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For all their ability to give the experience of enticing stories, engaging gameplay, and immersive world design, video games can also use these factors to shock us. Some of the darkest moments in any form of media are represented in video games, with their interactivity oftentimes making the anguish-able experience much more tangible than if the same thing happened in a movie or TV show. Your opinion on what constitutes dark may differ, of course, but the 15 moments discussed in this rundown are inarguably disturbing: upsetting at one end of the spectrum, downright harrowing at the other. Also, its worth pointing out that therere spoilers for the games featured.The Bloody Baron The Witcher 3: Wild HuntArguably the most morally bankrupt NPC Geralt encounters in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, The Bloody Barons history as an abuser to wife Anna and daughter Tamara is revealed during Geralts attempts to locate The Barons estranged family in exchange for information on his own daughters whereabouts. Neither of The Barons conclusions are favourable for him (or, indeed, his wife Anna); should both The Baron and Anna survive, Anna will have succumbed to madness whilst a band of witches abscond with the orphans of whom she was residing. Should Anna die, the Baron will tragically hang himself due to a lifetime of grief and guilt.

Hate is probably a strong word here. Yeah, maybe you hated your first playthrough of a game only to come back to it another time and find it a wonderful experience. But, what the games on this list demonstrate is that first impressions can be deceiving, and subsequent playthroughs can be just as, if not more, rewarding.ReturnalRogue-like third-person shooter Returnal is relentlessly unforgiving, a game in which time is an agonising loop for astronaut Selene after she crash lands on the hostile alien world Atrophos. Otherworldly creatures stalk cadaverous biomes, hurling bioluminescent bullet hell between Selenes scavenging for artifacts, resources, and ether. Its challenge can put players off but stick around and the accumulated muscle memory makes subsequent playthroughs a breeze. Returnals emotional narrative weighs heavier on successive runs too when the unfolding of events has already been discovered.

You might think there isnt a lot of official information out there regarding The Elder Scrolls VI, and youd be right to an extent. Much of whats out there is rumour, pieced together from various interviews and previews that have surfaced since The Elder Scrolls VIs announcement trailer back in 2018. Many of the points in the feature have weight to them, some are tenuous at best. But, with official information sorely lacking its fun in the meantime to speculate.2026 earliest possible release dateBack in 2023 a document tied to Microsofts legal tussle with the FTC surfaced, and in said documents were a few choice wads of information relating to The Elder Scrolls VIs release window. It didnt come as much of a surprise back then to learn that the release was still a few years off, with 2026 cited as the earliest possible release date for Bethesdas long-awaited RPG follow-up.Phil Spencer reckons itll release 2028However, contrary to 2023s FTC versus Microsoft documentation Xboxs Phil Spencer went on record during the trial in 2023 to state The Elder Scrolls VI is still five years away, putting its potential release date back to 2028. Things, of course, can change in time, so its worth pointing out at this junction the theme of this article is that these rumours may or may not come to fruition. After all, The Elder Scrolls VIs 2026 release date was argued by one of Microsofts lawyers in court during the same FTC hearing so if were going to opt for any release date with the most likelihood, well go for that one.Official release date coming 6 months before launchThis one comes from former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith who spoke to MinnMax in late-2023. Nesmith, who worked as Skyrims lead designer states The Elder Scrolls VIs release cycle will follow Fallout 4s exactly in that we wont hear anything official about its release date until six months before. Now, Nesmith left Bethesda in 2021 so again his opinion is subject to change, but during his conversation with MinnMax he reckons the six-month window is Todd Howards preferred timeframe, and that he believes developers who announce release dates too early shoot themselves in the foot given the constant chance of games suffering delays.Itll be Xbox and PC onlyFollowing Microsofts acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax media for a not-in-exorbitant sum it stands to reason Microsoft will want to keep their most anticipated releases to their own platforms, so whilst weve had no official confirmation yet we can expect The Elder Scrolls VI to release exclusively to Xbox and Windows. In fact, going further, the FTC versus Microsoft documentation outright ruled out a PlayStation version.However, there is a glimmer of hope for PlayStationA lot has changed in the year-plus since this FTC versus Microsoft documentation. Perhaps unthinkable at one stage was Microsofts current plans to export their formally platform-exclusive titles to other hardware. The games theyve shipped to Sony and Nintendo arent of the same scale as The Elder Scrolls, of course, but it does provide a glimmer of hope to other platforms that The Elder Scrolls VI appearing on other platforms cannot be totally ruled out. Furthermore, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was once believed to be exclusive to Microsoft but presently its slated to appear as a timed exclusive, the game set to release to PlayStation 5 in Spring 2025.It will be on Game PassIn a rumour that will surprise exactly no-one, The Elder Scrolls VI will be available day one on Game Pass. In fact, its not really a rumour, is it? This tidbit has been common knowledge since all the way back in 2020 when Bethesdas Todd Howard was in discussion with GameIndustry.biz, in a conversation that was mostly centred on Starfield but did include a comment about The Elder Scrolls VI whereby Howard stated both RPGs will be available to Game Pass subscribers at no extra cost.Itll be set in HammerfallPure speculation from Eurogamer Deputy Editor Chris Tapsell here but back in 2021 the site published a comprehensive piece on The Elder Scrolls VIs location, with Hammerfall being where they believe the game will be