According to the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA), consumer spending on bathroom remodeling efforts was understandably down in 2008 and 2009 compared to previous years, but homeowners still spent more than $68 billion on bathroom upgrades last year. The biggest overall trend is turning the bathroom into a sanctuary where homeowners can relax and pamper themselves.

In this two-part entry, the Excel team scoured the Internet to identify the top 10 bathroom design trends of 2010. The good news is you can incorporate many of these trends in a new modular home because virtually all Excel homes are fully customizable, right down to the color of the sink and the style of mirror and cabinet.

BIGGER SHOWERS – More homeowners are opting for a large, airy shower over a traditional bathtub. According to Ed Miller of E. Miller and Associates in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, some homeowners are taking a cue from European design and doing away with shower walls altogether, making the entire tiled bathroom an extension of the shower (and adding adequate drainage, of course).

BIGGER BATHTUBS – If the oversized shower isn’t enough to soothe you at the end of a long day, replace the standard bathtub with a larger, soaking tub. The Jacuzzi tub is still a fixture in many homes, but quieter soaking tubs are becoming more popular as homeowners search for more peaceful, serene bathroom settings.

ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS – If you’re spending more time soaking in your bathtub, chances are you’ll want a little entertainment while you’re in there. That’s why televisions, surround sound stereo systems and even refrigerated coolers are becoming more popular in today’s bathrooms.

NATURAL LIGHTING – Skylights and windows are popping up in bathrooms everywhere as homeowners bring the outside inside by allowing more natural light into what was once a closed off, cave-like room.

TRADITIONAL FEEL – According to the NKBA, bright bathroom colors and contemporary fixtures are giving way to more traditional elements. White, off-white and beige colors are in, with bright colors added by way of accessories and other small elements.