What is Wabi-Sabi

Have you read or heard the term "Wabi-Sabi" recently? If some of the design blogs are to be believed, it’s becoming a "thing" in interiors. Yet, the very act of force, of trying to make something a "thing", opposes the essence of Wabi-Sabi. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Black_Raku_Tea_Bowl.jpg/560px-Black_Raku_Tea_Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Black_Raku_Tea_Bowl.jpg/560px-Black_Raku_Tea_Bowl.jpg" width="373" /></a></div><div style="color: black; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azuchi-Momoyama_period" title="Azuchi-Momoyama period">16th century</a> black <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raku_ware" title="Raku ware">Raku ware</a> style <i>chawan</i>, used for thick tea (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_National_Museum" title="Tokyo National Museum">Tokyo National Museum</a>) - via Wikipedia</span></div><br />To truly understand Wabi-Sabi, one likely has to spend years studying Zen Buddhism and the social and cultural mores of the traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony. Wabi-Sabi has developed from two different philosophies, and can be (sort of) summed up by Richard R. Powell, who wrote in his book Wabi Sabi Simple, "It nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/images/hartford_2009_200806A01_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/images/hartford_2009_200806A01_01.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Frenchman's Cove Table" by George Nakashima (1967) appraised for $50,000-$60,000 on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/fts/hartford_200806A01_ss.html">Antiques Roadshow</a></span>.<span style="font-size: x-small;"> The owner purchased it directly from Mr. Nakashima and worked with him to select the perfect bookmatched Indian Laurel. The lighter bands on the edges were the sap wood part of the tree, which are softer than the inner heartwoods, and are susceptible to wear. When asked how to protect the surface, Mr. Nakashima said not to try, that scratches actually give "character to the pieces". </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>What's "Wabi"?<br /><br />"Wabi" can mean loneliness or distance from society, a sense or remoteness that is grounded in the natural world. The four seasons, most especially autumn, are deeply connected to the spirit of Wabi. Unlike Western cultures, which celebrate Autumn as the season of bounty and harvest in preparation for the long winter ahead, Japanese and Zen Buddhist cultures see the Autumn as the unavoidable path to death, the ultimate distance or separation from all we know. However, this is not a state to feared, but to aspire too. It is the shucking off of worldly possessions to live in an other-worldly state. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Pine_Trees.jpg/800px-Pine_Trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Pine_Trees.jpg/800px-Pine_Trees.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16th Century Japanese screen, ink on paper, of Pine Trees. Hasagawa Tohaku (1539-1610)</span></div><br />What's "Sabi"?<br /><br />"Sabi", while closely related, is focused more towards the transience of life and the inherent beauty of change. In the BBC Four Documentary <a href="http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=in+search+wabi+sabi&aq=f">"Searching for Wabi-Sabi"</a>, an elderly Japanese woman describes herself as an example of Sabi. She is who she has always been, even as her outward appearance has changed over time. In Eastern cultures, the elderly are revered for their knowledge and wisdom and the natural aging process is seen as beautiful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0704/postcard_japan_age0430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.timeinc.net/time/daily/2007/0704/postcard_japan_age0430.jpg" /></a></div><br />It’s the process of transformation, the celebration that nothing is permanent and perfection cannot be achieved. "Wabi is a guiding principal of life, the stripping away of anything that is unnecessary. But it’s ultimately indefinable as words are not adequate when trying to understand the world," says a monk in "Searching for Wabi-Sabi".