Imagine reclining in a whirlpool bathtub (perhaps with a companion), with moonbeams streaming in on you through the skylight above. Surrounded by flickering candles, you can sip a glass of wine, or, with a little more light, you can catch up on your reading, perhaps the latest romance or mystery. Or if you`d prefer, you can lean back in the tub and enjoy a show on television or even chat on the phone.
Sound like a fantasy? For some, it may be; for others, it`s reality. Luxury bathrooms have come of age.
The two rooms most frequently redone in a home are the kitchen and bathroom, according to Home Magazine. This year, more than 8 million Americans will build new bathrooms or remodel old ones, according to the National Kitchen and Bath Association. In the past, the average bath was a simple 5-by- 7-foot space. Now, more than 37 percent of new bathrooms are more than 100 square feet, reports the association.
In new construction, bathrooms have become a priority, said Carmine Torio, executive director of the Home Builders Association of Greater Akron
(Ohio).
”People want all the amenities, especially baths that are part of master suites,” he said. ”There is great demand for skylights or large windows high in the wall above the tub to afford privacy.”
Whirlpool tubs or large garden tubs are a must, he said. Often, they are designed to seat more than one person.
”Usually the tubs are a step up from the floor or boxed in for a special look,” Torio said.
In addition to whirlpool tubs, separate tubs/showers, multiple lavatories, makeup-grooming centers and customized storage areas are becoming common in new and remodeled bathrooms.
Other items frequently being installed in baths include a bidet, steam or sauna facility, exercise area, mirrored walls, video/stereo/TV center, laundry facilities, heated towel bars and fireplaces.
”With the advent of health issues and a greater emphasis on exercise and relaxation, the bathroom has become a center for stress reduction,” said Francis Jones of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. It`s also being used by more than one person at a time, which affects space requirements and layout.
Cabinets for the bathroom are just as sophisticated as kitchen cabinets, with everything from deeply grained wood to slick laminates and high-tech metal materials, available in any decor style desired.
Consumers can choose from counter materials such as wood, tile, stone, laminates and the so-called solid-surface materials. Known by such trade names as Colorcore by Formica, Corian by DuPont and Fountainhead by Nevamar, these materials have color that goes all the way through the material. Solid-surface materials are available in solid colors and patterns and some marble and granite looks. They can be trimmed with a contrasting color or used as custom touches throughout the room.
That`s exactly what was done in the remodeled bathroom of Geraldine and Stephen Demeter of Bath, Ohio. They recently had their 40-year-old bathroom remodeled by Premier Construction of Copley (Ohio), using jade-colored solid materials on the vanity and as accents on the faucets, along with lots of brass trim.
”I can`t believe the difference,” Geraldine Demeter said. ”The room seems so much bigger.”
Contractor Whitey Reed replaced a small window with a three-pane semicircular window above the tub. The curve is repeated in the rounded edge of the counter and a circular shower in the corner.
The original door in the room bumped into the counter, so Premier designer Candy Hale installed a pocket door. She also had a closet in the room moved into the hallway to make room for the shower.
Once yellow and white, the room now has a large, beige whirlpool tub, commode and sink. The wallpaper has a white background with jade and beige pattern. Behind the mirror, above the small, built-in dressing table, is a laundry chute and medicine cabinet. Hale chose recessed lighting above the tub, sink and commode and theatrical-style lighting over the vanity.
”The new window, tan tiled floors, light walls, lighting and brass tricks the eye,” she said. ”The eye is drawn immediately to the window and shower.”
Bath showers are getting a lot of attention, especially as the population ages. Home Magazine reports that shower safety is becoming a priority, with larger, handicapped-accessible, risk-free showers, with built-in benches and lighting, slip-resistant materials, grab bars that double as towel holders and mixing valves that prevent scalding and loss of water pressure.
When the budget does not permit complete remodeling, there are some fairly inexpensive things that can be done to update an old room. Just about any upgrading will ensure a return in resale.
For instance, if you feel locked in by old tile in yesteryear`s colors, perhaps you could achieve a new look by replacing the contrasting border or trim tile, suggested Pat Lyle, a designer with Tiles and Interiors in Stow
(Ohio).
”With new wallpaper and whatnot, you can change the color of a room,”
Lyle said. ”If you can afford, change the fixtures, get a new tub or sink or faucets. With flooring, you can add a border for a whole new look. You might coordinate the wallpaper to complement the tile and you can have fun with the towels and accessories.”
Even a small bathroom can be made to look bigger by maximizing the space. Recessed lights above a tub or shower can add interest; skylights or bump-out windows can create the illusion of bringing the outdoors in. Mirrors can be used to manipulate space. Light, neutral colors that blend with each other on major surfaces will visually expand the space. If the room is too small for a full-size tub, sometimes a soaking tub will make up in depth what it lacks in width.
In an old small bathroom, Lyle suggested mirroring one wall. Also, she said, if you can sacrifice the storage space, remove the vanity and install a pedestal-style sink.
Shiny chrome or brass faucets can give a new look to old fixtures and something as simple as a dimmer switch can change tired, old lighting, Torio said.
For those not on a budget, there are all kinds of trendy new products for the bathroom. Kohler, which makes bathroom fixtures, offers the Habitat Environmental Enclosure, sort of futuristic unit with seating that is built into a wall. It can simulate wind, rain, sun, sauna and steam and is available with or without a whirlpool tub beneath the wood deck. Kohler`s Nancy Deptolla said the units retail for $19,120 to $26,740. ”The Habitat does require a fairly large dedication of space, such as the size of a walk-in closet,” she said, so the unit can be maintained.
At the recent kitchen-and-bath show in Cleveland, a new specialty toilet seat was attracting attention. American Standard`s Smart Seat was being billed as the ultimate personal hygiene toilet that virtually eliminates the need for toilet tissue.
The seat, which comes with attached control panel and fits on standard toilets, has a retractable spray nozzle that functions much like a bidet, heated water and seat, built-in dryer, neon lights that indicate if the seat is left up, and a built-in sanitization system that cleans the unit after each use, including adding a fresh sheet of paper across the seat after each use.
The seat is manufactured in Japan, where more than 2.5 million are in use, said Dale Kramer, president of Ohio Sanitary Supply Co., a Smart Seat distributor. It retails for about $1,000. ”We`re seeing more and more of these being used in homes by the handicapped,” he said. ”It`s the seat of the future, today.”
Observing all the functions, one bystander remarked, ”What if it runs amok?” Now there`s a scary thought.
Kramer assured observers that the computerized seat is safe.