set. The article makes for thorough reading, but the summarising assumptions are that the games brief trailer hints at a location and that the games timeline will at least be close to events thatve occurred in the series prior entries. We agree to an extent with Tapsell though; the location in the trailer is most likely a clue as to the games location. The environ we float over is dry, arid, rocky; the city we see is coastal. Through process of elimination, study of topography and city placement, Eurogamer decide on Hammerfall. They make a good case, and the article is well worth digging out.Alternatively, Starfield holds the clue to locationStarfield previewed a teaser trailer back at the Microsoft and Bethesda E3 Showcase 2022, and an ultra-observant user on Reddit posted what they believed to be a map of The Elder Scrolls VIs location etched into the console of a starship. Its quite a stretch to be honest, the doodle definitely appearing deliberately placed but not looking especially similar to the Redditers claim its a drawing of Lilac Bay, the body of water between Hammerfall and High Rock. That said, this location would align with Eurogamers best guess, its just the etching deliberate it may be doesnt look like anything we see on a map of Tamriel.Its being built on Bethesdas own game engineAnother tidbit from Todd Howard. During an interview with UK-based newspaper The Telegraph in June 2021 we learned that The Elder Scrolls VI will run on Bethesdas own Creation Engine 2. Going further, Howard states that while Starfield runs on this engine it was specifically created for both. Therere customisations and additions unique to The Elder Scrolls VI though, but yep as always we dont know a hell of a lot more than that.Playable early builds existAnd whats more, theyve been playable for most of 2024, if a swift sentence in Bethesdas The Elder Scrolls 30th anniversary tweet is anything to go by. Nestled towards the end of their celebratory statement reads the following: yes, we are in development on the next chapter The Elder Scrolls VI. Even now, returning to Tamriel and playing early builds has filled us with the same joy, excitement, and promise of adventure.Todd Howard reckons itll be played and replayed for longer than SkyrimYes, Todd Howard was at it again five years ago. During a video interview with IGN, Howard declared his vision for The Elder Scrolls VI was for it to be played and replayed for a longer timeframe than Skyrims then eight-year run. Skyrim is still massively popular now nearly thirteen years out from its initial launch, so should Todd be wanting to stick to that statement the gauntlet has well and truly been laid.Shared lore responsibilitiesIn an interview with Rock Paper Shotgun earlier this year Elder Scrolls Online director Matt Firor stated that lore responsibilities for The Elder Scrolls VI were being shared equally between his team at ZeniMax Online Studios and the developers at Bethesda working directly on the sequel. Its evidence of mass collaboration, which if done right will ensure a richer, more consistent backstory when the game finally comes out.Skyrim magic system will continueBack to former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith and a podcast interview with MinnMax where he stated that Skyrims magic system and specifically how players upgrade magic will absolutely continue into The Elder Scrolls VI. He goes on to say that there will be new concepts to deal with how you level up too, and we dont expect magic to function exactly the same as in Skyrim but Nesmiths comments are coming direct from source (before he left Bethesda, that is).The game will support mods (OBVIOUSLY!)In another one of Todd Howards video interviews from back in 2022, the Bethesda director stated to Lex Friedman that The Elder Scrolls VI will support mods. Its another one of those least surprising revelations, but it does give us a clue into how Todd expects players to be playing The Elder Scrolls VI for ten or twenty years after release.

Image credit: The Canadian Wood CouncilThe Canadian Wood Council (CWC) has announced the recipients of the 2024 Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarships.The memorial scholarships, which were established nineteen years ago, are awarded each year to graduate students whose wood research exemplifies the same level of passion for wood and the wood products industry that Catherine Lalonde demonstrated as a professional engineer and president of the CWC.This year, Laura Walters from McMaster University and Jiawen Shen from the University of British Columbia were recognized for their academic excellence and impactful research projects in the structural wood products industry.Walters is a third year graduate student pursuing a Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering at McMaster University. Her research project explores the use of pre-engineered beam hangers in mass timber post-and-beam systems, with a focus on the implications of design and modelling assumptions on the evaluation of structural load paths. Her work provides valuable insights into the design considerations and assumptions required for more accurate and reliable design of mass timber columns when pre-engineered beam hangers are used.Shen is a first year graduate student pursuing a Master in Wood Science at the University of British Columbia. Her research project focuses on the development of binderless composite bark-board cladding and insulation panels that are durable, ignition resistant, carbon neutral, and manufactured from an underutilized by-product that would otherwise be burned, landfilled, or used for low-value purposes. Collaborating with a Vancouver-based architecture firm on this project, her work is key to advancing the commercial application of these innovative cladding products.This year marks a historic milestone for the Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarship program as, for the first time, it is awarded to two exceptional women, said Martin Richard, VP of market development and communications at the CWC. Their achievements highlight the outstanding talent driving innovation in wood research and construction. We are inspired by their contributions and the growing diversity shaping the future of wood-based solutions.For more information, click here.Images courtesy of the Canadian Wood CouncilThe post Winners announced for 2024 Catherine Lalonde Memorial Scholarships for Wood-Related Research appeared first on Canadian Architect.

