The Royal Treatment

In today’s bath, comfort is king.

And that comfort can come not just in the way of physical comfort, but emotional and sensory as well.

“There are always consumers looking for comforting designs,” observes Gail Drury, CMKBD and president of Drury Design Kitchen & Bath Studio in Glen Ellyn, IL. “This desire is driven by today’s hectic lifestyles and the search for a little bit of respite from the everyday chaos.”

Of course, comfort and wellness mean different things to different people, and that concept is not lost on kitchen and bath designers.

Mary Nolte, Allied ASID and principal of Mary Nolte Design in East Northport, NY stresses: “I’ve found that the most critical key to developing a sense of wellness for my clients’ baths is to listen very carefully to them in order to get to know the clients as individuals.”

“It’s essential to learn what my clients’ definition of wellness is and what brings a sense of well-being to them,” she continues. “It is equally key, if not more so, to discover what disturbs my clients and their sense of well-being.

Keeping it Simple

The simplest way to achieve a soothing environment is...well, pretty simple, reports Drury. The use of soothing colors and clean, uncluttered design elements plays a significant role.

“The proper flow of colors in all elements in a room and throughout a house creates a sense of well-being in itself,” Nolte reports. “Generally, people feel more comfortable with softer, neutral, medium-tone colors.”
“While not technically neutrals, greens and other colors can be used in neutral colored rooms,” she adds.

Common color requests in the bath, according to Nolte, include dark rich browns on walls. Greens and blues remain popular, as do lighter shades of red.

Leslie Lomont-Relayson of New Orleans, LA-based Cabinets by Design adds: “I’m being asked to incorporate basic, neutral colors for cabinets and stone. Color might be added through tile or just in the accessories.”

She also notes that she has been receiving requests for simple and clean materials when creating her designs. “I think life has become hectic for most of us, and a clean, simple, uncluttered look in neutral colors does provide some sense of calm at the end of the day,” she comments.

“These spaces tend to be of simpler design,” stresses Drury, “and, as a result, they are more contemporary in feel. ‘Less is more’ definitely fits here.”

Functional Luxury

According to Drury, making a space look calm and uncluttered is one thing; making it highly functional is another.

“I believe we need to recognize when we are building a Hummer versus a Prius,” comments David Linzer, CKD, CAPS, CGP for Coral Springs, FL-based Designs by David L. “Downsizing and using materials and equipment that address energy consumption, safety and convenience while satisfying aesthetics is the future. Americans face new problems, and while bells and whistles were always the icing on the cake, we need to look at design, space and options through new glasses.”

“Bells and whistles just clutter things up and are not applicable to this type of design,” adds Drury. If the client insists on bells and whistles in this type of space, she offers, it will typically mean multiple showerheads or steam showers. “The bells and whistles are in the function of the space more than the design,” she continues.

David Schneider, owner, ASID of Schneider Kennedy Design in Wildwood, MO, notes that the desire for an environment that promotes wellness dictates the call for luxury items, whether it be a therapy tub or a built-in coffee center. But he quickly adds that there has been a noticeable shift in the amount of luxury items a consumer is willing to include.

“Three years ago, people would include almost anything as long as it was not ridiculous. Today, they ask themselves whether they really need certain items and whether they feel they will get enough benefits from them to justify the cost,” he states.