Most of us spend the vast majority of our (awake) time at home in our kitchens and bathrooms (come on, admit it!). We begin and end our days in them, entertain in them, fight in them, make up in them, comfort and consol ourselves in them. Did you ever have a party that didn’t end up in the kitchen? And who do you know that doesn’t love to belt out a good one in the shower? Fortunately, if you’re hankering for some new looks, hot trends and technologies abound.

BATHROOM:

Bring the Spa Home-For those of us who crave more spa time but lack an unlimited pass to our favorite spa, there are wonderful alternatives for creating a sanctuary at home to melt away the stresses of daily life.
The love of your life will not be happy to learn that you have a new crush in your life, Mr. Steam Shower, whose charms include chroma (light) therapy, aromatherapy and music therapy. And tell him not to be jealous of Jason, Jason International that is, the company behind the ingenious “Double cascade Spout” hydrotherapy whirlpool spa, which will both relax and invigorate you.

Eco-Friendly-While creating the spa experience, why not purchase the most eco friendly fixtures available? Check out the Riverdale faucet collection, which reduce water usage from the industry standard of 2.2 gallons per minute to 1.5. The TOTO Neorest II wall-hung dual flush toilet conserves water by offering a dual flush modality (1.6 gallons per flush on full flush mode and .9 gallons per flush on the light flush mode).

Intelligent Design-For those of us who like to get our TV fix while we primp, check out Seura’s The ONE slim (only 1 inch thick) 19 inch high definition LCD television mirror. Its design allows the mirror to be hung like a picture, without having to hire a pro to cut a hole in the wall to mount. Not to mention the coolness factor.

KITCHEN:

Color Me Beautiful-In everybody’s favorite room; eye-catching colors are popping up like wildflowers. From Kohler’s glittering gold faucet to TurboChef’s orange oven to Amana’s array of colored refrigerators, we are finally welcoming some fresh alternatives to the ubiquitous stainless steel.
Going Glam-Along with the new color trends, you can also go back in time to the glamour days of Hollywood with a sophisticated exhaust hood from Elica Star. Dinner and a movie, anyone?

Ageless-Last but certainly not least are the emerging Universal Designs, innovations which allow those of us who are not getting any younger to remain productive in our homes ( doesn’t that sound better than “Aging in Place”?). Check out LG’s LMX2987ST automated refrigerator drawer opening that makes life easier, both for folks with arthritis or back trouble, as well as for those of us who seem unable to do one thing at a time and require a different sort of assisted living.

Touch Me Not-And who wouldn’t love a touch less faucet like Delta Faucet’s Pilar with Touch 20, for the countless times our hands are covered in some unnamed goop and we’re too hurried to wash them.

Buy these for yourself, or get them for Grandma so she can keep cooking you Sunday dinner.

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Susan Toner Hylton is Principal of Savvy Designs, an interior design firm in Washington, DC. She can be reached at Savvy Designs at 202.577.8833, or at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it