I’m not quite sure this is what my dad had in mind when he bestowed his cherished 17th c. Flemish tapestry to me in his will. However, tapestries were made from the beginning of time by women to quiet the mind and busy the body while their men were at war. They became as useful a distraction as they were draft barriers. Using beautiful objects infuses them with life and purpose. Not long ago I was asked in an interview by an editor how I made this work. He was as stumped by the whereabouts of this precious heirloom as I was by his question. It never occurred to me that how I was brought up to bathe in Paris would allow me to conceive of a space as sophisticated and as cozy as my own bathroom. The economy of space in my childhood apartment, as oft seen in others throughout the city of lights, meant that we sat in the bath in order to shower. It is for this reason I also saw absolutely no issue in laying down wood floors under my bath. Handheld showers on the side of bath fillers are somewhat of a necessity in my world. In Canada we now have our very own design-forward manufacturers of beautiful bath hardware. I use Baril often in my client’s projects as they are truly as pleasing to the eye as they are to the pocket. You can take that to the bank as this is not a paid promotion. Incidentally, this bathtub is the one remaining piece we kept from the old house. The spoon-like shape adds a veneer of modern to the otherwise traditional and antique-laden space. I centred the bath on the window door even though it pushed it a bit further into the room. My neighbour has a beautiful cherry tree that explodes with feverishly pink and heavy blossoms each spring right outside. A few short weeks a year, I submerge my tired body in salts and warm rose-scented water, look yonder beyond and believe I have ascended to heaven. It is always a good idea to create heaven on earth as a stopgap measure in case you either do not believe in a comfortable afterlife (as my atheist Norwegian grandmother) or perhaps you do, but that you will not be chosen.. for a while (my Protestant Lutheran mother). Warmongers, you have been put on notice.
