Relaxing Retreats

All About Ambiance

The spa-like pampering continues when you step out of the shower or bath. “There’s a big emphasis on warm floors,” McNulty adds. “In-floor heating is very big in the bathroom, whether it’s in the rest of the house or not. We used to see a lot of people asking for heat lamps in the ceiling, but we haven’t done as many of those since warm floors have become so popular.”

“When people wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom, they don’t want to be shocked awake by a cold floor,” Cramer-Miller says. “In-floor heat makes a big difference.”

 Fireplaces are also adding heat to bathrooms, Dworsky says. “Fireplaces are big,” she says. “Most want one that you can see from both the master bedroom and the bath—one that passes through both rooms.”

Enz helps her clients add ambiance in the bathroom with layers of lighting. “Light therapy is a big thing, especially with our long, long winters,” she says. Besides putting all the lights in the room on dimmers, she designates special spots for candles. “When I design a bathroom, I always ask if they use candles,” she explains. “If so, then we’ll talk about where to make room for the candles to sit; we’ll make shelves that look artistic or do a decking around the tub so they can put candles on it.”

Cramer-Miller has even incorporated crystal chandeliers into bathrooms. “People are treating it more like a beautiful room rather than just a utilitarian space,” she says. “They want it to look elegant, and a chandelier can add a lot to that. What they choose depends on their style, but it’s always something that makes a statement.”

Electronic Embellishments

The sorts of soothing sounds heard at the spa—ocean waves, calming music, loon calls—can enhance a long soak in the tub when your bathroom includes a sound system. Lindgren says that he’s even put waterproof speakers in a shower so that music can be heard above the water’s roar. And televisions are becoming more and more common as well. “We’re absolutely seeing more TVs,” McNulty reports. “We’re trying to incorporate them unobtrusively.”

Enz says that many people want to be able to watch the morning news as they get ready for work, but, as in other rooms, they’d prefer not to see the TV itself. So she’s hidden televisions behind mirrors. TVs can be literally built into a mirror, using polarized mirror technology. When the television is on you can see it perfectly, but when it’s off, you can’t tell that a television is there. Waterproof and steamproof versions are available, as are different shapes and sizes.

Though some clients just want a small set on the corner of a countertop, Lindgren has seen more demand for wall-mounted flat-screen systems. “I had one that we actually recessed into the wall and placed it in a spot where you were able to see it from the tub and then you could get the reflection and see it in the shower, too,” he says.

In fact, homeowners are still demanding that bed and bath spaces be convenient—they want mornings to go smoothly so they can get out the door on time. But when busy folks are looking for some down time, the investments they are making in master suites will bring relaxing returns.