A cooler bath

The past few years for my business has seen a much higher volume of bathroom remodel jobs over kitchen remodels, whereas before, the medium-depression kitchens were on top. The main reason: It is easier for a homeowner to do a bathroom remodel out of pocket without those unobtainable home-equity loans.

This year also has seen a general increase in the volume of remodeling orders from 2011.

Generally, I’ve seen bathroom design style tending towards the modern and away from an earthy, warm-colored, travertine-covered look. A purely modern-styled bathroom can be very austere, with very simple lines, cold grayish tile and very dark-stained wood. The “transitional” style is a cross between “traditional” and “modern,” and really is where most people end up with their bathroom design.

For bathroom tile, there has been an increase of porcelain over natural stone products because of the cleanable aspects, and porcelain offers a lot more design choices these days. The cost savings of ceramic and porcelain over natural stone is also a factor.

The size of tile and pattern has gone overwhelmingly to 24- by 12-inch, done in a brick pattern — although I think this is being overdone and will become an out-of-style trend in the future. With tastes moving toward the contemporary, popularly selected colors are trending towards grays and away from the warmer browns.

Requests for solid surfaces in the shower are up this year, mostly because nobody likes cleaning grout joints. The company Onyx offers shower pans and panels in a Corian-like material, with many color choices.

Shower glass selections so far this year have been 100 percent 3/8-inch European frameless — whether in a slider or hinged door.

A highly cleanable glass many people are requesting is called “shower guard glass,” with a very smooth sealed surface that is hard for anything to adhere to.

Vanity styles also are going the modernist path, with the slab door and drawer fronts done in an espresso-dark finish. The wall-hung vanity is the most requested type, even though it means a fair amount of storage loss.

As in the kitchen, quartz countertops in the bathroom are the most popular. Quartz products have gained in popularity despite the high expense because they’re the toughest surface, with lots of design choices. Many of the more nouveau vanity companies, such as Design Element and Ronbo, carry their own countertops, often glass with an integrated sink.

Fixture finishes are still in a fight between brushed nickel, satin nickel and bronze. Some of the lesser known companies such as California Faucets offer some different fixture colors, which will be the future when the bigger companies start offering them as well. Polished chrome also is making a comeback and is said to be the longest lasting of the finishes.

The bidet and wall-hung toilets in the porcelain area are gaining popularity. Toto has the high end in porcelain-covered wells. The cleanability of some of its straight-sided designs is a nice feature but will cost about twice the price of a typical model.

When trying to decide how to design your own bathroom, nothing can replace doing lots of research and looking at many bathroom pictures and product catalogs. For longevity, I always recommend getting the higher-quality fixtures, especially those not easily replaceable items such as a shower valve.

Max Wall is owner of ABC Kitchen and Bath LLC in Longmont.

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