Bathroom Design Inspiration with BlogTour LA, California Style

In BlogTour London: Bath Design Inspiration, Discoveries, Steam Therapy, we shared with you sights, sounds and design highlights from BlogTour London which coincided with the London Design Festival. There's more!

Immediately afterward, BlogTour Los Angeles (aka BlogTour LA) gathered another group of talented design bloggers from the U.S., the U.K. and Spain together to investigate design in LA. It started with a day at La Cienega Design District, inspiring steam shower and bathroom showrooms, the WestEdge Design Fair and ended with a day of steamtherapy immersion with Mr Steam - since LA is Mr.Steam's West Coast headquarters!  

Sources of LA Bathroom Design Inspiration 

As in London, inspiration began from the moment bloggers reached the BlogTour LA hotel home base, the Chamberlain, a chic yet quaint boutique hotel sitting in the quiet hills of West Hollywood.

This West Hollywood hotel - with fabulous, oversized, all-suite rooms and luxurious marble clad bathrooms - is just a short walk from one of LA's most popular design districts on La Cienega and Melrose Avenues. It also offers a rooftop pool and bar with sweeping views of Hollywood.

The rooms, or suites rather, were designed by David McCauley, formerly of Kelly Wearstler Interior Design, in cool shades of blue and green with rich blacks, golds and bronze tones in the bathrooms. We thought the resemblance between the Chamberlain shower design and that in our Virtual spa uncanny. 

{BTW - check out David McCauley on Pinterest which includes a board filled with photos of the Chamberlain and other projects.}

More photos are available on Davidland which describes the Chamberlain hotel as,

"A four-story, 112 room West Hollywood boutique hotel that was originally built as an apartment complex. It has undergone a complete renovation and interior re-design in 2004 and 2005 that retains the original floor plan. In May 2005 it debuted as Chamberlain. Interior designer David McCauley, a protégé of designer Kelly Wearstler of kwid, has crafted the interiors as an eclectic mélange of exquisite, singular artifacts drawn from a multitude of eras and genres. Grounded in English Modern and neo-classical aesthetics, the décor incorporates elements of a travel-savvy sophistication."

Walker Zanger Bathroom Inspiration

The first day of BlogTour LA took the group to the Walker Zanger showroom. 

Walker Zanger, a luxury tile and stone manufacturer and importer, describes their company and foundation as a personal experience, "This human experience connection is the bedrock of our company." The family business has grown to be the world's leading luxury brand in the stone and tile industry, not to mention for show-stopping bathrooms!

BlogTour bloggers found inspiration for design around every corner of the showroom. They were even privy to the unveiling of Walker Zanger's newest collection, Jet Set, a pattern rich, 60s inspired, range of tile and stone.  

Check out blogger Ronique Gibson of Stagetecture's images of the Walker Zanger collections. You'll love this article about Stalking the Jet Set at Walker Zanger LA (BTW, Yvonne Blacker promises several bathroom designs inspired by Walker Zanger, so stay tuned!).

Kelly Wearstler Bathroom Design Inspiration

The uncontested highlight of the day was a visit to Kelly Wearstler's offices with a personal meet and greet with Kelly herself, followed by a shopping tour in the new Kelly Wearstler boutique shop on Melrose Avenue.  

Design blogger Geraldine Tan of Little Big Bell further describes Kelly Wearstler,

"Kelly Wearstler is one of the most well known designers in LA. She is multi-talented, with a design line in clothing, jewelery and home wares. To top that,she is also a well published author and interior designer of many beautiful homes and hotels."

Kelly recently welcomed House Beautiful into her home. Have a look at her very stylish bathroom.

Photo by THOMAS WHITESIDE/HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

Check out Lynne Byrne's NOW INSIDE: Kelly Wearstler’s Design Studio where she takes us on a visual tour of Wearstler's studio.

You'll enjoy Travel treasures: Kelly Wearstler’s offices and boutique in Los Angeles from Gudy Herder.

