Creating A Spa Refuge - 5 Wellness Tips from Duravit

Ah.....the place where you can leave all the stresses of the day behind, your own personal spa bath at home with Duravit. 

 
"The baths and whirlpools from Duravit  offer you not only an exhilarating experience in the bath, but highly agreeable after effects too. The air bubbles stimulate the blood circulation, while the water massage stimulates bloodflow throughout.  You feel carefree and relaxed, tenseness and aches are soothed away."

Duravit, "Living bathrooms for living people" has created these 5-Tips for relaxation when creating your own personal spa experience at home.   Enjoy!

1. The best bath time Taking a bath after 9 o'clock in the evening is an ideal way to really relax. The bath should not be any warmer than 98.6F.  Optimal bath is 15 minutes, afterwards you can fall asleep totally contented.


2. A bath that is too hot makes you sluggish  Hot bath temperatures - above 100.4F - cause the heart to beat faster and make you feel weary, and lethargic.   Your skin loses at least 20% of its natural oils, even if moisturizing bath products are used.  Just cool the water down a little for the perfect spa experience!


3. Health Aspects As well as the feeling of well-being, Duravit places great importance on the health aspect of relaxing in your bath.  The effects of temperature, and the feeling of weightlessness can play an important role in treating circulation problems, and other muscular mobility issues. Immersion in water with its' support for body weight, provides well-deserved relief for joints and muscles.


4. Adding Scent Scents and fragrances can create positive emotions and moods, and directly affect our sense of well being.  The effects of pure ethereal oils can be obtained by adding them to the bath or using an aroma lamp.  For relieving colds, headaches and muscle pain, think about adding eucalyptus, lemon balm, or pine scented oil.  The invigorating pleasant scents of orange oil and vanilla will help to revive both body and spirit!

5. Variety at Bath Time - with a few extras
      *add a bath pillow to support your head, relaxing your shoulders and neck
      *Turn on the active jets in the whirlpool bath - well worth the investment!
      *opt for one of Duravit's two-person baths, enjoy with candle light and your favorite CD  (and your favorite person!)
      *light (carefully) candles, and turn down the bright lights      

Duravit, headquartered in Hornberg, Germany,  has a 200-year history as one of the leading companies in the decorative bath accessory industry, and a driving force in the world of designer bathrooms.  "An indefatigable curiosity for innovations and unconventional approach have driven Duravit to seek new ideas, to help transform sterile wet spaces into elegant refuges."

Our Belmont showroom is very excited to introduce these fantastic contemporary bath designs to our customers!  Duravit recognizes excellent design, and is proud to be the recipient of numerous international design awards, celebrating innovation and bold ideas.  Stop by our showroom, and take a quick tour through their design catalog, highlighting the luxury creations of Phillipe Starck, Christian Werner and Sieger Design.

(photos and detailed information, courtesy of Duravit.us)

The Devil is in the Details - Custom Hardware from Martin Pierce

Monday's Inspiration!  A featured guest blog post from our friends at Martin Pierce!  If you haven't had the opportunity to see Martin's work, we are inviting you to come by our Belmont showrooms for just a small preview of the fabulous design and quality that his studio produces.  Unparallelled, unique functional hardware design is their specialty!

Now for a peek into their design world....

"Do you long for items in your home that are unique and out of the ordinary?  Lucky for you, one of the simplest and most affordable ways to add custom details to your home is through the use of bespoke hardware such as knobs, levers and pulls on your doors and drawers. 

Martin is inspired by the work of  Grinling Gibbons, an 18th century English sculptor and wood carver.  His detailed work often included “surprises” like a small peapod or little mouse scattered among one of his favorite shapes, a five petaled flower.  (image of Grinling Gibbons' detailed Hampton Palace Court carving)

Martin is hard at work carving the latest addition to our collection, the heroic vine and leaf pull, and he has added details that are so important to custom work.  In this case, a shield bug, or beetle, is carved into the handle.  I find this detail so charming and unexpected.  

 

For this piece, Martin is using cherry wood which, like most fruit bearing trees, is a hard wood perfect for carving.  These photos taken during the carving process will provide you with a close-up view of the details that are present in this piece.  Keep in mind that further refinement and finishing will make the details even more prominent and beautiful.

One more photo of the carving details of this vine pull - "


What a great pull for a wine cellar, or for a Tuscan themed rustic kitchen island...

If you are interested in this design or any other pieces from Martin Pierce's varied collections, please stop by one of our Bay Area showrooms, and let us help you design something for your home with his fabulous detailed bronze work.

Thanks again to Martin Pierce for sharing their design ideas with us!