Storage Solutions New Bathroom Styles Create a Need and Designers Answer With Furniturelike Vanities and Drawers

[Paper Boy]

By Sherry Giewald Daily Herald Correspondent

Bathroom storage has evolved from over-the-toilet shelves to today's sophisticated furniture pieces with pullout drawers and removable trays.

It's a response to a common dilemma facing homeowners with new or newly remodeled bathrooms: How to provide bathroom storage without sacrificing style.

"In contemporary bathrooms with the sink mounted to the wall, there's no place to put anything, said Kurt Schnakenberg, vice president of sales for Chicago Brass, a wholesale dealer in Highwood. "It looks great, but living (with) that bath doesn't work because you can't perform your daily activities in there."

Companies are responding with a variety of options for adding storage.

Julien Inc., known for its stainless steel look, has introduced a line of bathroom storage pieces by Los Angeles designer Troy Adams.

People are spending more time relaxing in the comfort and warmth of their bathrooms, said Celine Marcotte, marketing and communications manager for Julien.

"We want to expand on this unique space, turning it into a living room where each item becomes a furniture piece," Marcotte said.

Julien's Bathroom Suite is a fusion of designs combined with Julien's stainless steel creations. The designs blend Asian and European styles with American functionality.

"We've had a very good response to this complete suite, and kitchen and bath dealers have started putting them in their showrooms," Marcotte said.

Components of the suite include:

- Vanity console: Modular in design with a flexible configuration, this interchangeable piece of bathroom furniture provides a contemporary look.

Offered in free-standing, single or double-basin sizes, amenities include storage drawer insets designed specifically for personal grooming and cosmetic items, built-in shelf faucet and a hidden drain concealed by a sliding countertop insert.

- Bench toilet: A decorative solution to a typically unattractive fixture, the bench toilet incorporates a sliding exotic wood panel concealing the fixture, while doubling as a powder room bench.

- Tansu chest: This blend of Asian style and modern hand-crafted stainless steel creates a stylized, yet practical chest of drawers that provides extra storage space for the bathroom or master suite.

Today when people are decorating their baths, they look at the aesthetics just as they would with any other room in their home, said Suellen Chodash, marketing manager for Advantage, a kitchen and bath gallery in Niles.

"They're buying the whole collection with all the coordinating pieces and accessories that go with it. The bath is becoming another room in the home," Chodash said.

Sonia, a Spanish manufacturer of bath vanities, wall cabinets and accessories, has a strong focus on the storage concept.

"We used to just make sinks, then we evolved with bath accessories and other ways of maximizing the storage, then in full- blown furniture for the bath that is actually made in a furniture factory," said Jody Rosenberg, Sonia's national sales manager.

"Furniture gives the bath a bit of sophistication bringing other rooms of the house into the bathroom instead of it looking like a typical vanity."

Sonia's new City Collection features clean, simple, yet sophisticated designs of contemporary bath furniture.

The product collection features:

- Bath console: This freestanding furniture console with storage shelf, pullout drawer and sleek fire-clay basin is attractive and durable. Composed of marine-grade wood, the console is water- resistant and can withstand high humidity.

- City wall vitrine: The 48-inch vertical, wall-mount storage unit features a wood panel front and shelving. It pairs with any of the City Collection consoles to provide additional storage for the bath. The vitrine is available in white, wenge or walnut finish and constructed of marine-grade multilayer wood.

- City trolley: This portable storage caddy on wheels can sit directly below the sink and be rolled anywhere in the bathroom. It has a hinged front panel enclosing shelving for storage.

The collection is offered in differing sizes and pairs with various Sonia basins and countertops as well as Sonia's S3 line of avant-garde bath accessories.

The company's statement piece is Atic Pop, a wall-mounted bath console that offers a twist on pop-art culture and contemporary design. The bright and contemporary piece is the perfect choice for someone interested in reviving a drab interior. The bath console is limited to 300 signed and numbered pieces.

"The inspiration for this piece is pop culture," Rosenberg said.

"We wanted to follow a throwback to the '70s in terms of design and the popularity of that era as reflected in art, architecture and television."

Sonia's collections include more than 18 accessory lines and furniture modules available in 10 styles and in several sizes.


More...