The popularity of whirlpool bathtubs is going down the drain. Consumers want to take their water massages standing up. They also want a bathroom that keeps their tootsies warm, according to a national survey of architects.

Whirlpool tubs long have been the must-have feature in an upscale bathroom. But homeowners today find that the tubs use too much hot water, take too much time to fill and are a nuisance to clean, said David Hughes, an Upper Arlington architect who participated in the survey.

"It becomes an item in the corner that you see but very seldom do you use," Hughes said.

Hughes, principal of RP Hughes Architects, is a past chairman of the small projects committee of the American Institute of Architects. The committee conducts a quarterly survey of 500 architectural companies to determine various home-building trends. The most recent survey focused on kitchen and bath trends.

Among the 20 kitchen and bath features included in the survey, the jetted bathtub was the only one to show a distinct decline in popularity.

Some of the top trends in bathrooms — heated tile floors, multiple shower heads, doorless showers and towel warmers — reflect an interest in spalike luxury, Hughes said.

The survey also found that people want more bathrooms in their homes, and they want master baths large enough to include generous linen closets, multiple vanities and dedicated space for dressing or applying cosmetics.

Consumers want a master suite to be a retreat from the daily grind, Hughes said.

"It’s their refuge. They are willing to spend a little more money to make it comfortable and attractive.

"We’re doing a lot of radiant-heat flooring that can be thermostatically controlled and time-controlled."

Consumers can have the luxury of stepping onto a warm stone or ceramic-tile floor each morning.

Some folks want to keep more than their toes warm in the bathroom, noted David Norton, owner of Ellis Kitchen and Bath Studio on S. Front Street.

"You can even run that radiant mat under the seat in the shower, so if you are going to sit there for a while, it’s not so cold and clammy," said Norton, a certified master kitchen and bath designer.

Customers want luxurious showers, too, Norton said.

"It’s not unusual to go in and remove the bathtub altogether from the master bath, then put in a very large walk-in shower, often with multiple body sprays and steam generators. We are doing large showers designed for two people to shower at the same time."

The survey also found more interest in bathroom features such as wide doors and walk-in showers that will easily accommodate the growing number of older homeowners.

As for the kitchen, the architects surveyed reported that demand for top-grade appliances continues to grow even in moderately priced homes.

The proliferation of cooking shows on television can be given much of the credit for that trend, Norton said.

Duplicate appliances — two dishwashers or secondary under-the-counter refrigerators and freezers — are gracing more kitchens.

More kitchen islands are equipped with a secondary sink and a couple of refrigerator drawers to keep fresh food accessible to the preparation area, Norton said.

Two other growing trends are wine coolers and built-in containers for bottles, aluminum cans and other recyclable materials.

"We do that for virtually every kitchen we design," Norton said of the recycling containers.

The survey found that most participating architects receive more requests for flooring, countertops and other components that are made from materials that don’t deplete the Earth’s natural resources.

Hughes, however, said the environmentally friendly trends are more a ripple than a tidal wave among consumers.

"We try to push it as best we can, but I’m not seeing too many people asking for it," Hughes said. "Once in a blue moon, I’ve had someone ask about bamboo flooring, but they’ve never really been serious enough about it to put it in."

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