All Buttoned Up

A Hoboken powder room gets down to brass tacks

Tailored” is a good way to describe this powder room in the Hoboken townhouse of Diana and Matt Thomas. The deep-blue wall covering, the copper vessel sink and the tidy wood vanity unite for a look that’s as exquisitely fitted as the finest bespoke suit. It was a look that was coordinated by Matt, who took over as general contractor in the finishing stages of the project.

The Thomases have young children and “While no spaces are wholeheartedly excluded from the children, the homeowners and I actively designed spaces with the adults and their priorities in mind,” says Jenny Madden of Hoboken-based Jenny Madden Design. “This blue bathroom—and the adjacent library lounge—were parts of the home that were adult driven.”

The couple wanted to create a visual association between the two spaces, according to Diana Thomas. “We wanted our powder room to be a seamless extension of our custom library.” Madden accomplished that goal by repeating the palette used in the library. “Carrying the blue color onto the walls of the powder room accentuates the connectivity,” the designer explains.

The rich color of the wall covering—striking on its own—gets an added boost with orderly rows of raised ink that replicates brass nail heads. “We love this textured grasscloth,” says Thomas.

The “brass” accents are an unusual touch and so are the sink faucet and handles, which are attached to the mirror above the vanity—not to the mirror frame, but to the actual glass of the mirror. “It was a challenge to get the fixtures drilled through without cracking the glass,” says Thomas. Still, she adds, “it was worth all the stress and hard work. We love the unique take on traditional bathroom pieces. We couldn’t be more proud of the result.”

The master bathroom in the Thomas home is featured here (Living The Dream).