My current obsession is a fascinating blog called Big Old Houses, which opens the doors to amazing old mansions, many in upstate New York — and many containing relics of the past, from original bathrooms and kitchens to century-old cabinets and door knobs. The blog documents the intersection of architecture, social history and interior design through the rooms of old houses.

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When Josh, Lauren and their twins moved into their new townhouse in Washington DC's historic Mount Pleasant neighborhood, they knew right away they had to change the bathroom. The retro pink, peach and black tiled bathroom, while quaint and vintage, was not their style. And in a smallish townhouse the room felt too busy and crowded. (Perhaps they also knew that once their daughters got old enough to talk they would fall in love with the bathroom's perky pink: time was of the essence!) More

Last week I shared my Dream Kitchen Inspiration, and this week, it's the bathroom's turn. My ideal space would have bags of er, space — with a big freestanding tub, a separate shower area, and even a chair. Add some great lighting, lush textiles and accessories, and I'd never want to leave. More

I love everything about my apartment, except the bathroom. It's pretty old, even by San Francisco standards, and just never looks quite clean enough, no matter how hard I scrub. So it was with great envy that I searched these clean, modern bathrooms for you. If minimal and neutral is your thing, you might find these inspiring (I especially like the ones that warm up a bit of the starkness with warm woods). Enjoy. More

Some may think the shower's basic design can't be improved upon. There are at least two companies that disagree, marketing extreme conceptual showers that challenge the way we bathe. Would you try them out? See more about the Loop and the Horizontal after the jump. More

It's hard to find a bathroom vanity that doesn't scream "bathroom vanity". Vanity is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, after all. We are redoing our bathroom and I really want a pedestal sink but it just isn't practical for a bathroom shared by four people. But it's hard to find a vanity that doesn't look cheap and cheesy-- or completely space-age (though I do love many of those; they're just not going to work in my particular bathroom).

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FastCo.Design and Porsche invited designers from around the globe to look to the iconic Porsche 911 and use the automobile as inspiration for just about anything else ("smaller than a living room and bigger than a purse" was the only guideline). The Porsche Next Design Challenge winner has been announced, and the top prize went to Junggi Sung's hair dryer above... More

I love a little nature in the bathroom. But the lonely orchid in my bathroom can't compare with a luxurious indoor/outdoor dream space. A Hawaiian-inspired al fresco shower is the ultimate bathing experience; nothing feels better. More

A key element of renovating a room is knowing when to say when. If you have a limited budget or limited time then the most helpful thing you can do is to be realistic about what you can achieve. This is especially true when you purchase a house that is a 'fixer-upper,' because then you are in danger of succumbing to project fatigue, when there is so much to do in every direction that it is difficult to focus on just one thing. This bathroom was lucky enough to get a quick makeover from someone who had a foot firmly planted in reality. More

Here are the facts: I don't have hours and hours to laboriously clean my bathroom every week. Even if I did there would be more pressing things at hand, like um, anything really. So how can you keep things clean with a minimal amount of effort and time? I use the five minute rule and it works fabulously! More