(Above Photo) The soaking tub is by Toto. The steam shower is by Thermasol, while the shower wall sprays are by Hansgrohe and the handheld showers are by Santec.The shower heads are by Jaclo.
Photographs by Venjhamin Reyes
To say that Joseph Fava’s client likes stone would be an understatement. “He set out a list of non-negotiables at the start,” the Miami-based principal of Fava Design Group says. “One was that we would use a variety of stone slabs.” Fava agreed to the mandate, but admits to thinking there would be some leeway. Design meetings were spirited. “I hadn’t considered how steadfast the client would be,” Fava says. “I was on board with the slabs, but leery of combining so many different types.”
The client, an accountant with bold, colorful taste, purchased a slab of blue agate more than a year before Fava began designing the 3,250-square-foot condo in Fort Lauderdale’s Auberge Beach Residences. As the plan evolved, the piece became the jumping off point for the primary suite. Fava fashioned the slab into a curvilinear path that leads from the bedroom entry to the balcony sliders. Enamored with the design, the client bought a second slab of pricey blue agate for the en suite bath.
Large format, off-white marble floor tiles set off the blue agate path in the bath. Tiles cut from that same marble slab line the approximately 350-square-foot shower, which boasts steam, aromatherapy, and various rain settings. Fava positioned the transparent glass box so that the client can watch television while showering (a Samsung mirror TV floats off the window frame) or take in the expansive view of the Atlantic Ocean beyond.
Book-matched slabs of azul macaubus, an exotic Brazilian quartzite with brilliant blue and auburn veining, hug the free-standing, oval soaking tub in one corner. “Normally, I wouldn’t pair three different stones in a single bath, but he didn’t want to do plain slabs on the walls,” Fava says. “I had to figure out how to incorporate it all so it worked.”
The solution? Choosing stones in the same color family. Here, the blue of the quartzite echoes the light blue hues in the sliced agate. “A space doesn’t need to be white, gray, or beige to be calming,” Fava says. “You can create a calming effect by working within a similar color palette.” The designer likens the approach to mixing patterned fabrics. “You can do a stripe, a plaid, and a print that all work together, particularly when done in different scales,” he says. “We applied that concept, we just did it in stone.”
Fava used more of the azul macaubus for the threshold, and also topped the floating vanity with it. The custom, periwinkle lacquered piece stretches from one wall to another, where Robern medicine chests with slide-up fronts and illuminated, electrified interiors punctuate each end. An adjacent pair of floor-to-ceiling cabinets in the same finish provide ample storage. “ItalKraft made the cabinetry in the baths, as well as the Ferrari red cabinets in the kitchen,” Fava says.
Windows above the double sink vanity by ItalKraft look out onto the ocean. The medicine chests are by Robern’s Uplift Collection. The sink faucets are by Latoscana.
The walls behind the Robern medicine chests, as well as the water closet, are adorned with Phillip Jeffries vinyl grasscloth in an ethereal, watercolor-like print. The array of blue tones refers to those in the agate, and moments of mauve-y gray tie to the auburn veining in the quartzite. As for the supersonic Toto toilet, it was a must-have for the tech-savvy client. Challenges aside, Fava is satisfied with the outcome. He notes that while normally, the designer pushes the client, in this case, the client pushed him to experiment and go beyond his comfort zone.
“This project showed me a different way of thinking,” he says. “When you try new things, you can be pleasantly surprised.”
For more information, visit Favadesigngroup.com