The Bathroom Goes High-Tech

Personalize your showering experience with digital controls that let you preset your preferred temperature, water volume and massage settings. This can be both time-saving and relaxing, depending on which shower experience you're seeking. Kohler reintroduced its DTV system at the 2011 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show with a more affordable price tag, so you can now enjoy the personalization benefits for about $1,000 before installation.

If you enjoy watching television, you might want to consider adding that capability to your bathroom. There are numerous options available. A standalone set, mounted on a wall where it can be seen from where you want to enjoy it the most, is one. I highly recommend an outdoor-rated set to ensure long-term enjoyment.

The newest way to add television to your bathroom is with a medicine cabinet mirror. Similar to the TV-in-the-mirror concept, (next), this method adds always-welcome storage to the mix. There's also an MP3 charger available in this series.

Another way to add TV to your bathroom is right into your vanity mirror. This is one of my favorite approaches, as it's sleek and wonderfully convenient.

If you want to be able to control multiple systems from your bathroom — including climate, music, video, home security, etc. — a full-house automation system tied into your iPad could be the solution you've been waiting for. Creston makes this particular system and David Van Wert, a Los Angeles-based technology pro, alerted me to them as a resource.

This is probably more toilet — and more technology — than you want in your bathroom, but if being serenaded on the commode with your iPhone appeals to you, Kohler's Numi might just be your favorite seat in the house.

I like sensor faucets for bathrooms — especially shared bathrooms — because they reduce the spread of germs and minimize water usage.

You can go high-end with $700-plus designer models, or more affordable, as in this Addison model by Delta. Either way, you can enjoy the benefits and not have your guest bath or powder room look like a public restroom!

What's high tech about polished granite, you ask? Look closely and you'll see the power outlet camouflaged in its surface. This Trufig outlet cover does its job with quiet elegance, letting your design be the star, not the outlet attached to it.

More: How to Hide Your Plugs and Switches

14 Ways to Put a TV in the Kitchen