Clearly, I am newly obsessed with wallpaper.  It has been years since the word has been in my vocabulary.  Today, it seems a new and fresh concept especially for the bath.  It can add color and pattern and even architecture that is often missing in a space. If you are timid about installing multiple rolls of wallpaper in a large master bath, you can take baby steps by papering a powder bath.  The space will be transformed. And no need to be subtle with your choice of wallpaper. If you decide in a year or two that it is overwhelming or you have changed your mind about pattern, just take it down.

I recently went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to revisit the Islamic Wing now called Art of the Arab Lands. I am always inspired by color, texture and pattern and what better place to find it than in the magnificent woven textiles, painted pottery, wood carvings and hammered metal from the various Islamic dynasties and empires. The collections range in chronology from the 7th century Damascus and Baghdad to Moorish Spain, the Ottoman Empire and 16th century South Asia. It could easily take days or weeks to study the collections and my few pictures are merely meant to whet your appetite to have a look for yourself.

Layering textures and materials is one of the most important ingredients in creating a bath that is both serene and sensuous. This bath, with its sculptural burnished tub sitting next to wood furniture, is refined, rich and timeless. The mosaic floor adds texture and a hint of color simply because of the variation inherent in the stone. The wainscot slab material has elegant, whispy veins while the paint color is gentle and brings the room together.

The overall success of any project lies in the details. And, one of the details that can most easily derail a tile installation is the choice of grout color. For some reason, the grout color selection is often left to the last minute. The installer, already on the job, makes the decision. While there is no right or wrong grout color and the choice is a matter of personal preference, some colors ultimately look better than others (a lot better!). For many years I suggested a nearly matching color grout, especially when installing white tile. Recently, I have found that light or dark gray grout can look great in some installations. We call that our ‘old New York’ look.