Celeste Robbins is often inspired by her projects’ lush, natural surroundings. However, when her Illinois-based architecture and design firm was asked to reimagine the primary bathroom of the 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House, she was thrown a curveball: The room in question had no windows. Instead of overcompensating for scarcity of sunshine, she leaned in, creating a space shaped by light and shadow.
Named Kasumi, which is Japanese for mist, Robbins set out to transform the room into a “feminine, serene, and delicate” retreat with plenty of architectural integrity.
“I appreciate [the Japanese aesthetic’s] focus on nature and its artistry,” she shares. “It relies more on balance and composition than rigid perfection.”
In true show house fashion, Robbins didn’t have a client to appease, so she was able to call the shots — and credits her team for raising the bar. “I love being able to follow my instincts with no hesitation,” she says. “It’s incredibly fun to bring your favorite trades together and let each show their talent.” To imbue the bathroom with a zen-like sensibility, Robbins enlisted layers. A Phillip Jeffries wallcovering and decorative screen from Rosemary Hallgarten offer an elegant take on Japanese wabi-sabi, while a projection system from Advanced Home Audio creates “the movement and elegance you see in nature without being too literal.”
A cast glass vanity from Cristianson Lewis ties it all together, crafting an area often reserved for brushing teeth and washing hands into a can’t-miss design destination. As for the lack of windows? Intentional illumination — courtesy of WellyHaus, The Cosine, and Boyd Lighting — offers pockets of light that aren’t overpowering.
“I want to show people how powerful delicacy and a quiet hand in design can be,” Robbins explains. “It requires removing extraneous design moves until you’re left with only what is meaningful.”
As visitors move throughout Kasumi, she hopes they take a moment to honor the nuances. “I [want] people [to] feel they walked into something that felt enchanting yet elegant and sophisticated,” she says. “To hear people walk into a room and say it feels serene, especially in a crowded showhouse, is the ultimate compliment.”
The 2026 Kips Bay Decorator Show House New York is on view through October 13, 2026.
Photography by David Mitchell.
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