What's new in bathrooms

• Beautifully simple and streamlined in design: Gloss finishes especially nickel, with its slightly warmer tone predominate for a touch of sparkle.

• New shapes include squared off rather than tubular, flat and sleek lines, or even linear or waterfall spouts.

• At the high end: Enamelled all-black or all-white faucets for a sleek look and brass are starting to appear.

• Second only to the kitchen as the most energy-demandingroom in the home is the bathroom. Efficiency, then, is veryimportant, particularly when it comes to saving water: Toilets are becoming more efficient with dual-flush units, high-pressure/low-water models and built-in cleaning and drying units that replace the bidet with a fraction of water usage.

• The newest multiple-shower and rain-shower sprays actually use only slightly more water than an old fashioned single shower head by combining air and water to increase pressure without using more water. Remember that any shower uses less water than a bath.

• Lighting technologies coming to the bath include LEDs, compact fluorescent fixtures and dimmers.

• Radiant-heat floors provide coziness while using less energy.   

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