Bathrooms awash with luxury

Bathrooms still need to be functional but now looks are just as important. Kim Dungey takes a peek at what's new.

The humble bathroom has undergone a radical transformation.

In a few years, it has gone from a small, dark space down the back of the house to one of the most luxurious rooms in the home.

Basins are square and chunky or sensuously curved. Freestanding baths are statement pieces. Storage units are more like pieces of furniture than mere cupboards and even heated towel rails have a sculptural quality.

Julie McBride, of Mico Bathrooms Dunedin, says it's all designed to transform the bathroom into a relaxing retreat.

A New Zealand-designed shower system in one of the seven concept bathrooms at Oakleys, Dunedin, is typical of this trend towards luxury.

Not only does it have two showerheads, but essential oils can be added, intersecting jets give the impression of far more water than is actually being used and a thermostatic mixer ensures the temperature remains constant (showroom manager Leanne Foote says females tend to shower a few degrees hotter than males so there is also an override button).

Another shower head, the size of a dinner plate, can be mounted on an arm from the ceiling to give the effect of a gentle shower of rain.

Practical considerations have not been forgotten though. At both showrooms there are slimline, wall-hung vanity units for when space is at a premium, tall storage towers and toilets with hydraulically operated soft-close seats.

Search the catalogues and you will find other smart ideas too. Anti-bacterial treatments and anti-slip surfaces are standard on many products, while others use water-saving technology.

The Caroma Profile Concepts toilet has an integrated hand basin and tap that releases handwashing water into the cistern for flushing.

Mico Bathrooms says the latest styles range from the minimalist to the glamorous. Customers are tending to buy vitreous china rather than acyrlic basins and some households with more males than females are installing urinals.

Sound systems are adding to the comfort of the bathroom, lighting is being used for atmosphere as well as illumination, and freestanding baths and basins means the walls function as the frame of the room only.

What hasn't changed is the popularity of white fixtures, with chrome taps and accessories. Woodgrain vanities and the odd black bathroom suite provide contrast but most people prefer to introduce colour with easily-changed items such as towels and paint.

Ms McBride says a bathroom should reflect the personalities and lifestyles of those using it. One person will love crisp, square lines while another will want curves. One customer will hate cleaning and spend extra to have a back-to-wall toilet with concealed waste pipes. Another will prefer a really good shower head.