Listen up interior design lovers and design consumers. If you’ve got an itch that involves updating or gutting a bath in 2014, take a deep breath, find a great team and consider these bathroom room design trends to bet on in 2014.

This Tubs For You:

The stand-alone tub continues to be strong. Thanks to more manufacturers hopping onto the stand-alone tub wagon, more choices means that this look is no longer relegated to the highest budget end. Delta and Brizo are doing some sharp looking tub fillers worth checking out. (That’s the name given to the tall faucet used to fill the stand alone tub…it’s no longer called a faucet, it’s a tub filler. Longer title = higher cost.) Interior designer nay-sayers complain about the agility required to lift the leg into and out of high sided stand-alone tub, as well as the difficulty of cleaning around them. So, if you’re building a stand-alone tub in a niche, don’t allow only 6” around all sides, as this is what creates the cleaning struggle. And if you’re planning a hip or knee replacement any time soon, pass on the great looking stand-alone altogether. Instead, hop onto this next trend.

April Showers…Are Getting Bigger:

The borderless shower is exploding. The shower curb or threshold step in is “going out.” In fact, as showers are becoming borderless and doorless in some case, the result is larger shower areas, tile everywhere and a very luxurious shower experience thanks to deeper benches and smart rain shower heads. Delta has created some interesting lower flow shower heads that twist air into the water flow which results in a larger water spray while using roughly 20% less water. The borderless shower concept is even “gaining steam” (Pun. Sorry.) with drop-in tubs as seen in the growing popularity of the partial shower door snapped in Porcelanosa’s showroom.

Shimmer On:

Iridescent & shimmering tiles continue to show themselves. Here’s Porcelanosa’s white-on-white bath with a shimmer tile in a 1”x1” behind the sink or this combo mirror and porcelain tile. Glass remains strong, but with new shapes and bubbling gaining ground, as seen in this wall of bubble tiles.

Above-counter sinks, known as vessel sinks, remain strong for powder rooms and master baths. Shout out to mineral powder make-up wearers however, who may want to pass on this trend in a master bath for cleaning simplicity. Other than this, sleek looking vessels continue to show up in every material – glass, stone, porcelain, metal and concrete. Dollar for dollar, they provide a lot of look for the price.

Grass Cloth Tile? You’re kidding?

No, I am not. This photo is from my recent trip to Porcelanosa’s new showroom near Philadelphia. It shows a stunning grass cloth tile behind the vessel sink. It is SPECTACular. This is not grass you will want to smoke. This is grass you will want to shower around because, unlike real grass cloth, this tile will laugh at moisture.

They say to never get between a man and his bath or a woman and her boudoir. The convenience and pleasure factor of the bath for both sexes looks bright for 2014.

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About Donna Hoffman, The Interior Design Advocate™

Donna is a former top QVC Show Host and now one of the country’s foremost consumer advocates in interior design in addition to being an award winning designer herself. “I help people avoid wasting big dollars and unnecessary frustration when  furnishing and decorating their home by offering clear strategies for finding the right products, professionals,  contractors and services.” The results are that people get what they want, spend smart, eliminate the stress and get that beautiful home of their dreams. Known as The Interior Design Advocate™, Donna is here as your advocate, making sure you get wise in design so you can get what you want. For more information, go to www.theinteriordesignadvocate.com.