Musings By Mindy — Fall 2021

By |2022-02-07T14:31:44-05:00October 24th, 2021|Musings By Mindy|

Musings by Mindy

Mindy Sevinor

Dear friends and colleagues,

Time has flown and already, we’re looking ahead to November in New England and the colder months. Which means, of course — more time to spend in our homes!

I’m excited to share some of my favorite new pieces in our showrooms and trends I’m seeing in the industry. Hopefully it’ll give you some inspo to add a pop of personality to your next project.

All my best,

Mindy Sevinor
Showroom Brand Manager

NEW IN THE SHOWROOM

GRAFF MUSA SINK

The freestanding pedestal is cool and eye-catching to say the least. It has three factors that make it a designer’s favorite – it’s made out of a durable and tactile material, a solid surface, and all one piece. It’s a great way for a powder room to add a WOW factor and is on display now in our Watertown Showroom.

NANTUCKET SINKS USA VICTORIAN SINK

This sink from Nantucket Sinks USA looks like an old Victorian mounted sink and comes in a number of colors. We recently put it on display in Beverly in basalt grey and we’re going to have it in Watertown in a fun blue. This classic “farm house” design goes perfectly as a laundry sink, powder room or even a kids’ bathroom — it’s fun and whimsical while doing its job and adding a touch of classic nostalgia.

TREND: WARMER TONES + POPS OF PERSONALITY

WARMER TONES + POPS OF PERSONALITY

We’re seeing a shift from clean, contemporary, sleek, minimalist, European modern spaces towards warmer tones and designs. People are continuing to mix metals and finishes — and now, they’re also mixing styles and adding pops of their own personality. They’re trying to make spaces more eclectic and unique rather than cookie cutter copies.

Three examples of this move to a more colorful and original aesthetic:

  1. The photo pictured here — How amazing is this!? Organic wood tones and creative tile by Joanna Lavén for Vanitas Studio
  2. Super modern lights paired with an antique painting
  3. Vanities that feature natural materials and warmer tones – achieved by adding a driftwood, oak, or walnut vanity into a modern bathroom

A NOTE ON LEAD TIMES

As we all know, lead times continue to be challenging. All of us here at Designer Bath have strong relationships with boutique, family-owned manufacturers who have been delivering products in a more consistent, timely fashion throughout the pandemic. When you come into the showroom for a project, be clear on deadlines so we can start this communication early and work together to manage expectations.

Jacob Lilley’s Showroom Favorites — October 2021

By |2021-10-12T17:57:11-04:00October 11th, 2021|Letters from Jason, Showroom Favorites|

A Note From Jason

From left to right: Jason Sevinor, Kate Maloney Albiani, Rob Cocuzzo, Jenny Johnson, Mindy Sevinor, Clinton Smith, and Kathy Bush-Dutton at our Watertown showroom for our recent “Marriage of Styles” event. 

Hi everyone,

Have you had the opportunity to get out of the house to enjoy some of the crisp fall days in New England with your family and friends? I was reminded of the importance of connecting with people when we recently hosted our first in-person event at our showroom after taking a break from this type of activity for almost two years.

It was an absolutely wonderful feeling, something we had all been missing, but didn’t notice to what degree until we were there — chatting with panelists and friends, showing people our new showroom displays, laughing together in person. It almost felt like normal times again!

We want to extend a huge thanks to New England Home Magazine for co-hosting the “Marriage of Styles” event with us, and to our panelists, New England power couple (and awesome people) Jenny Johnson and Rob Cocuzzo, the inimitable Kate Maloney Albiani (who’s helping Jenny and Rob design their new home), and NE Home Editor-at-large Clinton Smith, who always delights us with his dashing persona and on-trend insights. If you want to see the video of the FB Live stream of the discussion, you can access it here.

Jenny and Rob just bought a 100+ year old home in Swampscott, MA — a town that’s dear to my heart as my sister Mindy and I grew up there. They had lived in Boston for 20+ years, and weren’t even planning on buying a home, but as they watched their beautiful 3 year-old daughter run through the backyard of this house — something felt right. Something felt like home. We are glad to welcome them to the Northshore!

