Houzzers Say: Dream Features for the Bath and Closet

silvanacastror A shower bench and a shower niche.... adoro esse tipo de nicho... é simplesmente perfeito para box...

Debbie I always love your articles, Becky. Your explanations are great and so is your sense of humor! Keep up the good work!

Molto Bene Studios Shoe storage. The ironing board in the closet. The TV over the bath with the library! I prefer showers, but I just think it looks so cool.

Becky Harris Thank you Debbie :)

Denise Butchko/Butchko and Company A shower bench and easy access in and out is something most people don't think about until they really need it - like after an injury or surgery. So important and so beneficial in the long run.

Rough Linen Oh I wish I wish I had a heated floor! I do have a heated towel rail though, and the towels are always dry and sweet-smelling.

The main thing on my wish list is a handheld attachement to the shower, but I already have a shower/tub diverter, and I can't find a three-way diverter! do you have special insight into this problem Becky?

I could live without the rest, including the vast closets. If I had a closet that size I'd rent it out!

catwhit Valet hooks in the closet. So useful for hanging garment bags while packing, for dry cleaning, for airing woolens.
Electrical outlet for hand-held steamer.
Big splurge: pants presser.
Specialized storage for scarves, belts, handbags.

In the bathroom: storage for a rolling laundry hamper.
Window and/or skylight for natural light which doesn't require turning on a light every time you enter.
Wall-mounted, lighted make-up/shaving mirror.

samjustin1 Here is an example of a nice compact Tub/shower combination that works when space is limited. We found this example in Perry, Ga. It really opens the bathroom up by using glass walls. It has a corner shower, a accesories niche, and a single handle ORB faucet. I didn't know how to save a picture here, but You can see it at: http://cwwilliamshomes.com/listing/113-stilesboro-court/

Beth Fazzio This is a "neat thing to do but not in the bath comment"!
The other neat thing you can do in your kitchen is to designate a "coffee cupboard". We did a sliding shelf with an outlet in the back of the cupboard to plug in the coffee maker and had enough room for coffee cups, sugar, extra coffee, & filters all in one place! Pull the shelf out while coffee is brewing (we also had the door of the cupboard be able to push back into the side so it isn't sticking out. Everyone loves this cupboard!

tractormama I'm building a new house. In the "mistress" bathroom, I designed a walk-in, handicapped accessible shower with a portable bench and a hand-held attachment to the shower. Portable because it can be moved to the best location for different tasks. Next to the vanity is a 7-foot cabinet; at its side level with the vanity top, I'm placing a bathroom appliance garage with a tambour door. The door slides up and there are all the plugged in appliances necessary for a bathroom -- dryer, toothbrush, water pick, curler, whatever, and this shelf will have the same surface as the countertop. Way cool!

Commercial Interiors, D & D Inc. Curbless shower in the cabana bath is one of the best changes of my recent renovation. Old terrazzo floors paired with new porcelain tile walls, storage niche, wider pocket door and more towel bars converted this 1960s bath to a spacious senior friendly place.

arneader Hat racks

ancjw All are wonderful ideas, but I have a dream-list necessity and I need an opinion, please. My husband and I are building a home in Alaska for resale in a couple of years. If you lived in Alaska, would you prefer to come home and thaw out in a sauna, or crawl into a bathtub and soak? My preference is the definitely the sauna because it heats quickly, uses minimal water, and the water doesn't eventually get cold, but since we are building for eventual resale, it's the opinion of others that count. What do you think?

mrbeta I think the ultimate towel rack would be tying into the hot water line and bringing it out of the wall and making a rack of copper tubing. When you shower the hot water goes through the rack and then out the shower head. Of course if you have radiant hot water floor heating you could also use that as your hot water source and the towel rack then becomes part of the room heating as well. Copper is beautiful and this could be the ideal for some.

Rather than a towel warmer drawer the inexpensive alternative is to put a small microwave in your dressing area (works well with a morning kitchen), then put a bit of water on your towel and fire up the wave. I know it is not as cool as a dedicated towel warming drawer but the results can be pretty close to the same.

tinaherrmann I love the ironing board & valet rod, the best

Danenberg Design Thanks Becky. Nice article. A couple of additional things worth mentioning would be sliding closet doors (so that they don't come out into the space and disrupt traffic flow) and lighting in the closet on a dimmer switch, so that one can adjust the 'mood' in the wardrobe area.

johanna2 ancjw : we had a sauna in our house in a ski resort area in Colorado and used it often, but not as often as I just took a long, hot shower! Just make it large enough that 2 or more can be in there and not be clausterphobic (I think ours was about 5 feet wide x 8 feet long).

Yagoona Design We used to run a mosaic arts company and for a while we were creating some more "out of this world" bathrooms. Here is an example of what we created...

marybethtaylor Love the pull out ironing board....

ambiadecorator I completely love the shower handles, the curbless shower, the heated towel bar and floors. For the closet I love the shoe storage, valet hangers and lighting - especially natural light. I would include a vanity in the dressing area, as I prefer that then in the bath. In my dream home, my bathroom, dressing room and gym would all be connected. So there would be a space for home gym equipment, with room for yoga/aerobics, a small kitchenette and spa - wet massage area and sauna. also specialized storage for handbags and scraves. And jewerly storage and display.

Pristine Decor shoes' closet: the best of the best.

Liz Long Interiors Love your writing style Becky. You had me chuckling at work.

jeffhussey Loved the great ideas. I have one to add for practical reasons. Although it doesn't make a lovely photo I would add hooks to my ideal closet room. I almost never wear certain clothes only once (bathrobe, jeans...) and hate wasteful laundry as it is. This needs a place to put the clothes to be re-worn.

Becky Harris Jeff I totally agree. I have over-the-door hooks and wall-mounted hooks in my closets for belts, bags, nightgowns, robes, hand towels (in the powder room), hoodies, jewelryetc. They come in very handy!