We gave interior designers Laura Hodges, Patrick Mele, and Xavier Donnelly a photo of the same small apartment bathroom—then asked each of them to transform the room in their particular style, however they pleased with no restrictions. Three artists, one canvas, each bringing something different to the space. See which designer comes closest to creating the tiny bathroom of your dreams.
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LifestyleTranscript
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]