Last updated: October 24, 2026 · 7-minute read
The client called us in late 2024. He'd just bought a 1925 Chicago Lake Shore Drive penthouse — 13 floors up, original parquet floors, ten-foot ceilings, panoramic eastern view of Lake Michigan. He'd already commissioned a full restoration with one of Chicago's better residential design firms. The brief he gave us specifically: "Find me a piece of stone that the rest of my powder room can be designed around. I want one thing that the room responds to. The thing should be black."
What followed was the most aesthetically focused single-stone project we've completed in 2026. One vessel sink. One vanity top. One material decision. And a room that became the most-photographed corner of an otherwise expansive apartment.
The client and the building
The client is a senior partner at a Chicago law firm, late 50s, divorced, no children at home. He'd lived in Lake Forest for 22 years; the Lake Shore Drive penthouse was his post-divorce city move. He cared deeply about the apartment because it represented the next chapter of his life.
The building is a landmark Beaux-Arts apartment building from 1925. The powder room he was renovating sits off the entry foyer — the room every visitor uses. Original 1925 dimensions: 6 feet by 7 feet, 42 square feet of usable space. Original mosaic tile floor. Original brass fixtures (incredibly, still functional after 101 years). The room needed restoration, not gut renovation.
The single stone decision
Over six weeks of sampling, we shipped him five different black/dark stones in increasing-size samples:
- Nero Marquina marble (Spanish, sharp white-on-black veining)
- Sahara Noir marble (Italian, soft white feathering on near-black)
- Black Galaxy granite (Indian, fine gold/silver flecks on black)
- Pietra Grigia marble (Italian, deep dark gray with subtle banding)
- Belgian Black limestone (Belgian, near-uniform near-black)
His selection process was unusual: he photographed each sample sitting on his entry foyer floor at three times of day for two weeks. He examined them at distance from inside the foyer. He compared the photos against the existing original mosaic floor pattern. He concluded after the second week.
The choice: Sahara Noir marble. The soft white feathering against the deep dark base gave the stone a quality of movement that the harder Nero Marquina lacked. The depth of the dark background matched the patina of the original brass and the warm-aged wood of the building.
Stone specifications
- Sahara Noir vessel sink: 15-inch diameter, polished finish (his single departure from the broader honed-finish movement — he wanted the dramatic reflection of polish in this single object). $1,840 with DDP shipping.
- Sahara Noir vanity top: 28-inch x 22-inch, polished, with cutouts for the sink and a single existing faucet. Batch-matched to the sink. $1,420.
BASINCRAFT total: $3,260. Total project budget: approximately $42,000.
The rest of the room: designed around the stone
The designer's plan, finalized after the stone arrived:
Walls: Hand-applied lacquer in deep forest green (Farrow & Ball "Studio Green" custom-tinted slightly deeper). Three coats. Cost: $4,200 including labor.
Original mosaic floor: Restored, not replaced. A specialist Chicago tile restorer cleaned, regrouted, and resealed the 1925 floor. Cost: $2,800.
Ceiling: Antique gold leaf applied by hand by a Lake Forest gilder over two weekends. Cost: $5,800.
Vanity: Custom solid walnut with brass inlay, made by a Chicago woodworker. Floating wall-mounted to preserve the foyer feel. $7,200.
Mirror: Sourced from a vintage architectural salvage store — 1920s arched brass mirror with original glass, hand-polished, hung at proper height above the vanity. $1,400.
Lighting: Single antique brass pendant from a Paris flea market the client visited in March 2026 specifically for this room. Bare bulb, low wattage, dimmable. $890 plus electrical install.
Original brass fixtures: Disassembled, cleaned, lightly polished (not aggressively buffed — the patina is part of the value), reinstalled. Plumber labor: $480.
Door hardware: Original 1925 brass; cleaned, not replaced. No cost.
Linen hand towels: Custom-embroidered with his monogram, oat color, $180 for the pair.
Single piece of art: A small 1930s Chicago architectural sketch, framed in oxidized brass. Sourced from a Chicago dealer. $1,400.
One plant: A small olive tree in an antique brass planter on a small shelf. $240.
The total room composition
The room reads like a small jewel box: dark green lacquered walls, gold-leafed ceiling, restored 1925 floor, dramatic polished Sahara Noir stone, antique brass fixtures, single pendant light. Every element responds to every other element. Nothing is incidental.
The client's quote during the post-project walkthrough: "I've owned this powder room for six months now. I still pause every time I enter it. Most of the time when I designed something in my life, I optimized for use. This room I designed for impact, and the impact has been better than I'd hoped."
What made this project succeed
One stone, one decision. The client made one material decision (the stone) and let the rest of the room respond. This is the opposite of how most powder rooms are designed (multiple decisions in parallel). The single-decision approach forced restraint and coherence.
Six weeks of sampling time. Most clients spend 1–2 weeks on stone selection. This client spent 6 weeks, photographed in multiple lights, examined in multiple contexts. The selected stone was unambiguously right because of the testing.
Polish for impact, not because of trend. Most BASINCRAFT projects in 2026 use honed finishes. This client specifically requested polish, and we agreed because the polish on Sahara Noir specifically amplified the reflective quality the design needed. Always follow the design need, not the trend.
Restoration over replacement. Keeping the 1925 mosaic floor and original brass fixtures grounded the new pieces in history. Modern interventions integrated more gracefully because the historical context was preserved.
Single-decision-maker. The client was the sole decision-maker. No spouse, no committee. Decisions happened fast and held firm. This is a luxury of single-occupant residential projects that should be acknowledged.
What this project teaches about dark stone in small rooms
Sahara Noir specifically (or any black-with-soft-white-veining marble) is forgiving in small rooms in a way Nero Marquina is not. The harder contrast of Nero Marquina draws the eye sharply; the softer movement of Sahara Noir allows the eye to rest. For small powder rooms, particularly ones intended to feel intimate rather than dramatic, Sahara Noir or similar soft-contrast black stones are often the better choice.
For larger rooms with more breathing room (8–12 foot ceilings, 60+ square feet), the harder contrast of Nero Marquina works better because the architectural space accommodates the visual energy.
If you're planning a single-statement-stone project
- Identify the one thing the room will respond to before designing anything else
- Sample over weeks, not days — the right stone reveals itself with time
- Test samples in actual room context (not showroom, not your office)
- Once selected, design every other element to defer to the stone
- Resist adding more dramatic elements; the discipline of restraint is what makes the project work
To start a similar project, order samples across multiple dark stone varieties. Live with them for several weeks. The stone you keep coming back to is the right one.
Frequently asked questions
What did the full project cost?
$41,800 total. Above average for a 42-square-foot powder room because of the high-quality non-stone elements (gold leaf ceiling, custom walnut vanity, restoration labor, antique sourcing).
How long did the project take from first call to finished room?
14 months from initial conversation to completion. Six weeks of stone sampling, 9 weeks of design development, 8 weeks of restoration and procurement, 7 weeks of active construction.
Is Sahara Noir hard to source?
Less common than Nero Marquina, but available. BASINCRAFT can source on request for custom projects. Lead time: 8–12 weeks from request to delivery.
Why polished marble in a 2026 project?
Polished was the right choice for this specific design intent: the polish amplified the dark, reflective quality the room needed. Trends are starting points; design needs are the destination.
Where can I see the finished room?
Photos are in our Projects gallery. The client consented to photo use with location identified as "Chicago Lake Shore Drive" only.
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