New – and Tried and True – in Bath Design
Design tip from Terri Parsons, Allied Member ASID, NKBA
Principal Interior Designer
Anne Parsons Interiors
760-525-2501
Anne Parsons Interiors is an interior design firm specializing in residential and commercial design for new construction and remodels. Based locally, the firm has clients worldwide.
New – and Tried and True – in Bath Design
Designers have been creating functional and beautiful baths since bathrooms came indoors. Like the kitchen, the bath is one of the most-used rooms of the home. Because of the functionality of this space, it’s important that the best products and features — at the best prices — be utilized in the design of this room.
When homeowners are pondering the design of their powder rooms and baths, they may not be aware of some of the latest items available and they may not think about products that are tried and true. Interior designers, on the other hand, are well versed in the best products available, both the latest items and those that are not so new, yet still functionally excellent. Here’s a reminder of the tried and true and information about the new.
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Richard Grohe said, “Everyone has a different idea of what makes the perfect shower.” So Hansgrohe, and now others, have developed the integrated shower arm and showerhead. All brass construction with a calcium-resistant nozzle, 20-degree pivot and flush mounted.
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The showerpipe, also a new design, has spa-like aesthetics and functionality. Because it is an exposed fixture with exposed thermostats, it’s easy to install and maintain. The flush-mounted water pipe is integrated with a built-in shelf below. The overhead shoulder-width showerhead has two showerhead options, two thermostat selections and three jet types: Rain AIR (soft) Caresse AIR (massaging) and Mix (both). Oh, and the best part? Each person can keep his or her own setting just like the memory in a car seat! How cool is that?
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Folding shower enclosures reduce the footprint for the shower. The shower walls are hinged and simply fold back into the shower, removing the outside shower walls and reducing the space the shower takes up until it’s time to use it.
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Door-less showers are the in thing now. If opting for a door-less shower, be certain to angle the floor slightly toward the drain. For doubly effective siphoning, include an additional drain. I use teak for the floor of my door-less showers as it holds up well and is soft on the feet, but a mosaic tile with many grout lines for limited slippage concerns can be used as well.
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The ultimate in showers: the ceiling-mounted showerhead with color-changing LED lights, a wall-mounted waterfall fixture delivering a “blade” of water, a wall-mounted cascade and rainfall showerhead (also with LED lighting), a hand shower, a foot shower, body sprays, speakers, connection for your iPod and of course, touch-screen control. I’m sure if we tried we could fit a small flat-screen TV in there as well. Ahhh — doesn’t that sound heavenly?
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Individualized check-valve systems on air baths allow the bather to use soaps, bath oils, salts and other bathing essentials without harming the performance of the air system.
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Luna has a wall-mounted fixture that drops water from the fixture down a long rectilinear flat pipe into the sink. It looks like a piece of art. It IS art!
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Last, but not least, the toilet has come a long way. Toilets now have options including auto-flush, sensors to automatically raise the lid, wider flushing valves, wide water surfaces preventing waste from drying, balanced distribution of water, larger drain passages and extra-wide jet passages. We have toilets that mount on the wall so we easily can clean the floor underneath and toilets that incorporate the bidet in the same unit. And, don’t forget to be earth friendly. Install a high-efficiency urinal. They use approximately 0.5 gallons per flush and contribute to long-term decreases in water usage and water bills.
Look for the companion piece from Terri Parsons on kitchens, coming soon.
