I love textiles, there I said it. No, I take that back, I love beautiful textiles. Over the years I’ve come across fabric lines that just seem to continue to court me and get me all giggly when they release new patterns. I’ve dubbed these lines my fabric boyfriends.

It’s not as weird as it sounds (ok, maybe it is), but these relationships are filled with just as many clichés as the real deal. A fabric catches my eye and I can’t look away. I find out a little more about the line and am intrigued. I get a crush. I spend a lot of time getting to know the ins and outs of the line: all the color ways, the fiber content, the way it drapes. I then start fantasizing about what we’ll do together in the future. Some days I’m over the top impressed with color and the pattern options, other times I’m disappointed and frustrated that the color is just not quite right. Eventually, I come to terms with the fact that this fabric boyfriend is not “the one” and I relegate it to my little black book that I go back to as the project arises. Fortunately for me the world is full of textiles and I’m a patient gal. Besides, it’s so much fun looking.

Walking into the “before” bathroom of this Somerset home was a field trip into the 5o’s.  The lighting and plumbing fixtures, the color palette, and the layout all belonged to a different era.  Situated in the middle of the home, all walls of the room were internal so there was no source of natural light.  A small and awkward storage closet opened into the hall and the cumbersome vanity took up a lot of real estate without any real return on the investment.

Opposite what passes for a vanity would be this tub and tile story. A shower wall concealed the toilet but resulted in creating a dank dark space begging for light. This bathroom is only 58 square feet! That small hall closet provided just enough space to integrate the storage internally, and open up this room just a bit.

Yes, it really is the same room. Consuming the small hall closet lent the room enough space to house a proper vanity. The upper cabinet contains full extension sliding drawer boxes and shelving to house what was once only accessible in the hall. Raising the vanity off the floor and under lighting it further creates the illusion of space by floating the cabinetry. A wall mounted faucet cleans up the counter of cream crisp marble. A large mirror is both functional and assists in opening the room. The diamond veneer pattern of teak radiates and is offset by the darker stained anigre that contains the boxes. The geometry and massing of the forms is sculptural, the textured drawer pulls further extend the lines of the room.

Let there be light! Since there was no exterior wall to add a window, a large skylight is the next best thing. By locating it above the crisp white tub bounces the light up and around and through the frosted glass panel of encased tiger thatch that affords the toilet area some privacy. Elongated deep blue glass tiles appear woven into the wall adding texture and reclining lines. The large niche of cream marble echoes the line of the tiger thatch and creates a window illusion. Minimal and modern fixtures allow the tile to tell the story, but where’s the shower curtain?

Locating the waterproof fabric roller curtain into a soffit tucks neatly away when not in use, does not detract from the tile story and simply a tug away.

Who says you can’t do big things in small spaces? Playing with shape, form, rhythm, line and massing are just a few of the key elements that, when used professionally, can transform a tiny dark hole of a space into a voluminous retreat worthy of any grand spa.

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I love textiles, there I said it. No, I take that back, I love beautiful textiles. Over the years I’ve come across fabric lines that just seem to continue to court me and get me all giggly when they release new patterns. I’ve dubbed these lines my fabric boyfriends.

It’s not as weird as it sounds (ok, maybe it is), but these relationships are filled with just as many cliches as the real deal. A fabric catches my eye and I can’t look away. I find out a little more about the line and am intrigued. I get a crush. I spent a lot of time getting to know the ins and outs of the line: all the color ways, the fiber content, the way it drapes. I then start fantasizing about what we’ll do together in the future. Some days I’m over the top impressed with color and the pattern options, other times I’m disappointed and frustrated that the color is just not quite right. Eventually, I come to terms with the fact that this fabric boyfriend is not “the one”  and I relegate it to my little black book that I go back to as the project arises. Fortunately for me the world is full of textiles and I’m a patient gal. Besides, it’s so much fun looking.

Here are some of my favorite fabric boyfriends:

Christian Fishbacher - the colors, the scale, the allure.

Jim Thompson - Sink into luxury unmatched.

Bart Halpern -No one pleats and crinkles better.

Lee Jofa - What range, what colors? And they feel as good as they look

Bergamo - From bold to neutrals, sublime.

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Old and outdated -  the cabinet doors will no longer close, and even if they did there still isn’t enough room to store the appliance that crowd the plastic laminate counter tops. The location of all the major service appliances meant that these clients were taking many trips across that worn out vinyl floor. Tons of boring white to highlight stains and just enough stripe to vibrate annoyingly above your head.

There was no passing through the kitchen to get to the breakfast and media rooms if either the oven or refrigerator doors were open. All that soffit space above the cabinets is a waste of space this kitchen could not afford.

Voila! The clients taste and the architecture of the home speak to the old world quality of French Country with an emphasis on the mixture of nuance and patina. Honey colored wood flooring was carried through from the adjoining dining room creating cohesion. The cabinet panel door style was selected with scaled down detail to help integrate the look into the architecture of the home.  The new cabinetry garnered us the conveniences of full extension drawer slides and partitions which created a far more efficient use of space. A soft cream upper cabinet color reflects the abundance of daylight and is juxtaposed against the rich deep blue of the lower cabinetry to create an illusion of space.  A honed sumptuous chocolate marble counter anchors the blue cabinetry below and lets the upper cabinetry float.

A field of cream crackle beveled tile in a running bond pattern layer the space with visual texture and plays with the light while firmly reminding you of the French Country concept of the design. An accent liner tile of crackled blue glass sparkles extending the lines of the room and singing harmony to the lower cabinetry. The mosaic inset above the stove creates a lovely focal point as it pulls together the elements of the room in color and scale while offsetting the prominence of the stove.

The clean and modern lines of the service appliances are countered by the detail in the cabinetry. Once again, by mixing the cream upper doors with the deep blue lower ones, space is created visually so as to keep this large refrigerator from dominating the space. The full height pull out pantry to the left also sinks into the landscape. Taking the cabinetry all the up to the ceiling captures the wasted space of the soffits.

Removing the wall into the breakfast room allows the light to pool through as well as creating greater access. Flush mounted oil rubbed bronze lighting fixtures in charming detail add form,  recessed and under mounted cabinetry lighting add function. The bronze is united in faucet finish and knob detail to create a space that is fully integrated and conceived in both function and beauty.

Layering color, texture and form unifies the separate elements of the design. Each individual selection is chosen in consideration and support of the entire project.

From drab and outdated to fabulous.

From drab and outdated to fabulous.

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