Episode Transcript
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Welcome back to another episode of DailyInterior Design Inspo!
I am your host, Betsy Helmuth, and today we arediving into some fantastic design
transformations and techniques that you canapply in your own home.
If you are living in a small space and thinkthat limits your design potential, think again!
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Our first segment today is all about a stunningkitchen transformation that showcases small
space living at its finest.
As Apartment Therapy’s Associate Home Editor,Cullen Ormond spends her days scrolling through
gorgeous interior spaces.
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Homeowners’ and renters’ ingenious ideas nevercease to amaze her — especially when it comes
to kitchen transformations that go from totallydingy to totally dreamy!
One such space that totally blew her away isAnna Latorre’s pink-drenched kitchen in her
airy Barcelona apartment.
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When Anna moved into the apartment, the kitchenwas in the same room as the shower, which she
suspects had something to do with thebuilding’s pipes.
“It was a somewhat rudimentary kitchen thatneeded a major renovation like the rest of the
apartment,” she explains.
It was not just that the storage space neededincreasing and the appliances needed updating.
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The entire aesthetic needed a makeover, shesays.
“The apartment had to be completely renovatedbut presented great potential,” Anna adds.
“The goal was to preserve as much as possiblethe essence of the apartment and the different
generations that had lived in it, combining allthese elements with a more modern touch.”
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Anna’s kitchen blends new and old, and what Ilove most about it is that it is mostly done in
shades of pink.
I am a huge fan of kitchens that feature brightcolors — one of the year’s hottest kitchen
design trends — and Anna nailed it with hers.
“[Pink] is a color that is present in most ofthe rooms in the apartment, which makes me feel
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more connected to it when I see it,” Annaexplains.
“I liked the idea of integrating all the oldelements like the floor and walls with this
pastel pink tone of the kitchen countertop withmosaics that look like pink marble.”
It is not just the actual fixtures that arepink.
Some of Anna’s appliances, like the tea kettle,silverware, and dog bowls, are also pink.
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In addition to coating her kitchen in pink,Anna maximized every square inch of her
kitchen.
“It was also important for all elements to beas small as possible to optimize space, such as
the stove, the dishwasher, the sink, etc.,”Anna explains.
There is also open shelving to house glassware,and all of the cabinets are large enough to
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store her appliances and serveware.
If you love the pink in this kitchen as much asI do, you will want to see the rest of Anna’s
apartment.
Visit the full home tour on Apartment Therapyto see more, and check out these other vintage
transformations that pull off pink (03:16):
this living
room, this bathroom, and this armoire.
Paint can sure work wonders.
There will always be a long list of componentsthat go into making a room feel complete, but
it is surprising how those decisions can beimpacted by paint color and how it is applied
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to the walls.
Getting creative with paint in our 2024 RealSimple Home was no easy feat, but designers met
this challenge with ideas that struck a balancebetween current trends and traditional
sensibilities—our Brooklyn abode was originallybuilt in the 1890s, after all.
Learn about the paint techniques they tried intheir spaces ahead so you can also achieve
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cohesion and creativity in your own home.
The first technique is called color drenching.
The Real Simple Home’s living room was designedby Jordan Slocum and Barry Bordelon, also known
as the Brownstone Boys.
They wanted to highlight the taupe tones inthat stained glass window while also
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coordinating with the intricate wood detailingthroughout the room.
Valspar’s Pick of the Litter was a unifyingshade: a warm neutral that highlighted all of
the above, creating a sense of calm.
And when it is drenching an entire room,including the ceiling and trim—a technique that
is all the rage right now—it really feels likea soothing embrace.
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Slocum says, 'In choosing our paints, it wasreally important to us that everything felt
cohesive.' Subtle decisions like matching thepaint color to original historic details
throughout the home is something you feelbefore you see.
While you might not immediately notice thetaupe and blue in the front are pulled from the
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stained glass window, everything will feel likeit belongs together before you do.
Next up, we have two-toned kitchens.
The kitchen was always going to be an exercisein old-meets-new, given that the plan was to
keep the original woodwork but modernize therest with current trends and of-the-moment
technology.
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The solution?
Going for a two-toned kitchen—which usuallyfeatures two different cabinet colors—but with
a bit of a twist.
Slocum and Bordelon, who also designed thekitchen in tandem with architect Alexandra
Burr, needed to pick a paint color that wouldnot compete with the highly veined marble of
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the backsplash and countertops.
