Mosaic Bathroom

Edgar Miller
1932

This bathroom was one of the last rooms to be completed for Rudolph Glasner, in 1932. So while the Furedy Bedroom underwent some significant changes in the 1940s, this bathroom for the most part remains much closer to the original design, and it includes the original bathtub and built-in cabinetry. What stands out more than any other feature, of course, is the abundant use of mosaic tile and stone which Miller used to add surface texture, color, and patterning.

This room is meant to feel like stepping into an ancient Roman bath. As in all of the Handmade Homes, much of the stone is reclaimed marble and granite. It is unknown from where exactly all the mosaic tile was sourced. Clearly, Miller had an abundant supply, and so perhaps this was, for his final act for Glasner, a project as much about a grand finale while using up overstocked materials. Regardless, what Miller created in this bathroom is an astonishing display of artistry and design sensibility, and when he returned years later to view the home, he “just beamed” when he saw it again.

Note that for this palatial atelier, the bathroom is quite small, with the tub, shower, toilet, and sink all squeezed into a small rectangular area of roughly 60 square feet. Yet because of Miller's creative arrangement and the mosaic artwork enveloping the entire room, the bathroom feels luxurious. Some updates have occurred over time, including a new stone sink, and, embedded into the shower floor, a beautiful homage to Miller's mosaic work by artisan Bob Horn, who led the restoration of the Studio in the mid-2000s.