00:00 These three interior designers have been given a photograph of an empty apartment bathroom.
00:05 They have free reign to design it in any way they please.
00:09 My name is Laura and my design style is modern, tailored, and classic.
00:13 My name is Patrick and my design style is exuberant, charismatic, and colorful.
00:18 I'm Xavier and my design style is lively, narrative, and purposeful.
00:23 No clients, no restrictions, just blank space.
00:28 So at first glance, this bathroom feels pretty sad and ordinary.
00:33 Yes, it's small, but you know, there's a lot of usable space.
00:37 This is the size of a lot of bathrooms that I've had in my life.
00:39 I feel like I've seen a million of these in my life.
00:42 It's lacking a design perspective completely.
00:45 There's no color, there's no texture, there's nothing beautiful about it.
00:52 So in looking at this original bathroom, it has no window and it just feels enclosed and small.
00:58 So I'd love to create a bathroom that feels like it takes me away.
01:02 The feeling that you're in a completely different kind of natural environment.
01:06 This wallpaper by artist Carla Tappo for Pierre Frey is incredible.
01:11 It just feels really spa-like and serene.
01:14 And what better feeling can there be in a bathroom?
01:17 When you have a small space like this, taking one design idea and just really going all in and covering the whole space,
01:23 it just feels very dynamic.
01:25 So I would love to cover all of these walls in a plaster.
01:29 And this is a Tadalek plaster, which is a Moroccan waterproof plaster that we can actually take all the way into the shower.
01:37 In the shower, I'm going to create a really beautiful portrait of a standing man.
01:41 So I was taking a lot of inspiration from Italian modernist pools from the 60s and 70s.
01:47 One of the most beautiful examples of these pools is a pool called the Foro Olimpico outside of Rome.
01:53 And it has these incredible mosaicked walls.
01:57 This is a sample that I actually made, which was really fun because I could not order a sample of Roman mosaic.
02:03 All these pieces are actually marble.
02:06 And so each one is different and it creates this incredibly rich and very sort of beautiful surface texture.
02:12 So for the walls on the vanity side, I actually want to be able to build in some cabinets into the wall.
02:19 Fairly minimalist, and it doesn't need to look like cabinetry.
02:22 I'm thinking that it's the kind of cabinet where you just push on it and it springs right open.
02:31 So I'd love to keep this Cadillac plaster actually moving straight up onto the ceiling as well.
02:37 And that same design element continuing from one surface to the next.
02:40 So it looks like they have a parquet flooring here.
02:43 Wood in a bathroom is not really a great idea for the floor.
02:46 It can get wet, it can get moldy.
02:48 So on the floor, I'd love to do this honed travertine.
02:50 And honed just means that it's a natural finish that isn't polished.
02:53 Like if it gets wet, it's not going to be as slick.
02:56 And it also just feels really soft and warm.
02:58 It's much more functional.
03:00 And I think if we do a pattern, that it can actually bring a lot of personality to the space as well.
03:05 So after looking at this wallpaper with its beautiful brush strokes of different blues and greens,
03:10 the tile company Powabic that are handmade outside of Detroit for nearly 100 years,
03:17 makes some of the most beautiful blues and greens that I know of.
03:21 So I wrapped the floor and thought that it would be great to also create a detail on the ceiling using the same tile.
03:28 So the other type of tile I'm going to bring into this space is this really beautiful light blue.
03:33 It's actually a pool tile. They use this to make public pools.
03:36 I think that's amazing material to kind of bring out of its context and into this small bathroom.
03:41 So I'm going to kind of create a pool floor over in the entire bathroom with this pool tile.
03:46 And then I'm also going to use that tile to tile the whole ceiling.
03:53 So here we have this wall-to-wall tub and very standard sort of a layout for a lot of bathrooms.
03:58 The problem that I'm having with this one is because it's a small space,
04:02 it is sort of visually stopping you when you walk in, unless you really need a bathtub.
04:06 Showers really just make the space feel more open.
04:09 They're also easier to access. You can just walk straight in.
04:12 It's going to make it feel visually bigger,
04:14 especially if we continue that same style of tile across the floor and into the shower.
04:20 In a shower, you can't really do like a big sort of format tile.
04:24 It's too slippery and there's not enough grout lines to kind of give you that traction.
04:27 In this case, if we choose a smaller tile that can go from the main floor into the shower,
04:32 we can address both the design while it stays safe and functional too.
04:36 I'd love to frame out this entire shower enclosure with an antique brass frame,
04:40 and we can put transom windows across the top.
04:43 We can actually make this a steam shower, basically creating like a little bit of a spa moment here.
04:47 That automatically feels much more luxurious, especially in a small space.
04:51 You have to have a shower, you have to have a sink, you have to have a toilet,
04:54 but why not have a little bit of fun with those pieces?
04:57 This is a very small bathroom, so I'm actually not going to put it in a shower door.
05:01 I'm going to make sure that the glass wall that divides the shower from the sink extends far enough over
05:06 that there's not going to be that much splashing of water that comes out of the shower.
05:10 I'm a big bathtub guy. I thought it made sense to incorporate just a big, luxurious bathtub.
05:16 The Watermen Uplie makes the Rockwell collection of sinks, toilets, and tubs that are all beautiful.
05:24 The plumbing fixtures that they produce too have a weight and heft that is fantastic.
05:29 So I chose their unlacquered brass.
05:31 I think when you can, go for the best hardware possible.
05:35 It's something that you touch and work with every day, and that will reward you.
05:39 Instead of just getting like a standard off-the-rack kind of vanity,
05:43 I would love to get a vintage dresser.
