Posh Products Provide Pizzazz & Practicality

Posh Products Provide Pizzazz & Practicality

Today's hottest bath products are not only practical, they also inject a magical sense of luxury into the personal retreat the bath has become.

By Barbara Capella Loehr

Indeed, consumers looking to redesign a single bath, or remodel their homes to include more, bigger and better baths, want their plumbing fixtures, surfacing materials, vanities and finishes to be posh, make an impact and offer supreme functionality, say designers recently interviewed by Kitchen & Bath Design News.

It doesn't matter whether a bath is sporting contemporary or Old World styling, consumers still want as many bells and whistles as their budgets will allow. They're also willing to spend more to obtain the luxury they feel they deserve in the bath particularly in a master bath.

The same idea holds true for powder rooms, which have increasingly become a place to put products in particular, vanities that have enough pizzazz to wow guests and make a powerful style statement in their own right.

Function and easy care surfaces may be more of an issue when it comes to main baths geared toward families with children, but even there, stylish appearance and luxury amenities are still increasingly in demand.

SPLISH SPLASH
Indeed, consumers' choice of plumbing fixtures are most often guided by style mixed with a practical sense of what works for their individual lifestyles, with the goal of creating a luxury retreat that looks great and works even better.

For that reason, whirlpools became something of of status symbol over the years, representing a certain level of luxury consumers wanted to attain in their baths especially in their master baths. Then, more recently, shower systems that featured multiple showerheads and body sprays began catching consumers' eyes. These systems have evolved into large, walk-in, spa-like showers that also feature rain showerheads, thermostatic valves, adjustable-height handsprays and even steam.
These two luxury bath products are facing off, according to many designers, who say many consumers are now looking to include large, glass-enclosed, showers that have all of the aforementioned accoutrements sometimes in addition to a whirlpool.

In fact, Julie Trewhitt Kays of Julie M. Trewhitt Interior Design in Pacific Palisades, CA, says her clients are "requiring" both a whirlpool tub and a shower. She says she rarely sees a bath with just a shower in it because of consumers' keen awareness of resale value in that market.

According to Cheryl Braun, project coordinator with Kendale Design/Build in Jacksonville, FL, her clients are "demanding both, as a rule," especially when they haven't yet experienced a whirlpool. Only those who have had one are asking just for showers, she says.

DeWitt Beall, principal of DeWitt Designer Kitchens in Studio City, CA, agrees, noting that "full-blown master suites would have both, and the shower would include steam."

Fu-Tung Cheng, principal/owner of Cheng Design in San Francisco, CA, believes that while there's a continually growing demand for showers, consumers particularly Baby Boomers are viewing whirlpool tubs as therapeutic alternatives as they age. However, Cheng does see a strong demand for large showers among his clients. In fact, he says many of his clients are asking for walk-in showers. Inside, "they want handshowers, [and] a bench. In some higher-end baths we've done mini spas with a bench and duckboards," he says.

However, other designers say that whirlpool size is decreasing and whirlpool requests are waning, sometimes being replaced by deep soaking tubs. Indeed, "the large driver in baths jetted tubs is shrinking," observes Sheldon Crosby, AIA, principal of L'ARC Architects in West Hartford, CT, who adds that his clients are seeking whirlpool tubs that fit one person.
"I am getting less clients who are asking for whirlpools People are opting for 'hot tub therapy' outside, and inside they would rather have a soaker tub made for one or two," adds Rick Farrell, designer with Binns Kitchen + Bath Design, in Pickering, Ontario, Canada.