Jimmy Reed is recognized by Hollywood stars as one of the best installers of glass mosaic tile pools and spas. Because of his impressive status, Reed was recently asked to bring his talents inside for a change and showcase his artistic craftsmanship at the new multi-million dollar Los Angeles home of legendary pop icon Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish. With a growing family, the couple needed more space and found the perfect fit in a single-level, 4,216 square foot modernist style home located in the exclusive Trousdale Estates, a glamorous enclave of mid-century style mansions in Beverly Hills.
Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the multi-award winning LA-based designer and star of Bravo’s reality series “Million Dollar Decorators,” created the custom interior decoration program. The internationally acclaimed interior designer has a long list of awards and an even longer list of high-profile clients that now enjoy his detailed and sophisticated interiors. Bullard just happens to be a very close personal friend of Sir Elton John’s family, and in 2009 he famously decorated the couple’s previous LA residence on the 20th floor of the Sierra Towers in West Hollywood.
Reed’s extensive experience makes him the perfect choice for the elegant Bisazza glass mosaic tile installation in the master bath, as well as two other interior spaces included in Bullard’s modernist, color-splashed interior decoration for Sir Elton John and his family.
Inside the modernist style, single-story L-shaped home featuring incredible hilltop views, Reed showcased his artistic style in three different rooms. His elegant and intensely detailed glass mosaic tile installation for the entire master bathroom pushes the limits of tile design just as far as it can go. Bisazza’s one of a kind 24-carat white gold glass tile collection and Reed’s flawless installation result in a “perfect storm” of tile design.
For all of the walls outside the glass encased shower space, Reed used Bisazza’s signature Damasco pattern in the Oro Bianco collection. This is a classic pattern that uses the smooth and textured white gold mosaics along with the white gold Vetricolor glass mosaic to really highlight the signature design. For the inside shower walls, Reed used Bisazza’s Queen ¾” x ¾” (20x20mm) blend consisting of the smooth and textured white gold mosaic exclusively. The highly unique collections feature two finish-styles that accent each other perfectly when used in the same design. Bisazza’s Oro collection is created using real, 24-carat white gold that’s encased in 20x20mm clear glass mosaic tiles. Reed’s influence played an integral part in the success of many of the modern features of the master bathroom, starting with the curbless shower entry that didn’t interrupt the tile design with the lowered substructure custom built. Reed also decided to pass on the traditional round-center drain and instead used a subtle, 14-foot stainless steel linear channel drain custom made by Laticrete along the far back wall.
Stepping into the shower through the barrier-free entry in the center of the shower’s two glass walls, Reed continued his tile work using a more traditional hand-cut, soft-white colored Greek Thassos natural stone. Reed cut the material into 6” x 12” tiles and surfaced the entire bathroom floor in a custom brick-stack pattern. The master bath is complete with the natural stone flooring selection that flows with the white gold tiles from Bisazza that adorn the walls.
For the kid’s bath, Bullard had Reed install custom glass tile sheets in a color-splashed balloon pattern that were designed to a perfectly fit each wall space, including the interior shower walls. The playful, colorful glass tile sheets were offset with Caesarstone solid surface in Pure White, which Reed custom-fabricated for the tub-surround and columns, as well as for the sleek vanity countertop and custom sink. Caesarstone is one of the world’s leading producers of solid quartz surfaces.
For the half bath, call it a “powder room,” Reed custom-fabricated and installed a 10-foot long, angular countertop with the same Caesarstone solid surface used for the kid’s bath. The Caesarstone countertop was again used in Pure White, and features an integrated drop sink that Reed cut right from the slab, as well as a lower display shelf in the same angular dimensions and materials.
“It’s always special to work on high-profile projects like this alongside a truly world-class collaboration of artistic professionals,” Reed said. “It was a pleasure to be a part of this team. Martyn Lawrence Bullard is simply an incredible designer who creates spaces with eclectic material that always works so perfectly with each space.”