Remember when some shade of brown was the default color in homes? Layers of brown, beige, and tan reigned supreme for at least a decade or two in recent history. Builders used them universally as the autopilot “neutral” decision. Dark wood furniture was widely available in home stores. The top-selling Benjamin Moore paint color in 2009 was Shaker Beige. Our client’s wanted to update their bathroom from brown to. . .
The new master bath features a Furniture Guild Hayden vanity with polished chrome feet and Grohe Allure faucets against a Carrara and Bardiglio patterned marble wall.
We lived through the All-Brown Home Era, and we don’t mourn its passing. Other colors seemed to disappear in a brown eclipse. It has a muddy effect when it is the dominant look from top to bottom in a home. We think browns often work best when used selectively as a special piece or in custom cabinetry. More broadly, browns can also work in rooms with ample natural light and when paired with other adventurous choices in color and pattern, from art work to furnishings.
The former bathroom was a classic example of “Builder-Grade Brown” from 2008. Bathrooms are usually not the best environments for for a brown-dominant color scheme.
Furniture feet and elimination of the old storage tower between the two vanities had a slimming effect by removing some of the visual mass in the bathroom. Another good result was improved storage.
In the new bathroom, a free-standing Hydrosystems tub sits on a heated floor and under the organic shape of the Moooi light fixture.
The old shower lacked a bench, but it featured four different sizes of square Crema Marfil tile for maximum brown impact. The jacuzzi tub was rarely used.
We have reservations about an all-brown bathroom, and our clients shared them. The new bathroom traded a dour brown color palette for a lighter presentation with fetching lighting, custom vanity, and a complementary marble pattern. It was a pleasure working with them on Project Brownout!
