Every home or apartment I have lived in has had a great bathroom. In fact, the master bath was the deciding move-in factor. Two of those baths were floored with charming black-and-white tile and offered beaucoup natural light. Another teetered on retro-funky with its 1960s mosaic countertop in yellow and white. My current bath is awash in aquamarine tile on both the floor and the walls. Adorned with framed photographs of deserted beaches on the walls and plush white towels and rugs, a trip to my bath almost feels like a trip to the beach. Of course, my cabinets are fully stocked with fragrant soaps, candles, bath salts, scrubs—lotions and potions that help me escape the hurried world.

Electrical outlet location sometimes dictates TV placement, as shown in this Beverly Hills bath designed by Michael Eisenberg of MRE Design. Previous pages: The owner for this capacious bath always has his TVs installed to the sink’s left side. Photography by Chris Covey (Click image to enlarge)

And yes, even though I barely watch TV, my bath is equipped with a portable Sony TV no larger than a BlackBerry. Just like thousands of other homeowners, I listen to the news as I shower each morning.

“The first thing that went into the bath was the telephone, but that’s changing,” says Terry Menacker, owner of Overture, a custom installer in Wilmington, Del. “The bath is becoming an oasis with a big tub, relaxing decor—a place where you can sit back and enjoy a soothing CD or bring the world to you if you wish.” Menacker’s philosophy of “bringing the world to you” is the ability to invite your favorite mood-setting CD or DVD, TV network or show––such as HGTV or Scrubs––into your space, regardless of where you may be in the house.While he’s installed countless LCDs in bathrooms of all sizes, now he’s incorporating large plasma TVs into the loo that descend from the ceiling. “It might seem decadent, but some might want to sit down for a soak and enjoy a movie.

The frosted glass of the shower door was designed to accommodate TV viewing, says Kevin Hooks, homeowner. Hooks’ custom installer, Kevin Peltier of HP Media Group in Las Vegas, also incorporated a stellar sound system in the shower. Photography by Chawla Associates (Click image to enlarge)

Whether you conceal your bath’s TV or show it off, the attractive, sleek profile of LCD and plasma TVs are finding their way into residential bathrooms. It’s a trend that’s helping homeowners feel comfortable about installing more audiovisual equipment throughout the home, says Tom Farinola, president of Atlantic Stereo in Costa Mesa, Calif. “The people who want plasma TVs and LCDs are interior designers, and if they want them, then the floodgate opens up for other technology.”

Join us as we travel across the country, from coast to coast, to find out how homeowners are displaying TVs in the bath. While there are only so many ways to display a TV in the powder room, the personal reasons for each design is unique, interesting and entertaining.

For some, hanging an LCD TV on the wall is a logical solution. In the 10,000-square-foot home in the Hamptons designed by Joe Na-hem, the his and hers baths both boast Sony 15-inch LCDs. “Having a bathroom TV is standard now,” says Nahem, a partner at Manhattan’s Fox-Nahem Design. “The advent of the flat-screen changes the way designers work every day.” For this bath, in- stalling the television on a wall bracket was the only option since capacious windows occupy most of the wall’s real estate. The TV blends beautifully into the glass tile and Thassos marble and it’s visible from the sink, shower and the bathtub.“It’s very important to reset the brackets so all you see is the TV’s thinness,” says Nahem, who first incorporated a TV into a client’s bath 20 years ago and readily admits that he’s become addicted to his air-jet tub since installing a 13-inch Sony LCD in his East Hampton master bath.

The Manhattan bath owned by interior designer Frank Webb (above) accommodates TV viewing for both sink users. So the 13-inch Sharp LCD TV wouldn’t look like an afterthought, Webb framed the set within a custom-cut piece of Bottinco marble. Courtesy of White Webb LLC. (Click image to enlarge)

For the homeowner of the 2,500-square-foot South Florida bath shown on pages 64 and 65, personal preference de-termined placement. “I have done five homes for this homeowner and every bath has TV and sound, and the TV is always to the left of the sink,” says interior designer Christopher Raessler of Miami’s South Beach Design Group. Each TV in the owner’s various homes and yacht is connected to a main audiovisual system, al-lowing him to cue up a CD or DVD while he’s shaving. Other clients, Raessler adds, flush mount ticker screens into their bathroom walls so they can monitor the stock market while showering.

