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Barbara Westbrook, author of the new book, GRACIOUS ROOMS, loves bathrooms and treats them thoughtfully with an eye on proportions, decoration, light and views. Architectural details, color (her favorite is the color of bark and weathered wood), and materials all factor in to her thinking as she plans and executes really beautiful baths. Her classic Southern style infused with a European touch create approachable and memorable rooms.
Yellow is not the color of choice for contemporary baths, but is is perfect in this Art Deco setting against black glass walls. A beautiful scalloped mirror hangs over the sink and simple globe sconces are on either side of it.
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I know that many of you saw this bath featured in World of Interiors. I would be remiss if I did not comment on this completely original Art Deco design: it is perfection. The New York City apartment, a penthouse with 30 rooms on Gracie Square with views in several directions, was owned by Conde Nast. The design elements of the bath and the entire apartment fall well within the decorative arts framework made popular in the 1920s and 1930s in France. The influences were informed by contemporary design themes from LeCorbusier and Walter Gropius, historical excesses and exuberant wrought iron floral designs of Edgar Brandt, organic forms from Hector Guimard and crisp angularities from Charles Rennie Mackintosh are evident in the etched glass.
The beautiful horreo/granery storage structure from Northern Spain.
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There is not a lot of inspired shopping anywhere, especially when it comes to the big global brands. Clearly, that is a bold statement, (and my opinion); generally there is repetitive design, poor lighting and uninspired merchandise. I experienced a paradigm shift last week when I visited the newly opened Loewe shop in the Miami Design District.
The lovely old factory building repurposed for a cool and hip hotel.
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Hip, cool and of-the-moment are some of the adjectives used to describe Soho House Chicago. The hotel is located in a building commissioned by industrialist Charles Allis in 1907 as the headquarters for his Chicago Belting Company. It was designed by Lawrence G. Hallberg, a pioneer in factory design. Hallberg’s combination of large factory floor spaces with decorative accents such as terrazzo floors, an embellished elevator cab, a wrought iron double staircase and a neoclassical portico were part of his signature design vocabulary.
