BRAVE BLACK
An Alexander McQueen skull pillow has been the catalyst for this bold en suite bathroom in Chicago's trendy Wicker Park neighborhood. "I wanted drama!" Says designer SuzAnn Kletzien, who notes that placing a contemporary, jewelry-inspired chandelier on a claw-foot tub "definitely satisfied that need."
NAUTICAL FINISHES
For his Nantucket house's master bath, designer Gary McBournie picked Waterworks hardware in unlacquered brass, so that it would tarnish and age. His aim was to tie back all the details to the house's feeling.
SPANISH COLONIAL
In a powder room, an antique chest from Provence adds a curvaceous contrast to the picture tiles, original to the Richmond, Virginia, house. Walls painted in the China White of Benjamin Moore.
STRIATED
Make up for a nonexistent linen closet with tactical storage. A mirrored medicine cabinet in a New York apartment measures 2 feet deep to match towels. The shelves within are staggered around the pipes, and a custom vanity hides bins for laundry and dry cleaning.
GRANDFATHER CLOCK
Fill out a narrow stretch of wall with an heirloom-worthy, grandfather-style clock. You'll learn you are running late in style. We are here.
MODERN ZEN
"The threat of doing a contemporary bathroom is that it may feel cold," says Pamela Butz, who remodeled this house near Boston with spouse Jeffrey Klug. Their solution was a design that errs on the side of simplicity, but with beautiful, natural materials that "speak for themselves."
