Improving Bathrooms - The

Specifics

 by:

Raynor James

One of the best ways to increase the value of your home is to improve

the bathrooms. Here's a primer on things to consider.

Sinks

Villeroy and Boch makes a sink that mimics a boulder worn into a bowl

by water flowing into it. It can be quite handsome in a minimalist home or

a rustic one. You can see it and others at

villeroy-boch.com

.

Concrete Jungle makes some dramatically simple concrete sinks and

vanities that surprisingly look very modern, or very farm-house. Check

concretejungleonline.com

if that idea appeals.

Walker Zanger's designs include a perfectly simple sink in white marble

for a dressier look. They also have a sturdy dark wooden "table" base that

gives it dramatic contrast. You might enjoy visiting

walkerzanger.com

for

more ideas.

Showers

A shower separate from the tub is one of today's favorite luxuries.

Some of them have been designed to feel like rain (at least part of the

time). Dornbracht has one called "RainSky M" which can be checked out at

dornbracht.com

.

Large frameless (or nearly frameless) glass shower enclosures are

showing up in more and more homes. MAAX makes a line of showers with

features like overhead "waterfall" systems, hand held shower heads, and

body sprays coming from the side that work well in a frameless enclosure.

I helped a family sell a home with a very interesting master bath not

too long ago. It had a shower much like the one described above, but it

was designed for two people. It looked like a glass room "floating" inside

the large bathroom.

Tubs

As for tubs. Well. Would you believe a tub in an arched tile niche with

a gas log fireplace at its foot? Believe it. Can you imagine a nice long

soak while listening to flute music and sipping chilled champagne? (James

Bond can keep his martini.)

Then there are the Acryline tubs which employ warm air hydro-massage to

counter the effects of the daily rush-grab-dash of life. Explore their

therapy theory at

acrylineusa.com

.

You get the idea. Updated means simple. It does not mean blah. It does

mean coddled. It can give you and your family pleasure and comfort while

you live in your home. It can increase your home's sale value. You'll be

tempted, but don' overbuild your neighborhood with the Taj Mahal of

bathrooms if you want to be pleased with the result when you sell.