Lighting, Color, West Edge Design Fair and bath design inspiration

Bloggers next explored Lamps Plus in Los Angeles, touring the brilliant showroom which exhibited everything from traditional lighting to the latest in LED technology.

In an impromptu move, our design bloggers took it upon themselves to restyle several vignettes in the showroom proving to store management and the design community at large that these visionary stylists also know how to create huge impact with very little planning. 

British design blogger and color expert Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar had a blast immersing himself in a vast collection of lamps vibrant with color. He describes his inspiration,

"Naturally my colour-loving eye was drawn to the new Colour Plus Collection by Lamps Plus. I think it was a spot on idea to match the colours of the lamps-there are over 100 colour options in range-to well known brands such as Pantone and Sherwin Williams."

Design bloggers Geraldine Tan, Gudy Herder and Will Taylor skillfully styled the latest collection of colored lamps pictured on the left.

{See LAMPS PLUS – COLOR PLUS RANGE – BLOG TOUR LA SPONSOR.}

Geraldine says about the importance of color, "Chromatherapy also known as colour therapy is believed to be associated with a sense of wellbeing." She refers to Mr.Steam's very own ChromaTherapy in her article, titled MR. STEAM AND COLOUR THERAPY – ONE OF THE SPONSORS OF BLOGTOUR LA.

The article features a series of colorful mugs and how each contributes energy,

"... they are what I see every morning when I make coffee. Collectively, their vibrant colours are enough to eliminate any lingering sleepiness. Perhaps my daily colour choice is my subconscious acknowledgment for colour therapy.

Anyway, how nice it must be to relax in a steam shower, a spa in your own home and to experience its benefits with the additional triple treat of relaxing scents, colour and music."

You can imagine the conversations that took place in this lighting showroom given the passion for lighting, color and design! In addition to its Colour Plus collections, Lamps Plus offers an endless selection of light fixtures that range from ultra modern to very traditional and cover a huge segment of fixtures specifically for the bathroom. (See image on right.)

This vast display of state of the art LED lighting offers beautiful options for illuminating a bathroom, including a state-of-the-art Mr. Steam steam shower. 

{Check out Susan Serra's Lamps Plus - Lighting The Way To Good Design.}

LA's WestEdge Design Fair

The afternoon was spent at the highly anticipated WestEdge Design Fair for its inaugural show. Here's how the WestEdge site describes the event:

"WestEdge is a four-day event that offers the best in modern design, all in an environment designed to engage, entertain and inspire. The fair offers the opportunity to shop from premium home furnishings brands-many new to the West Coast and meet the designers behind thousands of inspiring products. In addition, attendees gain insight from leading names in the design industry with a full series of educational programs and special events."

The WestEdge Design Fair was hosted in the Barkar hangar in Santa Monica and was chock-full of unique design for all areas of the home with a special emphasis on kitchen and bath. 

One of the best bathroom design inspirations came from co-BlogTour LA sponsor, Gessi, a decorative plumbing company from Italy.

Gessi wowed bloggers at the show with their latest collection, Goccia, pictured to the left in platinum. The collection is wonderfully organic, sensual and a beautiful addition to any bathroom design.

Blogger Ronique Gibson describes her take on the Goccia Collection,

"They have a few new products and one of my favorite is the Goccia collection of faucets and fixtures. They are revolutionary and sculptural in their design & replicate the essence of a water droplet!"

Cloth and Kind share their highlights in LOGTOURLA: GOCCIA, ‘THE DROP’.

Also check out Susan Serra's article on Gessi - Kitchen And Bath Luxury which includes videos.

And on WestEdge, WestEdge Design Fair - 2013.

From Geraldine Tan, GESSI – THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX- SPONSORS OF BLOG TOUR LA.

Learning About Steam, Steam Showers, Snyder Diamond and Mr.Steam 

Apart from the intense bathroom design inspiration ideas, BlogTour LA meant an opportunity to share steam shower and Mr.Steam information with the help of Mr.Steam Premier Dealer, Snyder Diamond in Santa Monica who invited the entire BlogTour group to its showroom. 