<br /><br />Is Wabi-Sabi even applicable in American home design?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />With buzzwords such as "rustic simplicity", "roughness", "economy", "austerity", "modesty" and "nature" floating around it, "Wabi-Sabi" feels a little Shaker in its austerity, recessionist in its economy and environmentalist in its closeness to nature. But, these ties are inherently not accurate, or at least not deep enough. The Shakers did believe in austerity and the stripping away of anything that is unnecessary, but they did not find beauty in destruction or natural decay. There was no "chippy" paint on the Shaker’s furniture.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/richardsantiques/items/912627/catphoto.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.cyberattic.com/stores/richardsantiques/items/912627/catphoto.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5rrw2JXiFyooGCPFaCgoDTPYKn0SFUfsLu0rpwDiXMWfEXD_w4f-lsl3sNYrlQ8dJDGLbZD_ssM9XSWr2r0QLPBbq_IeCmDkRyZ-f98GsDlWPLgNWd43pHUO0jVsMHrrF0QG1saqKjMY/s1600/DSCF0014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><br />Economy is important, but it’s not about reuse, reduce, recycle, it’s a feeling closer to emptiness and total lack of need.<br /><br />It seems to me that in our Western culture, Wabi-Sabi cannot really become a design style in anything but the broadest of terms. We can embrace imperfection and the patina that comes from age and use, but we cannot force it. Faux antiquing will never be Wabi-Sabi, nor will finding an old stick on the road and hanging light bulbs off of it to make a chandelier. <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/hot-or-not/hot-or-not-quirky-unfinished-paint-jobs-152168">Half painted walls</a> (I'm looking at you Apartment Therapy) and unfinished furniture are not rendered beautiful just because they are imperfect and will never be Wabi-Sabi.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://g-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/2746824/7-27-unfinishedspicerandbank_rect540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://g-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/2746824/7-27-unfinishedspicerandbank_rect540.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> This is NOT Wabi-Sabi - <a href="http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/hot-or-not/hot-or-not-quirky-unfinished-paint-jobs-152168">via AT</a> - because is it too contrived and will never grow and change. </span></div><br />On the other hand, a beautiful handmade vase filled with a single flower may be Wabi-Sabi. The vase is an empty vessel open to possibility, and the flower is an object of natural beauty that is on its journey between first bud to inevitable decay.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVSntt-lY2Pbhb0CfxpXiSjhC0xV8RaxyQrE5UFgr72A575YrWwch1eAWWa8JHGdthaUBTHlLAJdhOf1KD1Kq2eBuuFeUqX7hdpjv1Im3UW8qs0UmfMeHnMrsxdlnhI6QYRzmc36QMg/s320/2011+July.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVSntt-lY2Pbhb0CfxpXiSjhC0xV8RaxyQrE5UFgr72A575YrWwch1eAWWa8JHGdthaUBTHlLAJdhOf1KD1Kq2eBuuFeUqX7hdpjv1Im3UW8qs0UmfMeHnMrsxdlnhI6QYRzmc36QMg/s640/2011+July.JPG" width="584" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Article written by Linda Merrill for <a href="http://www.networx.com/article/what-is-wabi-sabi">Networx.com</a> and reprinted here by permission. </span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!</div><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

