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!

A Gold and Stone Bathroom by Fiorito Interior Design

You don't have to have a big celebrity mansion to have a beautifully appointed house finished with unique and special materials. When my clients bought an average condo kitted out with all the average builder-grade things that average builders stuff into spaces like that, they longed to make it theirs. Being collectors of colorful Fiesta tableware and lovers of extravagant stone, we set about infusing the space with a dose of their fun personality.

There wasn't a corner of the house that went untouched, but one of my favorite spaces turned out to be the primary bathroom. The scheme for this room took shape when we were at a slab warehouse shopping for material. We stumbled across a packet of a stunning quartzite called Fusion Wow Dark and immediately fell in love. We snatched up a pair of slabs for the counter as well as the back wall of the shower.

My clients were eager to be rid of a tub-shower alcove and create a spacious curbless shower, which meant a full piece of stone on the entire long wall would be stunning. But what should be put with it?

I found a neutral, sandstone-like tile for the return walls of the shower and brought it around the remaining walls of the space, capped with a coordinating chair rail. But my client's love of gold and all things sparkly led us to a wonderful mosaic. Composed of shifting hues of honey and gold, I envisioned the mosaic on the vanity wall and as a backing for the niche in the shower.

We chose a dark slate tile to ground the room, and designed a luxurious, glass French door shower enclosure. Little touches like a motion-detected toe kick night light at the vanity, oversized LED mirrors, and ultra-modern plumbing fixtures elevate this previously simple bathroom.

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

Photo by Bernardo Grijalva

And for a little perspective, here are some BEFORE and AFTER shots! As you can see, we ditched the mirrors that were just tacked to a piece of painted wood, the annoying drop-in sinks, and the dated tiled countertop.

If you wish to infuse some wow into your average space, give me a call. I'd love to help!

Happy designing!

Fiorito Interior Design Sneak Peek: A Master Bathroom In Progress

Regular readers will know that I usually only post photos of completed projects, but every now and then I am so excited about a remodel, I need to share a bit of the process and progress before my photographer comes in to document the finished space. A current whole-house remodel I've been working on for over a year is nearly done and has turned out to be lovely, but the pinnacle is the master bathroom.

The original master bath of this 50+ year-old house was much smaller before we added on to the home and rebuilt the master suite. While still compact, we poured a lot of style and unique materials into the new bathroom and I am so thankful that my clients were eager for something special...and not afraid of pattern!

We found a fascinating tile for the floor...a hex pattern where each hex is bordered by a tiny 1/2" x 1/2  and then a 1" x 1" mosaic. It was a bold move to decide to put this tile on the floor and we were all so excited to see the results...

Here are some conceptual renderings of the original idea.

But as I say in my second Design Mantra to the right, design is a process and things always morph and change as the life of a project continues...that is the fun of design. Our color palette shifted from warm to cool and we chose the Carrara and Nero Marquina marble version of the flooring. The field tile on the return walls became bright white, and most excitingly, we discovered a glorious Carrara fish-scale mosaic for the main wall of the shower.

Picking the right grout color allows the tile shapes to be highlighted or hidden. In our case, we ended with a much brighter white than what you see below in order to highlight the texture of the fan-shaped tiles. The flooring grout stayed grey so as to blend in and not interrupt the pattern that drew us to it in the first place. And of course we matched the white tiles on the return walls as there is no need to draw attention to them. They are supporting players, not the star.

A large bench and large, long niche provide flexible function in the shower.

And here is our glorious tile on the floor (a linear drain allowed us to build a zero clearance shower and to run the floor tile right to the back wall!) and the shower walls with the special fan-shaped mosaic...all grouted and awaiting the installation of a glass enclosure.

I'm very excited for the rest of the house to be completed. Stay tuned in 2020 for beauty shots of this bathroom as well as guest bathrooms and a lovely blue and white kitchen!

Happy designing!