Kohler's Persuade vanity collection features clean lines and popular retro-modern styling.
Chances are, it’s the first room you visit in the morning, and the last at night.
It’s where you prepare yourself to meet the day and where you wash away the remainders at night. And at the moment, it’s tops on the list of remodeling wish lists.
“People are staying longer in their homes and they want to reward themselves by making their house what they want it to be,” says Jimmy Zito, designer with Oasis Kitchen, Bath & Lighting Design Center in New Oxford.
While conventional wisdom may be that a depressed economy and slow home sales would make for more modest upgrades, APR Supply showroom manager Keith Thomsen says his clients are upgrading to high-end fixtures “for a lifetime of worry-free use.”
“When people have been in a house for 15-20 years, they realize they’re not able to sell soon and will be there a while. They want to make their homes as nice as they can,” he says. “Think about it: the average bathroom is 25-30 years old. It’s something you’re going to have to live with for a long time. You want it to be well appointed and what you want it to be.”
Easy Access
With an eye toward staying in place, remodels are projecting out to a time when homeowners may have mobility issues.
“People want to stay in their homes as long as possible,” says Thomsen. “For older couples who are staying in place, we’re pulling out their old tub/shower inserts and installing walk-in showers with bench seats; we’re putting in higher vanities, and we’re installing comfort-height toilets.”
“It’s a dignity issue,” Thomsen adds. “People want to be able to take care of themselves.”
“There are more and more beautiful ‘age-in-place’ options available,” says Darren Trautman, design studio manager for Inspirations Bath & Kitchen Studio by Hajoca in Harrisburg.
“Accessibility has taken on a European mantra,” he adds, noting the clean, clutter-free designs that have the added benefit of being easier to navigate for an aging population, like shower bases designed to be flush with the floor.
“The trend is accessibility with style,” says Linda Valentino, designer at Natural Stoneworks in Lancaster. “With the whole trend of people staying in their homes longer than they thought, they want to put more work into them and make them look nice.”
Thomsen agrees. “There are so many options now that are ADA-compliant, but are more decorative and more appropriate in a residential setting.”
Thomsen is especially enamored of custom-finished “beautifully turned” grab bars “that look so much more decorative than what you’d see at a nursing home.”
Retro Style
The idea of staying in place is having an influence on the look of bathroom designs. Clean, classic designs that harken back generations are what’s in style.
“There’s a return to the classic sophistication of what our grandparents had,” says Trautman. “Even the design of faucets is returning to simple lines and a somewhat mechanical appearance, instead of overstated design and excessive ornamentation. It may be a correlation to our down economy and a return to simpler times.”
Zito agrees: “What I’m seeing is old things are new again. There are a lot of innovative fixtures in polished nickel, with brands trying to coordinate and match in finish and style.”
Trautman says the look is complemented with cross handles on faucets as well as cast iron and porcelain in new and interesting “worn” finishes.
“Shiny finishes are back,” he says. “Gone are the days of oil-rubbed bronze and brushed nickel. Reinvented, crisp finishes such as polished nickel and polished gold bring a clean aesthetic as compared to their brushed and rubbed counterparts.”
Keeping the fixtures off the floor serves as a way to pay homage to the past as well as create a modern, airy look at the same time.
Floating sinks, floating vanities, even floating toilets are all the rage.
“Sleek, simple, wall hungs are returning in popularity—almost a Euro style,” says Trautman. “Seeing some mechanics [waste pipes, shut offs] is OK, as long as they are coordinated and attractive.”
Thomsen says he really likes the contemporary look and the ease of cleaning the wall-hung toilets, but cautions renovators that the extensive retrofit may add additional remodeling expenses.
Glass, frameless shower enclosures continue to be “really popular,” says Thomsen. “They make smaller bathrooms look bigger.”
Valentino says the light colored trend of “a real serene white or off-white palate” adds to that feeling of expansiveness.
She continues to see individual mirrors with a storage cabinet in between as a popular option for two-sink bathrooms.
Sinks in oval and square shapes are also in demand.
“The overall look is a more subtle design, trying to relate to the feeling of spas people have visited or seen in photos,” says Valentino.
Little Luxuries
With bath remodeling so hot at the moment, and a flood of new products, homeowners are finding some luxuries aren’t the splurge they once were.
“This influx of new products is nice because now they won’t break the budget,” says Thomsen. “But they still create that vacation spa feeling at home.”
Jetted tubs have given way to other forms of indulgence, says Trautman. “The whirlpool is dead, and the bath is seen as an inconvenience. No one has time to wait for the tub to fill and the jets to turn on.”
He describes the vertical spa as “a digital, jetted showering experience looking somewhat like a carwash clad in beautiful custom tile work.
“These systems can do everything from rinse your body to play your favorite song, illuminate your morning ritual, or relax you with aromatherapy. While they aren’t cheap, they can enhance our busy lives,” he adds.
“People want these whole tiled caves of walk-in showers,” says Valentino. “But they want the tiles to be useful, with built-in niches and towel racks, and corner seats.”
Valentino says that porcelain tile with epoxy grout creates tilework that never mildews and makes for easy cleaning.
Valentino and Thomsen are also seeing increased interest in steam showers.
“They’re very relaxing, very therapeutic for sore, aching muscles; they open up the pores and they help people with allergies,” he says.
For those who still want a tub to soak in, the trend has returned to “one person relaxing, not the whole party in the tub,” says Valentino.
“Air tubs with their soft massage, no maintenance, and very sanitary systems are more the trend now,” says Thomsen.
Heated towel bars, either electric or hooked up to the home’s boiler system, are also “a nice luxury for beach towels, bathing suits, and lingerie that can’t go in the dryer,” he adds.
Getting Greener
In addition to updating the look of a bathroom, remodeling is an opportunity to take advantage of more efficient, eco-friendly fixtures.
Low-flow faucets and showerheads are now the norm.
“Most have reduced flow by 30 percent, but people can’t tell the difference,” says Thomsen, who adds that now “low-flow toilets are quickly taking over the world.”
He says there’s greater interest in dual flush toilets, “with a button for liquids at .9 liters and a button for 1.6 liters for when you need it.”
And he added that in new construction, on-demand hot water heaters are in demand in larger bathrooms.
“One of our lines of reclaimed chestnut and recycled copper vanities is extremely popular right now, as is using natural materials like limestone and sandstone,” he says.
Zito is seeing a trend to more efficient bathroom lighting.
“People are getting light where it needs to be without wasting energy with general diffused light,” he says. “People are more likely to use sconces to give pleasant light to their faces, and use more task lighting.”
Although he sees LED lighting on the horizon, he says that at four times the cost of traditional lighting, “it’s still too expensive to be generally adopted.”
Words of Advice
In formulating plans for a bathroom remodel, Thomsen urges homeowners to work with designers, who in many showrooms offer their services for free.
“One of the biggest mistakes is to buy things piecemeal,” he says. “Aim for a nice cohesive look, because 25-30 years is too long to live with a mistake."
Trautman’s final thoughts: “Listen to what the professionals are saying, but remember that it is your bathroom. Make sure you see yourself in every piece chosen. The end product will be so much more inspired and unique.”
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The Kallos undermount sink from Kohler uses sturdy glass construction to create stunning visual depth.
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A unique egg-shaped soaking tub from Maax creates a soothing look and feel
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Jetted showers are the hottest trend and request in bathroom remodels