Bathroom Design Idea: High Art

Aqua tiles around the tub and on the floor provide a focal point in this artistic transitional bathroom design.
Aqua tiles on walls and
floor provide a focal point.

A guest bathroom in the century-old home and studio of a prominent painter/sculptor was given an artistic bathroom design during a recent major renovation.

The room is a transitional-style treasure, incorporating Gilded Age grandeur and Italian modernism in a surprisingly serene enclave. Every innovative detail was planned with extreme care.

The space feels contemporary but without up-to-the-minute materials or design clichés. The owner's wish was to blend old and new as artfully as possible -- a request with which the architect happily complied.

The spectacular sink and extra-long cast-iron tub, all the more impressive because they're vintage originals, joined a few judiciously chosen new elements, including the glass shelf and towel bar.

The traditional pedestal sink works with the modern tiles in this transitional bathroom design.
A traditional pedestal sink
works with modern tiles.

For the surfacing materials, a color scheme of aqua, antique gold, and rich brown was chosen for its timeless appeal.

Turquoise bath tile may be a cliché -- but not here. These industrial-grade Italian floor tiles are randomly cut in trapezoidal shapes and splayed like a starburst from the room's center point. Similar square and rectangular tiles are used on the shower wall.

Ancient design elements include walls hand troweled with ocher-tinted plaster and a handsome sink with a fluted-column pedestal. Halogen lights piercing the wall punctuate the space with modern touches.

If your bathroom currently has a more rustic look, you can combine it with more contemporary features to create a personalized transitional design. See the next page for tips.

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