Kips Bay Keith Haring Inspired Bath

Direct inspiration for my Powder Room derives from Ascot’s Keith Haring ceramic tile collection, “Game of Fifteen.” Upon seeing the series, I knew that, in order to make a significant impact, the bathroom would have to be small in size, as the tile itself was high impact. Thus, we needed to keep the theme sharp and chic, graphic and poignant. The room had to maintain a proportional balance between the recessive background of the white tiles and the strength of the accent tile’s imagery. Thus equal elements of visual proportion and harmony was essential to a successfully designed room. In terms of color, the boldness of the tiles black and white pattern with its overall whimsical pattern made the selection a perfect fit for a playful and innovative room. . I liked the way the different shapes blend into each other, hardly indistinguishable from one another, yet decipherable. His shapes are visual mazes, archetypal ideograms of a sort. At a distance, they form a pattern; up close, they form a story. Many of the themes are about people and their connections to each other. Some are visually explicit; others are more reflective and discreet. Most are just fun and whimsical, appealing to children and to the uninhibited in us. They are also primitive in their bold lines and graphic imagery. Many shapes are of monsters and scary beings, relaying the innate fears of childhood and the exterior landscape of the reality of city life. In effect, they are graffiti like patterns, yet indelibly marked in our subconscious. In addition, the basic black, white, and red colors so essential to Haring’s work express the boldness and basic instincts of color and form. In addition, my passion for both design and art found their aesthetic confluence in the expression of this whimsical statement of idea and function.