Smart News | December 30, 2024 8:00 a.m.Happy Public Domain Day! Popeye, Rhapsody in Blue, The Sound and the Fury and Thousands of Other Captivating Creations Are Finally Free for Everyone to UseOn January 1, 2025, copyrights will expire for books, films, comic strips, musical compositions and other creative works from 1929, as well as sound recordings from 1924 Works entering the public domain includeThe Sound and the Fury, the first recordings ofRhapsody in Blue, Popeye, Tintin andThe Broadway Melody. Illustration by Emily Lankiewicz / Wikimedia Commons; Gabriel Hackett, MGM Studios, Movie Poster Image Art via Getty ImagesThe comic strip Thimble Theaterintroduced a new minor character on January 17, 1929. Two of the strips protagonists, Ham Gravy and Castor Oyl, find him at a seaport when they are looking for men to crew a ship. Hey there! Are you a sailor? Castor asks. The lanky man, who has a pipe in his mouth and an anchor tattooed on his oversized forearm, replies, Ja think Im a cowboy?The snarky sailor man was none other than Popeye, and these were his first words. Nearly a century after his debut, hell soon be able to say (almost) anything youd like him to. On January 1, 2025, Popeyealong with thousands of other copyrighted creationswill enter the public domain in the United States.Every year, Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University School of Laws Center for the Study of the Public Domain, publishes an exhaustive analysis of some of the most important works entering the public domain. This year, the list includes copyrighted titles from 1929 and sound recordings from 1924.Works enter the public domain when their copyrights expire, typically 95 years after publication. At that point, they become free for anyone to adapt or build upon without permissionwith a few caveats. Copyrights to audio recordings, meanwhile, expire 100 years after they were first put to wax.Take Mickey and Minnie Mouse, who first appeared in animated shorts like Steamboat WillieSimilarly, the copyright is expiring only on the version of Popeye introduced in 1929. He looks much like the character todays audiences recognize, with his bulging forearms, protruding chin and famous catchphrase (I yam what I yam, which he first uttered in November of that year). On the other hand, his memorable throaty grumble didnt exist until 1933, when Popeye the Sailor became an animated short, and he didnt start eating spinach to get him and his beloved Olive Oyl out of a jam until at least 1931.Betty Boop - 1933 - Popeye the SailorWatch on Before he found spinach, Popeye got his superhuman strength from an even weirder source: a whiffle hen named Bernice, who grants luck to anyone who rubs her feathers. In a June 1929 strip, Popeye survives 16 bullet wounds by petting Bernice, who saves his life and sculpts his magic muscles. So even though the hen-petting Popeye is in the public domain, the spinach-eating hero wont be fair game for a few years. (The same goes for his iconic theme song, which debuted in 1933.)Trademark law further complicates matters. Unlike copyrights, trademarks dont expire, and theyre designed to protect words or images linked to a specific brand. Hearst Holdings owns the trademark for the Popeye name and has filed applications to trademark certain graphical depictions of the sailor. Trademark law is all about preventing consumer confusion, and not about getting in the way of creativity, writes Jenkins on Dukes website. You can still legally put the 1929 Popeye character in a new creative work in a way that does not mislead purchasers into thinking they are getting a Hearst-branded product.What should 21st-century storytellers do with characters like Popeye? In recent years, filmmakers have developed a penchant for creating poorly reviewed live-action horror movies featuring beloved childrens cartoons, like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) and The Mouse TrapPopeye the Slayer ManAs Jenkins points out, many of the celebrated classics entering the public domain this year were themselves built atop other public domain works. Disney featured more than a dozen copyright-free songs in its 1929 Mickey cartoons. William Faulkners The Sound and the Fury,Macbeth: [Life] is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing. Faulkner, Jenkins writes, is an author of a timeless work that took from the public domain and now gives back to it.Here are just a few of the renowned books, movies, musical compositions, sound recordings and artworks entering the public domain in 2025.First recordings of Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin1st RECORDING OF: Rhapsody In Blue - Paul Whiteman Orch. & George Gershwin piano (1924 version)Watch on Gershwin revolutionized American music and ushered in the Jazz Age, but the 25-year-old composer wrote his groundbreaking rhapsody rather hastily. He had been asked to compose a piece for a concert called An Experiment in Modern Music at New Yorks Aeolian Concert Hall in early 1924. Accounts differ regarding what happened next: Some say he agreed and then forgot, while others insist he was forced to agree after a premature report that he was at work on a jazz concerto appeared in the New York Tribune. In any case, Gershwin created a composition that masterfully melded elements of jazz and classical music in a matter of