Luxe Loos

From jewel-box powder rooms to marble-lined master baths that rival any spa, these David Hintgan-designed baths express glamorous ideas and divine inspiration

Grand Illusions

Interior Designer David Hintgen admired this graphic gray-and-white striped marble and always wanted to use it. He got the opportunity when designing a new guest bath for an upscale Denver residence, incorporating the material for the countertop, tub surround, floor and wall tiles. “I love to take a spa approach to my bathrooms and keep materials to a minimum,” Hintgen says. “This very linear pattern created illusion upon illusion. It’s hard to tell where the tub ends and floor begins.” The shower, tucked into a back corner, is barely discernible.

Hintgen countered all that cool marble with a contrasting mahogany vanity. “It was clear to me that a rich, grainy wood tone would offset the marble and warm the room. It stands out nicely but it is still integrated,” he says.  The custom floating vanity provides closed storage, and LED lighting underneath the raised cabinet acts as a night light with an integrated motion detector. Ceiling-to-countertop mirrors enhance the clean, ethereal look.

Unbridled Luxury

An expansive picture window opening to the Denver skyline is the focal point of this magnificent bath in a residence at the Four Seasons, for which Hintgen was given carte blanche in his design—a rare opportunity. “I really got to stretch my legs and exercise creative freedom,” Hintgen says. “There was nothing holding me back creatively.”

It’s easy to imagine the pure decadence of soaking in the sculptural egg-shaped bathtub with the lights of the city in full view. “I wanted a tub that had a beautiful, flowing shape since it would be the center of attention and nicely framed in the window,” Hintgen says. The symmetrical design includes custom vanities in high gloss white lacquer with thick-profile white quartzite countertops, lighted mirrors and bright touches of chrome throughout, all wrapped in a rare Turkish marble with eggplant-colored veining.

Deceptively Simple

While the main powder bath in this transitional Hilltop house is very opulent, interior designer David Hintgen took a more subtle approach to the ‘back-of-the-house’ bath. “The room is deceptively simple with a lot of fine details and a nice combination of colors and textures,” says Hintgen. He created visual interest with a blended gray porcelain tile floor that looks like marble. It is set on the diagonal to make the small space appear larger. The vinyl-upholstered wall, while neutral in color, offers added dimension with a subtle animal skin texture.

Against this backdrop, Hintgen installed a high-gloss lacquer vanity with a quartz countertop. Its clean lines and all-white color palette make it appear petite. “When you lift the vanity off the floor, it gives you a lot more visual space underneath,” the designer says. “And it has just the right amount of storage for a powder bath.” Hintgen upped the feeling of spaciousness by using a six-foot long mirror that accentuates the high ceiling. Slim-lined drop pendants contribute to a layered effect. While sleek and minimal in design, every detail is carefully considered. “It’s the very best of simple,” Hintgen says.

Daring Drama

Well known for his neutral palettes, Hintgen says strong color is not often his preference. “But when I saw this rich, vibrant orange, textured wall covering, I knew it was right for the powder bath in a contemporary Denver residence,” he says. The designer chose equally sensational lights and fixtures for the room. The pedestal sink is a glass cylinder that folds back down to form the basin. “It is elegant and beautiful,” says Hintgen, “and the smoked glass relates perfectly to the orange walls.” He chose a Kohler Karbon faucet that echoes the cylindrical shape of the sink: “It is commonly used in kitchens but the wall mount works in a bath.”

Lighting is all-important in this vividly colored space. “The room is high drama with intense, definitively focused lighting,” Hintgen says.  He incorporated LED lights into a two-inch gap between the walls and ceiling to create a perimeter halo glow around the room. The only other sources of light are an art light and a single spot above the sink.  A small mirror suspended by a leather strap and intricate herringbone floor tiles are other bold moves in a room that dares to be distinctive.

David Hintgen
DH Interiors, Denver
dhinteriorsdenver.com