After the panel presentation concluded, I was chatting with panelists and guests and it hit me again: I miss this. Our business at Designer Bath is built solidly on partnerships and people, and this is what I care about most. I look forward to bringing “in-person” back to some semblance of how it used to be — and hey, chic Designer Bath mask or not, you can tell we’re all smiling under there.

One of our favorite architects joined us for our Boston Design Week event and came by the showroom early to pick out his “five favs.” We think you will agree that he made fabulous choices! Without further ado, we would like to introduce our October guest blogger: Jake Lilley of Jacob Lilley Architects.

Originally from England, Jake founded Jacob Lilley Architects after six years as a Principal at Lilley-Dadagian Architects, and before then as a Project Director for the nationally recognized Architecture, Planning and Landscape firm of Wallace Roberts and Todd in Philadelphia.

Previously, Jake worked at GUND Partnership in Cambridge, Massachusetts for six years as a Senior Designer with the Independent School Studio, and as a designer for the office of Hoffman O’Brien Look Taube & Chiang in Ithaca, New York.

We love Jake’s picks from our showroom — let us know what you think.

All the Best,

Jason Sevinor
President

There are three things I look for with plumbing fixtures: quality, utilitarian design, and how it feels in your hand. That’s the thing about these fixtures — you’re touching them frequently, so they have to feel good. And you know substance when you have it in your hands. My first litmus test is always where’s the quality? Is it metal or is it plastic? I like to feel the quality in it. 

I also like streamlined fixtures — sleek, elegant, not overdressed. I like fixtures that are simple and elegant but also functional and beautiful.

We always tell our clients the kitchen faucet is the most used feature in the house — do not ignore it. Invest in your faucet. Make it a statement piece.

DORNBRACHT TARA ULTRA SINGLE-LEVER MIXER + SIDE SPRAY SET

There’s something classic about this model — beautiful lines, great controls, timeless design. We keep coming back to this fixture over and over again. The independent sprayer also feels substantive — it has a great weight to it. You know the second you pick it up that it feels interesting to the hand and almost as heavy as a two-pound weight, unlike most other sprayers. The black handle on the sprayer doesn’t show fingerprints, provides a wonderful contrast to the chrome of the top, and appears to be beveled at the bottom so it has a snug fit.

ROHL MOD-FINO EXPOSED THERMOSTATIC SHOWER SYSTEM

I’m from England; we have a history of exposed plumbing, which can be quite beautiful to look at and appreciate. I approach this almost as a piece of sculpture or art. This fixture has so much presence that it can take the lead in the bathroom design — it could be a showpiece fixture that you design the rest of the bathroom around. It transforms the shower experience.

GRAFF DESIDERI TEPHI SOAKER TUB

I love the warm white color and tactile nature of this piece. The profile of the tub is different from the inside to the outside, which gives it a carved effect — it has a hefty feel on the outside, like it’s cut out of a block of marble, but the inside is so soft it feels like velvet to the touch. The integral drain allows you to move the tub filler to any place on the tub. This is key, especially for double soaking — no one’s getting water poured on their back!

LISA JARVIS SOPHISTICATED SCOTTIE PULL

I love this piece because it’s not exclusively cabinet hardware, you can use it in the bathroom for towels or any sort of wall hangers. You can tell that Lisa Jarvis is a jewelry designer because each of her pieces is artistic — you could use them for themed rooms, like the anchors in a nautical themed bathroom. Besides just being an interesting design, it has substance to it; it feels good to the touch. The thread through all of my picks is the quality of the products.

ARTELINEA MONOLITE VANITY TOP IN BLUE CRYSTAL + MONOLITE 18 BASE

I love how the countertop and drawers are all one color. There’s a beautiful, smooth transition from the sink into the drain. The high sheen of the countertop and the matte, gun metal grey of the Graff faucet create a good balance. Anything that floats always makes the room feel bigger. I also like how well thought out this vanity is structurally — like the horseshoe cut-out inside the drawer that serves to hide all plumbing.

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