Personal Expression
Gets a New Room

Do you need a medicine cabinet that is the color of a tangerine? Or perhaps have the ceiling of your shower deliver a tropical storm? Maybe you are in need of a little more royal treatment when it comes to your toilet and would prefer a $12,000 throne.

Broan-NuTone iColor medicine cabinets; Price: $300

The move toward minimalism and sharp lines has seemed to overtake the bathroom of late, with a plethora of high-end square-shaped tubs, sinks, faucets and even toilets being offered using sharper shapes and starker lines. But there might be hopeful signs of frivolity and fun on the bathroom horizon.

Certainly a lot of bath fixtures with those ultraclean designs will be on display at the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, taking place next week in Las Vegas, where new and improved looks will be showcased by top manufacturers.

Engineered Glass Products Thermique glass towel warmer; Price: $2,000 to $3,000, depending on options

But some in the industry say the time may be right for more softer, sensual designs and even some whimsy when it comes to outfitting what some experts says is becoming more of a room for personal expression than ever before.

"It's about the environment you create in what could be known as a 'ritual of the bath,' " says Jon Spector, the president of the U.S. division of Germany's Dornbracht, a high-end designer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures that perhaps is most responsible for the square-and-spare movement. However, with its new Lulu line, Mr. Spector notes that Dornbracht will soften the geometric and highly functional look it pioneered by beveling the edges and adding more splashes of color to accessories.

Dornbracht BigRain; Price: $2,750 to $9,200 depending on the size.

The line, which will make its debut next week and is likely to be influential on other companies, is very expensive, depending on the fixture and finish. A faucet set could go for as much as $1,300; $600 for a shelf; and around $200 to $300 for a towel bar or toilet-tissue holder.

Will homeowners updating their bathrooms this year be willing to spend that much on the bath? According to recently released statistics from the National Kitchen & Bath Association, which owns the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show, there were about eight million bathroom remodels in the U.S. in 2004, along with about 4.5 million in new bathroom constructions. All that remodeling cost a hefty $23.65 billion, with about half the jobs coming in under $1,000.

While that may not seem like a lot to spend, there are some other interesting products coming to market this year that might grab some renovators' attention.

Dornbracht Lulu faucet; Price: up to $1,300

Though the designers at Dornbracht are definitely loosening up, comparatively, their RainSky shower line is a lesson in simplicity and perhaps a bit of pointless luxury. Costing $2,750 to $9,200 (depending on the size), the idea involves a panel on the shower ceiling that produces a rain-like experience well beyond large drenching showerheads that have become popular recently. Its makers claim the product, which will be rolled out more widely this year in the U.S., mimics "nature's own wash from the sky." Unlike nature, you can adjust the spray, intensity and temperature of the curtains of water.

Herbeau, a 148-year-old French maker of traditional kitchen and bath fixtures, is bringing its Dagobert throne toilet to the U.S. for the first time. According to its U.S. distributor, its concept is based on the "chambers" used by French kings, although it was originally designed in 1970 by Jean Herbeau and has been sold in Europe for years." The ash-wood fixture is more than five feet tall and two feet wide and weighs 180 pounds. The throne comes with armrests, candleholder, ashtray, hand-painted ceramics, musical lid, pull chain with clinking bell and other more modern majestic refinements, delivering what its marketers call a "royal flush." With the Dagobert priced at $12,182, it is your wallet that might go down the drain.

ICP Shower-Shower automatic shower cleaning system; Price: $5,000 to $7,000, depending on options

Given your royal status, if you are too high and mighty to clean your shower with a spray bottle and scrubber, you might like the Shower-Shower, an automatic shower-cleaning system. Its maker, Intelligent Consumer Products of Arizona, describes it as a dishwasher or washing machine for the bathroom. By touching a button or using a remote, jets installed on your shower will distribute your shower cleaner to rid it of soap scum and mildew. Such technology comes at a cost -- $5,000 to $7,000, depending on the options.

Herbeau Dagobert throne toilet; Price: $12,182

Another new product takes the idea of a towel warmer to an unusual place. In place of the more common radiator-style towel warmers, Engineered Glass Products of Chicago, is offering its Thermique glass towel warmer, a glass surface attached to metal poles, which keep it inches from the wall. You drape the towels over the glass, which has a thin-film conductor applied over it, and an electrically heated device gives your towels a toasting. This "hot glass technology" sounds a bit scary, but it actually doesn't get too hot, say its makers, and like your towels, the surface can be monogrammed. The unit does require some wiring in the walls and costs $2,000 to $3,000, depending on the finish.

Less costly are Broan-NuTone's new iColor Medicine Cabinets for $300. Aimed at younger remodelers, the company has attempted to jazz up a very dull bathroom item by rendering it in vibrant colors, including metallic onyx, lemon yellow, racing green, sunburst orange, cobalt blue and fire red. A warning: You may need to reach for the bright-pink Pepto-Bismol in order to stomach this much color in the morning.

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