A handblown glass sink by Robert Jones Design.
Brilliant Bathrooms
September 1, 2005
Divine Inspiration
When the owners of a private estate in New Jersey gave
husband and wife interior design team Tarik and Nayana Currimbhoy carte blanche
to design the bathroom adjacent to their dining room, the result was the
creation of a space fit for a god. Inspired by the Bodhi Tree, the plant beneath
which the Buddha purportedly sat the night he attained enlightenment, the
Currimbhoys fabricated the Tree of Life, a 12-foot-wide partition that serves as
an entryway into the bathroom. The imposing divider was hand-carved from beige
limestone in two pieces and was then installed as one entity. ; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The Tree of Life, a hand-carved beige limestone partition
custom-made
for the Eastern-inspired room. Photography by Ruggero Vanni. (Click image to enlarge.)
“The beauty of stone is that it lives very long,” says Tarik. “It’s been
there since civilization was born. When it is hand-chiseled it talks to you; the
weight of the stone really comes across.”
The design duo—who operate an architecture and design office in New York and
a workshop in Rajasthan, India—used limestone for its alchemical properties,
further enhancing the religious motif of the piece. “The beauty of the limestone
is that when it is wet, it looks gold,” says Tarik. “So when you are washing
your face in the sink, and water splashes onto the limestone, it turns to gold.” ; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
The bathroom’s sink
was made using hand-cut crystal manufactured by
Nevobad. The antique silver
faucets are from Sherle Wagner. Photography by Ruggero Vanni. (Click image to enlarge.)
The rest of the bathroom was also elevated to the realm of the divine. The
walls and floors were crafted in hand-chiseled beige marble. The Currimbhoys
also incorporated a custom Nevobad hand-cut crystal sink accented with silver
antique faucets from Sherle Wagner.
“Normally, you hide a bathroom,” says Tarik. “This design celebrates the bathroom, and it becomes something sacred.”
Currimbhoy Design, 212.228.8396, www.sanastone.com
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