For the most informed tips on bathroom design

IN the 1920s, when archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley excavated the city of Ur in Mesopotamia, he discovered tiled rooms with seats that connected to drainage pits. These systems, dating from approximately 3,000 BCE, make the first indoor bathrooms contemporary with Noach.

Bathroom fixtures have evolved a smidgen since that time. For the most informed tips on bathroom design, I spoke with Yossi Fleischman of Supreme Plumbing and with interior designers Rivky Kasirer, Batsheva Winter, and Devorah Segal.

Toilets

Toto has the highest-quality toilets on the market. These fixtures last longest and present with the fewest issues over time. Gerber is a less expensive brand that’s still high-quality, and their Lemora toilet is particularly nice-looking. Other less-expensive brands, including American Standard and Glacier Bay, aren’t recommended. Kohler’s quality has unfortunately declined recently.

Duravit is an excellent brand, especially for wall-hung toilets, which save space. Wall-hung toilets are weight-tested to hold 500 pounds for two hours. (I personally asked the Toto rep at a trade show. He invited me to do jumping jacks on a wall-hung toilet. Being heavily expectant at the time, I declined.) These toilets don’t break off the wall or require repairs that force a wall open.

Showers and Baths

When choosing bathroom fixtures, it’s a good idea to first choose a shower system, and then match all fixtures to the color and style of that system.

Toto, Newport Brass, and Signature Hardware are among the excellent brands for shower and bath systems. However, even low-end systems often work perfectly. With these fixtures, it’s more important to look for reviews and warranties than for brand names.

Choose a shower system based on function. Shower functions include spray, rainfall, handheld, wall jet, and steam. Many systems include several functions in one. A hand-held shower is a great tool, especially for the elderly.

Install wall bars to a shower area. These look nice and increase safety at every age. And add a wall niche to hold the soap and shampoo.

Vanities

There are many beautiful and inexpensive vanities available. But a vanity is a piece of furniture, and like furniture, priority #1 should be to find something high-quality. Less expensive vanities are made from plywood and wood composites, which absorb the humidity of a bathroom and disintegrate within a few years. Furniture-grade vanities are more expensive, are made of solid wood, and last around 20 years.

Tile the splash zone behind the sink.

Soft-close drawers and cabinets are preferable.

Most people prefer medicine cabinets that are recessed into the wall. Sometimes this isn’t possible due to pipes or support beams in the wall.

Put outlets inside the cabinets of a vanity to reduce clutter.

Dos

When renovating, hiring a competent plumber and contractor is more important than buying luxury fixtures.

Check that all fixtures have a warranty of at least one year, and preferably three years. Almost all brands offer these warranties for a small extra fee. If a company doesn’t offer a warranty, that’s a red flag.

It’s best to get all fixtures and accessories (hooks, toilet paper holder, etc.) from one company to make sure that the metal colors match. A polished brass from two different companies will be slightly different in color and shine.

Some hardware finishes are fingerprint-resistant, which reduces cleaning.

Underfloor heating and heated towel rods are a luxury feature that everyone loves.

Use as much lighting as possible, and make sure all lighting is rated for bathroom use. Fixtures that aren’t rated for wet rooms will become damaged from the shower’s humidity. For luxury bathrooms, consider pendants around a vanity, a chandelier over a freestanding tub, and cove lighting.

Don’ts

Some designers advise clients to stay away from soap dispensers, which collect gunk.

Off-brand fixtures don’t last well. The rough-in (meaning the part of the plumbing that goes inside the wall) doesn’t always match mainstream fixtures, which leads to complications down the line if you try to update.

When possible, avoid Amazon and Home Depot. You can buy the same Toto toilet from Home Depot or from a showroom, but the showroom will be accountable for quality. Fixtures sold through big-box stores get the lower quality-rated items from manufacturers.

Wallpaper is fine in a powder room, but shouldn’t go in a room with a shower.

“Smart” bathroom fixtures become outdated quickly. And if they break, they’re often impossible to fix. Avoid anything voice-activated, any fixture that requires you to download an app, and any fixture with an integrated screen. Self-cleaning fixtures aren’t yet advanced enough to truly clean themselves.

Tales from the Field

Behind the cold materials (and information) of bathroom fixtures lie the very human interactions and behaviors that make this job exciting.

• A former boss once proposed hand-finished tiles made from naturally occurring volcanic stone. These were very expensive. The client asked to see more tile options, so we ordered several other tile samples, all with varied color and texture. Shortly before the meeting, my boss realized that she couldn’t tell which tile was volcanic stone, and which was from Home Depot.
• Last month, when I was prowling the halls of the D&D Building, a woman popped out of a showroom and asked if I might want to buy the tub in the showroom window, on sale for $24,000. (Normal price: $36,000.) She explained that it had been made for a trade show, but now they wanted the window space for newer items. Being a nerd, I immediately whipped out my phone and showed her a picture of Napoleon’s in-ground bathtub with steps. She confirmed that her company could indeed recreate that for me.

(Originally featured in Family First, Issue 977)