Valspar’s Swiss Coffee for the walls and TeaStain for the cabinets gave the moody stone its
due, thanks to warm whites that lean back.
And if you are wondering where the two-tonedcabinetry comes into the picture, that is
understandable!
The second tone is actually the warm wood grainof the ornate doors flanking the stove alcove,
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which conceal extra storage and shelving.
The third technique is tone-on-tone.
This technique layers different shades of thesame color, which Jessica Davis, the founder
and design director of Atelier Davis, used inthis kids’ bedroom.
Davis describes the task of outfitting the roomas one that involved some style forecasting:
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the space had to be cozy and comfortable, andit had to be somewhere that could grow with
kids over time.
She also sought to make it feel sophisticated.
To do so, Davis chose the sky-blue of Valspar’sAngel Sol for the ceiling, and paired it with a
deep blue of Valspar’s 2025 Color of the Year,Encore, for the walls.
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'I love doing a small space in a dark color,'Davis says.
'It feels like a cocoon, in a good way!' Bypainting the ceiling in a coordinating shade,
Davis says that the room feels more intentionalthan it would have if the so-called fifth wall
were left white.
And given that the pink curtains and dark-wooddetails are on hand to tie everything together,
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the blue paint acts as a great unifier.
'The warm-and-cool color combinations reallysing,' Davis adds.
Another technique is color flipping.
Instead of painting your ceiling white and yourwalls a darker hue, why not flip it?
Coat your ceiling in something special andtreat your walls to a cozy white shade.
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Designer Mikel Welch used this approach on theprimary bedroom by painting the walls a creamy
white—Valspar’s Savoury Beige—and the ceilingan earthy terracotta—Potter’s Rock by Valspar.
Welch says he chose this palette because itpaired nicely with the home's woodwork, but the
main reason he painted the ceiling was to addan element of surprise and extra warmth.
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'I wanted to create a relaxing haven that feltlike a hotel suite and an escape from hectic
city life,' he says.
Last but not least is colorful contrasting.
The laundry room may not be a space thatscreams fun, but designer Amber Guyton of
Blessed Little Bungalow did not want it towhisper boring, either.
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'I wanted to create a colorful, fun, andhigh-energy space,' she says.
Guyton’s first move was to install agiraffe-print wallpaper on the ceiling, a
design she created in collaboration withMitchell Black, and used its palette to inform
the surrounding paint.
'The wallpaper colorway included purple andchartreuse, so I considered other cool tones
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that would complement its tropical vibes,' shesays.
'I selected Valspar's Renew Blue, its 2024Color of the Year, for the walls and skylight,
and Valspar's Purple Fury for the cabinetry andtrim.' By keeping the backsplash tiles
geometric yet neutral, this bright paintcombination is an exciting jolt of
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personality—a fun contrast to the chore offolding clothes.
Let us talk about a recent bedroom makeoverthat has everyone buzzing.
Sarah Everett, the Assistant Editor of HomeProjects at Apartment Therapy, shared a
fantastic IKEA PAX hack that resulted in theprettiest closet doors she has ever seen.
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And trust me, you will want to hear all aboutthis transformation!
Yvonne Langen and her husband, Michael Rizk,moved into their 1940s Ontario home a couple of
years ago.
The primary bedroom originally had a verynarrow, galley-style closet that was dark and
awkward.
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Not ones to shy away from a renovation project,Yvonne and Michael decided to tear out the wall
separating the old closet from the bedroom.
They borrowed space from a linen closet in theadjoining hallway to make their bedroom bigger
and then added a beautified IKEA PAX system fortheir storage needs.
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First, the walls got a fresh coat of paint anda dose of drama.
The creamy white paint color on the walls isBenjamin Moore’s Cloud Nine, and the wall
behind the headboard sports a mural wallpaper,Anthropologie’s Etched Arcadia Mural.
Yvonne loves wallpaper as one of the best waysto go bold in a space, and this is not the only
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wallpaper mural she has in her home.
They also brought in some pattern, texture, andcolor through the linen duvet cover, gold
pillows, and a new rug.
The real color pop in the bedroom comes throughthe teal IKEA PAX system, painted in Benjamin
Moore’s Willow Grove.
Fun fact (11:20):
The closet is color-matched to Yvonne
and Michael’s bedside lamps!
