apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

You guys did an amazing job. It feels clean and modern but also very warm. I like that not everything is really high-end (chandelier, countertops), but works seamlessly with the more expensive stuff. It looks straight out of Divine Design.

wow

This is very nice; spare but not sterile, and the storage is great. This is one bathroom I'd love to have for myself.

pretty amazing ... can you submit a floorplan or at least tell us the dimensions of that room?
would also appreciate a shot of the tub.
I plan on renovating my bathroom and I'm thinking of copying what you've done...

Holy cow, that's gorgeous. I love the way the tile is on the inside of the sides of the shelves as well as the back. The whole room looks so unified and calming. Is there anything you did that you wish you'd done differently, or that didn't come out as well as you'd hoped?

does anyone have tips for taking photos of small spaces like this? they always look so terrible, it's very hard to evaluate. I wouldn't say "holy cow, that's gorgeous" to any of these submissions so far because the photography is so sub-par. I don't mean to criticize, I mainly wish to learn...

I think this bathroom is very lovely ... in fact, I think I saved some of these photos from a previous post on AT. Am I crazy, or have these very pics been featured on this site before? It would be great to see something new to "kick off" bathroom month, even if it's just new shots of the same space. I second Diana's request for a picture of the tub!

Le Sigh. I want to live in your bathroom.

Thanks so much for the compliments!

Chi, I am sure you saw my bathroom on flickr, I took part in the 8 week cure and linked to photos of my apartment last year. This is my bathroom's debut on AT otherwise.

I added a picture of our tub to my Flickr account, linked by my name below. The space is 7 1/2 wide by 8 1/2 long.
Diane, I wish we had used a more detail-oriented contractor. The installation of some of the tile and woodwork could have been neater and more careful. The corner tile work is uneven and the closet doorframe isn't level, causing a slight gap that annoys me. Also in the year since we renovated a small section of the wall mirror has discolored due to sloppy glue underneath. I have a floor plan somewhere, when I find it I will add it to flickr. We took a long time planning and saving up for the reno, I highly recommend planning slowly and following the common sense advice not to use the cheapest contractor.

what a warm space. the wood wall of cabinets (?) and shelves just makes the room for me. most excellent!

I second the request for bathroom photo tips. I agree, the photography has been really bad in the bathrooms. I've noticed that there have been whole walls left out.

Liz, if you don't mind me asking, did you go with knock-off faucets and corian countertops because the custom cabinetry and tile was so expensive? I found out from a local cabinet-maker that his work would cost the same as any of the high-end companies. Just curious.

Patrick (the other one), have you seen the new apartment tour posted today?

Ooh! I've always wanted a chandelier in my bathroom and that West Elm beaut is the same one I've been considering. Can I ask what wattage you use and if you get enough light? Looks lovely from here, especially the reflection on the walls.

Art, the tile absolutely blew the budget. I had a friend get a trade discount on it for us. Actually the knock off faucets were the first thing I purchased, months before anything else. They were $25 on ebay so I figured I would buy one just to see if it was any good. They are solid brass inside and so far, so good. For the countertops, I have always loved the counters at the store Fresh so I just copied them.
My tip for the woodworking is shop around and get it done "off season". In the middle of December it was easier to get the work done for less money. Patrick Townsend's company is awesome, they were wonderful to work with and very reasonable. The only reason they had time to do my small project was that it was a slow time of year. It was much cheaper than any of the high end vanities I came across. Some of the wood workers I met had the attitude of Picasso and rates to match but Patrick and his team are true craftsmen, just shop around.

Carly, I have a 60watt bulb in the chandelier and recessed lighting above the vanity and tub (a fan/light combo designed for wet spaces). If you have more than one light source the chandelier is great.

Thanks Liz,

It really looks like you did land a good woodworker. I can't really see the details in these photos but the built-in look really seems to take full advantage of the space.

Sexy.

the hotness.


love it

Liz-
I love your bathroom. I am about to embark on something similar, but have no idea what i'm getting myself into. DO you mind sharing what the cost worked out to be per square foot, including labor? I have a feeling I'm going to blow my budget before I even start...
Thanks!
Gabriella

to spanishfish and art:

Any snapshots taken of interiors would benefit from as much natural light as possible (not much of that in most bathrooms), and a wide-angle lens. Most people aren't going to buy a new lens just for taking pics of their apartment, but they are really useful for other shots as well. The color in these shots could have been brightened up quite a bit in a photo-editing program (photoshop etc).

art--

Just saw the house tour... why do you ask?

Also, I don't consider Corian to be a "compromise material." I really like the look, feel and quality of it. I'd put it in my bathroom or kitchen regardless of budget. Although I do love Silastone and engineered stone surface materials, too. And liking "plain ol' gray and white Carrera a lot these days.

I also think, as beautiful as this and other baths have been, there seems to be a reluctance to "decorate" past the installed elements. Wonder if that's because the choices like tile and caobinetry are so passionate, and often so hard-fought by the end of the reno, that people are reluctant to covering or competing with them.

