Room of the Day: A Year-Round Cherry Blossom Festival in the Bath
A delicate glass tile mosaic captures the perfect blooming moment in a New Jersey bathroom
Interior designer Caroline Beaupere fell in love with a cherry tree in her backyard in Brooklyn, New York. “I would clip branches to force indoors to keep the cherry blossom festival going for as long as possible,” she says. So when these clients wanted to do something spectacular in their master bath, the inspiration from the tree hit her almost immediately. “This bathroom was to be their sanctuary, and the blossoming cherry tree idea came to me quickly because of how peaceful it is,” she says.
The home’s renovation, which combined two apartments in an old sugar factory, allowed them to plan the bathroom’s size around the tile mosaic, rather than the other way around. This guaranteed a beautiful fit for the extensive and delicate branches and blossoms. Beaupere carefully planned the mosaic in elevations that span three walls. Laid out as one long piece, as shown here, you can see how the branches wrap the corners, continuing from one wall to the next.
The mosaic is made of glass tile. “For each color, the glass is cut from the same sheet, and each sheet has a wide variation in color,” Beaupere says. You can see the browns that go from light to dark, the gray tones within the white background and the different pink hues in the blossoms. The designer specified where each color would go and how far along the flowers were in bloom. Some are buds ready to burst while others have reached their peak. “I wanted to capture the perfect cherry blossom festival moment,” Beaupere says.
The design makes it hard to believe there’s no natural light in the room. Custom mirrors reflect the light from the sconces and the adjacent bedroom. There are also recessed lights in the ceiling. In the mirror’s reflection you can see an antiqued mirror transom over the bedroom door, left, and another mirror over the dressing table on the opposite wall in the bathroom, right. A shower sits on the opposite side of the room from the tub.
Beaupere looked to those gray tones in the background of the mosaic, matching them with Benjamin Moore’s Mineral Ice on the vanity. The countertops are honed white Thassos marble. “I didn’t want busy veining that competed with the mosaic and I chose honed so that it was not too reflective,” she says.
Sconces: Urban Archaeology; faucets: Fairfield Collection, Samuel Heath
Beaupere looked to those gray tones in the background of the mosaic, matching them with Benjamin Moore’s Mineral Ice on the vanity. The countertops are honed white Thassos marble. “I didn’t want busy veining that competed with the mosaic and I chose honed so that it was not too reflective,” she says.
Sconces: Urban Archaeology; faucets: Fairfield Collection, Samuel Heath
Here you can get a good look at the variation in colors within the mosaic.
Beaupere designed the custom vanity and mirrors, adding a delicate beaded detail. She had a painter faux-finish them to create a silver leaf patina. Crystal knobs are another lovely embellishment that complements the mosaic.
“The cherry blossom season is so short,” Beaupere says. “This let us capture its perfect moment.”
Cabinet paint: Mineral Ice 2132-70, Benjamin Moore
Browse more stories about bathroom tile
“The cherry blossom season is so short,” Beaupere says. “This let us capture its perfect moment.”
Cabinet paint: Mineral Ice 2132-70, Benjamin Moore
Browse more stories about bathroom tile
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Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two young children
Location: The apartment faces the Statue of Liberty from Jersey City, New Jersey
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designer: Caroline Beaupere
“My clients are busy with their two kids and wanted to do something really spectacular in their master bathroom and make it serene,” Beaupere says. One of the reasons they hired her was her extensive experience working with custom tile.
The countertops, floor tile and bathtub surround are all white Thassos marble. Note the tiled baseboard detail that continues across the front of the tub.