Designing & Remodeling A Small Master Bath
Dreaming Of A Newly Designed Or Remodeled Bathroom?
From classical to
modern, Mediterranean to rustic - when selecting the feel of your new
bathroom the options are endless. Even if you think your update is a
simple one, a design professional from AK with over 17-years of
experience can help you plan and complete your project most effectively. For most of us,
laying out a master bathroom is a part of a remodeling project where
we’re trying to make the most of limited square footage.
Here are tips for getting the most out of limited square footage:
A central door improves the layout
A master bath, not a massive bath
Instead of planning a large bathroom with every imaginable
convenience, you’re better off saving space for the sleeping area, a
closet/dressing area, or even a small office alcove if you’re willing to
bring that part of your life into the bedroom. Not only is it space
you’re more likely to use and appreciate daily, but you’ll also have
more money for the fixtures, fittings, and tile that you touch several
times a day. You can fit an efficient, comfortable bathroom in a
footprint as small as 5 ft. by 8 ft. if a sink, toilet, and shower meet
your needs. A double vanity and tub/shower combo stretch the
minimum-space requirements to about 8 ft. by 9 ft.
Code requirements dictate the minimum amount of space required
for each element in the bathroom, but you’ll find that adding a few
extra inches of elbow room or legroom around the fixtures makes the room
seem disproportionately larger than the small increase in its
footprint. For example, code requires a clear 21 in. in front of sinks
and toilets. But 24 in. is an improvement, and 30 in. creates a very
comfortable space. As you lay out possible fixture locations, remember
that the clear spaces around fixtures can overlap; it’s not as if you’ll
be using the toilet and the sink at the same time. Extending the
maneuvering room around a fixture much beyond 36 in. is a waste of space
because you’ll start to feel unmoored from the surrounding elements.
A direct connection to the bedroom
This arrangement with closets in the sleeping area and a direct connection to the bathroom works for a couple with similar schedules. Although the bathroom and the bedroom open directly onto each other without any buffer, a thoughtful layout visually insulates the two rooms from each other. From the bed, it is impossible to see into the bathroom, and a half wall shields the toilet from view when looking directly through the doorway.Placing the bathroom door far from the bedroom entry reinforces the idea that the master bath is a private space. By opting for a smaller bathroom in this project, architect Russell Hamlet had space for a laundry room in the heart of dirty-laundry territory, which further insulates the bath from the public areas of the house.
To figure out how much space to allocate for the bathroom, grab
a piece of paper and a pen, and sit down with your partner. Do you have
similar schedules, or does one of you head to bed or get up much
earlier than the other? When someone is asleep, a dressing area lets you
turn on the lights to disrobe or to find clothes. How often do you find
yourselves vying for the sink and the mirror at the same time? A double
vanity eats up valuable real estate. What’s your daily routine? If you
shower before work in the morning, you can skip a tub in the master
bath, but if you soak each night, a tub is mandatory.
When you create a master suite, you have two basic options: The bathroom door can open directly from the sleeping area into the bathroom; or a closet, a dressing area, or a foyer can serve as a buffer. The examples on these pages are by no means the only options, but they highlight some design issues and should spark ideas as you lay out your own master bath.
When you create a master suite, you have two basic options: The bathroom door can open directly from the sleeping area into the bathroom; or a closet, a dressing area, or a foyer can serve as a buffer. The examples on these pages are by no means the only options, but they highlight some design issues and should spark ideas as you lay out your own master bath.

Dressing-area buffer zone
For this remodel, architect Lynn Hopkins created a dressing
area by adding a wall with built-in storage at the head of the bed. Now
when you enter the master suite, you have the choice of heading right
for the bathroom, left for the bedroom, or straight for a fresh change
of clothes.
Appropriating space from an adjoining closet to create a niche
for a toilet or a sink is one method of gaining precious floor space in a
small bathroom. Here, the loss of closet space is barely noticeable,
but the area in front of the toilet and the sink feels much more
spacious. By stealing an extra 18 in. from the closet, the linen shelves
next to the toilet offer convenient storage for towels and toilet paper
so that a moment of forgetfulness doesn’t require a trip outside the
bathroom.
Where To Start
Our
happy clients are our best advertising - if you'd like to hear what
AK's real clients had to say about working with AK Complete Home
Renovations, read our Customer Reviews here.
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Next, to assist you in planning for your new bath, AK has created a Bath Planning Questionnaire
so our design team will know exactly where to begin! Filling out this
questionnaire is completely optional, but we have found that the
questions help our clients gain insight into their needs for their new
space.
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