Skip to main content

Time for a bathroom redo? Houzz unveils latest tech for toilets, tubs, and showers

How much actual business gets done in bathroom “offices”? That’s a fair question given the percentage (58) of people who use mobile devices in their home bathrooms, says the 2016 U.S. Houzz Bathroom Trends Studyas reported on Silicon Beat.

High-tech kitchen appliances, such as refrigerators and stoves, are understandable luxuries. Smart home systems connect devices in your home to your car, your wrist, the cloud, and beyond. But why do people want new tech in their bathrooms, and what are they looking for?

Recommended Videos

The top triggering events, in other words, the reasons why people decided to renovate their bathrooms, were “can no longer stand the old bathroom” (46 percent), “wanted to do it all along and finally have the means” (38 percent), and “old bathroom deteriorated/broke down” (29 percent). Eighty-two percent spent between $5,001 and $50,000 on their bathroom renovations, with the largest number, 42 percent, spending from $10,001 to $25,000.

And what about high-tech components in these pricey bathroom redos?  It’s mostly all about toilets, bathtubs, and showers.

Twenty percent of new toilets installed had high-tech features, including (in order of frequency) self-cleaning, overflow protection/anti-clogging, motion-activated covers or seats, built-in nightlights, heated seating, self-deodorizers, and hands-free flushing.

Of the new bathtubs installed 12 percent had techy built-ins, including lighting, heated backrests, scented mist dispensers, and sound and vibration. The 9 percent of new showers that had high-tech goodies included mood lighting, digital controls, built-in sound, showerheads with LED lighting, and showerheads with speakers.

Not-so-high-tech features some homeowners chose were radiant heating (20 percent), towel warming racks (9 percent), home entertainment systems or TVs (3 percent each), and fireplaces (enjoyed by just 1 percent).

Almost two-thirds of the survey respondents reported spending 30 to 60 minutes daily in their home bathrooms and more than 25 percent more than an hour daily. Overall 58 percent use a mobile device at least weekly in their home bathrooms.

The top three uses of mobile devices in the head are to check email (36 percent), text or IM (28 percent), and make or accept phone calls (22 percent). Next on the list are check social media, listen to music, and read, at 21 percent, 20 percent, and 18 percent respectively, after which the remaining usage categories drop to single digit percentages.

The online survey about bathroom trends was taken by 2,127 Houzz home design website users. The participants were surveyed in June and July 2016 and all had completed a bathroom redo project in past 12 months. The extensive survey covers most likely more elements than you could ever imagine on your own about bathroom design and renovation. If you want to dig deep into the details you can download the 2016 U.S Houzz Bathroom Trends study here.

Bruce Brown
Bruce Brown Contributing Editor   As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…
Aiper robotic pool cleaners and bundles on sale for Prime Day — up to $750 off
The Aiper Scuba X1 Pro Max cordless robotic pool cleaner at the side of a swimming pool.

Keeping your swimming pool clean is tough work, but you can say goodbye to manual cleaning by taking advantage of Aiper's discounts on its robotic pool cleaners for Prime Day. Up to $800 in savings are up for grabs, and you'll get an additional 5% off these lowered prices by using the code DGTRENDS5OFF during the checkout process. We're going to say it — these Prime Day deals on Aiper robotic pool cleaners are simply amazing.

These offers are scheduled to last until Prime Day ends, but you shouldn't wait until the final minutes of the shopping holiday before you finalize your purchase. That's because there's no assurance that these Aiper robotic pool cleaners and the bundles featuring them will still be available by then. If any of these bargains catch your eye, we highly recommend proceeding with your transaction immediately to make sure that you pocket the savings — just don't forget that checkout code for the extra 5% discount!

Read more
Tineco carpet cleaner at lowest-ever price for Prime Day — here’s how to save more
A man using the Tineco Carpet One Cruiser Smart Carpet Cleaner.

Not all vacuum deals will be able to provide in-depth cleaning for your carpet. You're going to need something more specialized, and we highly recommend the Tineco Carpet One Cruiser. From its original price of $699, it's available from Amazon's Prime Day for its lowest-ever price of $489, but you can get an additional 5% off with the checkout code TIN25PDPR. That means you'll only have to pay $465 for this smart carpet cleaner, for total savings of $234, but you'll need to act fast as we're not sure if the stocks that are up for sale will last until the final minutes of the shopping holiday.

BUY NOW

Read more
Tineco vacuum nearly $300 off for Prime Day — use this code for extra savings
The Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 cordless vacuum cleaner cleaning a spill.

In one of the most attractive vacuum deals that you can shop for Prime Day, Amazon has slashed the Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 to its lowest-ever price of $319 from its sticker price of $599. However, we've got a code for you to be able to get the cordless wet-dry vacuum cleaner with an extra 5% off — just enter TIN25PDPR during the checkout process so that you'll only have to pay $303, for total savings of $296. That's an excellent offer that you wouldn't want to miss, and you better hurry if you want to take advantage of it as it may not remain available until the end of the shopping holiday.

$303 at Amazon

Read more