‘I’
Candy in the Bath
Latest Trends Focus on Self-Indulgence, Simple Pleasure
By
Susan Rich
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| Kohler's
chromatherapy whirlpool bathtub. |
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| American
Standard Reminiscence collection. |
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| Jason
International translucent bathtub. |
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| WaterHaven,™
Kohler’s latest innovation in performance showering. |
 |
| WaterTile,™
by Kohler. Another custom showering product that can be configured
to meet your needs. |
 |
| Heated
bathtub by MTI Whirlpool. |
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| Kohler
Consonance soaking tub. |
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| KWC
America's illuminated faucet. |
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| Kohler
C3 toilet. |
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| Fish
'n Flush toilet. |
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| Kohler
vitreous china lavatory. |
It’s
All About You
There, you can finally admit it, and go about spending upwards of
$10,000 on a bathroom overhaul.
Manufacturers
such as Kohler, American Standard, Moen, and Delta want you to believe
that every minute you spend on your morning ablutions should occur
in a palatial, spa-like setting where beauty is mirrored at every
turn and no one is yelling outside the door, “Are you almost
done?”
In the
land of perfection, you are a homeowner with two full bathrooms; if
you’re very lucky, there’s even a powder room for guests.
For those
living in smaller, early- or mid-century style homes, there might
only be one bath for the entire family, a tiny vanity, a mirror instead
of a medicine chest, and a skirted pedestal sink behind which you
hide the cleaning products.
At its heart, the bathroom serves a strictly utilitarian purpose.
Sibling to the most-renovated room in the house, the kitchen, a dressed
up bath is never the host to the party.
But that
doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be gussied up, with fixtures and
features aimed at making the mundane marvelous, with you as the pampered
guest in your own home.
Despite
the abundance of oversized, heated, and whirly, swirling tubs available
on the market today, Portland homeowners aren’t buying them,
says Teressa (TC) Cole, showroom manager for the Barbur Blvd. location
of A-Boy Plumbing Supplies.
The
Clawfoot Is Making a Come Back
These are deep tubs, allowing even the tallest among us to bend our
knees and enjoy a chin-deep soaking. Clawfoot tubs use less water
than a whirlpool or jetted-air tub (45 to 50 gals versus 75 to 80
gals) and won’t drain a standard-sized water heater, Cole remarks.
While
other kinds of soaking tubs — such as teak tubs where the goal
is to sit, not recline — are making inroads on the trade show
circuit, the return of the clawfoot is both retro and practical. It
has a traditional appeal that homeowners are looking for, explains
Cole.
Traditional?
Not technical? While both bath styles are still popular, the resurgence
of clawfoots marks a shift from the bathroom-as-spa touted only last
year. At least, for Portland-area bathers, it does.
“The
look is becoming more of a mix, (but more) traditional,” Cole
says, likening the trend to a farmhouse feel. The emphasis is more
on wood tones and warm colors, and a clawfoot tub has a timeless appeal.
“When you go traditional, you can’t date yourself, so all
you have to do is change the fixtures,” she explains. Period
fixtures are available in an assortment of finishes and styles.
If the
idea of cleaning between the lion’s claws gives you the willies,
consider a translucent bathtub; it’s also a freestanding model.
Manufactured by Jason International, the molded acrylic basin comes
in a choice of blue or green, and boasts colored lights that illuminate
bathwater (and the bather) from below. At 72”x42”x23”,
the tub seats two comfortably. This bathtub can be a budget buster
however: $10,800, but is perfect for rubber ducky races.
One of
the benefits of a clawfoot tub in a small bathroom is space: Most
of these tubs have a small footprint; the smallest tub measures just
3’ x 5’. This leaves room for a walk-in shower, and if you
add in wall jets, a rain shower head and seating, points out Cole,
you will have accomplished the service a jetted tub provides, for
a fraction of the cost.
Walk-In
Showers
In these conservation-minded times, a jetted, walk-in shower (with
a starting footprint of 3’ x 3’) uses less water than the
clawfoot tub, and far less than a whirlpool tub, she adds. Water-saving
shower heads spray 2.8 gals per minute or less, meaning an average
shower consumes between 10 and 15 gals of water.