weeks, and its since been featured in everything from comedies to Disneys Fantasia 2000 to commercials. Today, many listeners can instantly recognize Rhapsody in Blue from its opening clarinet solo.The work itself entered the public domain five years ago, but the nearly nine-minute-long recording released later in 1924, featuring Gershwin himself as the piano soloist, is now available for public re-use. First-time listeners are struck by a bolt of optimism, wrote the New York Times upon its 100th anniversary earlier this year. A new day is here!Bolro by Maurice RavelWiener Philharmoniker - Maurice Ravel - Bolero - Regente Gustavo Dudamel (HD)Watch on Ravel, a French composer whose career blossomed at the turn of the 20th century yet spanned decades, is undoubtedly best known for a strange, hypnotic piece he wrote in his 50s. Bolro features a minimalist rhythm played on a snare drumand repeated throughout the 15-minute-long piece a total of 169 times. On top of the rhythm, different sections of the orchestra take turns playing two themes over and over again. Some find the repetition boring, but as a critic wrote in the SpectatorBolro.The perseverative composition was published in 1929, around the time that Ravel started experiencing symptoms of a neurological disorder. As it happens, perseveration is a term used to describe a tendency to repeat words and actions often observed in conditions like Alzheimers. In recent decades, scientists have started to wonder whether Ravel composed Bolro notbecause of it.Singin in the RainSinging in the Rain From "The Hollywood Revue of 1929"Watch on More than two decades before the eponymous musical, the song Singin in the Rain was first heard in the 1929 film The Hollywood Revue. One of the earliest sound pictures released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it featured the studios biggest stars in a variety of short acts. One of those acts was Singin in the Rain, which opens with Cliff Edwards (who would later voice Jiminy Cricket in 1940s Pinocchio) strumming a ukulele as water pours down on stage. After about a minute, Edwards retires the instrument, and the production becomes a big dance numbernot too dissimilar from the rendition most viewers are familiar with today. The song returns in the finale, when the entire cast sings a jaunty reprise. The movie itself, naturally, also enters the public domain in 2025, which is why the song does as well.Its a peculiarity of copyright law, as explained by the Duke center, that the rule for sound recordings, with their 100-year copyright term, specifically excludes sounds accompanying motion pictures.A Room of Ones Own by Virginia Woolf As Virginia Woolf insisted in her 1929 essay, "A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction." Fine Art Images / Heritage Images via Getty ImagesWoolfs seminal 1929 essay is based on lectures she gave at Girton College and Newnham College, the first two womens colleges established at the University of Cambridge. When she was asked to speak, she realized she would be unable to fulfill the first duty of a lecturer, to hand you after an hours discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks and keep on the mantelpiece forever. Instead, all she could offer were her thoughts on one small matter: A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.As Woolf points out, women had long been barred from pursuing an education or engaging in intellectual life. If William Shakespeare had had a sister who was just as adventurous, as imaginative, as agog to see the world as the Bard, Woolf argues, said sister would have had no chance of attending school and learning basic grammar, let alone of reading Horace and Virgil, writes Woolf. Perhaps such a woman would have been pressured into an early marriageand would have ultimately killed herself, as Woolf herself would do in 1941.But on a longer time scale, Woolf was hopeful: In another century or so, if women have 500 [British pounds] a year each of us and rooms of our own and the habit of freedom and the courage to write exactly what we think, then perhaps the opportunity will come and the dead poet who was Shakespeares sister will put on the body which she has so often laid down, writes Woolf in her conclusion. Drawing her life from the lives of the unknown who were her forerunners, as her brother did before her, she will be born.A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway (second man from right) recovering at a hospital in Milan, Italy, during World War I. Library of Congress / Corbis / VCG via Getty ImagesSometimes lauded as the best American novel produced about World War I, Hemingways first best seller follows an American ambulance driver in Italy who is wounded by a mortar shell. While recovering in a Milan hospital, he falls in love with a nurse.Much of the novel is taken from Hemingways experience in the war. Like his protagonist, he drove an ambulance in Italy, and he was badly injured in the summer of 1918. During his hospital stay, a 19-year-old Hemingway fell in love with Agnes von Kurowsky, a 26-year-old nurse. About a decade later, he drew from the love affair to write his novel, using his famously sparse style to convey a sense of muted disillusionment.The Broadway Melody Anita Page, Bessie Love and Charles King in The Broadway MelodyHulton Archive / Getty ImagesTwo years