Design Tips

Ask Aquatics

Masculine or Feminine? Meet in the Middle.

The master bath in many households is shared by both sexes. So what do you do when one of you envisions a girlish getaway — and the other one wants something bold, masculine and minimal? Here are a few ideas.

  1. Stay gender-neutral in terms of color scheme. This doesn’t have to mean everything is beige. It’s about finding middle ground.

  2. Let texture speak for itself. A frothy cascade of drapery can be pleasingly contrasted with cool stone, shiny metallic surfaces and/or warm woods.

  3. Ask yourself: “What Would Coco Chanel Do?” One of the newest design trends is a kind of haberdashery chic — using menswear-inspired fabrics with feminine trim, shapes and imagery. Imagine charcoal-grey tweed upholstery on a slipper chair, dove-colored walls with polka-dot curtains... tied back with a strand of faux pearls, perhaps?