Rethinking bathroom surfaces

New bathroom surface options abound

Living area in Ideal Homes' Galway model

Stainless steel, bamboo, coated glass, concrete, wood and semi-precious stones are beautiful materials — but are they bathroom surfaces? Absolutely. Bathrooms, once routinely overlooked by builders, designers and home buyers alike, have become the center of attention. "It's been really interesting to see — every year, one area tends to become the high area of interest for design," says Emily Morrow, director of color, style and design for Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet and flooring manufacturer. "In 2008, it's the bathroom."

As interest increases in sustainable building materials, homeowners are seeing a wider range of "green" products available for the bath. Bamboo's natural water resistance has drawn the material into the bathroom. There is also growth in the use of recycled glass products for bath countertops and flooring.

The choice of glass comes as a surprise to some. Denver-based interior designer Angela Haney says there was a time when she would never have considered glass an appropriate surface for a bathroom countertop or shower wall because of water spots. But that was before coated glass. "They impregnate glass [with a coating] to create multiple textures and patterns," Haney says. "The color choices are endless and it doesn't show water at all."

Another product that wears very well in the bath is Corian®, which is now offered in prefabricated shower walls for builders. With no grout lines, surfaces are maintenance-free and don't promote the growth of mold or mildew. And just as in its countertops, Corian shower surfaces maintain consistent color throughout the piece.

Tile has always been popular for floors but is now being used on virtually every bathroom surface, says Ersan Sayman, purchasing manager for natural stone and ceramic tile at Atlanta-based flooring retailer Floor & Décor. Tumbled marble and travertine tiles are increasingly popular for shower walls, mixed with decorative borders, mosaics, glass and even metallic tiles. "Some customers get one mosaic piece and match metal pieces with natural stone for extra-eye-catching concepts."

One big trend for tile installation is extremes in size — both very large and very small tiles, such as subway tiles. Large, rectangular tiles — both on floors and walls — are quite popular, according to Lori Kirk-Rolley, marketing director for Dal-Tile Corp., America's largest tile manufacturer. She also says translucent and iridescent glass tiles for shower walls are becoming hugely popular as "homeowners look to create a relaxing and soothing spa-like environment in the home."

In countertops, Kirk-Rolley says she thinks the upper end of the market is trending away from marble toward natural stone, such as granite, especially in styles that are more monochromatic. Those work particularly well with vessel sinks, which remain a high-design element in a bath.

That's not at all surprising to Morrow at Shaw Industries, who says she's seen greater interest from home buyers in upgrading the level of elegance in their bathrooms. "They're a little snazzier than they have been in the past," she says. "It's that one area where we want to be pampered a little bit."

She has even seen some homeowners incorporate semiprecious stones, such as malachite, lapis, jasper and amethyst, into their bathroom designs. "People are looking for something a little more eye-catching," she says. "You won't have a lot of it in the overall square footage, but that little splash of drama is absolutely gorgeous."


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