ago, Wings, the first film to win an Academy Award for best picture, entered the public domain. This year, historys second-ever Oscar winner will follow: The Broadway Melody, which is also the first sound film (and the first musical film) to win the honor. The picture follows two sisters who take their vaudeville act to Broadwayand become entangled in a love triangle along the way. MGM billed the film as an all talking, all singing, all dancing production, though it also released a silent version for theaters that lacked the equipment to show sound films. The New York TimesThe Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner American writer William Faulkner circa 1930 Bettmann via Getty ImagesFamous for its difficulty, Faulkners fourth novel chronicles the demise of the Compsons, an aristocratic family in Mississippi, from four perspectives. The Sound and the Fury is known for its stream-of-consciousness narration and nonlinear structure, and its celebrated as a pivotal Modernist text. In an interview several decades after its publication, Faulkner said that he initially tried to tell the story from the perspective of Benjy Compson, a man with an unnamed intellectual disability that muddles his sense of time, since I felt that it would be more effective as told by someone capable only of knowing what happened, but not why. I saw that I had not told the story that time. I tried to tell it again, the same story through the eyes of another brother. The published novel includes sections told by all three Compson sons and a third-person omniscient narrator.Tintin Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi at work on a TintinJacques Pavlovsky / Sygma via Getty ImagesThe Belgian newspaper Le Petit Vingtime began running a cartoon about a plucky young journalist named Tintin and his dog, Snowy (Milou, in the original French), in 1929. In the ensuing decades, Herg (the pen name of the celebrated Belgian cartoonist Georges Rmi) sent the boy reporter looking for adventureand exposing scandalsaround the globe. The cartoons have been translated into dozens of languages and adapted many times, including in the 2011 film The Adventures of Tintin, directed by Steven Spielberg, who acquired rights to the story after Hergs death in 1983. In the European Union, where copyright law protects works until 70 years after the creators death, Tintin wont enter the public domain until the 2050s. But in the U.S., anyone can send Tintin on his next adventure for free.New Mickey Mouse animationsMickey Mouse - The Opry House (HD)Watch on Mickey and Minnie Mouse debuted in a series of 1928 Disney shorts, including Steamboat Willie, one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound. When the characters first entered the public domain in January 2024a big day for avid copyright watchersthe public only gained access to the versions of the characters featured in the 1928 productions. Come 2025, 12 animations released in 1929 will follow. These include The Karnival Kid, in which Mickey speaks his first words (hot dogs!), and The Opry House, which shows Mickey wearing white gloves for the first time. (Whether Mickeys red shorts are protected by copyright is debatable, but even if they are, theyll enter the public domain in a few years, along with the first colorized Mickey cartoons from 1935.)Popeye Popeye didn't become a spinach-eating superhero until a few years after his debut. Paramount Pictures / Getty ImagesWhen the sailor man appeared in Thimble Theater in 1929, Segar thought he would be a minor character who exited the strip after a few months. But audiences couldnt get enough of Popeye, whose syndicated comic strip is still running to this day. Popeye is much more than a goofy comic character to me, said Segar in the book Wild Minds: The Artists and Rivalries That Inspired the Golden Age of Animation. He represents all of my emotions, and he is an outlet for them. To me, Popeye is really a serious person, and when a serious person does something funnyits really funny.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: American History, American Writers, Art, Arts, Books, British Writers, Cartoons, children , Classical Music, Composers, Disney, Film, History, Law, Literature, Movies, Music, Musical Theater, Pop culture, Songs, World War I, Writers

What do we expect to see in 2025? | GI MicrocastLatest episode available to download now News by James Batchelor Editor-in-chief Published on Dec. 30, 2024 The latest episode of The GamesIndustry.biz Microcast - and the final iteration with Chris Dring and James Batchelor - is now available to download.This week, our show focuses on the year ahead with Chris and James both sharing their expectations, predictions and hopes for 2025. The conversation ponders some of the biggest questions the industry faces: When will the layoffs slow down or stop? Will GTA 6 be delayed into 2026? How will Switch 2's launch performance compare to the original? What will happen to Ubisoft? And what will the numbers mean after Chris is not here to tell us?You can listen via the player below, download the audio file directly here, or subscribe to our podcast feed, available via Spotify, iTunes, Amazon Music, CastBox, Player FM, TuneIn and other widely-used podcast platforms.Episode edited by Alix Attenborough.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.

