Beyond Baths

Vanity Privacy
Vanities are now being built to suit, and everyone wants his or her own. “Vanities are customized for height,” Brotman says. “Today, there is no standard. Vanities are designed for the people using them. Someone who is six-feet-two-inches tall may want a thirty-six-inch vanity.” Differing vanity heights, however, do not need to interrupt the flow of the room. “Two people can have separate vanities of differing heights that can be integrated beautifully,” Brotman notes. In bathrooms that are large enough, makeup areas or dressing tables are installed at yet another height and often are placed in a separate area of the room that allows for both privacy and comfort.

“We hardly ever put two sinks side by side anymore,” Smuckler says. “People want separate vanities, either across from each other or in an ‘L’ shape. They may share the overall bathroom, but people still want their own private space. She doesn’t want to be by his toothbrush, and he doesn’t want to be by her makeup.” 

Even though high-end baths have expanded in size, storage comes at a premium. “Everything is tight,” Noding says. People want a lot of extra cabinetry and they’ve brought linen storage into the bath. Typically in high-end construction, Kraemer says, vanities are made to look like stand-alone cabinetry and are often made of cherry or alder. Sometimes even a distressed look is used.

An eclectic look is also popular. “It used to be that the woodwork was either stained or enameled,” Skogquist says. Today, he says, people are doing both and staining the cabinets and enameling the  doors, which adds to the stand-alone look. Granite or other high-end stones have also become nearly standard in these luxurious baths. And the trustworthy medicine cabinet has come out from behind the mirror and is being custom built into the cabinetry.

Fun Extras
Televisions have become the latest behind-the-vanity-mirror marvels. With the push of a button, the TV screen appears, Skogquist says, but when the television is off, it remains hidden by the mirror. His firm has installed behind-the-mirror bathroom televisions as well as elaborate framing around vanity mirrors for a clean, finished look. Both televisions and sound systems, typically with the main components in the owner’s suite bedroom and extra controls in the bath, are becoming nearly standard in high-end baths.

Skogquist has installed butler’s pantries just outside the bath, typically in a transitional space, with base and upper cabinets, sinks, a small refrigerator, a coffee pot, and sometimes a microwave. “If the homeowners want to make coffee and stay in the bedroom or enjoy a glass of wine while soaking in the tub, they can,” he says. Built-in espresso machines and coffee makers are also being added, either inside or just outside the bath in a transitional space.

Water Closets
Of course, no bathroom would be complete without a toilet, and today’s commodes are both private and fun. “We’re finding people want his and her toilets,” Smuckler says, often with each behind its own closed door or separating wall, creating a private water closet feel. Whether it’s a separate or a shared commode, an enclosed or more out-in-the-open installation, nearly all homeowners are opting for taller “comfort height” toilets, Noding says. Fancy toilets with square bases and square holding tanks are also catching people’s attention. “Homeowners don’t want the standard toilet and faucet anymore,” he adds. “They want something different. They want something fun.”

Fun, inviting, and pampering best describe today’s spa-like bathrooms. “There is no end to what we can do in a high-end bathroom,” Brotman says. “The only boundary is the imagination of the client. When all is said and done, I want the homeowner to be in the room and think there is nothing they would have done differently.” Today’s new baths are truly a fantasy come true.