When you think about changing things up in your home, people often overlook their bathroom(s) and opt for a more “visible” space to spruce up. Truth is, we spend time in there; a lot of time. With home owners and home buyers today looking to maximize every square foot of space in their home, the bathroom has come into the equation. Bathrooms are no longer being looked at as a completely private space, and a trend of incorporating more furnishings traditionally found in other areas of the home, is changing the purpose of the bathroom.
Here is an overview of some ways that bathrooms are feeling less like a sterile space and are becoming a player in the area of where we want to spend our time.
1. Technology. Everything has a “smart” feature these days. Whether it is a fridge that can compile a shopping list for you or cars that can parallel park themselves (which is great because I still can’t do that), technology is a bigger part of our lives than ever before. But one place where we are seeing a great shift is how to make a bathroom a smart bathroom. Products are now coming on the market to do just that. There are mirrors that have integrated lighting that can adjust based on what you are doing. So, if you just rolled out of bed, and are brushing your teeth, maybe a softer light versus the ultra-bright lighting that women use for applying makeup. Toilets are now coming out with a technology that makes them self-cleaning (thank God), and sterilizing. But the biggest change you are going to see is in the shower. Imagine while going to the loo, you can use your phone (because apparently 90% of us look at our phone on the toilet) to turn on your shower to a pre-programmed setting of your preferences. You enter the shower and on a shower TV is your favorite program, and a calming shade of light encompasses the shower in whatever hue you need for a personalized light therapy session. And when you are done, just grab a warmed towel from your integrated towel warmer. Not sure how to make my small shower have all these bells and whistles, but I can dream.
2. His and hers everything. Ok, part of me thinks this is awesome, but then part of me says this isn’t really a great idea. And by everything, I mean everything! We are way past just a his and hers vanity (if you’re lucky) and we are talking about separate showers and separate water closets. I think it would be more feasible to just have separate bathrooms, but buyers are looking for a Master bedroom with separate facilities for both attached. It was mind blowing when I began to see model homes with a his and hers separate walk-in closets. But now, I think we are just getting silly. And we all know that ONE will keep their vanity, water closet and shower clean, and the other will not. Thus, leading to twice as many showers and toilets to clean. I like the idea of a single separated water closet, for obvious reasons that I don’t need to address, but really, two of everything?
3. Bolder colors (especially shades of blue). Hooray!!! I love a clean white space as much as any designer out there, but I am really loving the trend of incorporating color back into our homes. I just flat out got sick of the beige, greige, gray everything trend. I did it (actually, overdid it) and now it can go to die with other home décor trends like avocado appliances. We need color, people!!! Especially if you are affected by colors emotionally; gray is not your friend! So, I was super excited to see that bolder jewel tones, especially blues are coming into play in bathrooms. And I’m not just talking about wall color either, although that is the cheapest and biggest bang for your buck. Cabinetry in shades of sky blue and navy are all over the place. Or if you are super bold, try tiling a floor to ceiling shower in a bold hue. Just make sure it’s a color you love, even when its not the latest trend, because you don’t want to get sick of it. And my biggest piece of advice is to make sure there is balance between your bold shades and neutrals. A blue vanity with a blue counter top and backsplash, is just too much. Pick and choose where you want to experiment with color carefully. Overtime your confidence will grow, and you will be ready to commit to a bold color in a more permanent way.
4. Matte Black. Hardware, believe it or not, is one of the fastest ways to date a space. For example, an all-white bathroom is timeless, and it can be hard to tell how old it is if done properly. But its that greenish gold bronze hardware from 1984 that screams UPDATE ME!! But it is also an easy fix. The latest shift in hardware in bathrooms has gone to matte black. I kind of like it, when it contrasts with light cabinetry. I appreciate that it hides handprints and doesn’t need to be polished with wax paper (we are talking about you, Chrome). But I personally am still riding on the trend of the last couple of years in hardware, where there has been a shift back to gold tones, and brushed brass from silver tones and oil rubbed bronze bonanza. With blue tones (as mentioned above) being a big player in bathroom design, I like the warm tones of the gold shades to balance the cools of the blue. Think of the hardware in your space like the accessories you pare with an outfit. It can make or break it.
5. Stand Alone Bathtub (not necessarily in the bathroom). There has been a gradual shift over the past decade away from bath tubs in the master bathroom. My last house was a tub less master bathroom house with a killer shower. The thought was that people are just too busy to sit and bathe. True, but I believe the purpose of the master bathroom bath tub is not for hygiene, but rather relaxation and comfort. And, I can tell you from experience that the tub in the shower/bath combo in the hall bathroom just didn’t cut it when needing to soak sore muscles. I made sure that my current house had a bath tub in the master bathroom. And in general, people are realizing that taking time to relax is important, so tubs are back! But not just any tub, they want a stand-alone tub. It doesn’t seem to matter if it’s a claw foot tub, or a jetted spa, people miss bath time. There is, however, one kind of weird trend that is happening with tubs. And this may be a product of years of master bathrooms built without a tub, and nowhere to put one. But there is an emerging trend to put the bathtub in the master bedroom. I get it. But I can’t help but think about houses from the 70’s with shag carpeted steps up to a sunken tub. If its done tastefully, I think it can be beautiful. Or it can end up looking like the “honeymoon suite” at a Day’s Inn.