Leadership through times of change | HR Summit VideoRare and Dlala discuss managing teams during times of uncertainty and difficulty News by Christopher Dring Head of Games B2B Published on Dec. 30, 2024 GamesIndustry.biz has been promoting some of its top sessions from September's HR Summit this year-end, and our big one of the event was a panel between UK studios Rare and Dlala.The session was titled 'leadership through times of change' and saw Craig Duncan (who was studio head at Rare at the time), Harriet Manson (Chief of Staff, Rare), AJ Grand-Scrutton (CEO, Dlala) and Gemma Foster (COO, Dlala) discuss managing teams during times of uncertainty and difficulty. The session was hosted by GamesIndustry.biz head Chris Dring.This fascinating panel was designed to offer insight and advice from studios of two very different sizes, with Dlala representing a small indie and Rare a larger AAA development team.The HR Summit took place at the Royal Institution in London back in September, and preceded the Best Places To Work Awards 2024. To watch all the talks from the event, simply click here.Watch on YouTube

The bathroomunlike your front porch, say, or even your kitchenis a very private space. In the best of cases, it functions as a kind of shrine to your everyday rituals and overall well-being. In the worst of cases, its a total eyesore: Shower curtains remain drab and outdated, products are haphazardly arranged on counters, and aesthetics are neglected in favor of functionality. Its fine time for a little refresh of this essential space. And what better way to begin than by rethinking your shelf situation? These 20 top bathroom shelf ideastaken from the projects of our ELLE DECOR A-Listers and beyondare proof that your bathroom can indeed look as hot as you like your shower water to be. Youve heard of curb appeal; now, its time for shelf appeal.1Keep the Shelves LowNoe DeWittELLE DECOR A-List designer Alfredo Paredes placed a custom vanity in the bathroom of his Locust Valley, New York, digswith open shelving that keeps things at just the right level of showy. The rattan baskets are not only an organizational hack but also enter into fluent conversation with the vanitys wooden finish. 2Create a Niche (or Two!)Douglas FriedmanELLE DECOR A-Lister Martyn Lawrence Bullard is the king of exuberant and exotic interiors, which is plain as day in this bathroom setupas part of his beachside Maui project. After taking in those striking green zellige tiles, our eye lands on the two shelf-equipped niches flanking the door. Do what Bullard did and use them for towels, yes, but also for those objets dart that are close to your heart. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below3Add Some Backlightingalvarez//Getty ImagesShelves backlit in anything but white light run the risk of feeling tacky; this bathroom interior, however, is anything but. Inspired? Go with a darker, moodier color palette in your bathroom, ensuring your shelving pops out via LED light strips and metal finishes. 4Tile It UpKelly MarshallIn Megan Rapinoe and Sue Birds NYC crib, ELLE DECOR A-List talent Mark Grattan made sure everything was within reach inside the clients doorless showercourtesy of that shelf niche decked out in mint-hued glass tiles. The glass shelves themselves are narrow and thus perfect for a few demure essentials, plant included.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below5Try a Glass CabinetShai EpsteinIn this Tel Aviv, Israel, home, owned by artist Ivo Bisignano and architect Alex Meitlis, the bathroom is a work of artnot only due to all that Carrara marble but also the presence of a glass-fronted cabinet holding what appear to be decorative eggs, a mirror, and figurines. Functional? Maybe not, but glamorous to the max.6Embrace the Wonder of WoodFrancesco DolfoHospitality designer Eric Egan knows a thing or two about intentionally chic bathroom design, which is precisely how we would describe the one in his Milan flat. Its three perfectly placed wooden shelves are the perfectly subtle complement to that boisterous wallpaper (a custom print by Fromental).Advertisement - Continue Reading Below7Build a Teeny ShelfMikkel VangWere gushing over this tiny treasure of a shower niche from a New York bathroom designed by ELLE DECOR A-List firm Ashe Leandro. If your shower routine consists of just a few tried-and-true basics, a square nook of a shelfespecially one laid out in classic white tilewill be a trusty sidekick.8Go with a Standalone Shelf UnitGREY CRAWFORDIn his Paris apartments bathroom, A-List designer Jacques Granges modus operandi seemed to be gilded and splendid. After you finish admiring that candle-laden chandelier, move your gaze to the metal shelf unittopped by a white stone statue that looks straight out of a museum! If you dont want to ruin your walls, standalone shelf units are the answer.