Photo Courtest of Schweda Photography. Bathroom designed by Bergamo Interiors and Interior Intuitions.
Allison Bergamo is a Colorado-based, NKBA accredited designer and owner of Bergamo Interiors. We recently interviewed her about Colorado design, bathroom design ideas, and some design trends she wants to see in 2010.
How would you describe the prevailing design aesthetic in Colorado? Stylish and comfortable, with a respect for the age of the home. Homeowners here appreciate existing design elements. Recently I toured a 1950’s ranch home. The main bathroom was in great condition, including the pink wall tile, pink bathtub, pink sink, etc. Rather than tear everything out, the homeowner kept the pink tile and fixtures. She then installed a fabulous new floor using matte glass tiles in pink, green and taupe. It completely transformed the room into a hip, modern space.
I noticed you're originally from San Francisco, a city where square footage isn't abundant for homeowners and renters. For those who live in small apartments with even smaller bathrooms, what are some good tips for getting the most out of their bathroom space? The first step in good design is to streamline what you already have. Most people are astonished to see how many old, unused toiletries and cosmetics they have just taking up space. Once you pare down to the essentials, it’s easy to plan your storage needs.
If you are planning a bathroom remodel, first look at the existing location of your bathtub, toilet and sink. Sometimes rearranging those opens up the room. While remodeling a tiny bathroom , I relocated the bathtub to an adjacent wall. This gave me 24 inches of extra wall space in which I installed deep shelves. The homeowners love their new-found storage space!
No matter how small your bathroom is, you can always make it your own. Replace a generic mirror with a decorative one. Swap out a bland overhead light with a chandelier and add a dimmer switch. If you don’t have a lot of storage space, pick up some decorative, stackable boxes. Installing a floating shelf or two may be all you need for your grooming products. Adding a new showerhead can completely jumpstart your morning!
Since it's a new decade, what were some of your least favorite design trends of the past decade? In the early 2000’s everyone was designing Tuscan-themed rooms. Faux Venetian plaster walls, over-the-top murals and dark, distressed cabinets were everywhere. Some people went so far as to put hardware resembling grapes on their cabinet doors. These rooms typically looked too “theme-ish.”
About five years ago, 1” mosaic glass tiles were incredibly popular. Around this time, I saw a bathroom in which glass tiles completely covered every surface—the shower, walls, floors, etc. Even the claw foot bathtub was wrapped in 1” glass tile! It was just too much of a good thing. Thankfully, designers are currently using this great material in more subtle, yet impactful, ways.
Photo Courtest of Schweda Photography. Bathroom designed by Bergamo Interiors.
What types of design trends do you hope to see this decade? I’d like to see people embrace more color in their living spaces. It’s so easy and relatively inexpensive to try a new paint color or bring in pillows, area rugs, artwork, etc. I recently painted one of the walls in my client’s master bedroom a rich, vibrant red and added a gold shag area rug. Those two elements alone infused the room with warmth while keeping it a relaxing retreat.
It’s great to see people breathing new life into well-loved pieces by painting, reupholstering, adding new hardware, etc. Not everything in a room needs to be brand new. It’s often more interesting to mix new finds with favorite, revitalized treasures.
I noticed that outside of your design background, you had degrees in both communications and journalism. I'm guessing you're pretty good at communicating your design ideas and how they apply to each of your clients. On the flipside, what advice do you have for clients who are trying to communicate their personal style and design taste to the designer they are working with? Homeowners should communicate with the designer in the manner which they feel most comfortable. If a homeowner is visual, showing the designer items such as photos, magazine clippings and fabric swatches is an effective way to illustrate their personal style and tastes. The designer can use these visual cues as a starting point for the design.
If a homeowner is more verbal, they could tell the designer a story. For example, they could talk about their favorite vacation destination. Perhaps they stayed in a beautiful hotel, and want to recapture the look and feel of it in their master bathroom. Good designers are also good listeners; they can ascertain the client’s preferences through these stories as well.
