My clients here were a young couple who bought their art deco era condo for its stunning original woodwork and generous floor plan. We decided to enhance those features with some modern wallpapers and fixtures in the entertaining spaces, and save the bulk of our budget to gut and reimagine both bathrooms. We used a timeless neutral palette for the primary bath, with white marble, warm oak and classic polished nickel, but made a statement with a shower of floor-to-ceiling honed grey quartzite slabs streaked with bold copper veining. Vintage Italian blown glass sconces add romance and soft layered lighting.

The guest bath is where we fully embraced the couple’s love of color and drama. We expanded the bathroom footprint by eliminating a small hallway, and reopened a window that had been bricked up in a prior renovation. A stepped ceiling height had to stay to accommodate HVAC equipment, so we used it to create a niche for a new burl vanity, topped with a gleaming brass tri-fold wall mirror and retro sconces. We covered the large vanity wall with glittering handmade Zellige tile, glazed in saturated racing green, creating a moody backdrop for the warm metal fixtures.

The clients’ need for working space outweighed their storage requirements, so we repurposed a guest closet into a small but functional office niche, with a custom desk, plenty of outlets and lighting, and spectacular belle epoch style wallpaper. When guests come, the desk top converts to a luggage shelf, and its well-sized drawers work for stashing clothes and travel items.