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below9Place CarefullyEric PiaseckiThis dolled-up powder room makes up for what it lacks in counters with a standalone shelf unit perfectly wedged between the marble sink and the toilet. If you take away anything from this visual (besides a penchant for that antique blue wallpaper!), it should be the fact that proper shelf placement is your saving grace against a crowded interior. If it doesnt fit, get another one.10Install a Shelf over the MirrorDouglas FriedmanThis bathroom, in Andy Cohens old NYC duplex, is absolutely phantasmagorical. Complementing Flavor Papers Cherry Forever mylar wallpaper is that red bouquetheld by a sleek shelf suspended from the partially blocked mirror. Its a perfect way to curb the bouts of narcissism were all predisposed to; besides, curating a bathroom like this will give you so much to look at instead. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below11Match SurfacesImgorthand//Getty ImagesIn the spirit of integrating shelves into the overarching composition of your bathroom, make sure they dont stand out like sore thumbsdoing so by matching their materiality to that of whatever surface theyre adjacent to. In this inspiring visual, backlit shelves in a green stone (sprinkled with touches of live greenery!) act as natural extensions of the shower walls.12Bring on the Built-InsRob Melnychuk//Getty ImagesBathroom shelves (especially ones that stand on the floor) run the risk of feeling a bit rickety. Show everyone who comes through your own washroom that youre all about solid, long-term investments: via built-in shelves that feel like theyre part of the homes foundation. In this image, the built-ins provide more than enough space for your plush towels, lotion bottles, and beyond. P.S.: Were enamored by those cubbies at the top.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below13Keep It FlushMint Images//Getty ImagesFloating shelves are modern creatures, particularly when theyre as flush to the wall as these two. If you want to keep your bathroom as minimalist as can be but also shake things up, simply replicate this look by staggering the shelves! Your bathroom motto from now on should be Dont forget to both flush and keep it flush.14Make Use of Your VanityPeter + Kelley GibeonIn this awe-inspiring bathroom, the vanitys glass shelves (next to those floating ones closer to the tub) just might beat the lush forest view. Were big proponents of vanities in general, convenient as they are for storing less aesthetic products inside the drawers and flaunting your special purchases (read: expensive perfumes, luxe skincare, and candles) on the open shelving. Compartmentalizing for the win!Advertisement - Continue Reading Below15Fall for Floor-to-Ceiling ShelvesAlanna HaleIn the main bathroom of hotel magnate Barry Sternlichts Miami Beach sanctuary, high design takes center stage. Hes chosen to create a floor-to-ceiling shelf that doesnt shy away from bold contrast but is also a pitch-perfect match for those custom shower doors and black hardware. In other words, go tall (and fill the nooks with hotel-quality towels!).16Conceal to the MaxPernille LoofIn interior designer Vicente Wolfs Manhattan shower room (which, as that frosted-glass wall makes clear, is adjacent to the library), the shelves are basically poster children for tucked-away storage space. Theres something very cavernous about their layoutcontributing to the rooms whole futurism-meets-luxury aura.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below17Go Against the GrainDaniel Cortez//Getty ImagesIts easy to be tempted by typical rectangular shelves, stacked one on top of the other in a way thats functional yet predictable. Choose the road less traveled instead, and go with angled shelves (like the ones hanging above the laundry basket in this display). Another fun touch? Tiny square shelves surrounding a medicine cabinet. After all, more surface area for your tchotchkes never hurts. 18Spice Up the CornersAndreas von Einsiedel//Getty ImagesThis Provence bathroom masters a very rare thing when it comes to shelves: making corner ones look chic. The feminine vignette proves that, when choosing between gracing your shelves with beauty products or antique pottery, you should go with the pottery and never look back.Advertisement - Continue Reading Below19Tap into SymmetryAndreas von Einsiedel//Getty ImagesYour bathroom should be soothing on the eyes whenever you step insidesomething that can easily be achieved through symmetry. Here, two sinks, two bath mats, two sconces, and two floor-to-ceiling skinny shelves make order the name of the game. Were digging the shelves creamy white color too, which lets the wicker baskets do all the talking.20Lean into Ladder ShelvesVIKTORIIA DROBOT//Getty ImagesLadder shelves are attention-grabbers, so buying one will most certainly zhuzh up your bathroom situation. Often, the steps get smaller as they go higher, in which case, wed advise you to allocate your items wiselykeeping frequently used things within easy reach in the middle, purely ornamental touches at the top, and bulkier items (like towels or hair tools) at the base.Stacia DatskovskaAssistant Digital EditorStacia Datskovska is the assistant digital editor at ELLE DECOR, where she covers news, trends, and ideas in the world of design. She also writes product reviews (like roundups of the top firepits or sheet sets)infusing them with authority and wit. As an e-commerce intern at Mashable, Stacia wrote data-driven reviews of everything from e-readers to stationary bikes to robot vacuums. Stacias culture and lifestyle bylines have appeared in outlets like USA Today, Boston Globe, Teen Vogue, Food & Wine, and Brooklyn Magazine.

