The baths of ancient Rome

Real stone is on left side. Trompe l'oeil is on right where controls for heated floors (damn, I want those) are located.

In this projects, the homeowners were doing a partial remodel of the 1980s master bath in their recently purchased home. They replaced the carpet (!) installed by the previous owners on the raised bathing area with travertine, and replaced the sunken hip shower with adjustable head with a standard walk in with frameless glass doors. I needed to blend the existing series of arches with the new travertine and still have them be a strong design element with losing the serene, tranquil feel the client requested (and as the mother of 4 small children, she needs a serene retreat). Thus, I decided to build on the classical feeling suggested by the arches and painted them and the columns to look like travertine. Now it's dramatic without being too over the top. Still, remember what I always say, "If you don't go over the top, how will you know what's on the other side?"

Travertine tile on left corner of wall is trompe l'oeil.