Signature Details for Bars and Washrooms
I believe the most memorable spaces live in the details. From hidden bars that reveal themselves to washrooms that surprise guests, these are the design elements that define your home or business personality.
This custom bar cabinet is the ultimate hidden gem. A hand-painted tropical exterior opens up to reveal a fully functional bar with a wine chiller, extendable marble counters, and specialized storage for glassware and bottles.
The ladies' washroom at Koko Hyderabad is all about drama. We used a stunning red and white marble to create custom arched vanities that serve as the centerpiece of the room.
For the men's washroom at Koko, we went with a rich, moody palette of emerald green marble and tiles, paired with a statement floral chandelier and custom wallpaper.
A render for a guest bathroom in a Kolkata home, featuring bold cobalt blue tiles, dark green marble floors, and matte black fixtures for a modern and impactful look.
This render for a master bathroom in Kolkata is pure luxury. It features a freestanding black bathtub set against a dramatic arched brass panel, with a cascading chandelier overhead.
The vanity area in the same Kolkata master bathroom, designed with dual brass sinks and sculptural, layered mirrors that act as a functional art piece.
A render for another bathroom concept, this one playing with textures and organic shapes. The round mirror contrasts with the linear wall tiles, while the black-and-white marble floor adds a bold graphic element.
About this collection
When I design a hidden bar or a statement bathroom, the real challenge is not just the aesthetic. It is about functionality, like ensuring your wine chiller has proper ventilation or mapping plumbing for a vanity that looks like art. These are the spaces people actually interact with daily, so I make sure the layout is intuitive before we even think about the tiles or marble.
I have a bit of a fixation on the parts of a room that others ignore. While everyone is focused on the sofa or the main lighting fixture, I am thinking about the transition between a guest room and a bathroom, or how a wall can hide an entire bar service area.
Designing the Hidden Bar
I am a self-proclaimed queen of hidden bars. Not everyone is comfortable displaying their full bottle collection, and that is completely fine. I love designing cabinetry that looks like a beautiful armoire or a feature wall from the outside, but opens to reveal a fully functional station. The trick is getting the technicals right: integrating marble counters that can extend, installing smart ventilation so the fridge does not overheat, and ensuring there is enough storage for stemware without making the unit feel bulky.
Washrooms as Statement Zones
Whether it is for a restaurant like Koko or a private residence in Kolkata, I treat the washroom as a primary design zone. We are moving away from boring utility spaces. I love using moody palettes, unexpected marble combinations, and custom chandeliers to create a distinct mood. In high-traffic hospitality spaces, this means planning for durability and clever lighting that makes a quick check-in feel like a luxury experience. In homes, it means creating a personal sanctuary where the fixtures act as art pieces, such as a sculptural pedestal sink or layered brass mirrors.
The Technical Reality
Good design is useless if it does not work. For these projects, I spend a massive amount of time on the drawing board coordinating with HVAC and plumbing contractors. Whether we are concealing ugly AC ducts behind custom ceiling features or ensuring your vanity drains are perfectly aligned with your marble layout, I sweat the small stuff so the final build looks effortless.
Sarah Sham
I’m Sarah Sham, and I have an obsession with the details that people usually overlook. I don't just design rooms; I create spaces that make you stop and look twice, whether it's a home entertainment den or a high-end restaurant washroom.
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