Bathrooms, the most private domains in our homes, offer the best opportunity to express yourself.   

Bathrooms usually have a door that conceals them from other parts of the house. This means the bathroom can have a theme, color palette or style completely different from adjacent rooms.

Create baths that dazzle and stimulate the mind. The smaller the bath, the more bold to go. Make a statement in a powder room with metallic paint or wallpaper. Because counter tops are small in a powder room, you can afford to splurge on marble or exotic granite.

One Fairfax Station couple wanted to bring the outdoors into their master bathroom. With the help of June Shea, interior designer, they created a rustic spa bath that I like to call the Flintstone bath. Creative and innovative Shea managed to find contractors who could shape and mold stone, even glass to look like it organically grew in the bathroom.

One of the most beautiful baths I've ever seen is a serene blue and white bath in a Bethesda, Md., home. The sleek and modern spa bath was designed by Wentworth Studio for a Bethesda couple in their fifties who wanted a bath that could meet their needs as they aged. So Wentworth created a shower area open enough for a wheel chair to enter. The floor was graded in such a way that water flows to the drain and there is no need for a shower door.

Perhaps the best restroom in the country is right here in Arlington. Luxury design firm ForrestPerkins' public restrooms for the Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City have been named among the Top 10 finalists in the 2011 America's Best Restroom contest.

According to a statement issued by ForrestPerkins, “visitors like the sense of adventure they have traveling down the somewhat darkened corridor that leads from the lobby and restaurant to the restrooms and the surprise that awaits them. “

The design features elements that evoke a sense of motion inspired by the location, which is near Potomac Yard, once one of the busiest rail yards on the East Coast and near Reagan National Airport.

"The hall leading to the lavatories features tree-patterned wall coverings and a play of shadow and light with leaf patterns on the floor. A blaze of golden and orange sunset tones and a flock of birds in flight greets you on one wall. Sparkling water flows blue from the faucet if it's cold, red if it's hot and purple if it's warm. Mirrors are lit with the silhouettes of more birds in flight and quill-shaped pendants crown the vanity," according to ForrestPerkins.

Online voting now through Sept. 19 will determine the winner of the 2011 America's Best Restroom contest.