The Marble Is What Makes This Plum Bathroom Sing

This bathroom has no windows, so there was no point pretending it was bright. We made it enveloping instead: aubergine cement tile wraps the walls in slim vertical rows, turning a small bath into a cocoon of color.

What keeps it from feeling heavy is the marble.

Stone with a job to do

Calacatta Viola, sourced from Turkey, is pale enough to lift a dark room and has violet veins that tie it back to the tile. We used a lot of it: a deep basin on a dark wood vanity and a solid, blocky bench in the shower.

No windows, so we stopped pretending it was bright.

Three patterns, one room

The aubergine tile runs vertical, a black-and-white marble checkerboard runs diagonally underfoot, and the marble’s veining goes wherever it likes. The contrast between the three is what gives the room its energy, more than any decoration would.

Brass against aubergine

A wall-mounted brass faucet with cross handles sits over the basin, under a slim brass mirror. A pair of polished brass Spool sconces gives the room its only light, and they make it glow.

A full bath with powder-room drama

It’s a working bathroom, shower and all, with the confidence of a jewel-box powder room. Glass around the shower keeps the tile, the marble bench and a giant brass gooseneck in full view. Striped and damask towels and a pewter soap dish soften the stone.