The last time you went into your bathroom the last thought on your mind was probably the ventilation. In fact, your bathroom gets most of its aesthetic appeal through the finishes, colors, and beautiful plumbing fixtures. Venti ventilation fans are about to change the way you think about ventilation, or at least how you visualize the fans in your bathroom. Imagine a fan that blends seamlessly with your ceramic tile, and actually retracts back into the wall when not in use!

Designer Michael Samoriz for Umbra Design has created a functional and state of the art exhaust fan that brings air in through the sides of the unit. This enables the top to house a decorative tile to camouflage with the rest of your bathroom interior.

Outfitted with functions like an RGB LED indicator, and the ability to use ceramic tiles of varying aesthetic styles, there is no longer a question whether your disappearing vent isn’t the coolest feature in your bathroom. The only thing that could be better is if it cleaned the bathroom as seamlessly as it melds into your sleek bathroom interiors.

All photo credits: Umbra Design

With Valentine’s Day nearly upon us, we had romance on our minds as we perused the web this morning looking for cool links to share. Whether your February 14 this year is about snuggling up with the object of your affection or simply enjoying the sweet life on your own, we’ve turned up some little additions to make it even sweeter.

First up, there’s House Beautiful‘s roundup of its 50 favorite pink home accessories.  From chairs and china to candles and kitchen appliances, there’s a little something for everyone, including the soft pink light bulb shown above, making it a lot easier to look at everything through rose-colored glasses.

On the topic of sensuality, Trendir shares a feast for the eyes with its piece about a very sexy horizontal shower from Donbracht, with a heated block to lie on, six water bars and multiple massage settings to soothe your stress away. We’ll take two:

And in a slightly more subtle homage to intimacy, one of the writers over at Real Simple has penned a sweet and entertaining love letter to an unlikely recipient: her 1950s O’Keefe & Merritt stove. Oddly enough, we’re feeling the love too:

The minds behind luxe.daily have reimagined a bedroom inspired by the Greystone mansion once inhabited by the Donehy family of oil barons…the lady of the house was a tremendous fan of the color pink — a fact that shows through loud and clear in the Valentine-hued room’s sketches and final presentation…

Furniture Fashion rounded up ten eye-catching loveseats and apartment sofas this week, all perfect for snuggling up with a loved one or sprawling out solo for a quiet night in with popcorn and a movie…

…and over at CasaSugar, one of the editor’s picks this week is a piece on famed San Francisco florist Flora Grubb, featuring its inventive arrangements of flowers, grasses, succulents and even carnivorous plants. Valentines, nonvertical showers and Venus Flytraps…if all of that doesn’t raise your pulse a little, we don’t know what will.

Photo credits: House Beautiful, Trendir and Real Simple.

When you think of Italian porcelain stoneware, neutral colors and traditional tile is the first images that come to mind. Mirage Italian tile has created OXY, a line of industrial inspired stoneware tile products that conjures up images of urban penthouses, and trendy retail/restaurant spaces. The scratched and oxidized surface gives each piece a unique metropolitan feel and each piece has a purposeful random chaos that can be used as flooring or wall panels.

The OXY painted sheet metal tiles are ideal for homes that want a unique urban feel, and can be used for accent walls, or to cover an entire room. The durability of these tiles makes the uses limitless in your home. The corrosive surface would work handsomely in a bachelor pad, as well as a contemporary home that loves cutting-edge finishes that you won’t find everywhere.

“Just as at home in Tokyo as in London, Paris or New York, OXY is a metropolitan experience perfect for luxury loft apartments and exclusive stores, trendy public areas or ventilated facades on contemporary buildings.” … Architizer

If you are looking for a finish that redefines character, strength and sophisticated attitude, OXY by Mirage is waiting for you. Turn your mediocre interiors into a fierce and well-appointed industrial space.

