Self-cleaning toilets and tubs with heated backrests are among the novel choices cited in a 2018 Houzz bathroom study
Read on to find out what’s popular and gain insight into the special toilet, tub and shower features that homeowners are including in their master bath remodels now.
The 2018 U.S. Bathroom Trends Study includes responses from more than 1,100 registered users of Houzz who had completed a master bathroom remodel in the past 12 months, are working on one or are planning to start one in the next three months.
Some of these renovating homeowners are choosing toilets that eliminate the need to scrub the bowl — 13 percent of those upgrading toilets are choosing self-cleaning models. These smart machines employ a variety of technologies to keep dirt and residue off the bowl so homeowners can skip the scrubbing.
Another way to ease the pain of bathroom cleaning is to choose a one-piece toilet like the one shown in this photo. One-piece toilets have no seam between the tank and the seat, meaning they also have “one less place for soil and germs to hide,” says interior designer and Houzz contributor Yanic Simard. Twenty-eight percent of those upgrading their toilets are going with a one-piece, up from 21 percent two years ago, in 2016.
One in five homeowners upgrading a toilet in a remodeled master bathroom is selecting a double-flush mechanism (19 percent). These mechanisms include two buttons or handles that flush different amounts of water for liquids and solids. Other homeowners (12 percent) are choosing toilet seating with a bidet function or heating element (9 percent). Both those features have risen in popularity since last year.
A majority of homeowners upgrading their showers as part of their master bathroom remodels are choosing rainfall shower heads (57 percent), according to the study. A rainfall shower head is usually larger than a standard shower head and typically hangs flat overhead rather than at an angle. This photo shows two rainfall shower heads.
Dual showers — which have two shower heads so that two people can use the shower simultaneously — are rising in popularity, according to the study. Twenty-eight percent of those remodeling their master bathrooms and upgrading their showers are including this feature, compared with 21 percent two years ago. This aligns with another trend: the increasing size of master bathroom showers. Last year’s study reported that among those who were upgrading their showers, more than two-thirds increased the shower’s size.
Among those upgrading their showers, 18 percent are including a body sprayer, which is a nozzle that can be mounted to the ceiling or the wall and that sprays a stream of water — kind of like a hot-tub jet but for the shower. And some remodeling homeowners are including high-tech features like mood lighting (7 percent), digital controls (5 percent) and built-in sound (2 percent).
More homeowners upgrading their bathtubs are now choosing soaking tubs (69 percent) compared with last year (61 percent). Nearly one-fifth of those upgrading their tubs are choosing tubs with room for two. Many of those upgrading their tubs are choosing whirlpool jets, either the silent type (9 percent) or the standard nonsilent type (7 percent). Still others are choosing built-in lighting (7 percent), built-in heated backrests (4 percent) or built-in scented-mist dispensers (1 percent).
The 2018 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Study gathered information from 2,237 registered users of Houzz and included a final sample of 1,144 respondents with a master bathroom project, 580 with a full nonmaster bathroom project and 120 with a partial bathroom project. It was fielded between June 30 and Oct. 17, 2018.
