Gilded Excess Makes a Splash in This Jersey Shore Bathroom
The soaking tub was carved from a single block of onyx.
An opulent Jersey Shore bathroom renovation by Tartan & Toile / Photograph by Donna Dotan; styling by Matthew Gleason
You know what I love? When people embrace an aesthetic — a vibe — wholeheartedly. It speaks to a singular point of view that can’t easily be replicated. And this over-the-top bathroom down the Shore is exactly that. It’s maxed-out, makes you look, and begs you to jump into that soaking tub. Enjoy the splashy story by writer Kristin Detterline below. — Kristen Schott, lifestyle editor
It took a crane and 15 people to move this stunning onyx soaking tub into the third-floor primary bath of a beachfront home in Avalon, New Jersey.
The custom bath fixture — carved in China from a single block of stone — was just one of many bold design choices that Lucy O’Brien, principal designer of Swarthmore-based Tartan & Toile, made during the transformative home renovation. Her nickname for the project: Marrakech and Jaipur Meet the Shore. To pull it off, she sourced tile from Morocco, a vintage Murano chandelier from Italy, and custom pink onyx sinks in the shape of shells.
But O’Brien’s design inspiration might surprise you. She came up with the floor’s mosaic tile pattern after spying a block print on a tablecloth at the Bryn Mawr Hospital Thrift Shop, and continued the elaborate aesthetic from there.
Published as “Soak It In” in the June 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
