Every year for the past five years, the Kingston Design Connection, a non-profit organization developed to connect makers, vendors and contractors to the growing design scene in this upstate region of New York, locates a building in need of renovation and reimagining and the result is a showcase house which attracts hundreds of homeowners, design aficionados and media. All money raised is given to groups such as the Ulster Habitat for Humanity, Hudson Valley Senior Center, Family of Woodstock and People’s Place.

The Victorian-style home chosen for 2022 and located at 60 Maiden Lane in Kingston, New York was built in 1901 for three unmarried sisters. Decades later, it became home to various local businesses until it was recently purchased by a growing family. More than 180 designers, makers, artists, and local businesses contributed to the home’s transformation to further build and connect the community through design.

The house required some major changes including turning a parlor space into a kitchen and reconfiguring an office kitchenette into an additional bathroom. Designer Michael Gilbride of Michael Gilbride Design was tasked with designing the additional bathroom and his vision was to create a spa-like environment complete with steam shower. The room uses neutral tones and colors which radiate tranquility with just a pop of color on the wall. The neutral-colored wall tiles in the shower and darker-colored vanity backsplash mimic traditional wainscoting, an homage to the age of the home. The tiled floor is patterned so to maintain design consistency Michael Gilbride used Infinity Drain’s Tile Insert Linear Drain series. Similar to a trompe l’oeil painting, you’d have to look very closely to notice the drain, which was Michael’s goal.