Kitchen & Bath Design News is the industry's leading business, design and product resource for the kitchen and bath trade.
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Product Trend Report Brizo and Jason Wu have collaborated to create the Jason Wu for Brizo Collection, a powder room suite. The Collection combines sleek Scandinavian design and intricate Baroque detailing, with a Matte Black pnish set o��� by Polished Chrome or Brushed Nickel accents on certain pieces. Included in the Collection is the Odin faucet, as well as drawer knobs and pulls, soap pump and soap dish. Circle 171 on Product Card ThermaSol���s collection of fog-free mirrors is suitable for placement inside the shower or within the bathroom. The mirrors are guaranteed to never fog up, even in non-ventilated bathrooms. Constructed of 1/4"-thick tempered safety glass with a 1" bevel, the mirrors are available in four distinctive designs and are UL approved. Circle 172 on Product Card Produced in Chrome-plated Brass and Aluminum, TowelRack from Devon & Devon is an original wall-mounted towel holder embellished with a centrally positioned tilting mirror. The mirror features rounded corners and is framed with two small brackets with curvilinear motifs. The Chrome frame is also available in Light Gold and Nickel pnishes. Circle 173 on Product Card Geberit has added the Sigma60 to its line of qush plates. The surface of the plate mounts qush to the wall for a smooth appearance, with no edges or protruding elements. The Sigma60 features die-cast zinc construction and a Brushed Chrome pnish with easy-to-clean coating. Dual-qush functionality is standard. Circle 174 on Product Card EASY ACCESS Americans are staying in their homes longer, and they need to outpt these homes in ways that ease the transitions they experience as they age. Nowhere is this more important than in the bathroom, where safety precautions and ease of entry are prime considerations. ���People want to make a one-time investment in their home and then be able to age there gracefully, retaining their independence as long as possible,��� says Taft. Jacobs says that people close to or reaching retirement age have the money to spend on a downsized home, and are modifying these for ease of entry and ADA compliance issues. Grab bars are critical to resolving accessibility issues. The problem with grab bars, according to many manufacturers, is that they tend to have an institutional look, rather than the personal style designers and homeowners are looking for. ���This type of plain, industrial look hardly contributes to the overall design, so the idea is to help it blend seamlessly with the other pxtures and accessories,��� says Mockett. ���While the basic functionality in preventing slips and falls is still the main focus, simply adding a soft grip or oval design not only improves the grip surface and allows for more leverage, but can also lend itself to more aesthetically pleasing qualities.��� A linear drain can enable users to easily enter the shower enclosure without having to step over a curb, Taft says. Decorative linear drains support Universal Design without sacripcing the aesthetic, he adds. Overall, ���Universal Design has impacted most organizations to ���think outside the box��� to develop products that have not traditionally been a ���must-have��� accessory in a bathroom,��� says Hamilton. For homes designed with aging in place in mind, he adds, items such as ADA-compliant grab bars, decorative shower seats and zero-threshold shower drains are critical. The Delta line of Hidden in Plain Sight products from Liberty Hardware provides leverage and stability as well as an appealing style. The Curved Assist Bar (shown) supports up to 300 lbs. It is shown in a Polished Chrome pnish. Circle 176 on Product Card The Denby, the most popular towel warmer in the Westover Artos line, is available in nine sizes to pt any bathroom space. Finials can be added to provide a more traditional look, and robe hooks and extra towel bars are available in White and Chrome. The towel bar is available in pve pnishes, in hydronic, plug-in and hardwired versions. Circle 177 on Product Card 32 | Kitchen & Bath Design News February 2013 The Manhattan series of bath accessories and hardware from Creations by Alno features a transitional style with clean lines and soft edges. The line includes a towel bar, towel ring, soap holder, shelving and tissue holders. Shown is the swing tissue holder. Circle 175 on Product Card TECH TALK With technology an ever-present inquence in daily life, it���s no surprise that technological advances have some impact on hardware and accessory trends. From simplifying the design process to the development of straightforward, easy-to-use products, technology is important, even if not in the obvious ways. ���To some degree, technology does play a role in hardware and accessory trends,��� says Hamilton. ���Technology can be used to attach shower plates with magnets rather than screws, resulting in a much cleaner, aesthetically appealing pnal product. Using small parts and other technologies, toilet tissue holders no longer require a spring loaded roller. The arm of the toilet tissue holder pivots upward to allow for a tissue roll to be easily changed without the hassle of a spring roller.��� More e���cient products, such as Amba���s towel warmer technology, are also being developed. Using cables rather than heating oil, the warmers heat in 10 to 15 minutes instead of 30 to 45. Salati says that other advances include digital heat controllers for many towel warmer models, as well as the ability to modify wall bracket lengths, which is important when the wall is not level or there is tile on the bottom of the wall, but not the top. Additionally, Mockett finds power and communication systems becoming increasingly important in bath design. ���Bathrooms are experiencing growth and expansion, sometimes borrowing square footage from the adjacent rooms to showcase their newfound grandeur style. Power and data connectivity demands are growing virtually everywhere to keep everyone connected,��� he says. The emergence of 3-D printers has also had an impact, according to Taft. ���This amazing and growing technology signipcantly accelerates time to market for manufacturers,��� he says. This technology has also enhanced design abilities by enabling qexible and cost-e���ective experimentation, he adds. McJoynt, however, says that because accessories are static products, technology has a limited role. ���Spot-free, pngerprintfree is a nice application, but not prevalent in the accessories business quite yet,��� he concludes. Topex Hardware���s Crystal Bath Accessory Collection features Swarovski crystal pieces in its towel bars, robe hook, shelf, toilet paper holder, cotton jar and soap dishes. The streamlined and minimalist pieces join Topex���s All that Glitters knob and pull decorative hardware series. The crystalencrusted designs are pnished in Bright Chrome. Circle 178 on Product Card Danze o���ers a range of bath accessories in traditional, contemporary and transitional styles, with a matching bath accessory line for almost all of its lav faucets. Shown is the double towel bar from the Brandywood Collection. Circle 179 on Product Card The new Cinu line of bath accessories from Ginger is a sleek, contemporary-styled line that includes three towel bars, a tissue holder with glass shelf, robe hooks, towel rings, shelves, lighting and a mirror. Constructed of solid brass and tempered glass, the line is available in Polished Chrome, Satin Nickel and Polished Nickel pnishes. Circle 180 on Product Card