A Serene Primary Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

When purchasing a new home, clients often inherit outdated spaces that are either dysfunctional or simply unappealing. Such was the case for a couple who came to me with a cramped primary bathroom. Defined by an unmistakable 1980s aesthetic and a truly perplexing layout, the space was divided into a maze of enclosed areas, including a walled-in shower and an awkward corner vanity.

By fully gutting the room, we were able to reimagine it from the ground up, creating a space that feels open, expansive, and inviting. With the partition walls removed, natural light now flows freely throughout. The design direction, guided by the clients, centers on calm and serenity. A restrained palette of pale marble and sky-blue accent tiles—laid in a herringbone pattern at the vanity and echoed in the generous shower—creates a quiet sense of rhythm and ease.

There is nothing to distract, nothing to disrupt—just a soothing space to begin the day or unwind in the evening.

And for contrast, here is what it looked like before...

If you have a dated bathroom longing for an update, give me a call. I can help!

Happy designing!

In Celebration Of The Stripe!

Bold and fun, but often overlooked...stripes can provide visual interest, create a unique forced perspective, or just add some graphic punch! In celebration of the stripe, let's look at spaces that feature this energetic motif.

Striped floor in bathroom of Achille Salvagni's Rome apartment

Striped floor in kitchen of Achille Salvagni's Rome apartment

Shower by Amy Morris Interiors

Cabana stripes on ceiling by Caroline Rafferty

Vibrant pink and yellow stripes by Muriel Brandolini

French room with tent striped ceiling by Todd Hase

Striped butler's pantry by Paula Caravelli

Red and white candy cane all in the home of Kristiina Ratia

French inspired guest bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

Happy designing!

The Neo-Classical Contemporary Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

Sometimes the shape and size of a space is great but the details inside seem wrong. That was what my clients thought about their primary bathroom in their newly purchased mountain home. As only the second owners of this large house built in the early 90s, they were eager to be rid of an array of artifacts from that period: a wall of glass bricks at the shower; a huge Jacuzzi tub and deck; and an odd, unnecessary run of shelving about a foot down from the ceiling line. These clients spent many years living on the east coast and brought with them a wonderful classical sense for their interiors—so I created a space that would give them that feeling of Classicism while simultaneously feeling fresh and current.

To start we chose a cooler color palette for the entire space. Tiles that look like Statuario marble are set off by a white and blue marble Arabesque mosaic medallion in the center of the room.

Once the space-hogging Jacuzzi tub was removed, I was able to fit larger, dueling vanities in a lovely French green (a grey with a slight, cool olive tone). These furniture-style units feature a breakfront sink base flanked by fluted columns topped with rosettes. A sculptural, contemporary tub now sits in the alcove looking out over the lush hillside.

The Neo-Classicism of the Georgian aesthetic inspired my choices for light fixtures. The central chandelier and vanity sconces feature glass finials and simplified flourishes.

We removed the glass bricks and rebuilt the entire shower to accommodate a linear drain, making it a true zero-clearance shower without a curb. My clients are now able to waltz into the shower without navigating oddly placed walls and an unusually high step into the pan.

Even the adjacent make-up vanity got a make-over—and a beverage refrigerator concealed by a panel of the same French green--to blend with the new, lighter style of the space. Finally, I designed custom Roman shades in a stunning embroidered material of cream and aqua to complete the room. The high style of the space references the past while reveling in a current moment of comfort and convenience.

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

And for those who are curious, here are some side-by-side Before and After composites to boggle your mind!

If you have an unruly 1990s bathroom you want to tame, give me a call!

Happy designing!

The Arboreal Garden In The Shade Powder Room

My clients were excited about their newly purchased home perched high in the hills over the south Bay Area, but since the house was built in the early 90s, they were desperate to update some of the spaces. Their main powder room at the entrance to this grand home was a letdown: bland, featureless, dark, and it left anyone using it with the feeling they had just spent some time in a prison cell.

These clients spent many years living on the east coast and brought with them a wonderful classical sense for their interiors—so I created a space that would give them that feeling of Old World tradition.

My idea was to transform the powder room into a destination by creating a garden room feeling. To disguise the size and shape of the room, I used a gloriously colorful wallcovering from Cole & Son featuring a pattern of trees and birds based on Chinoiserie wallcoverings from the nineteenth century. Sconces feature gold palm leaves curling around milk glass diffusers. The vanity mirror has the shape of an Edwardian greenhouse window, and the new travertine floors evoke a sense of pavers meandering through an arboreal path. With a vanity of midnight blue, and custom faucetry in chocolate bronze and polished nickel, this powder room is now a delightful garden in the shade.

After photos by Bernardo Grijalva.

Since pictures speak a thousand words, here is a peek at a side-by-side Before and After!

If you are suffering from PRB (Powder Room Blues), give me a call. I have the cure.

Happy designing!

"The Birds and the Bees" Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

When a client with an attached ADU asked me to remodel the tired 1990s bathroom, I looked to her love of nature and sparkle to create what I call “The Birds and the Bees Bathroom.” She wanted a tub-shower combo removed in favor of a curbless walk-in shower so I took advantage of this change to use a focal point as an anchor for the now-barrier free shower at the end of the room. I chose a large porcelain mural reminiscent of lyrical botanical illustrations from the early 1900s, complete with birds perched on colorful flowering branches. My client fell in love with a dimensional glass tile in the shape of a honeycomb in an equally honey-colored hue—a reference to life-giving bees—which I used to frame the mural and line the shower niche. The shower walls are clad with porcelain tiles that mimic the look of Cloud Onyx without the tedious maintenance such a fragile stone requires. The easy-care porcelain tiles on the floor look like plank wood and lend an organic sense, and are complimented by the rich wood vanity. The end result is like showering in a bright, fresh garden!

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

Photo: Bernardo Grijalva

If you have a tired bathroom that needs waking, give me a call!

Happy designing!