Do your New Year's resolutions include that bathroom update you've been putting off?
If you are considering a bathroom overhaul -- either for your own use or in preparation to sell your home -- it's a smart investment. A bath remodel can yield as much as a 62 percent return on resale value, according to an article in U.S. News and World Report. Plus, the bath is the room most prone to look outdated to potential buyers.
"Buyers like the higher countertops, want double sinks with lots of light over the sinks, and tile on the floor," says Vicki Trapp, a Realtor with Crye-Leike and president of the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtors.
"They want the large, glass walk-in shower with multiple shower heads, like the rain head and a regular shower head. People who are remodeling are taking out those gigantic Jacuzzi tubs with jets to get more shower space and putting in a soaking, or standalone, tub."
The standalone tub is one of 10 trends predicted by Houzz.com, the online community of design and home improvement ideas, to be strong bath design influences in 2015. We've listed the trends followed by the opinions of area home specialists on whether they will make a splash locally. The professionals are Jackie Howard, owner of Scarlett's Cabinetry; Sarah Rapp, interior designer for Louisville Tile; and Cathy Bissell, design department head at Lowe's on Gunbarrel Road.
FREE-STANDING BATHTUBS
They make a striking, sculptural design and set the mood for rest/relaxation, too.
Bissell: Free-standing, or stand-alone tubs, are super popular. It's not the old clawfoot style -- you have to have a very particular taste for that -- but a new, modern bowl or rectangle shape that sits right on the floor. People want something they've never had before and those styles are more affordable now.
Howard: We only do free-standing tubs today in a new home or remodeled bath. Master tubs recessed into a tub "deck" just take up too much space.
BATHROOMS THAT REFLECT THE REST OF THE HOME
Bath design moves toward bathing areas that are designed to look and feel like an extension of the living room or bedroom rather than the traditional separate room. This is done by adding furniture and coordinating decor to the bedroom or adding elegant light fixtures.
Howard: Dressing tables with elegant chairs or ottomans are included in larger master bathrooms today. If space allows, a nice bench is a great furniture touch to a master bathroom. Drawers that look like chests and furniture pieces with wainscot paneling are included, and elegant chandeliers and sconces for lighting.
STATEMENT FLOORS
Bathroom floor tiles will be featured to create statement-making floors. A statement tile floor adds style without overwhelming the space and provides a design opportunity when working with challenging spaces that don't have a feature wall.
Tiles in Earth tones are popular.Rapp: Absolutely, we are definitely seeing more of these tile bath floors. We're seeing it in penny rounds, which are little tile circles the size of pennies.
CUSTOM-DESIGNED VANITIES
People want vanities made to fit a particular space and made to fit their grooming needs.
Howard: Vanities today have a lot more drawer storage. Pull-outs for hairdryers and flatirons are placed into vanities with electrical outlets in the back of the drawers/pullouts for the ability to keep hairdryers plugged in for easy use. Medicine cabinets have returned to smaller bathrooms that lack storage.
GEOMETRIC TILES
Geometric tiles are a design solution to add depth and visual interest to a plain, neutral bath, but without the use of bright, arresting tones.
Rapp: We are also seeing ... hexagon tiles in 1- and 2-inch sizes on floors with larger hexagon tiles like an 8-inch on walls. Another is the e-hex tile, an elongated hexagon used for backsplashes, shower walls -- more of an accent.
NATURE'S BEAUTY
Draw inspiration from nature to warm a bath. Introduce earthy materials like natural stone or wood-look tiles.
Howard: The introduction of warm tones in tiles that mimic hardwood has become popular this last year, especially in the Chattanooga area because of our historical homes. White marble tiles are very popular in bathrooms, also any porcelain tile that looks like a natural stone.
GROUT AS A DESIGN FEATURE
No longer a mundane but essential element of bath design, grout is being used in contrasting shades to highlight how a tile pattern is laid or make a pattern more visible. Use contrasting grout as a modern spin on the traditional, and extremely popular, subway tile.
This shower display at Louisville Tile combines a penny round tile floor with vertical and horizontal tiles on the walls.Rapp: This is definitely trending here. What grout you use depends on if you are trying to showcase a pattern or hide lines to streamline the tile's look. If you are going with a dark tile and want it to pop, use a lighter grout. There is a multitude of colors out; we're seeing a lot of gray shades used right now locally. There are even grouts you can put glitter in to enhance glass tile.
BIGGER BATHS FOR THE MASTER SUITE
People want bigger baths that are connected to or more open to the bedroom. People want to see their beautiful basins, custom vanities and free-standing tubs from the bedroom. Designers are even incorporating sliding doors so people can open up or close off a space.
Howard: Slider barn-like doors are a great look for transitions between master baths and bedrooms. Just the rustic touch mixed with elegant features is a great mix. Larger bathrooms have been popular for a long time in our area because we still have such a mix of larger homes in this area.
CLEVER WATER CONTROL
Say good-bye to basic shower and basin faucets, hello to user-friendly fixtures such as thermostatic mixers and touchscreen-operated showers.
Howard: Showers today have two shower heads, rainfall shower heads, body sprays, benches or steam. Clients are staying home and enjoying their own homes more, I think. Touchscreens are just coming out and being used more; thermostatic valves have been around and are a must.
Bissell: Customers are definitely becoming more curious to see what's out there in this area; I have more wanting to see what's available.
BIGGER SHOWERS
The new year will see more walk-in showers with oversized panes of glass or solid walls that completely enclose the space rather than bathrooms with tiny cubicles.
Bissell: Yes, as big a shower as they can get. A big shower is even a possibility in the remodel of a smaller bathroom. Sometimes you find dead space in smaller bathrooms, and you can expand into that. I see people who will actually downsize their vanities so they can get a bigger shower. The plumbing for a toilet is much more difficult to move than anything else, but people are willing to do it to get a bigger shower.
Howard: Glass panes are included in most showers today; they make the showers feel more open to the bath, especially in a smaller bathroom.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.