When a photo of a mosaic tile floor with Art Deco vibes made her client’s heart swing, Cecilia Casagrande thought she’d found inspiration for her Brooklyn house’s third-floor bathroom. Then the designer learned that the little plot of land depicted was a corner of Seattle’s Union Station, and that the client’s grandfather was a conductor, and it was a done deal. Casagrande commissioned a tile company to recreate the floor, then built the rest of the scheme around it. Finally, she urged her client to dig up the old photos for a personal touch.
1 Heritage Tile in Wisconsin recreated the mosaic tile floor pattern, which includes squares and hexagons, from a photo found by Casagrande and her client on Pinterest.
2 The black wall-mounted vanity from Strasser Woodenworks doesn’t block the floor. Casagrande acquired the octagonal bakelite knobs from an online antique dealer.
3 Casagrande found remnants of green marble at Olympia Marble & Granite in Needham to use for custom ogee-shaped countertops and backsplash. Unpolished brass plumbing fixtures will become look finished over time, adding age to the historically themed space.
4 A curbless shower allows mosaics to pass through the space without interruption. Shower wall tiles – dark green porcelain with wavy texture from Discover Tile – draw on the image for inspiration, too.
5 The owner’s grandfather took the black and white photo of the train where she said he was working either as a train conductor or as a line operator.
6 The renovation sconces resemble lampposts’ lights while the curves of a black metal Pottery Barn mirror hint at Art Deco sensibilities. Casagrande covered the back wall (reflected in the mirror) with Cole & Son wallpaper by Piero Fornasetti that depicts switches hidden in greenery.
Marni Elise Katz is a regular contributor to Globe magazine. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.