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We love the effect of a beautiful white
or ‘WMB’. Its so bright and clean looking! But, getting the perfect
isn’t as easy as it seems, and there are a surprising amount of decisions and details that go into it. So, we thought wed make your next reno a bit easier by breaking down the process into the three major sections. Below is a short summary of the basic need-to-know info for creating your space. For this bathroom that we designed in an apartment on the Upper East Side, we paired statuary marble with the pure white thassos and topped it off with a crystal and nickel console sink from waterworks. The look is classic but also a touch contemporary. Our clients couldn’t be happier!
1. THE STONES:
Our favorite marbles to use when our clients ask for a WMB are some mix of Statuary, Calacatta Gold, Carerra and Thassos. Each marble has its own look and signature personality. In the bathroom we designed above we used a Statuary marble for the floors and countertop and we used a pure white Thassos for the walls.
Statuary
– think classic grey veins set against a pure white background.
Calacatta Gold
– similar to statuary but the veins are more golden and can be slightly more subtle.
Carrara
– tiny grey veins set against a grayish-white background.
Thassos
– Pure white with no veining at all.
2. POLISHED OR HONED?
Marbles come in two basic surface finishes called ‘polished’ or ‘honed’. A polished finish gives the marble a smooth surface and has a much glossier look. A honed finish removes the shininess from the surface of the stone and therefore has a more satin-feel. Honed tends to read a bit more contemporary and is our favorite marble finish of the moment, while polished reads a bit more traditional. In the bathroom above we actually mixed finishes to keep things interesting, and we went with honed marble for the floor and a polished marble for the walls.
3. THE HARDWARE
Polished Chrome, Polished Nickel and Unlaquered Brass are the most popular metals for bathroom hardware and fixtures. Chrome, is the coolest of the silver metals and is also the most durable. Its great for kids bathrooms and high traffic areas. Polished Nickel, our personal favorite, is still a silver metal but it feels a lot warmer and richer than chrome. Its great for master bathrooms and powder rooms but it is also less durable and should not be used with normal household cleaners. Unlacquered brass is our favorite gold metal and has a wonderful rustic feel to it. It also ages beautifully, but it requires some maintenance as it tarnishes easily. In the bathroom above we chose polished nickel for the faucet, mirror, lighting and shower body.
We hope this helps with some of the basics and helps you on your path to creating your own perfect white marble bathroom!