Restroom Report

London-Style Loos Are Calling

The teardrop mirror and magic-eye mosaics.
When we heard that Gordon Ramsay’s new joint was designed by David Collins, the man behind London’s Nobu Berkeley and J Sheekey, we suspected the restrooms would be as high-flying as the 80-chef kitchen. Gord has threatened to ban anyone who photographs the food, but we chanced taking a camera into the loos.

Concept: More or less the same deal as at the nearby Modern — a hallway of seven minimalist cubicles outfitted with glass tiles. The kickers: Teardrop mirrors and a Calacatta-marble mosaic floor that resembles a deconstructed Copacabana boardwalk.

Privacy: Plenty of rooms to go around; we pictured ourselves drawing a $5,000 Evian bath in the first and largest one.

Amenities: On your way out, a button slowly fades the room to pitch black. An opening in the counter for paper-towel disposal eliminates unsightly waste bins. The nondrying, mildly scented liquid soap is by Floris of London, a 275-year-old brand once favored by Florence Nightingale and Mary Shelley.

Flaws: The opaque, nickel-trimmed glass doors are luminous and chic but bank-vault heavy.

Strategy: Pop open the glass panels beneath the sink and you’ll find stacks of embroidered Egyptian-cotton dinner napkins. We’re not saying you should steal them, but this is a hotel bathroom.

Rating: 4 stars

Rating:

— Daniel Maurer

London-Style Loos Are Calling