Beyond Basics

Think of it as the yin and yang of home design. Kitchens and baths-the most public and most private spaces in the American home-have never been more exalted.

Over the past decade, interior designers, homebuilders and manufacturers have come to understand what everyday folks have always known: Most quality time at home is spent either in the family-friendly embrace of a bustling kitchen, or in the soothing solitude of a sybaritic bath suite.

And while estate dwellers and McMansion owners have long been blessed with couture-level kitchen and bath appointments, now more ordinary mortals are finding little, and some not-so-little, luxuries within their reach.

"Kitchens and baths are becoming absolutely gorgeous," says Rita Williams, owner of Merchandising Plus and a veteran Jacksonville model home decorator. "So many products are out there now, and people are choosing the things that make sense for their tastes and the way they live."

Adds Allen Setzer, owner of Setzer's appliance store in Jacksonville, "People are staying in their homes longer, and they're choosing to increase their equity." That means more bells and whistles in kitchens and bathrooms, the rooms where experts say improvements are most likely to significantly boost home values.

And there are plenty of bells and whistles from which to choose.

Wine aficionados can select a temperature-controlled wine cellar built into a beautiful, granite-topped center island with a hanging glass rack. Spa fans can recreate their favorite soaking tub or rainforest shower experience.

Big families and veteran hosts might devote more square footage to a kitchen equipped with a sitting area, commercial-grade appliances and a cooking hearth. And those who embrace very personal luxuries might opt for a bidet, a mosaic mural-walled dressing room or even a warming drawer for towels.

"The kitchen and the bath play a significant role in the purchasing decisions of homebuyers," says architect Deryl Patterson, partner in the Jacksonville office of Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects and Planners. "So it's important for builders and designers to energize floor plans with fresh ideas that add excitement and help distinguish their models from the competition's."

Whatever a homeowner's preference, he or she can find food for thought by cruising new model homes, homebuilder design centers, renovator showrooms and appliance retailers.

Following are a few-just a few-of the concepts and products out there.

"Even the smallest kitchens can have personality," says Patterson. "Since the latest trends are all about the island, we suggest creating a variety of unconventional shapes instead of dropping a rectangle in the middle of each plan."

Creating a triangular island or adding some curves will dramatically change the space by creating an unexpected focal point, she adds.

Walk into a new or renewed kitchen and feast your eyes upon the furniture. Well, it looks like furniture. Gone are uniform banks of bleached oak cabinets, with or without identical center islands or breakfast bars.

In their place you'll find complementary pieces in dark, warm and light wood tones, sometimes even color-washed wood, along with strategically placed glass and specialized storage units.

"Manufacturers are using beautiful dark woods to create furniture-quality center islands, then pairing that with cabinets in beautiful cream tones and maybe some type of trim in a warm caramel," Williams says. "In other rooms, you might select a beautiful antique piece of furniture, then build the rest of the room around it. That's also what's happening in the kitchen."

Ted Thomson of Thomson Select in Jacksonville notes that interesting colors and textures in kitchens have been made possible by a new generation of glazes and wood finishes.

"Glazing is an inconsistent finish that's wiped on the wood," Thomson says. "We're seeing antique bronze, blues, greens and other accent colors. But what's really new in kitchens is black. It's being used on woods in sanded and distressed or rubbed-on finishes. It's a strong accent and we're going to be seeing a lot more of it."

Thomson adds that glass-front and tiered cabinetry is also gaining popularity.

"We're putting a lot of glass in kitchens and in oversized pantries," Thomson says. "We're also stacking cabinets. So many kitchens have higher ceilings now that we're starting to put a row of conventional cabinets at the usual height, then a row of glass-front cabinets above them."

The top cabinets, Thomson says, might be used for non-utilitarian items, such as a teapot collection.

Beautiful cabinetry is being complemented by equally striking countertops and backsplashes, says Nancy Love, marketing director of Woodsman Kitchens and Floors in Jacksonville. Countertops of engineered stone have soared in popularity, she says, thanks to its beauty and easy maintenance.

"Engineered stone is made of 93 percent quartz, which is one of the hardest minerals available," Love says. "It's nonporous, scratch resistant and can be made to look like granite. But unlike granite, there are no fissures, no sealing is necessary and it's much more consistent."

Although several kinds of engineered stone are available, Love prefers the Zodiaq brand because it comes in natural-looking hues as well as bolder cobalt blues and deep reds to accent metro-chic kitchens.

"Plus, if you spill red wine on Zodiaq, it won't soak it up and stain because it's nonporous," Love says. "It's both a design choice and a lifestyle choice."

But don't write off natural stone just yet, says Kate Migliaro, project manager with The Turnage Company, a respected local remodeler.

"Natural granite is still highly desirable in the kitchens we do," says Migliaro. "The variety of colors available is still greater with natural granite, and it also has a highly upscale connotation."

