For the past year and a half, people have used their bathrooms as sanctuaries, from a weekly spa night in order to create some distance and alone time from loved ones, to the only-in-a-pandemic story we read about a therapist who rearranged her bathroom into an office so that she could have uninterrupted private, virtual visits with her patients! Making every inch of space in our homes – including the bathrooms – count has been important during this very strange time.
If you’re looking at your bathroom and hoping to improve its style and function with a renovation, here are five trends that we’re seeing:
1. Deep Blues
Blue has always been popular in bathrooms, but right now we’re seeing rich, deep shades of blue take the lead. Their moodiness makes the bathroom feel more luxurious and expensive, which is why the trend has been popular this year. Take a look at some of the beautiful blue stones we offer, like Tempest Blue quartzite or Azul Bahia granite. The stunning contrast of sapphire blues with brighter whites means the color is easy to add to a bathroom, and the luxurious feel of deep blues has timeless appeal.
2. Smart Toilets
Once seen as a futuristic and costly luxury, smart toilets and bidets are finding a place in our homes. After over a century of marketing, Americans are finally beginning to incorporate the bidet into the bathroom as a healthier and greener alternative.
In addition, toilet technology and design has advanced to include self-cleaning functions: bacteria-killing light under the lid, interior mechanisms that do the cleaning for you, and cling-free bowl surfaces have made toilets easier to clean and keep clean and healthier to live with. Their designs are sleeker and often wall mounted making keeping the outside of the toilet clean easier. Touchless flushing and self-closing lids keep it all hands-free.
3. A Touch of Nature
Surrounding yourself with a little bit of nature is restorative and calming. Many spas feature an abundance of plants because they are proven to be a stress reliever. It is easy
to incorporate plants into a bathroom; bamboo, Chinese evergreen, any type of fern and even the ubiquitous spider plant will thrive in a bathroom setting and offer calm and peaceful refuge right in the home.
4. Lighting Features
According to Houzz, almost 80% of homeowners replace the lighting during a bathroom renovation. The reasons include improving insufficient lighting and adding dimmable lighting to make the bathroom more relaxing. One interesting lighting feature that seems to be trending is backlit mirrors and medicine cabinets which offer ambient lighting without added glare or reflections. They can also double as a nightlight when dimmed.
5. Heated Flooring
Heated flooring is increasingly popular throughout the home, but the bathroom is the #1 spot for it. We offer quartz and porcelain, which both work well with floor heating systems, making it inviting to slip off those slippers and step onto a nice warm floor – another comfort homeowners are looking for in their bathroom retreats.
If you are planning a bathroom renovation, we have beautiful options in natural stone and quartz for your countertops, flooring, and wall cladding, as well as stunning shower surrounds in Laminam porcelain. Visit one of our showrooms and let your imagination create your very own spa-like sanctuary.