Room of the Day: Material Matters

The town of Chappaqua, a hamlet in north Westchester County, New York, is filled with historic homes, including one purchased by Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1999. More recently, Dana and Mike Kraus purchased a 1920s Tudor-style home for their family of five. Its remodeled master bathroom is a showcase of style inspired by local and international design.

Room at a Glance
Who lives here: Dana and Mike Kraus and their 3 daughters
Location: Chappaqua, New York
Size: 90 square feet (8.4 square meters)
Designer: Elizabeth Strianese Interiors

Using the Find Pros section on Houzz, Dana came upon the projects of interior designer Elizabeth Strianese and quickly discovered the right person for the job of redoing the master bath.

With its rippled waves of purple, brown and gray, the violet onyx selected for the trough sink and shower dictated the rest of the room’s design. “Once we chose the onyx, we knew we had our star,” Strianese says. “The other materials were selected to complement it.”

Sink and shower: violet onyx, Terra Tile & Marble

Discover the beauty of illuminated onyx


A few years back, in the nearby town of Beacon, New York, Strianese renovated a boutique hotel and restaurant that included a series of custom pendant lights made by Niche — an international lighting company based in Beacon. When Dana and Mike discovered that Strianese had been involved in that project (one of their favorite restaurants), they wanted to know if they could score a trio of the pendant lights for themselves. “It’s not a product available on their website,” Strianese says. “But luckily they still had the design on file.”


Rift-cut white oak was used to cover the vanity area. “We wanted wood to add warmth to the space,” Strianese says. “It was important to choose a clean-lined oak that wouldn’t look too busy when paired with the onyx.”

When it came time to select fixtures for the bathroom, Dana showed a picture of a faucet that Strianese was already familiar with and excited to use. “Two years ago I took a vacation to Scandinavia and fell in love with the region’s design,” the designer says. “When Dana showed me the Vola faucet, I knew we found the perfect fixtures for the room.”

The Scandinavian-designed faucets were selected in a unlacquered brass that begins to develop a patina as soon as it comes out of its packaging.

Wood cladding: white oak, Delnero Furniture


With an eye toward one day growing old in their home, Dana and Mike wanted a large, open shower with no curb so they could get in and out of it with ease.

Two book-matched slabs of violet onyx make up the shower’s back wall. White tile on the other walls and floor brighten the space. A skylight brings in loads of natural light.

Onyx shower tile: violet onyx, Terra Tile & Marble; white shower tile: Davenport Snow, Ann Sacks; floor tile: white porcelain, Artistic Tile

The Case for a Curbless Shower


The onyx trough sink doesn’t have much room for a soap dish or toothbrush holder, so Strianese had a large niche cut into the white oak cladding to create storage and display space. The two medicine cabinets are recessed, providing additional storage.

More: See other Rooms of the Day

URL: Room of the Day: Material Matters http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-26351.html