All photo credits: Mirage

Scrabble pillows from Counter Couture Design

It’s one of the simplest yet greatest board games in existence, and it’s been bringing people together and expanding their vocabularies for generations. Scrabble has become such an integral part of the fabric of people’s friendships and relationships that it’s made its way into wedding themes, papercraft and now home decor, too. Several Etsy shops have transformed throw pillows into giant Scrabble pieces simply by emblazoning burlap or potato sack pillow covers with variations on the trademark black letters and scores, like these:

Scrabble pillows from Dirtsa Studio

Taking the trend in a slightly more literal arts-and-crafts direction is Made by Marcy, where real Scrabble tiles are glued together and re-purposed into thoughtful arrangements of words to form drink coasters for hot and cold beverages. Purists might notice that the coasters break a cardinal rule of the game — the words don’t translate vertically — but hey.  These miniature works of word art are are so cute, it’s pretty forgivable.

Scrabble coasters from Made By Marcy

And it doesn’t stop there. If a set of coasters isn’t quite enough to help declare your love of the game, The Spoon Sisters offer Scrabble mugs with the signature tile face typography on the front, a score legend on the back, and a “Triple Word Score” icon in the bottom of the mug’s interior. Nothing wrong with adding a little whimsy to your morning cup of joe:

Scrabble mugs from The Spoon Sisters

Since the family-friendly game also offers natural opportunities for kids to identify letters and learn new words (including their own names when they’re young), Nese’s Decor decided to start creating customized wall art with names and phrases of the buyer’s choosing; here’s a perfect example of how the timeless board game can thread itself into a personalized nursery decoration:

Scrabble wall tiles from Nese's Decor

One last note: if these images inspire you to create a decorative homage to everyone’s favorite word game, in the midst of your frenzy, don’t forget to invest in an actual Scrabble board. Now, there’s your winning combination.

Photo credits: Counter Couture Design, Dirtsa Studio, Made By Marcy, The Spoon Sisters and Nese’s Decor.

It can get a little tricky to fully put your stamp on an apartment that comes with a deposit attached — one you won’t get back if you leave your mark on anything. Setting your walls awash in color can be a bit intimidating when it’s accompanied by the knowledge that you’ll have to paint back over it before moving out, and any permanent renovations are generally a no-no. So, what’s a design-minded apartment dweller to do?

Enter the emerging trend of temporary wall decals. Once a kitschy novelty reserved for dorm rooms and nurseries, the creative power of Etsy and Pinterest has helped the design industry explode into a ground-up revolution of DIY ideas and creative solutions. Riding the crest of the wave is UrbanWalls, a small design company offering inventive wall decals ranging from simple corner flourishes to full-scale flocks of birds, flower patterns and typography exercises taking up an entire side of a room. On average, wall decals run less than $100 per set, and the application itself generally takes an hour or two, depending on the intricacy of the project. When it’s time to change things up or move on entirely, that’s where the magic happens; just peel and go.

Photo credits: UrbanWalls

Lighting can inspire, delight, and illuminate your home all at the same time. When was the last time you were intrigued with your table lamp? Take a look at Molecules by Aqua Creations and origami artist, Ilan Garibi. The intricate paper art of origami is translated into these beautiful lamps that transition in height from a table lamp to a floor lamp. Unique geometric patterns are formed from pieces of white paper pinched into repeated shapes. When illuminated, these lamps cast a glow and create a dance of shadows from the distictive shapes of each Molecules lamp.

A tree-like stump light switch gracefully stems from the ‘trunk’ which is supported by a smooth mahogany wood base to further enhance this extraordinary lamp. Designers Ofir Zucker and  Albi Serfaty have created a lamp that is sculptural and also modular. The stem of the lamp enables it to convert easily between table and floor lamp heights while still keeping the scale and proportions aesthetically perfect for each size of lamp.  Similar to a well designed garment, the Molecules lamp reminds us that functional accessories can inspire us to look at a whole person, or in this case room, differently.

Created with an aesthetic design, these lamps should inspire you to take the ordinary and infuse it with creativity and enlightenment. The Molecules lamp certainly makes you want to enjoy its unique glow in every inspiring room of your home.

