Imagine clouds painted on the ceiling above the tub, so while you’re soaking away the worries of the day, you need only look up and you’ll feel relaxed. You may want a beautiful copper tub. You could have an indoor/outdoor shower, or a shower without walls. Even a wine refrigerator to cool your wine. Sharon McCormick, of Durham’s Fairchild House Interiors, is overflowing with ideas for beautiful bathrooms.

For her recent clients Chris and Kerrie Flanagan, McCormick took this small guest bathroom and turned it into a soothing haven for guests who come to visit. The Flanagans asked for something warm and comfortable that generated a welcoming feeling, and adequate storage space was a necessity. McCormick started with a suede laminate countertop and oil-rubbed bronze fixtures.

There is plenty of storage, thanks to multiple depths and heights in the cabinetry. To keep within the project’s budget, the cabinets are standard, but the Flanagans concede that it is the custom touches, such as the special glaze on the cabinets, that make the difference. The glaze was also applied to the bead board wainscoting and carved wood moldings.

From the tiles, a flecked sandy beige color was selected for the walls. The ceiling is a pale blue-green which ties into a color from the adjoining guest bedroom to maintain flow. The final touches include a custom mirror flanked by wall-mounted vases, and the homeowner’s collection of Lusterware, all of which play off of the richness of the bronze fixtures.

“When Sharon brought us that frame for over the sink, I knew immediately it was perfect and couldn’t wait for it to arrive,” says Kerrie. McCormick had the mirror custom-made of a wood frame with the same depth and color as the bronze fixtures; she also created the floor tile design to add another individual touch to the room.

McCormick also recently designed the “Elegant Glamour Powder Room” for the Junior League of Hartford’s Show House, and filled it with special touches. “The powder room I did at the Show House is very feminine. It has little mosaic tiles, some of which are 18 karat gold. The rest of the tiles will be made of glass. When you lay them down you get the sense of looking at water. I’m also using metallic grout with the tiles. That little detail makes all the difference. There will be silk drapes wall-to-wall, a collection of perfume bottles, a Venetian glass mirror and decorative crystal sconces. It’s really a very glamorous powder room.”

If you listen to McCormick long enough, you’ll believe almost anything can be done with a bathroom. “You can have a TV in the mirror so you can watch your favorite shows while you shave. I’ve had armoires built with hampers in them, and a dog shower or baby tub. There’s a wonderful new tub out (by Kohler) with chromatherapy built into it, so the lights change depending on the mood you want to achieve. You can have a lifestyle bathroom with a sauna and an exercise room attached, or stainless steel countertops, blown glass sinks, bidets.” The choices are as limitless as the imagination.

Another trend McCormick sees is bathrooms for two. “Lately we’ve been doing the main shower and tub in one space and then have ‘his-and-hers’ powder rooms attached.” So each person has a toilet and vanity behind a closed door for their things. The center space incorporates the design of both, with the ‘his’ powder room being more masculine and the ‘hers’ being more feminine. “The colors will tie them in together,” McCormick explains.

“I think it is important for people to know they can use the things they want and let their imaginations soar. If we use the materials wisely we can do anything. For example, instead of mosaic tile going all the way around the edge of a room, I could instead move it in and make it like a carpet inside. So you can save money by changing the dimensions of what you are going to use. You can take your design and scale it down to what your budget is.”

“I can also imagine a more masculine powder room done in grasscloth with deep brown leather tiles, a black sink or black countertops. I’m sure we could arrange to hire a bath butler….”