Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Powderoom Project Finale












Well, you have seen the orchid sink that inspired this project. Then you followed us as we paired it with a beautiful bamboo faucet and then we found a lovely tropical floral paper with a dramatic chocolate background. The exquisite Harbin Ice marble counter top was the perfect solution to surround our sink. But what has happened since?
As the design unfolded we wanted the feeling to express an Oriental Chippendale Garden style but where would we find such a vanity to reflect that? I decided in order to get what we wanted I would have to design it myself and have our cabinet maker fabricate it. So that's precisely what we did. I sketched several options to show our client and she made the ultimate decision. We found bamboo hardware for the doors as well as the custom mirrored bifold doors that conceal a washer and dryer. We framed them to look like just a pair of doors and accented the corners of the molding with the same motif as the base of the vanity.

Our final decision was the mirror. This was tricky. Many of them were either too big or small or in an inappropriate color. But then we came upon a mirror that was totally different than the original concept. The color was great and tied in with the gold in the floral wallpaper. It was just the right thing to break away from the matchy- matchy look that sometimes feels contrived. This elegant mirror reminds me of a great antique discovered in the attic.
This project was a collaboration with my partner Ellie and Caimano Interiors. We had wonderful contractors who made us look really good and terrific clents who were such a pleasure to work for. It was truely a team effort. It is so important for the successful outcome of any design project to have a team of professionals who can help see the project through from concept to completion.
I wish were able to take a photo of the whole room but photographing bathrooms is difficult, especially with all those mirrors! Any tips for me? What kind of renovation projects have you been challenged with? Did you have a team to work with? How did it turn out?