Photo credits: Aqua Gallery via Dezeen

The web is ablaze with amazing home accessories today…we took a spin around the neighborhood and gathered a few traffic-stopping links we thought we’d share. First up, Gilt has announced a sale on a vast collection of luxe Thomas Paul hand-tufted rugs, including the dandelion-inspired contrast rug pictured above.

Time’s running out to snap up an original City Scenes print from photographer Jeff Jones over at Fab…his macro images capture undeniably urban elements and lend a gritty edge to an otherwise calm interior — picture this print against a robin’s egg blue wall, for example:

Next, Elle Decor has kindly produced a roundup of its readers’ favorite rooms of 2011, from Keri Russel’s kitchen to Courtney Cox’s outdoor sitting area, letting us snoop in the name of scooping up some ideas of our own:

The girls at CasaSugar spent some time on Etsy earlier today, cozying up with cable knit sweater-inspired home accessories from lamps and coasters to candle holders, making us want to snuggle up with some hot chocolate, pronto…

Now, here’s a question we don’t hear often. The folks behind decor8 want to know, “Interior Swings – Hot or Not?”

And last but not least, Dwell has pulled together a roundup of eight lovely lamps worth considering to brighten up your space.

Happy browsing!

Photos by Gilt, Fab and Elle Decor.

If you have looked at your boring sofa one too many times, and thought about replacing it, there may be an easier and more cost-effective fix. Update your pillows. Sofa pillows used to be only considered as the functional portion of the sofa. In recent years, pillows have become the center of attention, and the rest of the sofa may take a ‘back seat’! Here are tips to bring new life to your sofa with the addition of beautiful pillows.

Start a new theme on your sofa: Whether you want to compliment or contrast the colors and patterns of your pillows, or you’d prefer whimsical caricatures and abstract shapes, there’s a creative option for your sofa. Look around your space and determine what details you can borrow for inspiration. Window coverings, an area rug, or even a piece of wall art may do just the trick. Mix and match similar colors, patterns, and hues for your pillow ideas, and don’t be afraid to go bold. Pillows can change with the seasons.

Photo credit: Luxury Idea

Reuse and renew the old: If you love the shape and size of your old pillows, consider reupholstering them with new fabric and playful textiles. Add embellishments like feathers, sequins, beads, and even fur. You will be surprised how a new look far an old pillow can change your entire living room. To unify a room, coordinate fabrics to your sofa, adjacent chairs, and colorful throw blankets. While pillows are primarily for decoration, consider using larger ones for quick seating around the sofa for extra guests or kids who want to sit in the room. Maximize your old pillows and make them like new again.

Photo credit: Inspiration for Home

Your new sofa is begging for a fresh look, and focusing on the pillows can turn a boring piece of furniture into a focal point of the room. Whether you buy all new, mix and match, or renew the old with snazzy fabrics, your sofa and living room will benefit from the addition of great looking pillows.

Photo credit top: House to Home

When most of us get in the kitchen, we can’t wait to use the latest gadget and tool to make our lives easier. Although, if your kitchen is small, you may feel that your choices for kitchen gadgets has to be reduced to a knife and a cutting board. Wouldn’t it be great if small kitchen owners could have one location where they could cook, clean, and prepare food without having to have a large kitchen?

The Cute Wee Kitchen by designers Adriano Conti, Corrado Galzio & Alex Innamorati may just solve your small kitchen dilemma. This creative invention offers the ability to clean vegetables and wash your dishes as well as several other handy features. The ingeniously small kitchen also houses a refrigerator, small pantry, oven, and two other cooking systems!

With a concept this functional, the ability for it to save energy, water and space is a step in the right direction for modern small kitchens everywhere. Whether you live in a cramped apartment, or you just enjoy cool, functional and innovative kitchen gadgets, the Cute Wee Kitchen is just for you! Who ever said ‘The best things come in small packages” may have been talking about the Cute Wee Kitchen.