What is Wabi-Sabi

Have you read or heard the term "Wabi-Sabi" recently? If some of the design blogs are to be believed, it’s becoming a "thing...

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"Oh snap!" A Junior Man Cave Makeover

In 2007, I was honored to be asked to do a bedroom makeover for an 11 year old recovering leukemia patient named Marcus. This project was done in conjunction with the Jimmy Fund of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Homegoods, who provided all the material goods. I posted about this when it originally aired, but was never able to link to the video. I was trying to organize my office today and ran across the DVD I'd received of the show. Technology has come a long way and I was finally able to create a clip from the DVD of the show, which I wanted to share. The video is pretty self-explanatory. <br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8fVhm3avTzg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Of course, the story is about the little boy and the good works of the Jimmy Fund and Homegoods and less about me and the end result of the decorating. But, I was very happy with the outcome and more importantly, so was Marcus. <br /><br />This is the before - typical little boys room.  <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqrr8SCBZbbnCzcSxfuKBjspQKl6tnzijXj52hHEMgo6Hgw5n-D-rDrRHJqlqbaTuiaGxVtldn-N_r73SclXeaw68_BsTAjPkndPh7UtV3NUmJ678xa7ZK7lsuHEBtdbStvBIWaECp50A/s1600/100_2655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDqrr8SCBZbbnCzcSxfuKBjspQKl6tnzijXj52hHEMgo6Hgw5n-D-rDrRHJqlqbaTuiaGxVtldn-N_r73SclXeaw68_BsTAjPkndPh7UtV3NUmJ678xa7ZK7lsuHEBtdbStvBIWaECp50A/s400/100_2655.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I met with Marcus and his mom and we discussed the program, what he wanted and needed in the space. There was basically no actual budget for the project, aside from what Homegoods was providing, so painting, etc was out.  At Homegoods I think I filled four or five carts. They were really so generous, it was basically carte blanche. The day of the shoot, we literally had about 2 hours to actually makeover the room. Marcus' mom had cleaned up the room considerably from between when he and I met and the filming, which made the set up so much easier. My friend and colleague Sharon Fisher of Come to Order! Professional Organizing Services came with me to lend a much needed hand! In addition to adding decorative touches, we also organized his closet and sneaker collection. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9A3d5Qj7TBDJ0kLER3L21Sz7S80mN0ZVpUXXWtJztMgCuyrLOtlbHeFXxQ80vAx2wjpafYb4yModUrpyOG74S439LFX9iykALE6Axig5nxwW29GGTK9JiE4hciYWywrUcXkbCCGqvXN9/s400/100_2680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9A3d5Qj7TBDJ0kLER3L21Sz7S80mN0ZVpUXXWtJztMgCuyrLOtlbHeFXxQ80vAx2wjpafYb4yModUrpyOG74S439LFX9iykALE6Axig5nxwW29GGTK9JiE4hciYWywrUcXkbCCGqvXN9/s400/100_2680.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And the after: </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUsgoVKmXZqHZtKYzPrR_YfhcDtq5o1KXi0sIwu4mO_-y0SKdBWiwgAA0Ad6Y18KbotdwV5DbUuEjRhriiPvLQ_QibK6SMpvgM_Yz5xwOKu6MWXamxFRkqTnlXpaFFwRtliJnLC1MtA8G/s1600/100_2688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUsgoVKmXZqHZtKYzPrR_YfhcDtq5o1KXi0sIwu4mO_-y0SKdBWiwgAA0Ad6Y18KbotdwV5DbUuEjRhriiPvLQ_QibK6SMpvgM_Yz5xwOKu6MWXamxFRkqTnlXpaFFwRtliJnLC1MtA8G/s640/100_2688.JPG" width="600" /></a></div>In the end, I didn't have time to really document the project, but wanted to point out a few key elements that seemed to work really well. I added the fur pillow at the last minute, thinking he might hate it. But it was one of the first things he noticed. I reused a bedspread that they had because it was cute and sports themed, but added new pillows covered in red and blue flannel sheeting, new drapery (actually, these were fabric shower curtains as I recall) and new rods. I loved the red bedside table and stainless steel lamp. It's hard to see, but in the lower right corner is a black leather ottoman that had a reversible tray table top for drinks and snacks. The gorilla is also sitting on a black leather ottoman. I really wanted this room to grow with him - to celebrate that fact that he would grow up.  On a side note, we also bought a few cute things for his little sister's room as well, just so she wouldn't feel left out. <br /><br />There were lots of other little details which went by so quickly on air. For instance, I bought shadowbox frames and put in color photos of the Fenway Park and Foxboro Stadium and included some of his sports figurines and bobble heads as sort of little dioramas. There was a "locker" for his sneaker collection and a bed in the corner for the family cat. <br /><br />Anyway, as I said, I was very honored to have been asked to participate in this project. While I'm not exactly a tv natural (we all felt a little silly having to do the fake entrance and introductions) the outcome was everything I hoped it would be. <br /><br /><div style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!</div><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

"Oh snap!" A Junior Man Cave Makeover

In 2007, I was honored to be asked to do a bedroom makeover for an 11 year old recovering leukemia patient named Marcus. This project was do...

Read more »

