What Every Master Bathroom Needs

It’s not surprise that bathrooms are one of our clients’ favorite rooms to renovate, right up there with kitchens. These personal, private spaces are often a refuge from the world, a place where you can just close the door – if you don’t have curious toddlers! – indulge in a long steamy shower or bath, sing at the top of our lungs and experiment with hair and makeup. I asked the Sweet Peas Design team to share their wish lists for the master bathroom of their dreams.

Designer Beth Kweton: I confess I’m a huge fan of Jo Malone London, a British fragrance empire that makes a huge variety of scented products, from colognes, lotions and shampoos to candles, diffusers, room sprays and, yes – bath soap, including my favorite fragrance, Pomegranate Noir. Such a guilty pleasure!

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I’m also addicted to oversized bath towels from Peacock Alley. They retain their plush, voluminous texture and their color for years and years. As an extra treat, have them monogrammed.

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Designer Angela LaVista:  Every master bath needs some high-tech gadgets such as integrated music or TV in the mirror. When days are short and mornings are dark and gloomy it is especially nice to have some music or chatter on the TV to cheer me up.

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Heated floors make me happy, too, but I reserve this splurge for the master bathroom, not the kids bathrooms. They won’t appreciate it as much as you do, but you may have to shoo away the family pet!   Lighting is vital too. It should be ample and flexible - bright light for getting ready and soft mood light for long soaks in the tub.

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Peas Design

And don’t forget a dressing table with a mirror and drawers for jewelry and other accessories.

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Designer Lauren Benditzky:   Towel warmers are way at the top of my list. I’ve always envied people who already have them! Nothing sounds better when getting out of a shower in the winter than a toasty-warm towel to wrap up in.   I’m a huge fan of organization, too, so I always use drawer dividers and boxes in cabinets to round up toiletries and other essentials, and I prefer hooks, not towel bars, not only for bathrobes but towels. I think they are much easier to use and more functional.

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Principal Susan Brunstrum:   For me, a must-have in every master bath is a shower niche and shower seat. The niche keeps toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, razors and soaps together and dry in an easy-to-reach location, and it eliminates the need for shower caddies. The shower seat is a good place to elevate your foot when you’re shaving your legs or scrubbing your heels with a pumice stone.

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Peas Design

Aside from the built-in amenities, I love Turbie Twist towels for my hair, too. You just twist and loop these microfiber towels into place without all the bulk of a bath towel, and they stay in place much better, too. I could definitely do an infomercial for this company!

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Communications Consultant, Laura Bianchi:     At wedding showers, when people ask what advice I can offer for a long, happy marriage  I always say double sinks and mirrors in the bathroom! I can put in my contacts, he can shave, and we can chat as we get ready for the day without jockeying for sink time. It must be working – we’ve been married for 39 years!

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Peas Design

I couldn’t get ready without my magnifying mirror, either, especially as I grow older! It’s great for all the close-up work required for grooming and makeup. You know what happens to freshly applied mascara if you sneeze…black dots everywhere.

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