On a recent visit to one of my stone and countertop suppliers, I started looking at some wonderful glass products that offer beautiful and environmentally friendly alternatives to stone. I specified Bio Glass for a kitchen and bar area countertop and adjacent family room fireplace surround in a seaside home in the color "Oriental Jade," which picked up on the aqua color of the nearby ocean.

 

The unique, translucent qualities of Bio Glass are produced by recycling hollow glass, tableware and factory shards, and the results are reminiscent of sea glass.

 

The possibilities for kitchen countertops, bathroom vanity tops, shower seats, bar tops, and even walls and partitions are very exciting. The really wonderful thing about Bio Glass is that it offers a fresh and new approach for countertops and other surfaces.

 

Another product that offers recycled glass and great possibilities is Vetrazzo, from a company named Polycor. With a great website and a story behind each product, the Vetrazzo line offers countertops and surfaces for residential and commercial use.

 

Vetrazzo uses 100% recycled glass - most of the glass used for Vetrazzo products comes from curbside recycling, and 85% of the finished product is made from the recycled glass (the other 15% being cement, additives and pigments). The product selection ranges from finely grained to "chippy".

 

My current favorite is "Charisma Blue with Patina," which is made from recycled beer, wine and soda bottles. The color descriptions for each variation are really fun to read, and are powerful reminders of how effective recycling can be.

 

Another company, Fireclay Tile, offers products with recycled content. I particularly like their "Debris" tile, which is fashioned from recycled glass bottles. The Debris series is available in more than 100 fantastic glaze colors and in several sizes, shapes, trims and decorative options. The company is also developing a countertop surface called "Bottlestone" with 80% post-consumer recycled glass content. "Bottlestone" looks like it will offer a fine-grained appearance (rather than chunks of glass) in four unique colors.

 

Yet another company, Stardust Glass, offers tile with very high recycled glass content (87-97%), using pre-consumer recycled glass that is collected and harvested within 250-500 miles of the company's manufacturing facility that's located in Portland, Oregon.

 

With a wide variety of fun colors and shapes, Stardust offers some terrific ways to use tile in kitchen and bath design, as well as solutions for fireplace surrounds, floors, tiled walls and more. Commercial applications are highly possible as well, for interesting counter/service areas, funky commercial bathroom designs, and beautiful display areas.

 

With the renewed focus on "small is good"
in residential construction and renovation, galley kitchens come to mind.

 

In condos, apartments and homes with smaller footprints, galley kitchens can serve as wonderful spaces to incorporate first rate design elements without breaking the bank. Designs can range from urban sophistication to simple Shaker style, and can really highlight the materials used for basic elements:

 

Floors - Natural stone or ceramic/porcelain tile, hardwood, bamboo, cork. Hardwood or tile patterns can accent and define the space to play up the geometry and individuality of a small area. Conversely, if desired, material can flow from adjacent rooms to make small spaces seem less confined and to create a connection.

 

Countertops - Natural stone, man-made surfaces, concrete, recycled glass products, butcher block. In small quantities, countertop materials can seem really special and are fun to light up with accent lighting.

 

Backsplashes - Ceramic/porcelain, natural stone tile, metal, glass, mirror. A great place for creative and specialized designs. The fairly small area of backsplash in a galley kitchen is a terrific opportunity to give a "wow" factor.

 

Cabinets - Light to dark, simple to ornate. Tall upper cabinets, often in simple styles, make the most of galley space and unify the kitchen.

 

Ceilings - Decorative paint colors or treatments. Imagine the possibilities of murals or faux treatments on the ceiling.

 

Walls - Subdued or dramatic, paint or wallpaper. The wall color will wrap up and define the overall results.

 

Lighting - Ceiling fixtures, rail lighting systems, and pendant lighting. Selections will accent the overall look, whether it's retro, contemporary, country, or something else. Remember undercabinet lighting for tasks at countertop.

 

Galley kitchens may or may not include windows - advantages, of course, being the natural light provided and the openness and connection to the outdoors, and cons being that you lose cabinet or storage space.

 

Powder Room and small bathroom design similarly offers great outlets for creativity and focus upon materials and finishes. Depending upon materials, colors and finishes, powder rooms can be dressy and dramatic, whimsical, tailored - you name it.

 

The key to small kitchen and bath design is attention to detail - let each element matter, and coordinate the elements and materials to work together to produce cohesive, beautiful results.

 

One of the most important aspects of kitchen and bath design or renovation projects is lighting. All of the other elements of a great kitchen or bath - cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, countertops, tile, paint or wallpaper - will not live up to their potential without good lighting. Kitchen tasks are much easier with good lighting, and bathroom lighting is especially important at the vanity/mirror area. Consideration for optimal lighting at different times of day is important as well.

 

Layered lighting for either kitchen or bath is an optimal solution. General, or ambient lighting can be provided by recessed and/or surface-mounted ceiling fixtures. It's important to avoid shadows at main task areas in the kitchen, so the placement of recessed lighting in relation to cabinets, countertops, and islands is crucial. General lighting is enhanced with task lighting for key areas.

 

For example, at the kitchen sink or at island/bar areas, pendant lighting or rail lighting can add just the right amount of additional illumination. The many varied options available for pendant or rail lighting present a wonderful opportunity to add interest or fun to the overall decor.

 

Undercabinet lighting is very useful for food prep, clean-up and other tasks at countertop areas, and can be virtually invisible in LED, line voltage or low voltage options.

 

To avoid shadows and dark zones in the bathroom, vanity lighting or wall sconces in addition to basic ceiling lighting are important, and offer great design options. The selections for vanity lights and wall sconces are almost endless, from simple, super low budget options to high end choices with wonderful metal and glass finishes. The coordination of plumbing fixtures, light fixtures and cabinet hardware will take the bath design to a professional, finished look.

 

One of the most useful articles I've read on bathrooom lighting is from "This Old House" and I refer to it occasionally when working on bath design projects since it addresses not only types of vanity and shower/bath lighting, but bulb types, dimmers, and safety as well. It's a great summary of the key aspects of lighting.