Camera Ready Bathrooms:
Luxury on a Grand Scale
by Casey McCabe

   Interior designers and builders are pulling out all of the stops to create gorgeous bathrooms chock full of functionality. These are places where faucets are wall mounted and fixtures of chrome have been abandoned for sleek designs finished in antique copper and satin gold, where ho-hum porcelain sinks have been replaced with basins crafted of spun glass and hammered metal.
   “In some ways, bathrooms are my favorite rooms to work with,” says Kathryn Guyitt, owner of Design Tech of SW Florida and a licensed residential contractor and interior designer.“ The vast array of beautiful and innovative products is always expanding from tiles to light fixtures, furniture pieces and wall coverings and allows us to transform these rooms into something special.”
   There was a time when the luxury bath did not exist and homeowners had no reason to give their guests tours of this private getaway. Times have changed. With thoughtful planning and attractive materials, the master bath is more than just a functional space; it is a personal retreat. These are places intended for pampering and, beyond that, showcases that demonstrate a fondness for being pampered.
   “The master bathroom suite is becoming a haven for homeowners,” said Guyitt.“ In many Southwest Florida homes, guests or family members often have one side of the residence and the homeowners have the other. My clients have definite ideas about what they want in this sanctuary.”
   New homes feature large master bathroom suites with soaring ceilings, walk-in showers without doors, and special attractions such as private gardens with water features.
   Whether it ’s a new home or a remodel, much attention is given to lighting.“ This is a room that can be poorly lit,” Guyitt says. “Certainly artificial and natural lighting are extremely important. The type of lighting should be determined by ceiling height, which plays huge part in the formula.”
   Lighting enhancements might include recessed lighting above and sconces placed according to a client’s height. “For years, there was an adage that sconces should be installed in the vicinity of 66 inches,” she explains. “Well, that does not necessarily hold true for every light fixture, and if you are putting on makeup you do not want a light right in your face, nor do you want to be down lit.”
   In remodels, Guyitt reports, clients often want to remove the bidet to make room for a larger shower area.“ They want to make the water closets smaller and use that space to enlarge something else such as the shower.”
   The desire for a natural ambiance is very much a part of bathroom décor. Vanderbilts Fine Interiors recently completed the interior design for The Fernandina, Gulfstream Homes custom home in Indigo Preserves. Stone countertops and dry stack stone along a wall of the shower, as well as slate floors and walls, establish the force of nature in the spa-like setting. Cherry cabinetry with spare, clean lines, lend an air of sophistication. In the center of the room, the tub is designed like a fountain with a thin stream of water silently falling from the ceiling and an infinity edge continually recirculating the flow.
   “I wanted people to walk in and be at peace,” says Debra Mamula,Vanderbilts Fine Interiors design director. “Elements of nature are everywhere in this beautiful room.I get shivers every time I see it.”
   Two trends are apparent in bathroom design.The first is taking the bath out to make room for a spa-like shower.The second is incorporating the bath as a central feature in an opulent setting. We hear it time and again from builders, interior designers, merchants in bath supply showrooms and homeowners: The Roman tub with the gorgeous marble surround is not always used. Especially in condominiums where space is at a premium, Roman tubs are often taken out. For resale value, homeowners will often elect to have one tub in guest bathroom and devote the extra space in the master bathroom to a more spacious shower.
   Reed & Company builds and remodels homes.“ A huge trend that we’re seeing is people taking out that big cultured marble bathtub they ’ve had for 10 years,” Meriam Reed reports. “In its place they’re putting in larger showers with multiple jet sprays, adjustable showerheads, seating and steam units. Sometimes the change is to make the area wheelchair accessible for future needs, but usually it’s just because our clients want to pamper themselves.They’re tired of using the tub as a display area for a flower pot or whatever.”