Finding the perfect spot for the TV can raise power issues—not power struggles between spouses per se, but a conundrum in terms of available electrical outlets. “The homeowners put the TV near the commode because that’s where the power outlet is,” says interior designer Michael Eis-enberg of the 700-square-foot bath in Beverly Hills shown on page 66. The 15-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV is viewable from the Jacuzzi, shower and sink. Eisenberg, of Beverly Hills’ MRE Design, says every master bathroom he has de-signed features a television. One particular client’s TV doubles as a computer monitor so he can check e-mail while shaving. “Sometimes the TV is more about ambient noise than anything,” Eisenberg says, adding that his bathroom’s 15-inch Sharp LCD is recessed into the wall that shares an in-wall fish tank. “Plasma televisions are really versatile and work well in almost every location.”Some homeowners believe mounting a TV in the master bath can save a person’s marriage. Kevin Hooks, a self-employed Las Vegas businessman, has a TV in every room of his home and maintains that his bathroom’s 20-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV keeps him out of the doghouse (see page 68). “It’s like a get-out-of-jail free card,” he laughs. “Guys typically get ready faster than most women, so they often head for the couch to watch the game, and then they hold up things. Now I get ready and watch the game at the same time.” The TV’s rotating arm allows Hooks to watch the game even while he’s in the shower.

To avoid clashing with the decor, designer Peter Salerno requested that the TV be placed behind the vanity mirror (Far Left). The 20-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV (right) is placed on the only available wall in this 800-square-foot bath. Photography by Peter Rymwid & courtesy of AVI Inc. (Click images to enlarge)

While installing the TV was Hooks’ idea, his wife uses it, and the shower’s sound system, as much as he does. “I am putting a lot of speakers in saunas and showers, and 32- and 42-inch plasma TVs,” says custom installer Kevin Peltier of HP Media Group. “It’s also common for the master bedroom TV to play through the set in the bath.”

Another relationship-saving television-in-the-bath installation space is owned and designed by Frank Webb of New York’s White Webb LLC (above). Here, a 13-inch Sharp LCD is positioned be-tween the vanity’s double mirrors to ac-commodate equal viewing for both sink users. Framed with Botticino marble, the TV pivots, allowing Webb to watch the Today show from the shower and the bathtub. “We didn’t have enough room to recess it into the wall, but we didn’t want the TV to look like an afterthought, so it’s framed to give it a presence.”

Not surprisingly, blending a television into carefully orchestrated decor has also been known to ignite marital disputes. Such is the case of the 400-square-foot master bath owned by a former music industry bigwig, who refused to include a TV amid the onyx flooring, crystal chandelier and custom Italian Murano sconces (see page 72). Instead, the TV peers through the mirror of his vanity.“We discussed putting the TV on the countertop, but that would have detracted from the elegance of the space,” says interior designer Peter Salerno of Peter Salerno Inc. in Wyckoff, N.J. Since square footage was not an issue, Electronic Home Archi-tects of Bergen County, N.J., installed the remote-controlled TV in the large closet that is located behind the mirror.

Whether you are relaxing in the oceanview bathtub, showering or at the vanity or the sink, the flat-screen TV is perfectly visible. Plus, it can be moved to any location in the bath since it’s not mounted to the wall. Courtesy of Burdge & Associates (Click image to enlarge)

“While the sky is the limit in terms of size—from 15 to 22 and 26 inches—the new Samsung LTP/1545 is particularly suited for behind-the-mirror installs with its standard 4:3 aspect ratio,” says Jonas Tan-enbaum, senior marketing manager of Samsung’s flat-panel TV product division. “It’s very thin and light and has great off-angle screening angles.” The LTP/1545 also works as a computer monitor. “In a bath application, you would think that would be an unlikely use, but you’d be surprised,” Tanenbaum continues. “It wasn’t designed for that use specifically, but it’s just another way the TV can be used.”