They found an IKEA PAX wardrobe on FacebookMarketplace and added it to the corner of their
bedroom to create the look of built-in closets.
But they wanted something a little fancier thanthe standard doors IKEA offers.
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Yvonne had found custom PAX doors on Pinterestfrom a European company called Plum Living and
fell in love with the look.
Unfortunately, they did not ship to Canada, andtheir doors were out of their budget.
Not to worry, though (11:55):
Michael created similar
doors using MDF sheets, hardboard, cane webbing
to complement their woven nightstand fronts,paint, and brass hardware.
The project took about 20 hours in total tocomplete and cost around 615 dollars for all
five doors.
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Yvonne says it is her favorite DIY project inthe house, and it is easy to see why.
The bedroom now looks totally complete andtotally custom.
If you are inspired by this makeover, check outanother neat IKEA PAX hack in a serene sage
green space on Apartment Therapy’s website.
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So, you are planning a bathroom renovation, ormaybe you are already halfway through one, and
you are faced with the question of whether togo with a concealed or exposed shower system.
When it comes to shower design, this is one ofthe first and most crucial decisions to make.
While concealed shower systems are oftenconsidered the norm, opting for an exposed
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shower system can inject more personality andfunctionality into your space.
These vintage-style shower systems featurevisible pipes and plumbing controls, which add
to the overall aesthetic of the setup.
This is in contrast to concealed showersystems, where the plumbing is hidden behind
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the wall and the tiled walls of the shower.
Exposed systems have been popular in outdoorshowers for a while, but have recently started
making their way back into indoor bathroomsover the past several years.
Exposed shower systems are consideredvintage-inspired because concealed pipework is
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a relatively new innovation.
However, home experts insist the exposed showerlook is not limited to just retro-inspired
interiors.
'While they nod to vintage aesthetics, they areversatile enough to fit into a wide range of
design styles,' says Krystal Reinhard, founderand principal designer of Philadelphia-based
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Old Soul Design Studio.
'Yes, even modern.
Think of plumbing fixtures as the jewelry ofthe bathroom — you can select a finish and
style that is tailored exactly to you!'
From unlacquered brass to elegant gold finishesand everything in between, you can find an
exposed shower system for nearly every designstyle.
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That said, Reinhard cautions against showerfixtures in the trendy, matte-black finish
characteristic of modern and industrial designs— especially if you have hard water.
This finish shows wear and hard water stainsmore prominently than other options, she says.
Exposed shower systems are a great way to dressup your shower and make a visual statement.
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However, before you add one to your space, itis essential to consider the pros and cons to
ensure this design feature fits your home andlifestyle.
Pros (15:05):
Exposed pipework is easy to fix and
flexible to design with.
Exposed shower systems have simplerinstallation processes than concealed shower
systems.
This kind of system looks eye-catching whileadding a vintage or retro feel to a space.
Exposed shower plumbing can increaseaccessibility options.
Cons (15:28):
Cleaning exposed pipework is more
labor-intensive.
Exposed shower systems can be susceptible todamage during installation.
This kind of system takes up valuable space insmall showers.
Exposed shower plumbing is not particularlyideal for minimalist aesthetics because of the
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prominent pipework.
Installing an exposed shower system is quitedifferent from concealed designs.
However, it is usually the more straightforwardand cost-effective plumbing choice, as minimal
wall modifications and hidden pipework arerequired — especially when starting fresh in a
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brand-new space.
However, if you are modifying a bathroom withan existing concealed shower system, you should
be prepared for a higher initial cost to alterthe plumbing setup, says Reinhard.
Expect to remove the tile, open the wall, andre-route the current plumbing during
installation.
As with all interior design choices, thelongevity of the look is important to consider
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before you dive in headfirst.
Of course, what matters most is that you loveit — but the last thing you want is to splurge
on a gorgeous exposed shower system, only tohave it considered outdated in five years.
That said, if you love this bathroom trend thenyou are in luck.
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Experts agree exposed shower systems are morethan just functional; they are timeless, too.
After all, they have been around much longerthan concealed shower systems!
'Instead of being seen as a passing trend,exposed shower systems, when approached
thoughtfully, offer a versatile style optionthat can be seamlessly integrated into various
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design aesthetics,' says Camille DeLew, adesign specialist at KBF Audi.
The choice between a concealed or exposedshower system will ultimately depend on your
design preferences, lifestyle, budget, and theexisting plumbing work in your home.