Art Deco Bathroom Design
From Online Remodeling Book Chapter 10, “A Capitol Hill Bathroom, Art Deco Style”
Before: The old, dark bathroom included dated wallpaper and small, dark floor tiles, walls and a shower enclosure tiled in dark blue, and dated, poor-quality fixtures like this vanity. A window on the north wall (retained in the new bathroom) added only limited light.
It’s always a pleasure to realize a client’s vision. A husband and wife who are long-time clients of mine asked me to create a contemporary Art Deco bathroom for the second floor of their 1870s Capitol Hill townhouse, replacing a cramped, dark 1960s bathroom. The husband had fallen in love with Art Deco in part because of his travels to New York, where he encountered spectacular Art Deco lobbies in many older hotels. To him, Art Deco was clean, timeless, and distinctive.
About Art Deco Style
A design movement that flourished around the world in the late 1920s and the 1930s, Art Deco regained its popularity as a retro design style in the 1980s and 1990s and remains well liked today. As the name suggests, Art Deco is an opulent modern style that emphasizes ornamentation. Art Deco designs may be found in many other fields besides architecture, including jewelry design, fashion, automotive and industrial design, and the visual arts.
Common elements of Art Deco designs include modern, non-organic materials; stepped or layered forms; certain motifs, such as chevrons and sunbursts; and a hard-edged look that emphasizes linear geometry.
Results of Our Art Deco Bathroom Remodel in DC
After: Evoking classic 1930s Hollywood glamour, this custom vanity with octagonal legs is topped by a counter with chamfered corners and a hexagonal sink. The round-on-square double mirror reinforces the bathroom’s layered motif; cabinets and shelves add useful but elegant storage
The overall effect of our remodel was an upscale, modern space that employs Art Deco style to make a strong but welcoming statement. As my male client says, the family’s old “miserable, dark, ugly bathroom” of the past has become a pleasing “room that you like to go into.”
To read about the details of the Washington, DC bathroom remodel and what the Wentworth team did, download our eBook!
