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Over the last thirty years, there has been an amazing shift in what American
homebuyers expect when it comes to baths, showers, faucets and fixtures. To
test this theory, just visit any mid-range home that was built in the 1970s
or earlier and check out the master bath. The chances are very good that you'll
find a very small room, by today's standards. The master baths of mid-range
homes built in the late 1960s and early 1970s often came with only a tiny stall
shower - or perhaps a tub-shower combination, a toilet and a single sink.
Fast-forward to today, and you'll find a completely different environment -
in virtually every range of home - even smaller "starter" or tract
homes.
The bathrooms are larger, often with skylights, vaulted ceilings and other
space-enhancing features. Most noticeable are the upgraded expectations for
the showering and bathing experience. Showers are larger than ever before, often
with multiple water-jets, hand-showers, and overall versatility that allows
for a much more pleasurable experience. Tubs, too, are larger. Whirlpool features
are common. Faucets are more stylish, and more effort is being made to match
the faucets with other bathroom décor, like towel racks, mirrors, and
even cabinet pulls.
Kohler in the Project House
Our Project House has six bathrooms - the Master Bath, the Guest Bath, the
Kids' Bath, a Cabana Bath, a Playroom Bath and a Powder Room. We teamed with
Kohler in this year's Project House to come up with a design for each bathroom
that would showcase the latest, most innovative features in the areas of showers,
baths, faucets and fixtures and overall design.
Of course, the Master Bath is the showpiece of the house. Both the bath and
shower are designed to offer the ultimate experience available with today's
bath and shower technology and design.
The bath is a Kohler Riverbath Round 66 whirlpool that measures 66" x
66" x 25", and is designed to mimic all the natural elements, sounds
and sensations of a river. There's the cascade of a shoulder-wide waterfall,
the rush of whitewater rapids, and the tranquility of a gently babbling brook,
with underwater eddies and currents - all controllable by the pressing of one
of three control buttons. The Riverbath also comes with a floating remote control
device, which allows the bathers to shift the functions without having to shift
position.
The Master Bath shower is a Kohler Waterhaven showering system that centers
around a shower tower with two arched, telescoping showerheads. The system also
has a hand shower and four bodysprays that slide up and down the tower to accommodate
users of varying heights. Using the Waterhaven's adjustable and variable showerheads
and bodysprays, our homeowners will be able to customize each showering experience
to fit their needs or moods at any given time. The tower can be installed separately
in a custom shower, as we did in the Project House, or use integrated components
to create an all-in-one shower system for a corner or alcove configuration.
Steam in the Guest Bath
In the guest bath upstairs, we've installed a Kohler Sonata® bath/shower
enclosure with a Steam Generator, to bring steam into the shower in an attractive
and affordable way. As we demonstrated in the story in the show, the Steam Generator
has a built-in aromatherapy well. By putting some aromatic oil into the well,
the steaming experience can be further enhanced.
The Steam Generator was designed to be safe and unobtrusive. When the generator
heats up, it extends from the wall housing by about a quarter of an inch. When
the generator cools, it automatically recesses to the flush-with-the-wall position.
Iron Works Suite in the Cabana Bath
Another exciting new concept in bathroom function and design is the integration
of decorative themes throughout a "suite" of fixtures. In the Project
House, we went with Kohler's Iron Works Historic™ and Iron Works Tellieur™
suites, which showcase ornamental ironwork, reminiscent of the 19th century
work that first made Kohler famous. The Iron Works Historic™ lavatory sits
atop an elaborate wrought-iron three-legged pedestal. The toilet bowl and toilet
tank are also from the Iron Works Historic suite. To complement the ensemble
of classic fixtures, we added Kohler Iron Works Tellieur™ storage cabinets
and base cabinets. The Tellieur bathroom furniture suite employs solid select
maple frames in Black Forest finish to accentuate the cast iron in the Historic
series.
Contact Information:
Kohler
1-800-4-KOHLER
Visit Kohler's Website
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