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Alyse Eisenberg’s client was a longtime friend from grade school who always said she’d hire Eisenberg to design her first house. In late 2021, after several years in New York, she moved back to Charlotte with her husband to raise their two young children. They purchased a three-story, red-brick home in Matthews that, compared to their Chelsea loft, felt palatial—and a bit dated. “It was very early 2000s, with lots of molding, high ceilings, and builder-grade fixtures that the previous owner hadn’t changed,” Eisenberg says. “Their bathroom had a small shower and a large tub and a very angular ceiling structure that followed the roofline.” 

The homeowners knew they wouldn’t use the oversized tub, so they replaced it with a walk-in shower that had a bench and multiple showerheads. They also removed the linen closet, reconfigured the angled ceiling, and put in support beams to make it all feel seamless. “They just wanted it to feel like a spa-like retreat,” Eisenberg says. “They both work intense corporate jobs, and when they don’t work, they’re with their kids. This room is their oasis, away from the busyness of the day.”

Step by step, here’s what Eisenberg picked and why.

VANITY

“The countertops are engineered stone from Dekton, so they’re really durable. All the cabinetry is white oak. We used hand pulls instead of hardware so we didn’t take away from the reeded wood panels on the cabinets. The top drawers have outlets inside, and the side panels have pullout trash cans, so there’s lots of integrated storage.”

ACCENTS

“That rug is from Lulu and Georgia. We loved it from the very beginning. A lot of the accessories came from vintage places and antique malls.”

SHOWER

“We used 5-by-5-inch ceramic tile from Roca that has a very handmade, Mediterranean feel to it. The bench is the same finish as the vanity countertop. Making the tiles all align was the hardest part. I worked really closely with the installer because of how each corner goes together. The hardware is from Brizo’s new Invari collection, and it was one of the things I was really excited to use. It’s a luxe gold, so it has a bit of an industrial look, but it’s still very beautiful and clean. I love mixing old and new, and this finish is a way you can do that in a bathroom because it doesn’t read as too bright and shiny.” 

MAKEUP STATION

“This is where the closet used to be. It’s really functional, with an organizational system inside the drawers for her hair dryer and makeup. We used finger pulls here, too, so there’s no hardware.” 

LAUNDRY NOOK

“Those two holes lead to laundry baskets. We tried to have the chute line up to the laundry room before construction, but they had beams in the way, so we couldn’t make that work. But it’s still a clean look, like something you’d see at Equinox (a luxury gym chain). I painted that piece on the shelf. For every project, I gift my clients some painting that goes with the overall aesthetic.” 

LIGHTING

“They were really hesitant about that Le Klint chandelier. I think it looks like a beautiful bouquet. It’s made of PVC plastic. We wanted something that could stand up to the humidity in the bathroom, but it also creates soft, atmospheric light, like having a candle hanging in the space.” 

FLOORING

“The flooring is the same tile as the backsplash on the vanity. We did it in a parquet pattern, which is a nod to New York since it’s popular as a wood finish in older apartments. We wanted that to tie in a bit of the past with their future.”