Walk-in
showers “have all the conveniences (of a whirlpool tub) plus
you can direct the water where you want it to go. There’s lots
of warm water, your body feels clean and invigorated when you’re
done, and you haven’t taken half an hour to get the tub filled,”
she says.
For sheer
luxury in the shower, and a higher water bill, there’s the Kohler
DTV custom shower system. This high-tech gizmo lets you pre-program
your favorite shower sequence, and replay it with a flick of the finger.
The DTV’s flow rate of up to 21 gals of water per minute feeds
up to 8 showerheads, handheld showers, and body sprays.
High-End
Tubs
For die-hard bathers, a large tub doesn’t have to mean a cold
bath. And you don’t have to go without those air-jets, either.
MTI Whirlpools’ internal heating system warms the interior surface
of the tub. By the time the tub is full the water can be as warm as
102¼. The tub interior becomes so warm it is possible to lay in the
tub and use it as a heat pad without any water, claims the manufacturer.
Another
option is the Kohler-made Consonance whirlpool, which offers customized
bathing for two. This high-end soaker comes with two separate sets
of remote controls — two fixed keypads and two floating units.
These adjust water jets (dual body massage and back jets) and control
the chromatherapy light show, just to name two options.
Finally,
American Standard offers the Life Air tub, with its patented ComfortJets.
This new design sets the air jets flush against the side of the tub,
making them more comfortable to lean against and easier to clean.
Beyond
the battle of the bathtub versus shower, there are innumerable new
products on the market. These fit a traditional home decor while filling
the need for gee-whiz technology.
Take,
for example, the illuminated faucet. Designed just for the bath, the
faucet’s open water flow is illuminated by an LED light band
that changes from blue to red depending on water temperatures. A good
trick to prevent scalding. The product, manufactured by KWC America,
is also available as a tub spout.
Even
the Toilet Has Its Day
American Standard recently introduced a toilet and toilet seat that
you never have to clean. The EverClean toilet is treated with an antimicrobial
material that eliminates bacterial growth, mold, and mildew, so the
hot spot in the house is always odor-free. Look for a similarly treated
faucet.
Kohler
is now offering the C3 toilet seat with bidet functionality. This
new seat provides improved hygiene, relief from certain medical conditions,
and overall wellness for all users, no matter if male or female. Added
features on two different models include a convenient remote control
and an in-line heater (so you never have to touch down on a cold seat
again), as well as a built-in tank heater to supply warm water for
the bidet function. The bowl on both models can be illuminated with
a soft blue light, making nighttime trips to the bathroom easier on
sleepy eyes.
In addition,
Kohler recently introduced “Transitions,” a toilet-trainer
seat that combines both an adult-sized and pint-sized seat into one
model.
Finally,
the perfect, or maybe not-so-perfect, decor for the kids’ bath
is the Fish ‘n Flush, from Aqua One Technologies. This features
a two-piece aquarium toilet tank designed to fit most two-piece toilets.
All you have to do is add gravel, water, and fish. The aquarium piece
can easily be removed for cleaning without affecting toilet operation.
In snugger
spaces, Kohler again paves the way with its small-scale lavatory made
of vitreous china. The core elements are sold separately, encouraging
would-be designers to mix and match countertops with under mount or
drop-in sinks.
Renovation
Cost Is Worth It
All these personal indulgences add up, but it’s a worthwhile
expenditure in more ways than one. The bathroom is the second-most
remodeled room in the house. If you spend $10,000 or more re-doing
it, expect to recoup up to 88% when you sell your home.
Here
in Portland, Cole says $20,000 is not an unusual price tag for a bathroom
remodel. It’s more expensive, in terms of square feet, than a
kitchen remodel.
“It’s
a small area, but it’s also the most intimate. It’s your
bathroom — if you don’t leave that room feeling good in
the morning, then nothing seems to feel right,” she adds.
Resources
A-Boy
www.aboysupply.com
American
Standard
www.americanstandard.com
Aqua-One
Technologies
www.aquaone.com
Jason
International
www.jasonint.com
Kohler
www.kohler.com
KWC
America
www.kwcamerica.com
MTI
Whirlpools
www.mtiwhirlpools.com |
