Having waxed poetic about bathroom design for the better part of a decade, we are welcoming 2018 with an expanded focus on the house. From tiles and hardware to mirrors and lighting, so many beautifully designed bath furnishings are equally at home in kitchens, laundry rooms and mudrooms, as well as the more decorative spaces of a house. As is often the case, one well-designed room can happily inspire another, even if they seemingly have nothing in common.

Take this foyer, which appears to draw inspiration from the entry hall of the Petit Trianon in Versailles. The floors boast the same timeless checkered pattern, here made using Carrara and Bardiglio marble tiles. The foyer’s paneled walls nod to the French gray door but in higher saturation - these are awash in Benjamin Moore’s Boothbay Gray paint, darkened ever so slightly with a bit more black mixed in. Where Versailles accents are gold, these are brass, with the star flush mount hinting at regality. An inspiration in it’s own right, this foyer would translate point-to-point in a bathroom by simply inserting the necessary furnishings in this exact scheme. For a looser interpretation, let’s look at how the components might weave their way into a kitchen instead.

Though they were designed independent of each other, there is a common thread running through the two rooms. In the kitchen, the black and white palette moves off the floor and onto the walls in the form of white subway tile with contrasting grout. Shaker cabinets and window frames are painted in a similar blue-grey, and the counter tops are sheathed in Carrara marble. The open shelves keep the room feeling light while brass hardware adds warmth. If you’re a fan of brass’ natural patina, opt for unlacquered brass as it will age handsomely over time. The comparison is an example of how protean design can be – if you see something you love, don’t be afraid to take it out of it’s box and make it your jumping off point for something else entirely.

Photographs © The Fox Group, Domaine Home