Once
a modestly sized bedroom with an attached bath and his-and-her walk-in
closet, the last two decades have seen master suites grow to staggering
proportions. Showers are overtaking whirlpool tubs as the height of luxury,
sitting rooms are becoming the norm and closets are morphing into dressing
rooms.
It's not only the addition of amenities that is striking; the blueprint of
the whole suite is evolving. Our clients are generally looking for designs
that integrate the many functions of the master bedroom, bath and dressing
area more seamlessly than ever before.
No longer just practical rooms for bathing, grooming and sleeping, these spaces
act as well earned retreats, both for relaxing and re-energizing. With this
in mind, we find ourselves rethinking the very definition of the bedroom and
bath, and effectively breaking the rules so each element is more closely connected
to light, views and space.
We now find ourselves having pretty unique discussions with our clients covering
a range of personal habits and routines.
• Bathing and dressing are being addressed for how they really work into
our daily routine, rather than reverting to outdated, conventional ideas
about clustering plumbing fixtures together. For example, toilets are often located
in their own private nook, allowing the tub, shower and vanity to be a more
sculptural.
• Upstairs master suites are still popular, even with empty nesters, but
main floor masters are more the norm.
• We try to design longer sight lines and more open space to
give the suite an easier flow from room to room. The big debate remains
as
to whether or not you should have to go through the closet to get
to the bath or visa versa.
• We also take into consideration the suite's natural surroundings. Sometimes
a connection to the outdoors, beyond simply a view, is on the wish list;
presenting additional opportunities.
• We are also seeing more than one master suite, or family suites,
which are two bedrooms connected with a bath, or even two master bedrooms
with smaller, separate baths — to keep the peace.
• We will often include a bonus space, such as a laundry room,
within the master suite. Mini-kitchens complete with wine coolers,
coffee bars, wet bars, refrigerators and microwaves are not uncommon.
SIT A SPELL
Sitting
rooms — not just sitting areas — are all the rage throughout
the country. Such a separate entity keeps the bedroom (sleeping chamber)
just for sleeping and reading in bed and gives the whole room the luxury “hotel
like” suite feeling.
Other ideas that frequently come up for well-appointed sitting rooms are:
• Fireplaces. We add this amenity to a lot of second-floor master suite
sitting rooms, so it becomes the family meeting room.
• Create a sumptuous lair. The addition of lounge furniture,
flat-screen TVs, sliding French doors and high-end sound systems.
• We like to see a private terrace instead of a sitting room for first-floor
master suites. This is becoming a trend for empty nesters.
DRESSING ROOMS
His and her dressing rooms have become much more than just walk-in closets.
Don't forget ample space for seasonal storage.
• His-and-her dressing rooms can become very involved. Lots of built-ins,
a sitting area, a sink, a dressing table, and mirrors. Changing spaces, detailed
mirror configuration, glass doors to keep dust out and barrel ceilings with
lighting effects.
• Try to integrate the dressing room. In our homes, these dedicated areas
for dressing are often closely connected to the bathing area yet they are
sometimes separated by sliding panels for the ultimate flexibility, in case you
want to
conceal the mess of your closet.
• We try to know our clients. We have designed suitcase storage
room for homeowners who travel frequently but don't want to go
up to the attic every time they need a bag. A stacked washer and
dryer
plus
ironing board in her dressing room.
HIT THE SHOWERS
Overshadowing
the once requisite whirlpool tub, showers are now the hot thing the wet
areas. The options are endless: steam, rainhead spouts, body sprays,
shower towers, multiheads and so on. Although the new air jet technology,
as opposed to recirculated water, is giving tubs a healthy resurgence.
• Rethink the shower and tub enclosures. Frameless is the latest buzzword,
making the space look cleaner and larger. However, when possible,
we try to reduce the amount of glass entirely. Aren't we all tired of dragging
the squeegee down our glass every morning? We are creating shower
areas
with their own source of natural light, and tiled walls that minimize
the effects of daily water.
• We also have seen more interest in soaker tub without jets for clients
who won't part with their tubs. Some plans have built bay windows
and turrets just to showcase these tubs, or surrounded them with columns.
• Many suites have in-home spas, including a steam massage shower and a
massage/meditation room for de-stressing in a healthful way.
MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS
Synthetics, like Corian, have moved aside for granite, marble, travertine and
slate. Man-made materials come and go, but natural is always in style.
We do a lot with tumbled stone or stuff that looks like tumbled stone. The
old world look and feel is always a winner. As people are cocooning and nesting
more, and not doing as much traveling, these themes bring other worlds to the
home.
Mosaic tiles on the floors and tub decks are popular, as they are warmer to
walk on than the larger tiles. Larger tiles and tile moldings and details adorn
the walls of many luxury master baths. We see less marble in these spaces,
cold and slippery, and more exotic, imported tiles, including new metallic
tile details complete with semi-precious gems embedded in them. Old-world metals
like copper, brushed nickel, black or aged iron, and bronze in faucets and
lighting. Glass is in high demand as mosaic tiles.
We tend to select plumbing fixtures that are sleek, sculptural, and beautiful
by their own right. Fussy fixtures with too many details, knobs and buttons
are out, while clean designs that express exactly what their purpose is, without
sacrificing function, are what we're after.
Grohe and Kohler fixtures, Toto toilets
and Bain and Duravit tubs
are some of the top products. The bidet craze seems to be waning. It's now
generally only for people with ties to Europe.
For cabinetry and vanities, the furniture look is big. Dressers
are in baths and always in closets — get the furniture out
of the bedroom.
FEELING
HOT, HOT, HOT
Got cold feet? Not if we can help it!
• Consider radiant heating. It's the best way to go in the bathroom. No
more cold tile floors early in the morning.
• Consider tankless water heaters like the Rinnai.
These units, along with a small recirculation pump, provide almost instant
and endless hot water.
• Then there are the towels. Heated towel racks are the ultimate in luxury.
LIGHTS! ACTION!
To really finish things off nicely, we need to provide the appropriate lighting.
The key is to combine several types of lighting, preferably on dimmers, along
with natural light whenever possible, from as many directions as possible.
There's nothing better than having a bathroom bathed in morning light to help
you wake up. Multiple lighting options and light levels are critical for adjusting
to darker and brighter days or for a relaxing evening soak in the tub. We try
to position vanity lights on either side of the mirror, for fewer shadows,
and an additional light source from above for balance.
As you can see, there is a lot of intensive planning involved for this
small but oh so important part of building The
Right House.