Once a ski school and TV set, this home in southern Vermont, built in the 2010s, has entered its next life. Thanks to designer Jeremiah Brent, it's now one familys ultimate alpine retreat. While the house boasts stellar views of nearby slopes, its interiors were stuck in the past. The dated featuresknotty pine wood, orange tones, and commercial details like exit signs, fire alarms, and plaid-covered foam panels duct-taped to the wall allhad to go. So Brent and his team reimagined the place to satisfy the familys sophisticated taste.To turn the structure into a timeless winter vacation home with four bedrooms and a bunk room, Brent first honed in on the architectural elements. All of the beams and millwork were restrained in a matte charcoal colora moody contrast to all of the soft white walls, which were covered in decorative plaster. Every fireplace surround got an upgrade. In the living room, one hearth features a large, raw stone sourced from a quarry in Hudson, New York, that required a multiple people and a crane to install. Extensive millwork additions level up the homes function, including a full mudroom for ski gear (no winter home is complete without one). For hosting, Brent fashioned a dedicated room with custom bunks and scalloped ladders. The clients really wanted to have a space where friends and family could feel at home, so we created a loft for the children that would feel cozy for two or ten, Brent says.In an effort to make the mountain escape feel like it could be anywhere in the world, Brent took a less-is-more approach to the decor. Texture makes all the difference. In a quiet color palette, pieces made of sherpa wool, vintage leather, linen, aged verdigris, and raw stone create a worldly and welcoming feel.Brent and his team had to navigate freezing temperatures, snow storms, and extreme gusts of wind during installation, but the property now fulfills the familys request for a rustic yet refined getaway.Living RoomTrevor TondroDouble height curtains alongside the clean yet impactful fireplace were integral to my vision for the living room, Brent says. They really establish the grand scale of the space while maintaining approachability and warmth. The raw edge stone detail is one of my favorite elements within the home.Pendant: Noguchi. Curtains: The Shade Store, in Romo fabric. Floor lamps: Zara Home. Sofa: Maiden Home.Dining AreaTrevor Tondro Brent intentionally selected two extendable tables from RH to accommodate meals with big and small groups. I love how the tables feel so natural floating in the heart of the central living area," Brent says. "There wasnt a need to create an isolated dining space. Pendants: RH. Chairs: vintage, from 1stDibs. Sculpture by post (left): 1970s work by Jacques Bouchat, from Fundamente.KitchenTrevor TondroOne of my favorite moments is where the monastic entryway meets the layered kitchen," Brent says. "The original floors really inspired the way we approached the rest of the finishingsfrom the plaster and stone to the wood stains and accessories. Pendants: Natalie Page. Island: custom, by Fanuka. Counters: Olympian White Marble Honed. Table (circle): Skelton Culver, with custom stone top from The Secret Gardener. Pendant (over table): Etsy.SunroomTrevor TondroEncompassed by soft light and views of the ski slopes, the sunroom has a lighter feeling than the rest of the home," Brent says. We designed the banquette to be perfectly parallel with the curves of the walls. Shades: The Shade Store. Chair: Pamono. Table: 1stDibs. Lamps: Visual Comfort. Lampshades: custom, by Illume. Banquette sofa: custom, by Milo Workroom. Pillows: custom, with fabric from Rogers & Goff, and Shoppe Amber.Powder RoomTrevor Tondro I always love creating bold yet simple powder rooms," Brent says. "The skirted sink brings an effortless feel to the rest of the materials. Sconce: Early Electrics. Mirror: Ballard Designs. Fixtures: Atmosyphere.Primary BedroomTrevor Tondro With a floating bed frame in the primary bedroom, there was a unique opportunity to create a full seating arrangement on the alternate side of the headboard," Brent says. Pendant: Noguchi. Sofa: RH. Cabinet, chair, and coffee table: 1stDibs. Side table: Studio Balestra. Rug: Kathy Kuo Home.Guest BedroomTrevor TondroWith incredible natural light flowing in and an impressive view of the mountains, guests can settle into this serene space after a long day on the slopes. Wall paint: Saint Sauvant Roman Clay, Portola Paints. Pendant: Crate & Barrel. Bed: Shoppe Amber Interiors. Bedding: The Citizenry. Sofa: Pottery Barn. Coffee table: Andrianna Shamaris. Side table (marble): Design Within Reach. Lamp (left): Shoppe Amber Interiors. Wall art: Kit King, from Montana Labelle. Bunk RoomTrevor Tondro The scalloped detailing on the ladders was a late addition but added so much playfulness to the space, Brent says. Bunks and ladders: custom by Jeremiah Brent Design. Curtain fabric: Claremont. Sconces: Shoppe Amber Interiors. Carpet: Stark Carpet. Cushions: custom, in Kravet and Lee Jofa fabrics. Floor lamp: Soho Home. Chair (shag): France & Son.MudroomTrevor Tondro Brent turned a once commercial-style powder room into an area suitable for removing ski gear. The existing tiles were reused and reconfigured after demolition. I love the central window that brings natural light to a moody environment, Brent adds.Shade: The Shade Store. Cushions: custom by Milo Workroom, in Romo fabric.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.