Proper TV placement is as much about visibility as it is about available real estate. In a 800-square-foot Atlanta-area master bath (above right), the TV’s positioning is dictated by a dearth of wall space: The 20-inch Sharp Aquos LCD TV is sandwiched between the master closet doors. “There are TVs everywhere in this house—about 12, plus a home theater,” says interior de-signer Kelly Wolf-Anthony of Wolf Design in Atlanta, of the Southern mansion. The TV is visible from the claw-foot tub and both vanities.“We took heat and humidity into account with this placement,” says Brent Freeman, sales manager of AVI Inc. in Marietta, Ga. The water sources, he says, are away from the screen to avoid fogging up. Plus, the cathedral ceiling, which is dotted with concealed speakers, lures moisture away from the screen.

Philips Consumer Electronics’ MiraVison mirror TV (left). A clever space-saving all-in-one product (right & far right) manufactured by Séura. Photography Seura, Phillips Consumer (Click images to enlarge)

Available wall space was also an issue for luxury Las Vegas homebuilder Chris Finlay of Palm Canyon Development Inc., as evidenced in his own master bath (see page 76). With a full wall of back-lit mirrors, Finlay placed his 20-inch Sharp LCD on a swivel mount near the right-hand sink. “Every bath I’ve built has a TV in it,” says the homebuilder. “I’ve easily built 3,000 baths in the last few years and we’ve been installing TVs in baths since 1989.” While Finlay isn’t much of a bath person, he dreams about watching the end of a baseball game from his built-in bathtub.

Sometimes a simple TV installation can become a complex project overnight—whether the complexity involves elevated technology or aesthetics. Such is the case of a 10,650-square-foot golf course home outside Calgary, Canada. In this bath, shown on page 76, a simple wall-mount TV job evolved into an elaborate custom millwork job. “They were going to inset a TV in the wall during the remodel,” says custom in- staller Ron Patrick, owner of Smart Home Systems of Calgary. “But they did a lot of custom millwork in the home, so the homeowner ended up setting the TV in custom cabinetry.” The 36-inch Panasonic, visible only from the water-jet tub, is integrated into the home’s whole-house audiovisual system, which includes a home theater, four 42-inch plasma televisions, 37- and 50-inch plasma TVs and several 20-inch LCDs.As with most products, time brings innovation and with innovation comes simplicity. The latest twist on the “TV behind the mirror” is the MiraVision mirror TV manufactured by Philips Consumer Elec- tronics, says Anthony Fonzo, director of product planning for flat-screen TV, microdisplay and projection. Instead of placing a TV behind the mirror that’s had some of its reflective coating removed, the Mira-Vision is an all-in-one item: The mirror is essentially a TV fronted with a polarized coating that resembles a mirror when the TV is turned off. When the TV is on, the screen image shines through the coating, which, in effect, makes it disappear.

A client’s love of custom cabinetry determined the placement of the 37-inch Panasonic TV in this bath designed by Smart Home Systems. Photography Nickey Dumont, Palm Canyon Construction (Click images to enlarge)

The commercial product is currently being test marketed for consumers. It is available with a custom frame option or a standard black metal frame, and can be custom ordered online for a limited time through mirrortv@philips.com. The TV is available in 17- and 23-inch models and is offered in landscape (the TV occupies the entire mirror) and portrait (the TV occupies a small area of the mirror). Price starts at $2,400. “We have become a TV-centric society,” Fonzo says. The minute Philips introduced the 15- and 17-inch LCD, someone found a way to put it in the bath. These days, anything is possible.