Though overall renovation budgets may still be on the wane, master ensuites seem to be one place where compromise and economy are secondary to luxe finishes. Hotel inspiration is common, with features such as TVs integrated in mirrors , door-less showers, and ultra high-end finishes being coveted.

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), a non-profit trade association that has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry for more than 45 years, conducts an annual member survey to identify the latest trends in bathroom and kitchen design. Based on 350 responses throughout Canada and the United States, here are five (5) bathroom trends for 2012. Note that four (4) of the trends also cross over to Kitchen Design.

Two wide entrances and a railing that was limiting traffic flow became awkward and unbalanced for our client who spent very little time in this cozy family room. To make matters worse, storage was non-existent, the furniture was bulky and the room felt like it was closing in on them. An oversized open corner mantle on the heavy oak fire place looked out of place and off scale. Our clients wanted a space that they could come home from work, relax, and spend more time with family and entertain friends.

A work in progress is what we discovered when our clients hired us to transform this partially finished basement into an extended entertainment area.

Our client was looking for a complete redesign of her tired outdated Condo Kitchen in central Toronto.