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If everyone's life savings are going down the drain these days, it might as well be a decorative solid-brass grid drain with French Gold finish and filigreed snowflake design.

All jokes aside, homeowners could do a lot worse in these uncertain times than to invest in new hardware and other goodies for their bathrooms, which, along with kitchens, are among a dwelling's greatest assets if built with style and the long term in mind.

Since a new tax credit designed to spur home renovations was announced in January's federal budget, many Canadians appear keen to build on these assets. The credit, which is outlined at www.cra-arc.gc.ca, promises up to 15 per cent or $1,350 back on reno costs from $1,000 to $10,000. And bathrooms are always popular targets for overhauls.

“The tax credit helps,” says interior designer Karen Sealy of Toronto-based Sealy Design (www.sealydesigninc.com). “Also, building materials are less expensive than they have been and trades aren't as busy so you can get good people and at a better price.”

Last week, Globe Style outlined some of this season's biggest kitchen trends. Following are the latest for lavs and powder rooms.

Being green When it comes to bathrooms, “anything eco-friendly is hot,” Sealy says. “Some surfaces that are just starting to become popular are countertops made of recycled glass or recycled paper,” she adds, citing IceStone (www.icestone.biz) and PaperStone (www.paperstoneproducts.com) as two representative product brands, respectively.

Made of 100-per-cent post-consumer recycled paper, the latter is extremely hard, both stain- and scratch-resistant and practically impervious to water.

Another eco-friendly material choice is cast iron for sinks, says Donna Church, marketing and communications manager for Kohler Canada (www.ca.kohler.com). “Ours are made of 93-per-cent reclaimed cast iron, which keeps a lot of scrap out of landfills.” Available in more than 20 colours, they are also covered in a gleaming enamel finish, making them easy to keep clean.

Finally, Sealy says, “we are still converting furniture into vanities, which is a good example of reuse. In fact, any kind of vanities that look like furniture are especially big right now.”

Into the woods

Warm wood walls, floors and accents are gaining favour in loos, whether they're minimalist Zen-style spaces or rustic, woodsy affairs.

Not long ago, Sealy completed a bathroom featuring weathered wide-plank floorboards and a pebble-tiled shower. Slender upright birch logs added interest in a corner.

“We are humanizing our spaces, giving them personality and warmth but without the clutter,” she says.

And with all of those cabinet-style vanities serving as bases, countertop vessel sinks are also making a comeback, especially glass and marble models.

Natural palettes

“Comforting colours” such as greens and blues in water and sky tones remain popular bathroom wall shades this spring, says Lowe's spokeswoman Abby Buford, who cites Tranquil Bay (5004-5B) and Paris Mint (6002-3B) among her favourite examples. (Visit www.lowes.ca for details.)

The same range of tones are noted by Sico's Stéphanie Pelland; she likes classic sea blues such as Bottled Water (6156-21) or a jade green like Poetic Green (6165-31) for their “spa-like” softness, but also recommends colour blocking with brighter or darker shades – such as turquoise Peacock Tail (6160-63) or dark blue Moonless Night (6009-83) – to jazz up neutral or pastel palettes.

As for hardware tones, Sealy says that “the newest finishes for faucets, pulls and handles are soft yellows – not the brass of the 1980s, but a much more muted, almost burnished or antiqued yellow. This tone works really well with all the warm natural wood tones we're using. The overall design is more harmonious and less splashy, if you'll pardon the pun.”

Tubs vs. showers

“Many people are getting rid of tubs in favour of larger showers,” Sealy says, citing the popularity of steam showers in particular. “In small spaces, we have to think about multifunctional use,” she says. “Steam offers many of the same relaxing benefits of a tub in the shower.”

Shower installations are also being driven by aging baby boomers concerned about future mobility. Getting in and out of a bathtub becomes more difficult as people grow older, so homeowners looking to “age in place,” as a growing field of design puts it, are gravitating toward bigger walk-in showers with elegant built-in seating.

Of course, bathtubs will always have their partisan fans, says Church, who notes that the free-standing soaker tub – already a luxurious item – is becoming even more so.

A case in point is Kohler's new VibrAccoustic tub, which contains panels that broadcast vibrating sound waves through the water, “calming your mind and soothing your body at its very core.”

Star power

This year, an impressive number of superstar designers are trying their hands at bathroom products.

Having already collaborated with Jean-Marie Messaud, Antonio Citterio and the ubiquitous Philippe Starck, for instance, Axor recently unveiled an inaugural 50-piece bathroom collection by Spanish-born design darling Patricia Urquiola, whose chunky, user-friendly fixtures and sinuous wash basins aim to “blur the boundaries between inside and outside, living and bathing.” (Visit www.axor-design.com for Canadian dealers.)

Perhaps the biggest name to dive into bathroom design, however, is London-based starchitect Zaha Hadid, whose sculptural three-way faucet for Triflow (www.triflowconcepts.com) is meant to resemble water in motion. The unique curvilinear shape reflects the latest production methods and a unique ceramic coring process, resulting in a tap that is as much a piece of art as an everyday appliance.