Sleek without being stark, these new products offer smooth, geometric lines with a touch of the transitional.
By Lauren Hunter
Contemporary and transitional styles are current favorites among bathroom designers. A full 70% of designers surveyed by the National Kitchen & Bath Association noted that they specified those two styles in their 2014 designs, outpacing third-place Traditional styling by 17 points. Designers say requests for contemporary and transitional bathroom designs are growing in 2015, bringing with them trends toward white fixtures, innovative storage, and more showers than tubs.
To highlight the trend, we’ve gathered a selection of new products that suite the contemporary, while leaning slightly toward the transitional. A contemporary bathroom might call for floating vanities or open shelving – both identified by designers as trends in 2015 – while furniture-style vanities favor the transitional. Sleek geometric lines work in both bath styles. We’ve selected options with softened edges to take the edge off, so to speak, and set them against Pantone’s 2015 Color of the Year, Marsala. Read all about them, clockwise from left.
Best Bath Systems
Specially design clips are hidden behind the panels of Best Bath’s Snap Joint System. The clips allow panels to snap together for easy installation and water-tightness while creating 90-degree corners. Those tight corners make it possible for the shower showcase the sought-after subway tile design, without the labor and maintenance associated with traditional tile. The panels’ composite construction incorporates a gel coat for a smooth, durable finish over plywood panels that can accept accessories like grab bars down the road.
Ready When You Are
Enhancing its Stealth product line Niagara Conservation introduces the HotStart showerhead. With HotStart installed, when users open the shower valve, water will come out in a standard stream until the water temperature reaches 95 degrees. At that point, HotStart cuts back to a trickle until users press the “resume” button for a full 2 gallon-per-minute flow. HotStart will be sold as part of the UHET Water-Savings Kit, as opposed to a standalone item.
Lovely Lav
Part of Decolav’s partnership with DIY Network personality Matt Muenster, the model 14103 above-counter lavatory measures 21 7/8-inches long, 12 13/16-inch-wide and 5 1/8 inches high. The model is one of eight lavatories in the collection, which also includes seven different bath furniture styles. Muenster frequently creates one-of-a-kind bath furniture pieces for his DIY Network shows. The partnership with Decolav helps make those designs available to all designers and their clients.
Honesty Goodness
Crisp angles and softened corners mark pieces in the Honesty collection. The square design and flush-fit aerator provide a seamless and on-trend aesthetic with an easy-to-clean polished chrome finish. The collection’s WaterSense-labeled single-handle bath faucet delivers water at 2.2 gallons per minute (GPM). Matching fixtures in the collection include a 2 GPM square-face showerhead, lever handle shower valve, and a tub/shower set with showerhead, valve, and tub filler.
Furniture Fair
With a new brand comes stylish new designs. The former Xylem bath furniture company is now Ryvyr, showcasing a number of new collection including Manhattan. The sophisticated vanity collection showcases clean lines and linear chrome hardware. Choose 24-, 30-, and 36-inch vanities in black or white finishes, along with a 12-inch bridge option to create a custom furniture piece as shown. Matching wall mirrors are also available in a variety of widths.