What makes a great bathroom, one perfect for prepping and primping?
A well-considered combination of fixtures, lighting and amenities — the kind we often first experience in a really nice hotel.
“Bathrooms are the most private parts of our homes. They’re also the most private parts of hotels, our ‘homes away from home,’ ” says Los Angeles author Anneli Rufus, whose output includes travel books. It’s the sense of a space that’s exclusively ours that’s appealing, she says, enhanced by fittings and fluffy towels.
We often want to recreate that luxury at home, says Paul Flowers, chief design officer for Lixil, the Tokyo-based parent company of higher-end bath-product brands such as DXV and Grohe. The bathroom, he says, “is moving from a rational space for cleaning and grooming into an emotional space for relaxation and contemplation.”
To bring a hotel-style bathroom home:
Light the way
That hotel bathroom light switch begins the magic: Complexions look healthier, skin smoother.
“Typically, the best type of lighting is layered, because it addresses the bathroom’s different lighting needs,” says interior designer Jessica Shankman of Laurel & Wolf in West Hollywood, Calif.
“I always recommend installing a dimmer to control the light output and create a different atmosphere in the room,” she says. That might mean bright lights as you dress, for instance, and soft lighting while you soak in the tub.
For makeup application, task lighting’s your best friend, she says: “I suggest mounting wall sconces on either side of the mirror to provide shadow-free lighting on the face.”
Old-school vanity lighting often involved harsh fluorescents or intrusive marquee lights. Now, LED lighting can be embedded in the mirror itself, and the reflection can be warm and flattering. Duravit’s L-Cube mirror, for instance, is a frame of LED light that can be dimmed with a touch. (www.duravit.us)
LEDs have also given product designers new places to put lighting, such as under toilet seats and in the edges of spa tubs.
Lights can change color, to adjust the mood of the room, to a a soothing blue, say, or a zesty yellow/orange glow. (www.paulmann.com)
Or a HotelSpa or DreamSpa shower head from ipShower gives light in colors that alert you to the water temperature before stepping in. (www.ipshowers.com)
Designers pull lighting from other rooms — chandeliers or pendants — to amp up the drama and luxe look.
Geared up
High tech and personalization continue to move into the bathroom.
American Standard’s SpaLet toilet-bidet by DXV features a heated seat, temperature-controlled bidet, automated flush, and a seat that opens and closes via sensor. (www.dxv.com)
Bluetooth-enabled sound systems and mirrors embedded with TVs bring sound and video to the bathing environment. (www.zadroinc.com; www.seura.com)
And Broan-NuTone’s Premium Humidity Sensing Control monitors moisture levels and turns on the fan before the mirrors steam up. (www.broan.com)
Warm, welcoming
Sheila Schmitz, editor at houzz.com, sees a trend toward treating the bathroom as more of a “living room.”
“Our users love it when they see a bathroom warmed up with vintage and furniture-like details,” she says. “Console tables, comfortable chairs, and new or repurposed dressers make a bathroom feel more like a living space than just a place to wash up.”
Chameleon Concepts offers bespoke wall-mounted vanities with or without decorative legs. Select style and finish, then add a front panel insert — patterned paper, faux leather, mosaic or marble. (www.chameleonconcepts.com)
Philippe Starck’s Cape Cod vanity features a vessel sink perched on a walnut, oak or beech wood slab, hewn to resemble driftwood. A coordinating free-standing bathtub is crafted of a new material with a satin finish and soft feel. (www.duravit.us)
Undulating curves on the Onda collection of vanities and counter basins have a sensuous and playful vibe. (www.hastingstilebath.com)
Designer brand Axor teamed up with Japanese design studio Nendo to create the LampShower, which features an LED light encased in a brass showerhead that looks like a lampshade. (www.hansgrohe-usa.com)
You can add jewel-box drama or resort-style ambience to a bathroom with art deco, tropical or geometric wallpapers, while aromatherapy diffusers and live plants generate a spalike feel. Create a Zen vibe with a feature wall of grasscloth, stone or wood, and minimalist wall-mounted fittings. Built-in cabinetry adds a sense of calm by letting you stow away the clutter of toiletries.
