The Wellness Factor

He adds: "People are going more for higher-end products versus cheap imitations because they think more about long-term wear and tear on the products."

He concludes: "[The bottom line is] that people are using the bathroom as a retreat these days, because it is a great place to recharge your batteries and relax."

Mountain High

For Nancy Moon, creating a Colorado mountain-style spa atmosphere is a popular request. This particular project, however, offered unique challenges.

Moon explains: "The bathroom, upon first glance, was a crowded, dated nightmare. A tub occupied more than half of the room, stretching out from the corner. The rest of the room was shallow, inefficient countertop space supported by old, unpleasing cabinetry."

She continues: "The shower, tub and toilet'while functional'were basic, boring and bland, and there was no flow in the room. Basically, the toilet, shower, tub, cabinets and closet were unhappily combined in a low-ceilinged cage."

To remedy this, Moon vaulted the ceiling. "This created a much more open and light feeling, which was emphasized by a skylight," she remarks.

It was at this point that Moon radically altered the design. "By creating a clear path from the entryway'past the closet, shower, cabinetry and tub to the elevated, hidden toilet'we freed up the space, which gave it a relaxed feeling. We also designed 'his and hers' sink areas to differentiate the areas for more organized storage."

Moon then selected soft, two-tone Jay Rambo cabinetry that featured lighter knotty alder on the upper cabinets and deeper knotty alder on the lowers, creating a sense of subtle sophistication.

To upgrade the design, Moon also chose a steam/mist shower with a bench for relaxation, "his and hers" showerheads, an oversized rainshower, and a hand-held shower mist; a Toto toilet/bidet with a heated seat, and a bubble tub by BainUltra, which offered the ability to use aromatherapy, oil or scented bath products.

"Finally, we relied on neutral, classic colors and a variety of textures to infuse the room with a mountain resort feeling," she adds. "Specifically, the textures included limestone tile from Colorado Finest Stone and Ceramic, granite surfaces, glass tile accents, oil-rubbed bronze faucets and fixtures, as well as the previously mentioned knotty alder cabinetry. To finish, we chose a bronze chandelier to perfect the romantic, cozy, mountain getaway atmosphere."

She continues: "The clients' desire for a retreat dictated many of the product choices and offered an opportunity for the clients to relax and enjoy the bathing experience."

She concludes: "The largest trend in today's bathrooms is to combine as many high-end products in a space as possible no matter the size, such as we did here, bringing the shower, tub, and toilet into a rather tight space."

Glass Effects

Remodeling this bathroom for his young client, Mark Palmer was initially challenged by the cramped space and poorly designed layout.

He explains: "This project had a closed-in shower, and the client wanted to open it up and make the shower bigger. So, we used a lot of glass, which creates a more open feel."

Palmer also removed the previous tub and installed a whirlpool in the space. "We under-mounted the tub with a marble top surrounding the tub. This offers greater ease of access and offers a nice look," he says.

To complement the open, relaxed feeling, he selected natural materials: "It is a Mediterranean-style bath. There is a lot of marble and natural materials, such as travertine flooring."

Although the use of glass is a dominant feature in the space, he also wanted to keep the relaxed vibe. The solution was to mix materials. "There is custom woodwork around the mirrors, which gives off is a real warm look. There is rain glass on the shower, and we built custom paneling around the mirrors to complement the space."

Dynasty cabinetry and granite for the countertop also add warmth to this master bath.

Rounding out the product lineup are such comfort amenities as a whirlpool from MTI Whirlpools, radiant flooring, a showerhead with body sprays from Kohler Co. and a towel warmer.