Serenity

warmers are hard-wired, but if you don’t want to open the wall to run a wire, plug-in models are available.

Plan for storage

Cluttered spaces rarely feel relaxing. To keep toiletries in order, create a convenient place to store them. It’s possible to add drawers to a vanity or, even better, to make use of unused space between wall studs by installing a recessed medicine cabinet.

When Pembrooke & Ives puts recessed medicine cabinets in a bathroom,

Nicdao said, the designers try to make the cabinets extra functional by including dividers to keep hair products separate from things like toothpaste, and by installing outlets for handheld appliances like hair dryers and electric toothbrushes.

In any bathroom, wall shelves and baskets are an easy way to increase storage. When Stacy Stone, of the firm Stone Interiors, designed a bathroom with Walker Warner Architects for a house on Kauai, Hawaii, she installed open shelves and numbered rope baskets for multiple users instead of putting drawers under the vanity.

Finish with accessories

One of the easiest, least expensive upgrades you can make to a bathroom is replacing tired towels with new ones. “By all means, have a big, fluffy towel and robe within reach for when you step out of the tub,” said Brown.

For toiletries that will be left out on the top of the vanity or the edge of the tub, Stone recommended finding appealing containers. She noted that they don’t have to be purposebuilt for a bathroom — any appealing ceramic, glass or rust-resistant metal pieces will do.

Then think about how to bring in a favorite scent, she suggested, because fragrance can have a powerful effect on behavior and mood.

Finally, follow the lead of most spas and add sound with built-in or portable speakers.

“You could pipe in nature sounds or music,” Stone said, “to bring you to another space and help heighten the experience.”

JOHN BESSLER If you’re the kind of person who loves a long soak, splurge on the most luxurious bathtub you can fit in your space.

RIKKI SNYDER In larger spaces, “a lot of people want a chair or chaise longue,” said Kathleen Walsh, who installed a tufted, upholstered armchair in this bathroom in Pound Ridge, New York.

BRENT MOSS For a minimalist bathroom in Aspen, Colorado, the design firm Pembrooke & Ives used recessed architectural lighting to avoid distracting from the striking view.