More and more, people are going to the bathroom to relax and even luxuriate after a day in the rush-rush world. Homeowners are upgrading the rooms to create a spa effect and are outfitting them with everything from soaking tubs to heated floors. But peace and quiet aren’t the only motivating factors. An upgraded bathroom helps sell a home and can be a good investment. In that spirit, we’ve pulled together a handful of bath trends to consider, both for yourself and for the market
Large, open showers: Opening up the shower is becoming a huge trend and is becoming the driving factor for many bath remodels. So much so, that in small bathrooms, homeowners are tearing out the tub to expand the shower. These bigger showers are also becoming more airy, with much more glass. To further the spa effect, many homeowners are also upgrading to steam showers.
Replace the Jacuzzi with a soaking tub: The tub is far from dead, however; it’s just changing. Many homeowners are looking for the quiet, serene experience of a soaking tub or air jet tub. The tubs are also getting deeper or have a raised over flow to allow for a deep soak. However, massive tub decks, popular in nicer homes from the 80’s and 90’s, are no longer popular as many homeowners now see this as being impractical and a waste of space.
Let the natural light in: People want master bathrooms to be brighter and more sun-filled than before. This typically means incorporating windows into the new bath design. Don’t have an exterior wall in your bathroom? Many homeowners in this situation love how adding a skylight or sun tunnel will flood the bath with natural light.
Improve ventilation: What bathroom couldn’t use better ventilation to clear off mirrors quickly and extend the life of the finishes? One option gaining popularity is the use of a remote fan. This setup has the fan motor elsewhere, such as the attic, because it is about 10 times as powerful as an old-school fan. Because the motor is outside the bathroom, they’re extremely quiet. Also on the market are fans with humidity sensors that switch on automatically.
Private water closets: One of the biggest trends in higher-quality bath remodels is the “privatization of the toilet.” In other words, giving the master bath’s toilet its own private room, or at a minimum a privacy wall.
Better storage: Vertical storage in the bath is really catching on, because it works well, while saving space. Built-in linen towers at the vanity, often with drawers or flip up doors, put easily accessible storage right where you need it. Hiding an outlet or two inside the medicine cabinet or vanity storage is another great way to decrease clutter. This removes items like electric toothbrushes and razors from being out in the open and gives the bathroom a much cleaner look. It’s the simple things that can add up to create a pleasant bathroom experience.
Dual vanities: Increasingly, homeowners are asking for his-and-hers sinks and vanities, even in small bathrooms. Two vanities allow for each person to have his or her own space and storage and can minimize bumping into each other during the morning and evening routine.
Grab bars: Once found only in nursing homes, grab bars are hand bars bolted to walls in showers and above tubs to help keep people from falling. They’re appearing in many bathrooms now. A big reason is that baby boomers are graying and looking for a surer grip. But younger people are accepting them, too, because there are now options that don’t look institutional. The number one room in the house where accidents happen is in the bathroom. Now homeowners don’t have to compromise aesthetics for safety by coordinating grab bars to match their shower trims and faucets.
A touch of warmth: More and more homeowners are asking for radiant electric heating in the bathroom. Companies such as Nuheat sell a mesh that is placed under the tiles when they’re set, and then is connected to a thermostat on the wall. Clients can even program the thermostat to begin warming the floor before they wake up in the morning, so they never have to experience bare feet on cold tile again! www.nuheat.com