{Read Snyder Diamond Talks Steam Showers With Mr. Steam.}

Martha "Mrs.Steam" Orellana (pictured above, standing at the front of the tour bus) began the visit with a Q&A about the history and benefits of steam. 

{See the History of Steambathing series.}

Based on design blogger Lynn Byrne's description of her method of relaxation with a steam shower, "Another way I de-stress is by taking a steam shower, as does the rest of my family.  It is true.  We all relax in the Mr. Steam shower in my master bath.", Martha's points were well taken.

... Especially after experiencing the Snyder Diamond showroom and hearing firsthand from experts who take bathroom designs and turn them into reality!

At the Snyder Diamond showroom, Martha introduced Russ Diamond, President of Snyder Diamond, who then discussed his family's business history, the showrooms and the different products carried.

The BlogTour Bloggers were toured dozens of bathroom and shower displays.

A highlight was seeing Mr.Steam in action in its display cabinet, where they could test the new iSteam as well as watch a real life model enjoy a steam bath.  

As Ronique Gibson of Stagetecture explains about the new iSteam,

"High tech meets high touch with the iSteam home steam shower control. As easy to use as a smartphone, the highly intuitive LCD touch screen features beautiful graphics and high-performance in wet environments."

Where Steam Meets Bathroom Design Meets Intense Relaxation California Style Via Wi Spa

BlogTour LA next headed toward the experiential with a visit to Wi Spa, a Korean spa in Los Angeles which offers a variety of spa services both modern and traditional varying from body scrubs to pedicures. As the About Wi Spa page explains,

"Come for a soak, ancient Korean style. Stay for a treatment from our extensive selection of modern, global spa services... Enter our expansive facility in the heart of Los Angeles, and be transported worlds away by our hot and cold baths and specialty progressive sauna rooms."

Traditional Korean spa treatments ranged from a classic Korean body scrub, using techniques to provide a full body exfoliation to rid the body of dead skin and impurities in order to revilatize the skin or a relaxing pedicure, to hot tubs and  a variety of saunas including the salt sauna pictured below. 

Interestingly, Koreans have practiced communal bathing and sauna experiences for centuries and Wi Spa was no exception. (It was named "Best Family Fun Spa - Los Angeles 2010.") When we walked in, we immediately felt as if we were in a YMCA where community was about cleansing rather than exercising.

The experience allowed everyone to recap on how important cleansing and relaxation is for the body mind and soul. We couldn't help but revert back to the revitalizing benefits of steam.

As Kitchen & Bath Designer Cheryl Kees Clendenon of Kitchen Details and Design wrote,

"Yes I have drank the koolaid! I am a believer in steam therapy  and  what it can do for you and the older wiser I become, the benefits of taking care of yourself inside and out prove to be well worth investing in."

The 2013 BlogTour L.A. participants included:

• Yvonne Blacker of Design Vignettes. On twitter @YBlacker.

• Ashlina Kaposta of The Decorista. On twitter @TheDecorista.

• Emily Anderson of Good with Style. On twitter @GoodwithStyle.

• Mindy Miles Greenberg of Encore Decor. On twitter @encordecor.

• Geraldine Tan of Little Big Bell. On twitter @littlebigbell.

• Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar. On twitter @Will_UK.

• Gudy Herder of Eclectic Trends. On twitter @GudyHerder.

• Tami Ramsay of Cloth&Kind. On twitter @TamiRamsay.

• Krista Nye Schwartaz of Cloth&Kind. On twitter @clothandkind.

• Lynn Byrne of Decor Arts Now. On twitter @decorartsnow.

• Ronique Gibson of Stagetecture. On twitter @stagetecture.

• Cheryl Kees Clendenon of Kitchen Details and Design. On twitter @InDetailSays. 

• Susan Serra of The Kitchen Designer. On twitter @SusanSerraCKD. 

{For a succinct overview of design highlights, check out 10 things that rocked my world this week…los angeles edition.}

Do you feel inspired by this California style BlogTour LA? What do you find most inspiring? How might you apply some of these ideas to your bathroom design? We'd love to hear!