Photo credit: Conti Design via Yanko Design

Size matters because you don’t want your rug to look like it doesn’t belong in the room. Having a tiny rug when your kitchen design ideas are for a huge kitchen would look really terrible. If you can’t get a big enough rug for a large kitchen as an example, try using smaller ones at each of the kitchen work triangle stations. A rug placed under the dining room table should have about 2 feet of extra space left after the chairs are pushed in. A rug in the middle of the room should just go under the legs of the furniture or leave about 2 feet of space around the coffee table. The only exception is when you have an exceptionally large room and you want your area rug to define your living space or separate two open floor plan rooms. In this case, make sure that the furniture sits within the borders of the rug and there is approximately 2 feet of excess rug behind each piece of furniture.

Starting without furniture is the easiest way to coordinate your colors. However, if you already have furniture and are trying to match the rug to the furniture, as most people do, make sure to bring a piece of cushion or at least a fabric swatch that perfectly matches the furniture’s color with you. Bringing the colors with you ensures that you can find a matching or coordinating area rug on your first try, rather than making trip after trip to the store. It is especially helpful if you have a difficult time visualizing how the rug will look.

If a rug is mounted on a hanging hook or on a wall at the store, ask the sales associate to remove the rug from its mounting. The colors will look dramatically different once it’s put on the floor. Lighting makes a big difference too. Remember that the lighting in the store, is not the same lighting in your house, this is why bringing a cushion or fabric swatch is helpful.

Keep in mind that price should not be a huge consideration when choosing your area rug. Sometimes a less expensive rug will look better with your décor. However, quality is important. For example, flokati area rugs come in various grades. The higher the grade is, the more durable the rug and the steeper the price. Therefore; it’s important to know how much traffic your area rug will see. Perhaps if it’s a high traffic area, a cheaper rug that can be replaced more often is a more logical choice than a very expensive high quality rug that may look better longer but ultimately need replaced often.

Discover the METALdecor Big streaked wall panels and customize your interior at your liking and convenience…create a vertical border on one side of the wall and cover a much larger portion of the opposite wall.

Are you looking for something new, different and super modern in wall decorating?

Now you are ready to move in your stuff…put the couch in front of the wall with the large portion covered and it will feel like a Picasso masterpiece looking back at you!

Accessorize the other side with a small piece of furniture and a mirror and Voila!

1. Lower the Blinds

Your first step when cleaning your blinds is to lower them down as far as they can go. The fabric of Roman blinds bunches up when the blinds themselves are raised, so you will want to lower the blinds until there is no fabric bunched up on the bottom.

2. Use Canned Air to Remove Excess Dust

Once the blinds are all the way down, use canned air to remove any excess dust. Canned air can be purchased at any department store and even some convenience stores. It’s mostly used to remove dust from electronics and other delicate items safely, but it can also be used for this purpose. Start at the top of the blinds and work your way down. This will remove any dust that would stick to a feather duster.

3. Lightly Dust the Blinds with a Feather Duster

Once you have removed the heaviest of the dust, switch to a feather duster for a more delicate and thorough cleaning. Gently go over each panel of the blinds from one end to the other. As with the canned air, it’s best to start from the top and work your way down. This will help remove any caked on dust that the canned air was unable to remove and loosen whatever dust gets left behind for the next step of the cleaning process.

4. Wipe the Blinds with a Damp Cloth

Wipe down each panel from side to side much like you did with the feather duster using a damp cloth. This should remove the last of the dirt and dust that has built up on the blinds. Be sure to rinse the cloth every few panels if you don’t want to keep spreading the dust and dirt. Just like before, start with the top of the blinds and work your way to the bottom. Keep wiping until you have removed all the dust and dirt. If you have white or light-coloured blinds, make sure that you are using a white cloth. Dyes from a dark cloth can get on the blinds and ruin their colouring. The colour of the rag makes no difference if you have dark-colour blinds.

5. Let the Blinds Dry

By this time, your blinds will not only be completely clean, but they will also be damp. Leave the blinds all the way down until they dry completely. Once you are sure they are completely dry, raise them to the desired height.

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