Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Vessel sinks are popular options, especially in high-end bathroom remodels, and stone can be a striking choice, whether it be marble, granite, onyx, or another. This curvy bathroom sink (available in any of those natural stone materials) will definitely stand out.

The Niao from D’Vontz is a vessel sink that certainly has a distinct design. It’s 8″ tall at its highest point and runs 16.25″ in diameter, so it should fit in most spaces. You can get matching vanity tops from the company, though the real challenge is probably finding faucets and knobs cool enough to go with the sink.

So, when was the last time your shower gave your feet a massage? Been a while, hunh?

If that sounds like an enjoyable experience, check out this steam shower from the UK:

The Pure Satin steam shower has 10 massage jets as well as a plethora of appealing features, including “steam with time and temperature settings, a remote control, FM radio with wireless connection for CD/MP3 players, ozone sterilization to kill all bacteria and cleanse throughout, a foot sole massager, back massage jets and so much more.”

What’s not to love about a shower that massages your feet? And I’m sure the other features would be lovely too. Now I just need to figure out how to get this shipped across an ocean, a continent, and installed in my bathroom…

From the Shower Company

If you thought shower shampoo dispensers were just for locker rooms, you’re in for a treat (well, you are if a three-in-one shampoo/conditioner/soap dispenser excites you), because you can indeed get models designed for home use.

Designed to hang in the shower, these dispensers mean you don’t have to clutter the shelves with shampoo and conditioner bottles, soap bars, lotion, and the like.

This particular model also doubles as a shower caddy, including shelves and storage space for razors, scrub brushes, and other bathroom paraphernalia. There’s even a fog resistant mirror if you guys want to shave in the shower (well, I guess the very flexible women could use it for shaving too).

$40 at StacksandStacks:

Shower Organizer + Three-in-One Dispenser

If you’re remodeling, and you need a new bathroom vanity, there are a number of ways you can go. You can buy something off the shelf of a home improvement store, order something from the internet, convert an old piece of furniture into a vanity, or have something custom built.

This bathroom vanity with its antique-dresser look actually falls into the last category, though at first glance, you’d probably believe it’s an actual antique dresser that was converted for a sink and plumbing. The vanity is all new though, a custom designed and built piece from the Designer Series at Cole & Co:

“Make a statement with this beautiful demilune chest. Drawers, end panels and top feature mahogany and prima vera veneers. The details abound with burl veneers and gold accents with intricately carved acanthus leaves. Lower two drawers are operable for storage.”

Each furniture piece is handcrafted and has the back cut out by hand for plumbing and sink attachments. Sink and fixtures aren’t included, so you’ll have to select your own, but the company has a list of recommend sinks on their site, so you can get something that nicely matches your new bathroom vanity.

If you’ve always wanted a big, deep soaking bathtub, but you didn’t think your bathroom was big enough, you might just be able to get your dream tub by utilizing corner space.

The “Rotunda” from MTI Whirlpools looks huge, but it can be tucked into a corner. And you can do more than simply soak in it. Options range from jets with an Ozonator sanitation system to digitally controlled chromatherapy. If you want to indulge yourself at the end of the rough day, this tub looks like a great way to do it.

The maximum fill capacity of the soaking tub is 147 gallons though so you may need to give your water heater an upgrade to handle this baby (assuming you like your tub water warm).

Prices start around $2,100.

http://www.mtiwhirlpools.com/

Can shower curtains help you study? Sure.

Memorizing the periodic table for my 10th grade chemistry class might have been a lot easier if I’d had this to look at every morning:

A periodic table shower curtain.

The product description promises to transform your bathroom from boring to fun (okay, you may have to have some serious geek tendencies to find the periodic table fun). At the very least, it’ll give you something more interesting to study than the usual shower curtain stripes and flowers.

Also good to know is that the shower curtains are made from environmental friendly 100% EVA, and each one is hand-screened multiple times so the color brilliance will last.

$32 from Amazon:

Periodic Table Shower Curtain

In older houses, small and efficient bathrooms with no extras are pretty common place. This can be a pain if you are remodeling your home for wheelchair access or even if you just like the room to stretch your arms (and turn around without bumping your butt on the toilet paper holder).

One way to make a small bathroom seem bigger is to install wall-mounted toilets and sinks. This way, fixtures aren’t taking up room on the floor, which gives the illusion of a bigger bathroom.

The wall mount sink shown here is designed to fit into a corner, making it even more of a space saver.

$422 from Bathroom Sinks & Consoles

Some say you should incorporate at least one animal print in your interior design schemes (I’ve got a dog that lounges on my couch, so I figure I’m safe). If you’ve always secretly admired those leopard prints but didn’t know how to work one into your home, you may be impressed by the animal print tiles from Italy’s Settecento.

These leopard print bathroom wall tiles are part of their aptly named “Animalier” Collection. Tigers, zebras, and even tiles reminiscent of snake skins can also be found in the line. How’s that for a bit of creativity in the bathroom?

Of course, if you’re thinking of the resale value of your home, remember that animal prints won’t wow everyone. But if you’re designing the house of your dreams and you plan to be there forever, then do what you wish and enjoy the wild side.

Settecento

If you’re looking for a colorful sink for your bathroom, mosaic glass tiles offer a plethora of options.

The Glass Artists Gallery has this striking “Bubbles and Waves” under-counter mount available for $1,740.

As you might expect in that price range, you’re getting hand done work. The sink is made from hand-cut colored art glass tiles, which are individually adhered to the inside surface of the glass bowl. If the blues and greens aren’t your style, custom color palettes can be ordered for an additional $100.

The mosaic sink can be affixed as an undermount or vessel option. (If undermount, a hand forged metal bracket ($350) supports the sinks from below so clips aren’t required).

I love the look of pedestal sinks, especially in small bathrooms since they open up the floor and give you the feeling of more space, but when you lose an under-sink vanity you lose the most obvious place to stick the extra rolls of toilet paper. Fortunately, there are all sorts of space-saving solutions.

If you want to keep extra T.P. within reach of the commode (always a good idea, since someone will doubtlessly forget to replace the empty roll once in a while), then something like this cute woven-banana-leaf holder might work. It does a nice job of being discreet (since not all of us want the toilet paper to be the first thing a guest notices when entering the bathroom) without taking up more space than necessary.

$17 from Amazon:

Woven-Banana-Leaf Toilet-Tissue Holder with Lid