Granite prices have actually come down in recent years, adds Migliaro, because more companies than ever are importing it and selling it, thus boosting the supply.

Of course, while furniture-quality cabinetry and engineered or natural stone countertops might make a kitchen look homey or even a little retro, the array of incredible appliances now available look strictly to the future.

Commercial grade refrigerators, freezers and ranges, pioneered by manufacturers like Sub-Zero and Wolf, have become de rigueur in the well-used kitchen of the 21st century. Consequently, old-line home appliance manufacturers such as Electrolux, Kenmore, Whirlpool, GE, KitchenAid and others have introduced their own upscale lines in recent years.

"All the growth we're seeing seems to be in the custom appliances," says Setzer. "People are buying 72-inch gas ranges. They're buying sealed, glass-top ranges. They're buying built-in style refrigerators and freezers. They're buying better quality integrated dishwashers that get water hotter and run quieter."

Appliances for the serious cook-or the serious host, or the seriously design-conscious homeowner-might include the full array of commercial-grade anchor appliances.

"Up until the past year-and-a-half or so, stainless-steel, commercial-grade appliances were only available in the most expensive custom homes," says Juan Ibanez, vice president and general sales manager of First Coast Supply, which sells appliance packages mainly to builders. "But there are new lines out now that make these kinds of amenities possible in a wider variety of homes, not just those at the very top end."

Cooking aficionados are also eschewing those ubiquitous double sinks with the barrier in the middle. Instead, they're installing multiple single-basin sinks that are large enough to accommodate oversized pots and pas.

"Real cooks want to use one sink as a vegetable sink or a prep sink," says Heidi Campbell, showroom manager at Fergason Kitchen and Bath Gallery in Jacksonville. "And because kitchens are larger now, there's room for two full work stations."

Migliaro notes that kitchen workstations are also becoming more specialized. The vegetable sink has become ubiquitous, of course, but Migliaro says her company recently installed a kitchen with an area designed specifically for baking.

"We're seeing workstations for all kinds of different purposes now," Migliaro says. "Depending on what the user enjoys doing, the kitchen can be designed around those interests."

Some other items finding their way into modern kitchens include refrigeration drawers, which may be dropped into a center island to hold drinks, mixers and garnishes; ice machines for unlimited supplies of crisp, clean-tasting ice; and warming ovens.

In addition, butler's pantries are back, outdoor dining areas have been added and breakfast nooks have turned into full-fledged casual dining rooms.

"People are spending from $250,000 to $4000,000 and up on their kitchens," says Ibanez. "For that kind of investment, they want the best of everything."

But if kitchen space has expanded, then bathroom square footage has exploded. Indeed, with the exception of a hall powder room or a utilitarian secondary bath, the basic sink-toilet-tub configuration has all but disappeared from new homes.

Master baths have become mini-spas with separate tubs and showers, steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools and even separate toilet rooms, sometimes called "water closets."

Bathrooms have emerged as essential components of the modern "owner's retreat," and now occupy as much or more space as the attached bedroom and sitting area.

"There are so many options," says Love. "You can have tilt-out hampers, linen cabinets, dressing areas, freestanding storage areas and every kind of fixture imaginable."

Vanities are being built higher so it's no longer necessary to crouch over the sink. Natural stone is being installed on floors and walls while rectangular glazed "subway tile" is making a comeback. And forget about those passé chrome fixtures-oil-rubbed bronze is all the rage.

Frame-free clear glass shower enclosures have also become popular, says Williams.

"They give baths an open, airy feel, and eliminate the problem of dirt and mold collecting on glass frames and tracks," Williams notes, adding that garden-view baths, with or without jets, and rainforest showers have likewise gained favor.

Patterson agrees, adding that if possible place the tub under a picture window that focuses on a view such as a fenced and landscaped atrium or a courtyard. She also suggests creative use of outdoor lighting to create "a visually pleasing atmosphere for nighttime bathing."

Speaking of showers, some are now being installed with as many as a half-dozen body spray units built into the wall. Those units are specifically placed according to the buyer's preference.

"There are more shower people than there are bath people," says Campbell. "So custom showering systems are designed to aim the jets of water at the body pressure points you've selected."

And those who can't possibly get through the morning dressing ritual without a TV fix can look into a recessed screen designed to fit behind, and be visible through, a bathroom mirror.

"The image is kind of ghostly," says Williams. "The first time I saw it, it scared me. But men tend to love gadgets like that." In addition, Williams notes, another male-oriented device is starting to appear in home bathrooms-the urinal. Yes, the urinal.

Other luxurious bathroom perks include audio systems, strategic lighting and such sensory touches as warming drawers for towels, heated flooring and heating lamps above showers.

"Keep layering on the details," says Patterson. "Don't stop with just a sensational center tub. Add a glass-enclosed, walk-in shower behind the tub, a special ceiling treatment or a skylight. Those touches will help create the spa environment that buyers seem to want more than ever."