Bathrooms

If you think about it, the bathroom is the holiest room in the house. It’s a place of cleansing the body, both inside and out.  With some attention to aesthetics, the bathroom can also be a place to cleanse your soul. Yet so many bathrooms are dull, dull, dull. Merely functional.  How can this be when  there are so many options to turn a bathroom into an exciting place? The holiest of all rooms could be anything from over-the-top, Liberace style, to Zen simple, spa style. Moroccan tiles instantly create drama, while Shabby Chic spells relaxation. It’s no wonder many happy hours of my dreams are spent bathing in fantasy bathrooms. Below are some of the many examples of bathrooms with style.

Had to start with this one. I have already visited it in my dreams. Two differences: the floor had black and white checkerboard tiles and there were 2 tubs like this side by side for social bathing. I have to give credit to Ralph Lauren for having plundered my dream.

Here's Ralph Lauren again. He used the tiles from my dream in a different bathroom.

Recognize the guys? They're DeNiro and Hoffman. Guess they go for social cleansing.

Somewhere in Vegas. Where else?

Super girlie.

Liberace understood the holiness of the room. He made the commode into a shrine.

Liberace again.

And here's Liberace himself--worshiping, I assume.

For the dedicated Goth

Time to simplify

The King's bathroom. Elvis, that is.

Getting stoned in the bathroom.

Ethnic Style--India, Morocco, Indonesia, Bali, Mexico and More

When I started importing from Indonesia, my wares seemed to confuse people. They didn’t understand them.  Within a few years, the beauty of ethnic design was starting to be appreciated by a broader market. Whenever I opened Architectural Digest, I spotted at least one piece in nearly every environment, even if it was just a statue or a coffee table. Today, with the world getting smaller and people traveling more, people are generally becoming more sophisticated. Now, the beauty of hand-made furniture and world design graces many homes.

Here I have collected examples from India, Indonesia, Morocco, Bali, Mexico, Africa and other places. In some, you see the representation of one country only. In others, a blending of countries. Some rooms mix ethnic pieces with contemporary upholstered furniture to render the room both pleasing and comfortable.  

Decorating for Apartments and Small Spaces

So often when I open the pages of a decorating magazine, I see palatial homes featured with huge rooms. However, so many of us live in apartments or other small spaces. I lived for years in London. The Edwardian houses were built for holding heat. Therefore, most of the rooms were tiny. The original occupants crowded the rooms with over-stuffed furniture and a plethora of knickknacks. For the modern person, it feels claustrophobic. This is where I got my grounding in finding solutions for decorating small spaces. 

I have compiled a number of photographs showing design for small spaces. Some are my designs and some are created by other designers whose work I admire.