2007 HC&G IDEA HOUSE TOUR

The bathroom across from the Gentleman's Study was designed to be "masculine to the max, with an Out of Africa feeling," says Susanne Kelley of Hampton Design Kitchens Baths. She and Hampton Design owner Peggy Fruin chose materials that would evoke a tropical safari feel, but with a modern spin.

The floor and shower walls feature Durango limestone tiles arranged in a Versailles pattern—groupings of four differently sized tiles pieced together into a whole, creating a rustic but elegant look. The outdoors also comes through in the shower floor, made of smooth, naturally colored riverstones. "It feels pretty nice on the feet," Kelley says. "It's like walking on the beach, only it's more even and comfortable." Oil-rubbed bronze shower fixtures and matching support clips on the glass panel separating the shower from the rest of the room lend a look of Old World polish.

Above the wall-mounted cement sink, which was poured on site, a zebra-print pony mirror with sterling silver accents commands attention against the textured Ralph Lauren crocodile wallpaper. An antique bamboo étagère and paintings of islands dotted with palm trees, from The Grenning Gallery, completes the tropical allure.