architect design™: An intriguing powder room

Friday, January 4, 2013

An intriguing powder room

I recently was in a house with one of the most beautiful powder rooms I had ever seen. The walls were paneled with a split between mirrors and a beautiful hand painted metallic Japanese tea wallpaper. It felt like being in the ocean!

One didn't know where the wallpaper started and the mirror began. I also loved the fossilized marble sinktop which had subtle shells ingrained into it. Details count, even in the bathroom!

23 comments:

Karena said...: That is very interesting Stefan. I wonder if the homeowner or designer came up with the idea?

All the best in the New Year ahead!
Karena
Art by Karena; January 4, 2013 at 10:39 AM
Paisley Curtain said...: :) Never seen one like this before, I guess it is a wallpaper on the walls.; January 4, 2013 at 10:42 AM
pve design said...: It is stunning. I have admired this lovely paper and do love how it makes one feel inside a fish tank.
pve; January 4, 2013 at 10:49 AM
Mark D. Ruffner said...: It is a brilliant design, and of course the dimensions of the mirror are crucial to its success. I'd love to see it in person.; January 4, 2013 at 11:24 AM
Nick Angiolillo said...: This is a de Gourney pattern. Takes my breath away every time I see it. Really perfect for a powder room.; January 4, 2013 at 11:29 AM
Stephilius said...: Yes, this is truly remarkable!; January 4, 2013 at 1:07 PM
The Devoted Classicist said...: As N.A. commented, it is from the French firm de Gournay www.degournay.com and one of their standard designs although all are produced to order. (For a dining room in Pebble Beach, I sent elevations of the room with dimensions and they worked out the design on numbered rolls to fit the available space).; January 4, 2013 at 2:33 PM
My Notting Hill said...: This is a stunning room. Can see what you mean about not knowing exactly where the mirror and wallpaper stop and start. Happy New Year! Michele; January 4, 2013 at 3:31 PM
Windlost said...: How beautiful - like being underwater with the fishes! :)

xo Terri; January 4, 2013 at 4:02 PM
Terry said...: Can we start the process right? We need some "man" names for powder room. Maybe a unisex name? Maybe?; January 4, 2013 at 7:17 PM
Anonymous said...: I've been collecting photos of this amazing fish paper from de Gournay for a post for a while now - so excited to see this one - particularly the way they have done the mirrored panel; January 4, 2013 at 9:18 PM
columnist said...: Terry - "loo" covers the unisex requirement. But of course never (ever) "toilet".; January 5, 2013 at 7:40 AM
Deana Sidney said...: Golly, that looks amazing. I have such a jones for fossil stones. I saw a place in Soho that used it as a backsplash for the kitchen and it was divine ... that paper is perfect... would it have worked in a larger space as well? Probably not. Perfect.; January 5, 2013 at 4:32 PM
MadaboutInteriors said...: It is beautiful, like being inside a Japanese print - is there a bubble soundtrack from some hidden speaker ?
But on another note, I dont really like looking at myself when I have a pee ... am I alone in this ?; January 6, 2013 at 12:12 PM
Thomas Hogglestock said...: I think the mirrors really make the room. The paper is beautiful on its own for sure, but the mirror makes those fish swim.; January 6, 2013 at 6:08 PM
Bethany [at] Powell Brower Home said...: oh my gosh - i love that degournay paper!! it kills me every time i see it on Million Dollar Decorators. wish i could have even a remnant on my wall!; January 7, 2013 at 10:33 AM
Diane Dorrans Saeks said...: STEFAN-

DELICIOUS...like swimming under water...

thank you, DIANE; January 7, 2013 at 7:05 PM
Magnaverde said...: What a perfect small room. With the mirror & the muntins to provide a framework for the paper, this room is like an affordable version ("affordable" being, of course, a relative term) of the incredible undersea mural that Austin Purves painted on the glass walls of the stairway at Otto Kahns' gargantuan Oheka back in the 1920s. The house survives but I don't know if the same is true of Purves' work. I have my doubts.

Then again, since I'm heading out to the Winter Antiques Show anyway, maybe I should make a side trip out to Long Island to see if the mural's still there.; January 7, 2013 at 9:02 PM
Thomas Hogglestock said...: I just came across a picture of this same wallpaper in Jeffrey Alan Marks's kitchen. I never noticed it on the show.; January 9, 2013 at 3:58 PM
Divine Theatre said...: At first I thought the walls were marble. I really like this!

xo

Andie; January 10, 2013 at 12:22 AM
Coulda shoulda woulda said...: De Gournay is the best!; January 11, 2013 at 12:57 PM
toilet suites said...: very great interior..i love the design and the color is so perfect; January 21, 2013 at 11:25 PM
Unknown said...: That is one of my favorite wall papers, and the seamless look with mirrors is stunning!; January 22, 2013 at 1:43 PM