Media Toys for the Bathroom

It was bound to happen. Considering that Americans shell out more for home electronics than any other luxury ($155 billion in 2007, and considering that they redo bathrooms at a higher rate than any room in the house except kitchens, it was only a matter of time until those two priorities merged to create a new (if decidedly over-the-top) trend: the media-wired bath. Gone are the days of luxuriating in the tub with a good book. Now, if you’re on the cutting edge, you can sing karaoke-style to digital music streaming from your shower wall or watch that game-clinching home run on a TV screen hidden in your medicine-cabinet mirror.

Wiring your washroom is best done during new construction or remodeling, when you can add as many power outlets as you need and run all the cables for audio and visual equipment before the drywall goes up. But whether you’re starting from scratch or retrofitting, here’s how to design the ultimate bathroom media system.