A Watery Blue Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

In March, I showed you a bathroom from a complete home renovation in a condo...that was the primary bathroom but here is a peek at the guest bathroom. In contrast to the gold and dark swirling stone seen in the previous bathroom here, the brief for this bathroom was cool and watery, reflecting the beautiful nature reserve and wetlands nearby.

A blue version of Fusion Wow Dark quartzite tops a deep, saturated blue vanity. Tiles of Statuario on the floor coordinate with a custom mosaic border that picks up the color of the veining. The same material wraps up the walls capped with a coordinating chair rail, as well as gracing the interior of the tub-shower. To reference the protected wetlands nearby, we created two niches, one to be used for showering and the other lower one to be used while bathing, that are lined with special handmade tiles of herons, cattails, dragonflies, lily pads, and frogs. These special relief mural tiles were hand glazed in hues specifically chosen to blend with our color scheme, and add a lyrical touch to this cool, tranquil space.

Happy designing!

Big, Bigger, Biggest: Make A Statement With Indoor Sculptures

Sometimes there is a special corner in a home, perhaps by a large window, where a very special object is needed. And The Phillips Collection has just the thing. I have been longing to use one of these incredible pieces in a client's home for a while now, looking and waiting for the right large empty corner by a window.

All of the pieces I show below are at least 6 feet tall with some, like the large cast stone circles, topping out at a whopping 8 feet! Made from a variety of materials, these statement sculptures would add a breathtaking element to any space.

Check Mate Sculptures in white, black, and gray

Colossal Charcoal Cast Stone Sculpture with
Colossal Double Hole Cast Stone Sculpture

Colossal Charcoal Cast Stone Sculpture

Colossal Women Sculptures

Large Plinth Sculptures

Stacked Wood Floor Sculpture Set

Black Wood Abstract Sculptures

I have trade access to all of these dramatic art objects, and more from The Phillips Collection. If you see something you like, give me a call!

Happy designing!

Know Your Sofas: The Mah Jong Sofa

Welcome to another installation of Know Your Sofas, and here is a sofa you should definitely know!

Created in 1971 by artist and designer Hans Hopfer (1931 - 2009) for Italian home furnishings brand Roche Bobois, the original Mah Jong sofa was called simply the Lounge Sofa (or Forever Sofa). The concept was for a low-slung modular seating system that can be combined in many different ways depending on what the owner wants. This suited the new way of seating that people were discovering in the 1960s and 1970s when the concept of a stiff sofa or settee was becoming obsolete. People more and more were lounging in their homes while watching television, relaxing, gathering, playing...simply living more casually than in times past. You can see that Hopfer's drawing below shows a sort of cloud-like, pillow silhouette.

The final product took the form of three individual elements--a flat square, a back, and a corner section--that can be stacked, combined, laid out, and rotated to form a myriad of configurations. While certainly low-slung, it looks in the first photo below like the Lounge Sofa started out placed on some thicker bases to bring them up from the floor a bit more...

...but the sofa is now known as the Mah Jong Sofa, named for the resemblance of each section to Mah Jong tiles. The concept of stacking, joining, and rearranging is even stronger now. It is still available through Roche Bobois and since 1990, it has been their best-selling sofa! It can be purchased to sit either directly on the floor or to be laid out on low platforms with inset legs that give the whole structure a sense of floating off the ground. The mattress-style cushions are entirely hand-stitched in an Italian atelier.

The Mah Jong sofa can now be ordered in fabrics designed by haute couture houses! Missoni Home created versions based on their iconic flame-stitch and other signature patterns from the house.

Legendary designer Jean Paul Gaultier lends his own patterns: French white and navy maritime stripes and the intricate curlicues of world currency...

...while Kenzo Takada took inspiration from the beauty of Japanese kimono fabrics for his collection.

You can find out more about this classic sofa at the Roche Bobois Mah Jong site!

Happy designing!