How to make your small bathroom stand out The one most common misconception that home owners have when remodeling a small space, is that the space will not look as good as it would if it were a lot larger. Having the right design team, such as Spazio LA, on your side can be key to making the most out of all of your square footage available.

When you are limited on space, it is even more important to make your remodel stand out.

Designing a small bathroom can be tricky, but a gorgeous remodel is not out of the question. Using our most recent bathroom as an example, we will take you through tricks and tips on how you can make your small bathroom stand out.

We were given the task to design a space that could be used as a guest house or media room, using a standard garage. The client wanted, a media/living space, bar, sleeping area AND a bathroom. We are talking jam packing all of these things usually found in a full size house, into a garage. After careful design, we were able to give them all of these items on the wish list and create one heck of a bathroom. This bathroom remodel alone gained over 1 million likes, views and comments on Houzz.com.

Let’s jump into some tricks in creating your very own beautiful, small bathroom.

Here we used a vanity from Signature Hardware to act as a statement piece in the bathroom.

Pro Tip: Choose your flooring wisely. The flooring can make or break your small bathroom remodel. In the pictured bathroom remodel we went with a cement tile from Cement Tile Shop, in a very bold pattern.

When dealing with limited space for a bathroom remodel, designing a custom shower may be the way to go. This shower was designed with a custom frame-less door and infinity drain. We kept the space flowing by using the same tile throughout the whole room. Using two different flooring materials or colors can break up a space and make you feel closed off.

The old school medicine cabinet and mirror is not the way to go when you want a small bathroom to pop. Look for a mirror that is unique and light fixtures outside of the norm.

Small bathrooms do not have to be boring or the least loved space in the house. For more ideas and the complete garage conversion remodel visit our page on Houzz.

Energy Efficient Remodels: Go Green!

News headlines today about energy range from home solar panels and homes that generate their own power, homes that are energy independent and recycle rain water for personal use.

You don’t have to go to extreme to be energy efficient, but making changes to your home can help save more energy AND money.

No time is better than during a remodel to make your home energy efficient. The definition of energy efficient is doing more with less power. We aren’t asking you to have a time period where you shut down the lights in your home every day; there will be no walking around with candles bumping into furniture. We are asking you to look deeper and see what other options you have to save energy while living comfortably. Who doesn’t want to see their utility bills cut down by nearly 20-40% every month?

Insulated walls and attic – If your home is not well insulated the rate of heat escaping your house during the winter and entering your home during the summer will be increased. Thus meaning you will be paying more for heating and cooling your house and wasting money. A properly insulated home will stay cooler in the summer and remain warmer during cold months.

Light bulbs- Upgrading traditional light bulbs to LEDs or CFLs light bulbs can save 25-80% energy used and last 25 times longer. If you change out light bulbs not only do you save energy but you will have to replace light bulbs less often.  Changing light bulbs may seem like a minor detail and is often missed when doing home remodeling, but any penny saved counts.

Windows- Ensure your windows are not single glazed and up to par to keep your home the right temperature. Single paned windows should be replaced to cut your air conditioning and heating bill down by 24%. Weather stripping around windows should not be cracked or leaking.

Appliances and Central Air Systems- Having two refrigerators and three deep freezers are a need or a want? If you have any old appliances that you don’t absolutely need or use to its full advantage; recycle them. New energy efficient appliances today are built and designed to save energy without sacrificing style or function. Setting your central air system to a heat and cool point can help regulate room temperature and save energy by turning on only when needed.

Updating furnace- Check the date your furnace was installed. If it was installed before 1992 research shows that it wastes 35% fuel that is uses. Have your furnace inspected for fuel utilization efficiency before you replace it.

Water heater efficiency- Start with checking the water temp setting, it should be turned down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Who takes a scolding shower anyway? By lowering the temperature on your water heater you aren’t making your water heater work harder for no reason, thus saving energy. Another way to save energy is have your water pipes insulated so that they stay warmer longer in between uses. Professional contractors can install a special pump to work on demand and save water heating energy.

Landscaping- Don’t forget about the outside. To lower the heat radiating into your home from the outdoors have shrubs and plants planted around your house. This adds as shade to your home and also a block to the heat. You can add plants that are low maintenance so that you are saving water also.

There are some simple and then more complex ways to make your home remodel more energy efficient.

Consult with a professional to ensure you are making the most out of your energy use.

Smart homes and built-in bars seen as top remodeling projects for 2017  

This year remodels will see more technology and custom, built-in bars! Does this mean that the future homeowner is tech savvy and great at hosting parties? We are not sure, but these remodel ideas will let you be the judge.

Smart Homes

A Smart Home is one that provides its home owners comfort, security, energy efficiency (low operating costs) and convenience at all times, regardless of whether anyone is home.

"Smart Home" is the term commonly used to define a residence that has appliances, lighting, heating, air conditioning, TVs, computers, entertainment audio & video systems, security, and camera systems that are capable of communicating with one another and can be controlled remotely by a time schedule, from any room in the home, as well as remotely from any location in the world by phone or internet. The hottest products that we are seeing used in home remodels can be seen here.

Built-in Bars

Built-in bars aren’t possible for everyone, but if you have the space and budget, a bar allows you to serve your guests like a pro. A built in bar could range in price from $200 for a fully stocked bar cart all the way to a few thousand dollars for a custom space to house your beverages. The size of your home bar is dependent on both your budget and your house. If you regularly entertain and can see yourself hosting large parties, a larger home bar where multiple "bar tenders" can be situated could be a great fit for you. However, if you are looking for a classy addition where you can have your nightly martini, then maybe you don't need a home bar that takes up half of your living room. You could always consider adding a home bar to your kitchen island or utilizing an awkward space as your bar. One of our clients took us up on utilizing space and had us design a custom built in bar to complement their kitchen we were remodeling.