Design Direction

April 7, 2010 · Posted in Bathroom design ideas, Design Direction

Do you have a challenging space or need some design guidance? Design Direction is a chance for you to submit photos or videos of your design challenge(s) and a Vastu interior designer will provide you with some help. Every Wednesday we will feature one reader’s submission.

“I just bought a home with a very tiny master bathroom. If being small isn’t enough to deal with, there’s an issue with the toilet being right at the doorway. Originally the door opened in towards the vanity, but prior owners removed the door and put up, of all things, a plastic accordion door. Another issue is the shower stall. First, it has no lighting. Previous owners took off the pivot door and replaced it with a shower curtain. As you reach in to turn on the water, you get soaked. I’m trying to find out what would be the best layout to utilize what little floorspace there is. My best idea for this space would be to replace the shower stall with bypass shower doors, replace the vanity with a smaller vanity that is 15″ or 18″ deep (need the storage space) and we really would like an elongated toilet, so one that takes up the least amount of floor space. Last, put in a pocket door. Other than the above, I really can’t come up with any other ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated!”

Krissy says…

“Hello! Let me start by saying, congratulations on your new home!

Your master bathroom may be small, but there are certainly ways to improve the efficiency of the space and make it appear larger and more spacious. First, consider making it a “wet bathroom”. Remove the wall dividing the shower from the rest of the room (and consequently let more light into the shower!), re-tile the entire floor, shower included, in 1″ x 1″ tiles (make the shower floor the same level, without any threshold, as the rest of the floor, but angle the entire floor slightly toward the shower drain). Tile the shower walls to the ceiling and the wall behind the sink and toilet, and the wall opposite the sink and toilet, to about shoulder level. Switch the locations of the toilet and vanity. Rather than the heavy “built-in” look of the existing vanity, try to find a unique chest of drawers or cabinet that could be re-purposed as a vanity and still provide you with storage space (and if you can’t find one that will fit the space, have one built for you!). Not only will reorienting the fixtures in this way better suit a “wet bathroom” but having a beautiful piece of furniture with an equally attractive mirror above as the first thing you see will be much more aesthetically appealing than walking into the toilet. With your new “wet bathroom”, a simple glass panel separating the bathroom from the new toilet location will be enough to keep shower water from going everywhere. Leave enough room between the glass partition and the back wall to slide your hand through and turn on the shower so that you don’t get soaked when turning on the shower. If you’re so inclined, a rain-shower would look great in this application. Finally, if the master bedroom beyond allows, opt for an outward swing door which will maximize privacy. If that isn’t an option, than your instinct for a pocket door is spot on!

Best of luck!”