6.75 oz)

Liquid measurements
1 liter = 0.26 US gallon / 1.05 US quart / 2.11 pint / 33.8 oz
1 standard bottle (75cl) = 0.2 US gallon / 0.8 US quart / 1.58 pint / 25.35 oz

Source:: Terrior-France website

Thank you for visiting my blog. I would love to hear from you in a comment!  Blessings. …susan