Residential Bathroom

Introduction

The mission was deceptively simple. Interior designers with roots in—or connections to—the southern U.S. were enlisted to contribute their talents to transform a grand but aging New Orleans home into a stately, livable house. The exact call stated that designers would “lend their contemporary vision to a 15-room showhouse, while also incorporating traditional southern design.”

The complexity of the mission arose at the intersection of “contemporary” and “traditional”. Designers were challenged to incorporate existing elements of the home—from aspects of its interior architecture to surfacing materials that were still looked great and held their appeal. Also, even though many designers were contributing their unique takes to the transformation, the house needed to hold continuity from room to room.

The  Story

These challenges were particularly pronounced for Tallahassee-based interior design Laura Burleson of Laura Burleson Interiors who was assigned “Bathroom 1”. The fact that the out-of-date space needed a total overhaul was really not a problem; Burleson has the chops to reimagine just about any room down to the studs. However, she had to achieve said overhaul in a way that blended with other bathrooms in the house in which original tile surfaces were being kept and integrated into the updates. Burleson’s “Bathroom 1” required all new tile that had to work within that “contemporary meets traditional” sweet spot.

To achieve the right balance, Burleson turned to Crossville for tile collections that offered a timeless look yet would pair well with the otherwise dramatic patterns and motifs she envisioned for the space. With an artful mix of materials in which tile played a foundational role, she was able to create a bathroom that is distinctly modern while speaking to the elegance and enduring nature of southern style.

For shower walls, as well as shower step and vanity countertop, she specified Crossville Porcelain Tile Panels by Laminam from the I Naturali collection. These large-format panels offer the classic, enduring look of Carrara marble—just the right backdrop for the space. To contrast the soft, bright marble appearance on walls and countertop, Burleson opted for Crossville’s Yin+Yang in Black Dragon hexagon tiles on the floor.

The Crossville tile collections are a beautiful, subtle counterpoint of sophistication to the bold and attention-grabbing wall covering that dresses the non-shower walls in the bath. The bold, brushstroke design of the wallpaper brings in the contemporary appeal yet is reminiscent of traditional wall coverings in scale and tone.

The Laminam by Crossville gauged porcelain tile panels make for excellent countertop material. With a lean profile and generous outer dimensions, these tiles cover expansive surfaces, nearly uninterrupted by grout lines. On the countertop in “Bathroom 1”, the marble appearance of I Naturali is the ideal sleek and simple touch and will outperform true marble in terms of lasting durability and ease of cleaning. From counters to shower walls, the value that Laminam by Crossville adds extends well beyond the aesthetic.