05:46 And we can simply just cut out the top. You can put in a stone sink on top.
05:50 Then you still have all the functionality of the two drawers below.
05:53 I also love that when you have a vintage piece, it's going to be something unique and special
05:57 that you're not going to see in anybody else's house.
05:59 So for the sink, I found this like really beautiful black porcelain vintage sink,
06:04 and I'm going to create a metal tube base for that sink that is very evocative of a pool ladder.
06:11 I'm also going to use a really beautiful Gio Ponti designed faucet in that sink,
06:16 which speaks to this kind of Italian modernist era pool thing.
06:20 I think that it's really nice to actually have a wall-mounted toilet when possible.
06:24 I love wall-mounted toilets. They free up the visual space on the floor.
06:28 And in the same way as removing the tub removes that barricade for you on the floor,
06:33 the base of the toilet kind of going away just opens up more of that beautiful floor tile,
06:38 and it makes the space feel more open.
06:40 The toilet is a very special toilet designed by Gio Ponti.
06:44 I think it's just a really beautiful design piece.
06:47 In general, I really think that it's better to have eye-level lighting in any space,
06:55 but really definitely in a bathroom.
06:57 When you're only under overhead lighting, it casts you in shadow.
07:00 It's harder to see if you're shaving, if you're doing your makeup, you're doing your hair,
07:04 and you just don't really look as good.
07:06 I don't know about you, but I love to look my best when I'm doing my makeup.
07:09 I definitely think that we should have sconces, one on each side of the mirror.
07:12 Even in a small space, it's better to have a slightly narrower mirror
07:16 so that you can fit sconces. It's definitely going to be worth it.
07:19 So with this feeling of verdant nature around, I love the use of bamboo.
07:24 So the mirror I sourced on First Dibs, it's a French bamboo, 1930s.
07:29 Overhead is a beautiful woven fixture from Atelier Wiem.
07:33 They produce the most beautiful wicker.
07:36 I was excited when I found these Pellicci 1950s green sconces,
07:42 and I like their simplicity when paired next to all that brushstroke of the wallpaper.
07:48 I'm going to make sure that the lighting on either side of the mirror is eye-level.
07:53 It's lighting you from the front. You look good when you look in the mirror.
07:56 And then I'm going to do a nice little complementary fixture in the ceiling of the shower
08:00 so you get some nice bright light in the shower.
08:05 You can create the most beautiful space, and then if there's no place to put anything, guess what?
08:09 It's all going to sit on the edge of the bathtub. It's going to be on the floor.
08:12 It's going to be in weird places.
08:14 So I love to make sure that there's enough storage in the shower.
08:17 And in this space, I would actually love to do a really long niche that goes almost wall-to-wall.
08:22 My vision for this bathroom was this verdant spa oasis.
08:27 I love bathrooms that feel a little bit like mini collected rooms
08:31 rather than everything coming out of a new modern line.
08:34 So I looked to First Dibs, found this wonderful bamboo ladder,
08:39 and I think next to every tub belongs a little petite chair.
08:43 I love these brass chairs by Chiavari. They're sort of Italian mid-century.
08:48 So within this verdant, lush surrounding, I thought that, "Why not bring in a peacock?"
08:54 I feel like it's just beautiful. Somebody to talk to while you're taking a bath.
08:58 I'm going to add a heated towel rack.
09:00 I think it's one of the nicest things to get out of the shower and grab your warm, nice toasty towel.
09:05 It's kind of a standard silver chrome towel rack.
09:08 I'm going to powder coat it in a bright lifeguard red,
09:11 which is kind of my last little homage to the public pool.
09:14 I'm not going to over-decorate this space at all.
09:17 I think that the main focal point is already there with the mosaic,
09:20 and I think the finishes are so beautiful that I don't really feel the need to add anything else.
09:24 I'm going to practice some restraint here.
09:29 So I think that the bath designs are both functional and beautiful.
09:32 And in this space, the beauty comes from the materials, it comes from the spaciousness,
09:37 and then the functionality is really integrated so well that you don't even realize how much storage we have.
09:42 I think what's great about this bathroom is that it is total escapism.
09:47 It's like a journey outside of the everyday. It feels exciting and fresh and luxurious.
09:55 I think when I enter this bathroom, I immediately feel like I'm in this kind of utilitarian, monumental space.
10:02 There's moments that speak to the future, and there's moments that speak to the past.
10:06 And why shouldn't we have that in a small bathroom?
10:09 I also love that every morning I'm going to come take a shower with this incredible Roman mosaic god,
10:14 because that's going to be fun for me every morning.
10:23 Wow.
10:25 Amazing.
10:26 I feel like they could not be any more different.
10:28 I love that.
10:29 Look at Tim in that shower.
10:31 Oh yeah.
10:32 Who is he?
10:33 It's such a small space, right? So I was thinking that it would be kind of fun to take inspiration from a very large, expansive space.
10:40 Showering with this big Roman guy who's holding up your shower pipe.
10:43 We all want that.
10:44 Yeah, why not, right?
10:45 Wow, it's really fun.
10:46 I'm dying to hear about it. It's like a crazy jungle of...
10:50 It's sort of a crazy jungle. The fact that there's no window in this bathroom, you know, you sort of...
10:55 You need that.
10:56 You want to escape. You want to have a view to the outside, and what better view than this?
11:00 I feel so minimal in comparison to you guys, but I was embracing the small space.
11:04 I just feel an immediate sense of calm in this space.
11:07 Thank you.
11:08 That's kind of my general vibe, is warm, but calm.
11:11 Yeah.
11:12 You nailed it.
11:13 I get that.
11:14 [laughs]
11:15 [music]
11:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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