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.

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.

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.

"We're going back to the past in a good way," says Williams. "In the kitchen, we're looking for things that have value and staying power. Trendy is out. Quality is in."

Williams believes the most valuable fixture in any home is the kitchen cabinetry, which, if well-chosen, can last 20 years or more. Happily, she notes, cabinets are losing that generic mass-produced look and are now designed to resemble custom creations.

"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 nonutilitarian 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."

Woodsman fabricates countertops from an engineered stone called Zodiac, which comes in 29 shades. Some are subdued granite-hued grays and some are bolder (think cobalt blues and deep reds) to fit into metro-chic kitchen designs.

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

Backsplashes might be fabricated from engineered or natural stone-tumbled marble is especially popular-as well as pressed metal tiles or brushed stainless steel. Designers say old-fashioned tile backsplashes are on the comeback trail, often boasting elaborate patterns, textures or designs.

Of course, while furniture-quality cabinetry and engineered 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 stainless steel 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- quality anchor appliances.

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 pans.

"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."

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, and ice machines for unlimited supplies of crisp, clean-tasting ice.

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

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 pass?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.

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.

Notes Williams: "Everybody has their own idea of luxury, and kitchens and bathrooms are where they're tending to really splurge."