   Reed & Company is lso getting calls from people who want stackable washers and dryers in the master bathroom suite.“ As the master bedroom suites get larger, people are putting more thought into the design of the master bathroom,” she says. “We ’re also putting glass block in to add light. Glass block can be a sensible shower enclosure because it does filter light and is attractive. All of these changes make sense.”
   In large estates, the master bathroom suite grows larger with each passing year. Where space is no object, there is nothing better than a tub for those occasions when a good soak is nirvana.
   “We’re seeing much more opulent design,” says Mary Lynn Hill, vice president of Hill ’s Showcase of Fine Plumbing. “In the larger bathrooms, design is traditional and ornate, and the reproduction furniture pieces are more functional than you can imagine.”
   Free-standing tubs such as the claw foot fit perfectly with period design and are now longer and wider with features such as built-in armrests,contoured slopes and pillows.
   For years now, the whirlpool tub has been a standard fixture for hydro massage. It circulates air and water  for intense therapy directed at a key area via a small number of jets.“We ’re finding many people who don’t really want to be over-stimulated by jets anymore,” says Hill. “They want to relax.” An increasingly appealing alternative is the air-massage bath, which forces warm air through pinholes in the tub floors or walls for a gentle all-over massage.
   Towel warmers are another big seller for Hill and one not normally associated with subtropical climate. “Sometimes it can be less about warmth and more about drying,”she explains. “And when you have your air set at 78 degrees,that warm towel can be nice when you step out of the shower.”
   Setting the tone from the front of the home, powder rooms are spaces of compact elegance.Besides its obvious role as “the necessary,” as it was once referred, the powder room reflects an owner’s personality.
   In this vignette, designed to leave positive impression with guests,high visibility elements downplay diminutive dimensions. Luxe materials include vessel sinks in silver, gold, stone and glass; wall coverings that shimmer, sconce lighting, reproduction antique vanities and stunning mirrors.
   Glass mosaic tile is extremely popular lately, and even though it has come down in cost, it is still considered pricey. For many, a small space is a great place to make a big statement while managing costs.
   “An iridescent glass makes everything shimmer,” says Darrin Boylan, owner of the Tile Market of Naples. “With the right lighting, glass mosaic tile can be exquisite in powder room. People are really thinking outside the box and outfitting their bathrooms with gorgeous style.”
   The roster of menities requested for bathrooms grows longer every year.
   According to Pam Schaffner, area showroom manager of Hughes Supply Kitchen & Bath Collection, magnifying mirrors are at the top of many wish lists. Magnifying mirrors – many are on extension arms that pull out from a wall or a medicine cabinet can be lighted with anywhere from three times to nine times magnification Vessel sinks are all the rage, vailable in everything from glass to onyx. “Many of the sinks and furniture pieces that we sell have an Asian flair,” she says. “We even have faucet that looks like bamboo. A natural look and Zen feel are in style,” says Schaffner. The selection of medicine cabinets you ’ll find at a bath supply store exceeds anything offered at home improvement centers.Manufacturers have recognized desire for sensible storage and in the past few years have come up with door defoggers, security boxes for medications and even models with small television screens in the mirror.
   “More than anything though, homeowners are drawn to the attractive medicine cabinets that are faced with framed mirrors to give them the look of pictures on the wall,” Shaffner says. “We have some that are framed in gold and others framed in leather. People want good looks more than features. They definitely don’t want the medicine cabinet to appear like a medicine cabinet.”
   In the bathroom, people are dr wn to accessories, Schaffner reports. Grab bars become elegant essentials and cabinet hardware runs the gamut from whimsical to Victorian, from Art Deco to rustic. Likewise, the selection of towel bars, hooks and rings is limitless.
   Ingenious and generous storage, streamlined fixtures, and beautiful, easy-care, safety-conscious surfaces are reasons many homeowners are opting for bathroom remodels and paying particular attention to bathrooms when touring new homes. These rooms allow for a unique exploration of space, light, water, material and detail. With the correct touch, your bathroom can become either a stylish powder room for guests or a welcoming master bath to unwind at the end of a stressful day.