The Luxe Bath

Benjamin Franklin reportedly took daily "air baths" by sitting in the buff in front of an open window. If he were around today, he'd surely opt for something more luxurious-a soak in a Zen tub perhaps, or a chromatherapy shower.

Yes, there's more happening in the bathroom now than ever before. Susan Mignone, an ASID Allied designer and owner of Panache Interiors, says design has changed considerably: "People are into large open showers and frameless glass doors with stainless, commercial-looking hinges." The frameless style gives the illusion of space. "They're also intrigued by freestanding soaking tubs, often on a pedestal," she says. "Many people discovered they didn't use their great big whirlpool tubs. It was sexy at first; now they're into soaking and the retreat aspect of the bath."

Manufacturers have turned tub design into an art. Kohler's Overflowing Bath, for example, has an ultra-deep reservoir for a continuous cascading overflow, similar to a negative-edge swimming pool. It's as close to enjoying a bath in the midst of natural waterfalls as you can get.

Judy Adams Hunt, an award-winning designer at Eurotech Cabinetry, says, "Natural, Zen-like designs make sense because the bathroom is a calming room. The absence of so much detail is soothing; the use of natural colors and elements found in nature-stone, wood-and simpler lines works well."

Great baths are functional and place a premium on comfort. To that end, counters are getting taller than the industry standard height of 30 inches. Hunt says a 32- to 36-inch finished height is more comfortable: "People are taller now, and they want taller counters."

Before bathroom cabinets, people placed bowls on top of furniture. Now cabinets are starting to look like furniture again, only now the bowl on top is called a vessel. Above-counter vessels in smooth, fluid lines are often made from glass, hand-painted ceramic, copper or marble. Unique self-rimming basins in fresh, organic shapes are also making a statement. And angled washing planes offer something entirely different for those into the minimalist look. Kohler's Purist, an artistically designed square sink with a flat, wet-surface design, is Zen-like in its simplicity. It has a unique drain channel for the flowing water.

Luxury home builder Lee Wetherington says not only do cabinets look like furniture, they're sporting framed mirrors attached to a cabinet below instead of the customary large plate mirrors.

Room with a View

Wetherington also says more master bedroom suites have a door to an outside garden area, with the option of going outside to shower. This door is usually right off the master shower. Of course, it needs some type of a wall around it, but great baths are not limited to the interior any more. Ideally, the bathroom has a scenic outlook. A window or door overlooking a garden or waterscape enhances the retreat atmosphere.

Interior designer Raymond Boorstein made sure Ilene Mirman's bathroom remodel took advantage of a secluded area outside her Siesta Key home. "The bathroom overlooks the pool area," he says. "Between the pool and house is a fabulous koi pond, very private. That is the view from the master bath, from both the tub and the large open shower. It's a wonderful place, an experience-not gaudy or ostentatious. You are enveloped in the space rather than walking in and saying 'Oh, what grandeur.'"

Boorstein used soft peach and cream colors to complement the marble that Mirman had held onto for years. "I found this rosa aurora marble about four years ago and had been carrying it around with me. I knew I wanted to use it someday. It matched perfectly with an old chair and ottoman that I always wanted to put in a bathroom," Mirman says. The bathroom was spacious enough to accommodate a sitting area, so Boorstein used her treasured pieces, creating the bathroom Mirman has always dreamed of.

"I'm looking forward to spending more time in the bathroom," she says. A lovely Queen Anne tub set with orchids and perfume bottles is calling her name. "I'm going to add a TV so I can just lie in my tub and relax," she says.

Focus on Fixtures

Luxury starts with the latest plumbing fixtures. Showers are increasingly fitted with multi-function systems that have pivoting body sprays, hand-held showers and adjustable height shower bars. Rain-head fittings are replacing traditional showerheads.