Kips Bay Showhouse 2011: A late post on a beautiful bathroom

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/5738356923_030d64c521_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3316/5738356923_030d64c521_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Way back in May (where DOES the time go) I spent a lovely hour chatting with Joy Licht, founder of <a href="http://cayleybarrett.com/index.php">Cayley Barrett, Assoc.</a>, a design-build firm in NYC about the lovely bathroom she did for this year's Kips Bay Showhouse.  Joy founded the company twenty years ago when there were nearly no women owned construction firms anywhere (still something of an anomaly, sadly). <br /><br />I really enjoyed speaking with Joy about her firm and their longtime association with the Kips Bay houses. For several years, her firm did the construction work for other Kips Bay designers and for a long time she has done all the public restrooms in the various houses.   Her firm started out primarily as a construction company but has expanded their offerings to include design services as well. We chatted a lot about the economy over the last several years and how it's effected our industry. <br /><br />My takeaways from her many years of experience are: 1) Treat others as you wish to be treated. 2) Take the small jobs because you never know when they will lead to larger jobs, plus it allowed her to keep some of her staff on the payroll 3) If you think you can do something better than the next guy, then do it. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/5738364103_a107347b97_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/5738364103_a107347b97_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>I thought the bathroom and dressing room were beautifully executed with lots of gorgeous details. The years Kips Bay house has current owners in residence (it's not for sale or empty) so many details had to be retained, including the gorgeous old wood floors and floorplan. It's not a large space, but Joy certainly packed in a lot of style.  The waxed limestone tiles, from <a href="http://artistictile.com/">Artistic Tile</a>, were laid in a Chevron pattern which really added visual interest and expansiveness to the otherwise small space. The soft gray palette, mixed with the original dark brown floors was an unusual yet lovely combination. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5305/5738357845_2467719332_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5305/5738357845_2467719332_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I love it when a bathroom is a show house actually looks like a bathroom, toilet and all! <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5738908226_69d600bf1a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5738908226_69d600bf1a_z.jpg" /></a></div>A detail of the gorgeous original parquet floors. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5738926216_6a42f1b92e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5738926216_6a42f1b92e_z.jpg" /></a></div>Joy built a tile surround for the heater which blended in with the wainscoting and provided a little extra surface space. Since the ceilings were not very high, Joy installed a lower than usual wainscot to give the impression of height in the walls. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5738915646_85649c5880_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5022/5738915646_85649c5880_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>The counter and trough sink are Onondoga bluestone, which is in upstate NY. As mentioned, the bathroom is quite small and was a pass-thru from dressing room to the bedroom designed by Amanda Nisbet. The counter depth is quite narrow - approximately 15 inches - as any wider would have impeded the flow of traffic for attendees. She was hoping the homeowner would see that it was, in fact, fine for regular use and be interested in keeping it as is. It certainly helped keep the space feeling as open and spacious as possible and was as functional as one needs it to be. Loved the faucets installed on the wall and the round mirror, which soften the linear lines of the tile, stone and floor patterns. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/5738910312_17ec8ce09c_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3208/5738910312_17ec8ce09c_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Onondoga Bluestone - it was slightly bluer in person. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/5738362051_880e5d70dc_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2691/5738362051_880e5d70dc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The ceiling fixtures in the bathroom and dressing room are the<a href="http://www.portaromana.co.uk/north-america/MCL-18-Decayed-Silver-Glass-Blossom-Chandelier-glass.php"> Blossom Chandelier</a> from Porto Romano through Zoffany. One thing Joy did throughout the space was mix the metals - polished chrome, silver, pewter, etc. She intentionally wanted to show that we don't need to slavishly match all the metal finishes in a space to make it work. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/5738368355_345f671fa5_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2430/5738368355_345f671fa5_z.jpg" /></a></div>The glamorous dressing room includes closets outfitted with smoked "Chinchilla" glass inserts which obscure the contents nicely. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5738369731_6f136cc20a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5105/5738369731_6f136cc20a_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>The dressing table was a study of mirrors, polished chrome and gilded woods. The artwork was mounted right on the mirrored wall, which may not be practical for every day use, but is a whimsical touch in a show house. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/5738370601_a826436539_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2215/5738370601_a826436539_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Loved the touches of pink and lavender among the grays and silvers. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/5738371789_2afe744d2f_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3281/5738371789_2afe744d2f_z.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/5738922248_917d06809e_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/5738922248_917d06809e_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>The handles and door hardware were original to the home and refinished in nickel. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/5738923006_ba90254fab_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3529/5738923006_ba90254fab_z.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>I want to thank Joy for spending so much time with me talking about her business and this bathroom as well. I apologize for the lateness of my post, but beautiful work is timeless! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/5738367157_693f15ca44_z.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/5738367157_693f15ca44_z.jpg" /></a></div><br />You can read my other Kips Bay post, which I managed to get out in June, <a href="http://chameleon-interiors.blogspot.com/2011/06/kips-bay-decorator-showhouse-2011-my.html">here</a>. <br /><br /><div style="background-color: #d5a6bd;">If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!</div><a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0pt none; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

Kips Bay Showhouse 2011: A late post on a beautiful bathroom

Way back in May (where DOES the time go) I spent a lovely hour chatting with Joy Licht, founder of Cayley Barrett, Assoc. , a design-build f...

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