Key Takeaways
- Focus on the balance of your bathroom, so don’t leave it too empty or overfill it.
- If you’re working with a smaller bathroom, opt for multifunctional furniture.
- Make sure you layer your lighting with task, ambient, and overhead.
If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable or uneasy in a bathroom space that otherwise seemed decent enough and clean, it probably suffered from a bad layout. So, what exactly makes a bathroom layout bad?
“Balance in three aspects—usability, comfort, and aesthetics—is fundamental to any space,” Vicki Zagrodnik, a designer at Sims, says.
According to her, a bathroom that has an imbalance in any of these can feel wrong—and immediately catches the eye of a designer. If you’re considering a bathroom or powder room remodel in the near future, read on to learn some specific examples, as pointed out by the professionals, of what not to do before you make a costly mistake.
A View to the Toilet
One of the worst bathroom faux pas one can make is creating a view straight to the toilet from the entry point of the bathroom, Diana Melichar, president of Melichar Architects, says. This doesn’t necessarily mean the toilet needs to be farthest from the door, as a toilet situated at the back of the bath space can still sit in direct line of sight from the doorway.
Sandra Diaz-Velasco, principal architect of EOLO Architecture + Interiors, agrees, explaining that a toilet view lacks both aesthetic appeal and privacy. If you don’t personally find it offensive or off-putting, keep in mind that any guests you have over likely will. Instead, aim to make a beautiful vanity, mirror, or freestanding tub the focal point.
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Not Enough Clearance
Think about the flow—of traffic, not the water—in a bathroom and consider if any one fixture’s placement disrupts it. Diaz-Velasco points out that tight layouts where vanities, showers, or toilets are too close together make movement uncomfortable and reduce functionality.
Zagrodnik concurs and recommends at least 30 inches of space around key fixtures. This is certainly something to keep in mind when shopping for new fixtures. You might be tempted to splurge on a double-sink vanity or claw-foot tub, for example, but make sure your bathroom can accommodate these items while leaving enough space around them.
While you’re at it, don’t forget about clearance when it comes to doors, be they shower doors that swing outward, the door to a linen or laundry closet within the bathroom, the main bathroom entry, or vanity-cabinet doors. If doors collide when open, it also can disrupt flow and induce frustration.
A Tight Shower
The truth is, people are getting larger, and shower stalls that used to be considered standard are today no longer comfortable for bathers, according to Melichar. She offers the following guidelines: A 3-by-4-foot shower pan should be considered standard, but a 3-by-5-foot shower pan is more comfortable; a shower seat should be about 16 to 18 inches wide.
Lack of Storage
A beautiful bathroom without proper storage for essentials quickly becomes cluttered, diminishing its functionality, Diaz-Velasco advises. The first mistake is making the sink vanity the only storage option within the bathroom. In a powder room, this might cut it. But in a full bathroom, where you keep not only toilet paper, but also cleansers, beauty-regimen products, and possibly household cleaning agents, among other items, you’ll need more than the vanity.
Easy storage additions include a medicine cabinet and wall shelving or wall cabinetry. But if renovating, you can also consider adding a shower niche and built-in casework. If using open shelving, don’t forget to include accessories such as baskets and bins to keep everything that’s within eyeshot discretely organized.
Poor Lighting
Another sign of a bad layout is poor or random lighting placement, Zagrodnik says. Oftentimes, the easiest lighting to implement in a bathroom is an overhead ceiling-mount fixture or over-the-mirror bath bar (aka vanity light). These are well and fine to use for washing up, but such fixtures cast hard shadows that make one strain to perform daily routines (such as shaving, tweezing, and putting on makeup).
Not to mention, these don’t enhance the ambience, something that homeowners are increasingly desiring for an at-home tranquil spa-like setting. Zagrodnik recommends layered lighting: overhead, wall sconces, and indirect ambient.