But Liz, don't get me wrong, your bathroom is totally beautiful "as is." Really nice choices.

Also think the challenge with bathroom photography is the (usually) ginormous mirrors, which no doubt contributes to why "whole walls are missing" in some of these posts.

I know plenty of professional interior photographers who hate shooting bathrooms, even much larger ones than these.

Sweety Dahling, this is fabu.

See I can be nice. When its deserved.

Bathroom photography: low light and camera shake and a bad vantage point make pretty bad photos in any room/situation.

the best thing is to almost remove your body! either hold the camera way over your head and pointed downwards, to get an "overall" shot that attempts a sorta wide angle thang, or step out of the way (out of the room? in the tub?) to get the camera as far away from the subject as possible (ie, stand in the tub to get a good shot of the sink and toilet, or stand on the toilet to get a good shot of the floor and tub, etc).

if the lighting is what it is, but you have manual control over the settings on your digi, put on a slow shutter and the self-timer. put the camera on a sturdy flat surface (the counter, the floor, a chair you bring in, propped up by a beanbag, on a tripod, etc) and let 'er rip. the less movement the camera makes, obviously, the better and sharper the image will be.

get down, get on up. take an ant's eye view of the room, then a bird's eye. Lower the camera to waist level, or raise it over your head. W/ most modern digis, it'll focus on SOMETHING, eh? just point in the general direction, uhhuh.

For some attempts at getting in more light if you don't have manual settings on your camera or a window in the bathroom, bring in the lamp from your livingroom! Why not? Hold a lamp up high in one hand while taking the picture w/ the other hand. Get crafty.

make it happen.

Patrick (the other one),

I don't care to delve anymore into the house tour comment. Woodies in spas...

Corian is definately a nice material, the photography doesn't really do it justice here but my thought was, the best tile, custom cabinetry but knock-off faucets instead of hansgrohe, corian instead of carerra. I think this says alot about how one can have a grand vision of how things should go but then reality sets in and you have to make compromises here and there. In this case, I think Liz really succeeded in her vision.

I think you are right about there being a certain reluctance to decorate beyond the installed elements as well. Do you want the creation to stand alone unadorned or can you compliment it with your own personal touch and eye for design? I don't know what you could really do in this particular situation because it is such a great design with really good work. Keep in mind we can't see much detail and Liz did say they may have done a hack job on the tile. She does have a great chandelier and the linens and storage jars add a bit of a personal and unique touch. Personally, I think the L'Occitane Almond Oil on the tub in Liz's blog photo is decoration in itself (that stuff is magical).

My place has one of those huge oversized mirrors and I'm thinking it's got to go and be replace with a built-in medicine cabinet.

gorgeous bathroom, Liz. well done, indeed.

does Patrick Townsend have a website or contact info?

thanks

Wow, this is beyond stunning. I can't believe it's a NYC bathroom! (I'm guessing since Patrick Townsend is out of LIC)

Love the wood. (*waits for P2*)

This is really lovely

I have one question for people who keep their towels in their bathrooms inthe open like this - don't they get damp when the room gets all steamy?

I always like the idea of this but I prefer to keep my towels somewhere warm and dry

What do you search under on Ebay for those great Dornbracht knockoffs? I searched under "Dornbracht" and just came up with authentics.

i LOVE this bathroom, it is absolutely beautiful. we plan on redoing ours in a couple years and i'm going to have to save these pics for inspiration.

i'm a fan of corian, we just put it in our kitchen and i love it.

Wow, this is a bathroom, I'd like to have for myself. Clean design, huge storage and invitating!
Well done!

An absolute DREAM of a bathroom. Man I am jealous!

I am so proud I could burst. Thanks again.

P2, I find that I am extremely reluctant to add objects into the bathroom for exactly the reasons you surmised. I find myself deliberating over hand soap at Target now. Ultimately one of the advantages of making a space your own is that you don't want to bring anything into it that isn't just perfect for it. Your editing skills are refined. That eliminates a lot of compromise because you just have to wait to find the right thing to meet your needs. I am six months pregnant and looking for a cool plastic basket to hold bath toys now because suctioning a giant draining frog container to my shower tile isn't happening. If the frog were a better green and a little smaller, maybe.

I found the faucets using a link on livemodern.com that doesn't work anymore. Search on Ebay for single hole faucet and then follow results into the various Ebay stores to flip through styles. Solid brass construction is important.

JC, you can find them at Townsenddesign.net, they are based in LIC.

The towels stay dry, just like on a towel rack. With wood in a bathroom you have to make sure you install a good quality exhaust fan.

Liz,

Cool stuff for kids.

www.psychobabyonline.com

Liz--
I predict a fair amount of compromise is heading your way in oh, say, 3 months, but congrats again on the bath... and the pending arrival.

But if you pulled together that bath in that way, you have an "eye" that would extend to art and accessory... granted, sometimes the smaller, more utilitarian things are harder to find...

the tiles... TO DIE FOR!!!! almost looks like a really chic and modern brick.