An Eye on Design

An Eye on Design

Today's bath combines elements of tradition and trendiness to achieve a space that offers the ultimate in luxury, comfort and function.

Bathroom design can have an enormous impact on the overall atmosphere and quality of a home. Regardless of what's going on in the rest of the house, it seems there's always someone waiting to use the bathroom. And baths featuring today's design components blend tradition with trend to create stunning rooms that pamper as well as impress.

"More and more, today's bathrooms are becoming statements of personal style sanctuaries of relaxation and escapism from daily stresses," explains Mary Reid, v.p./Industrial Design for the Kohler, WI-based Kohler Co.

"The bathroom space is enlarging and new layouts are showing a softened divide between the bathroom and its adjacent rooms. 

"Within the bathroom itself, the trend is to create separate personalized areas for him and her. These larger bathroom spaces are incorporating more furniture for the bath, as well as more hydrotherapy products such as whirlpools, BodySpas and custom showers products that not only help you function, but also entertain," Reid adds.

Molly Korb, CKD, CBD, of the Newcastle, CA-based MK Designs agrees: "The bathroom is a place to unwind after a busy day, or gear-up for a busy day. We like warm, comfortable spaces, and people are spending money in this room for all the amenities that will give them that comfort." 

Tom McCay, product manager for Eljer Plumbingware, in Dallas, TX notes, "The master bath continues to be the primary focus in remodeling. People are willing to spend more money in this area of the home. As a result, the larger, high-design baths are gaining in popularity." 

Technology
To meet the needs and desires of consumers, manufacturers are continually introducing upscale bath products designed to transform almost any space into a luxurious oasis. Tubs and showers, for example, with the adoption of skylights, glass block and two-person tubs and shower heads, are looking less like places to cleanse the body and more like elegant havens for cleansing the mind and soul. 

Likewise, the use of gas fireplaces, raised cabinetry, steam showers, jetted tubs that offer hydrotherapy benefits and privacy enclosures are gaining popularity in the bath, as sophistication and customization replace the simple, unimaginative designs of years past.

Kohler, for instance, recently introduced a whirlpool product called the Riverbath, which is "designed to provide a total water experience, one that massages the body but also revives the spirit with a dramatic waterfall and the movement and sounds of a river," according 
to Reid. 

Notes Phil Weeks, president of the Walnut Creek, CA-based Jacuzzi Whirlpool Bath, "With men and women rushing off to work, they want useful products at their fingertips. And at the end of the day, they're looking for luxury." Thus, he believes that today's bathroom needs to be "an area of the home that caters to both these needs." Jacuzzi recently introduced Affinity, "a corner whirlpool bath complete with television, CD/stereo system and four speakers" that Weeks sees as "a perfect fit with this emerging trend." 

Another recent introduction to the whirlpool market is the patented pipeless whirlpool bath from the Coppell, TX base SANIJET. Designed to appeal to consumers' sanitary concerns by "eliminating the hidden maze of piping and channels of conventional piped systems," the product is unique in that "every component of our whirlpool baths that comes in contact with dirty bath water can be seen and easily accessed for quick and thorough cleaning," according to SANIJET president and CEO John Williams Booth. "We live in a time of increasing awareness and concern for the health and safety of our families," he notes, and suggests that because of the growing awareness of sanitary and health issues, "The industry's transition to pipeless technology is inevitable."

Materials
When it comes to popular materials being used in the bath, Weeks notes that, "Marble, granite and tile continue to be popular, as well as the composite materials." As far as "trendy materials," he adds that, "We're seeing more concrete counters with interesting color mixes or decorations embedded in the concrete."