Klaff's, the upscale home design retailer known for its one-stop luxury shopping, today unveiled an exquisite Master Bath for Her in the Greenwich Designer Showhouse, which opens to the public this Friday, May 11, and runs through June 17. Klaff's invested more than $100,000 to remodel the master suite for the Greenwich Hospital fundraiser, transforming it into a woman's bath retreat that reads like a French history book.

Featuring an elaborately designed custom vanity, fireplace mantel, one-of-a-kind mosaic marble floor and wall panels, as well as a top-of-the-line French-replica soaking tub, the French Manor-inspired room epitomizes living life to the highest standard in one of Connecticut's poshest neighborhoods.

"When the showhouse organizers asked us to design the Master Bath for Her, we were excited to be part of such a great cause and wanted to create something truly inspiring," said Joe Klaff Passero, chairman and COO, Klaff's. "In a real estate market that is as much about luxury living as it is about lavish remodeling, the master bath has become one of the most important rooms in the home. Our designers felt compelled to create a bath that married the home's magnificent French architectural style with the best modern amenities money could buy." Citing an impressive statistic, Passero noted just how far your remodeling dollar goes these days: on average, upscale baths fetch a 133 percent return on investment.

According to Klaff's tile and stone designer, LouAnn Torres, the bath adds tremendous resale value to the home because it mirrors the architectural integrity of the home, while addressing the needs of a modern woman. "This bath beautifully captures the timeless elegance of an historically rich period. It's hard to resist being drawn into a style of living that puts romance, femininity and personal pampering at the top of the priority list."

Passero added that transforming the Master Bath for Her into a feminine retreat was as much a labor of love for him as it was for his design team, who included Torres, kitchen and bath cabinetry designer, Nick Geragi, design coordinator, Damani King, and countless others in Klaff's bath, lighting and decorative hardware showrooms, who put their finishing aesthetic touches on the bath's French Manor theme.

To recreate their well-researched vision of French Manor living, the team completely gutted the space and started over with nothing more than the existing fireplace opening and two windows. Torres selected natural stone in neutral shades of beige, gold, taupe and gray for a large mosaic floor centerpiece featuring a scroll and leaf motif that were typical decorative elements of French Manor homes. She repeated the visual composition on three custom panels on the shower wall.

Geragi continued Torres' decorative leaf theme in a custom built quintessentially French vanity made of stained and glazed maple woods with ornate carvings. He also designed an elaborate fireplace mantel with imposing columns that extend to the ceiling and look as if they could support the house itself. These focal points capture your attention and gently lead your eye to a shiny silver freestanding tub that is an exact replica of an antique but made with new and improved materials: aluminum and acrylic that do a better job of keeping the bath water ultra warm for the lady of the house.

About The Showhouse

The showhouse at 200 Stanwich Road in Greenwich will be open to the public every day (except Memorial Day) for five weeks from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., May 11 through June 17. All proceeds will benefit Greenwich Hospital's new Integrative Medicine Center.

About 20 top interior designers from Greenwich and the New York metropolitan area turned the lavish French manor-style mansion into a decorating masterpiece. Admission is $30 and includes the Showhouse Journal. Children under six, infants, strollers and pets are not permitted in the showhouse. For more information about the showhouse, call (203) 869-6809 or visit www.greenwichdesignershowhouse.com.