Luxury washes over the modern master bath

Today's master bath offers an escape into an oasis of soothing serenity.

With less focus on utility and more on creating ambience, the master bath has been elevated to one of the most important rooms in the home. More furniture-style cabinetry and vanities, beautiful framed mirrors and decorative vessel sinks make this once sterile space feel like a luxurious living space in your home.

Homeowners express their personalities here with art work, open shelving displaying favorite pieces or a tile choice that says "this is my style and who I am." And they might bring in more home decor items, small furniture pieces and an extra dose of luxury with a lavish chandelier.

Here are some of the hottest trends for the master bath in today's new homes being built in the Chicago suburbs.

Statement mirrors

So long to medicine cabinets and hello to statement mirrors. Think large clear glass mirrors that make the room look larger - wood framed beauties, backlighting and ornate vintage pieces that boost style in the master bathroom.

Free-standing tubs

Homeowners can soak up the luxury of today's free-standing tubs that come in all shapes and sizes. Selections include rectangular, oval, square and irregular shapes with claw feet, no feet or other decorative options that range from very expensive to lower cost choices, said Helen Velas, president of Elena Interiors, an interior design firm for several area builders including New Generation Signature Homes. "These free-standing tubs really elevate the master bath to a whole new level of feeling custom."

With all the luxury and sophistication of a spa, the free-standing tub with decorative legs is often what buyers choose for higher-end homes built by Shodeen Homes, said Nate Amidon, Shodeen's director of sales and marketing.

At Toll Brothers communities, the builder is seeing a lot of free-standing tubs - "big, cool fiberglass tubs" - or people taking out the tub in lieu of larger showers, said Amanda Newberg, design center manager.

The super shower

Big showers are huge in today's new homes. A shower with no doors and lots of body sprays that spray large areas softly is a very sexy feature that feels like a spa shower, Velas said. "The sprays can be customized to fit your personal taste, which adds to the experience of a really great shower."

The shower has become more of the centerpiece of the bath where before it was the tub, vanity and mirror, Amidon said. "Even the positioning of the shower makes it more of a focal point with the frameless doors and bigger rain (shower) heads.

"Buyers have gotten more practical and given up the tub for a more quality shower that they use every day."

At David Weekley Homes communities, the super shower is in and the jetted whirlpool tub out, said Jim Esperson, vice president of sales and marketing. A popular feature for the builder is the ladies shaving ledge. They are also receiving rave reviews about their positioning the walk-in closet off the bath with the laundry room next to the closet. So you walk from the closet into the laundry room and bring the clothes back into the closet. This is the ultimate in efficiency.

At West Point Gardens, buyers are starting to request the larger shower and want to get rid of the separate tub, said Pat Curran, president of West Point Builders.

And at Heritage Harbor in Ottawa, Tammy Barry says they're seeing buyers who want to get away from the soaker tub and like a larger shower with tile walls and no shower door, or with a half wall where you just step in and out of the shower.

Vanities and vessels

Vessel sinks, decorative bowls that sit above the counter, give the bath style and glamour. There are many beautiful choices out there - vessels in porcelain, glass and metal that make the vanity look more custom and unique, Velas said.

His-and-hers vanities are still popular with buyers at David Weekley Homes and Heritage Harbor Ottawa, with the vanity and cabinetry showcasing a furniture-like appearance.

Furniture-look vanities that look like a chest are extremely popular, Velas said. "Most are custom, but they sell them everywhere now and in all price ranges. It has a more custom look."

Universal design features

With universal design features reaching into the mainstream and buyers looking ahead with the aim of aging in place in these new houses, universal features step into the spotlight. You'll see grab bars, shower seats, handheld shower heads and accessible vanities, all of which provide a safer environment for senior homeowners.

Also, Barry finds that everyone would rather have the higher height toilets, which is really a comfort height, and people in the industry expect it to be the new standard, she said.

Tile

Larger floor tiles are making a splash in today's master baths. Ceramic tile offers a clean, classic look while porcelain, natural stone and luxury vinyl are popular choices today. You'll see a lot of mixing and matching shapes and sizes with hexagon and octagon shapes and even decorative tiles making an appearance.

At Toll Brothers, long tiles are in with a gray-beige (or greige) color all the rage right now for more of a contemporary and cleaner look, Newberg said.

And at Shodeen Homes, the builder is seeing more of the skinnier, longer tiles with a subway tile look. "We're trending away from square tiles and going more with the rectangular shapes," Amidon said.

"It's just crazy the number of new tiles out there today with porcelain that looks like stone, marble and reclaimed wood. There are so many choices in every size, even huge sheets of tile 4 feet (wide) if you don't want a seam in the floor."

You'll see large mosaics as accents in showers and also wall mosaics in every shape, style and color. Mosaics even sell at Home Depot with a price range for every budget. There are beautiful choices because it is coming from all over the world and prices have come way down, Velas said.

To bring more comfort into your private sanctuary, you can include the luxury of heated warmth under your feet with radiant heat under the tile floor.