Tag Archives: Advice

Tips from the Trade: The Designer

/ October 3, 2012
Paul's father owned this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT PF from 1962 to 1964. He loved this car, washed and waxed it religiously and drove it in the driveway before he had a license. To this day he remembers every detail right down to the machine tooling on the ashtray cover, the curve of the sheet metal where it scooped under the headlights and the stitching of the upholstery that he cleaned with saddle soap. He thought of it as rolling sculpture and feels it influenced his taste and how he designs objects.

Paul's father owned this 1959 Ferrari 250 GT PF from 1962 to 1964. He loved this car, washed and waxed it religiously and drove it in the driveway before he had a license. To this day he remembers every detail right down to the machine tooling on the ashtray cover, the curve of the sheet metal where it scooped under the headlights and the stitching of the upholstery that he cleaned with saddle soap. He thought of it as rolling sculpture and feels it influenced his taste and how he designs objects. Slideshow

Paul does love cars and uses early examples as reference regularly. He wanted to show the thread of development of a Waterworks object with this theme.
This story board for a medical office clearly illustrates the design direction.
This dining room has everything a dining room needs: beautiful sunlight in the day, warm lamp light at night, stimulating and personal color, very comfortable chairs and (unseen in this photo) a wall of books for reference to settle dinner table discussions. (Dining room at Chartwell, Winston Churchill's home).
Many years ago, Paul worked for a prestigious antiques designer. Their code was the 'Good, Better, Best' created by Albert Sack. It is through this lens that Paul design rooms and products always searching for the right details.

Paul Egee, interior designer, great friend and collaborator, has been working with me for more than 30 years. He gracefully navigates the choppy waters from creating interiors for houses or single baths and medical offices to products such as lights, toilets and faucets.

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Black and White Baths

/ August 8, 2012
A well blended black and white bath with dainty wallpaper and a black and white striped rug to tie the space together.

A well blended black and white bath with dainty wallpaper and a black and white striped rug to tie the space together.Slideshow

There are lovely architectural ceramic details in this bath, but it could have become bland. It was saved by the black penny tile floor with a white border. It grounded the space and added a little drama.
Sophistication and drama with black marble walls and a modern and graphic mosaic floor.
A black ceiling, white walls and other colorful accents. This space would lose its' drama without the black overhead.
An easy way to achieve a crisp interior is to use black accents sparingly. In this case, black stripes on the towels and shower curtain, a black and white floor, and the thin black line in the floor referencing a border.
Black walls (hide many architectural flaws) and a black and white floor, and strategically placed art (on the floor) makes this a dramatic space in a traditional setting.
Man's best friends printed on a white ground. This is a completely whimsical powder bath with an unlaquered brass Henry fitting and vintage accents.
This is a wonderful space with black walls and crisp red accents as a diversion to the white tub with a painted black exterior. This is a sharp space.
Qunitessential New York Men's room at Schiller Liquor Bar. A few black accents go a long way.
The textured white towels and the white glass are perfect accents in this black 'shadow box' like storage unit.
This pristine white bath is punctuated with a charming assortment of black and white vintage photos. Just enough black in the frames to create a great accent wall.
There are so many ways to use black as an accent in the bath. Certainly small scale mosaics is an easy one. Photo courtesy of Celerie Kemble.

Black and white simply never goes out of style.  Just think about favorite black and white moments; movies like The Artist, night and day, spectator shoes, courtyards in Rome, a zebra pattern, the mosaic floors at the MET and the ‘little black’ Chanel dress. Black and white baths never go out of style either. They are like chameleons; they can be formal or casual, colorless or high contrast, elegant or understated, traditional or modern.

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Friday Post: Modern Bathtub

/ July 27, 2012
This photo was featured in AtHome Magazine.

This photo was featured in AtHome Magazine.Slideshow

It seems that we see more traditional baths published than modern ones.  I was very pleased to see an example of the Waterworks modern .25 tub in AtHome magazine recently. This particular house has traditional elements, but the tub seems right at home.  The right choice of materials, artfully layered, as well as beautiful textures and art make this a cohesive design.

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Books: The Classicist

/ July 25, 2012

Many of you know that I am on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. The  national headquarters is located in New York and  the organization supports 15  local chapters across the US. The mission of the ICAA is dedicated to making the built environment  more beautiful, sustainable and humane. It accomplishes this through education, publications and advocacy with lectures, salons, classes and travel programs for students, design professionals and the general public.

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