planning bathroom layout

How to Plan a Bathroom Layout for Optimal Functionality

Clean, well-organised bathrooms are vital to improving your household’s quality of life. However, designing such spaces can be an immense undertaking, as evidenced by the presence of disorderly and difficult-to-use bathrooms in otherwise well-kept homes.

Fortunately, if you’re renovating or building a bathroom, it is possible to prevent this chaos from happening. By following the smart design choices outlined below, you can make your bathroom a true oasis of calm for the entire household. When you’re ready to start your bathroom design project, then get in touch with experts in bathroom renovations Auckland homeowners trust.

1. Know What to Prioritise

In most bathroom projects, some practical compromises need to be made to accommodate space issues and the often-competing preferences of people living in a household. These situations can’t always be avoided, so it’s good to start each bathroom renovation project with lists of essential, ’nice-to-have,’ and unwanted features. This should be a collaborative process that ideally involves the contractors and the home’s potential users.

practical bathroom project

2. Make it Accessible

If there are seniors or family members with disabilities in your household, the renovations’ main priority should be their access. Have contractors install secure grab bars, wheelchair-friendly doorways, and non-slip tiles on all designated ‘wet’ areas. Consider integrating an elevated toilet that will make transferring from a wheelchair easier as well as a bidet to aid in thorough hygiene. Use levers instead of knobs for showers and taps so that they’re easily manipulated, even for individuals with limited mobility.

3. Decide on Your Bath or Shower Options

If you can’t incorporate a full-sized bath, opt for a larger shower to save space. Look at different shower types and consider if you prefer the simplicity of having just one kind of shower or a full selection of various heads. If you have limited room and really enjoy soaking, incorporate a space-saving Japanese-style bathtub or a back-to-wall tub to better maximise your available space.

expensive bathroom design

4. Design for Your Vanity Needs

Aside from being the place to address our biological and hygiene needs, bathrooms are also where most of us do our daily grooming. If there’s anyone in your home who enjoys a more complex grooming or makeup routine, it makes sense to design the bathroom in such a way as to accommodate this need safely and comfortably.

Whatever your vanity needs, ensure that you have enough drawers and other storage for your personal items so that the area is more easily organised. You may want to choose closed storage to prevent certain items like makeup and hairdryers from getting wet.

5. Include Plenty of Storage

Even if you have a modest grooming routine, your bathroom is probably going to become cluttered if it has inadequate storage. Even basic toiletries and cleaning supplies can take up a surprising amount of space so you’ll want to make sure there is enough cabinetry to accommodate these essentials as well as anything else you might need.

classic bathroom fixture and fittings

6. Choose Comfortable Lighting

Bathroom lighting does often boil down to preference but, in general, you do want shadow-free task lighting around the main bathroom mirror for grooming and vanity needs. If you want to add a luxurious touch, you can also consider a feature pendant or a small chandelier that casts a warm, relaxing light.

7. Make it Easy to Maintain

Such features like open shelving, bowl sinks, and standalone tubs close to the wall can make clean-up tedious, which is a problem since bathrooms must be cleaned at least weekly. Consider things like decluttering the bathroom of non-essentials as well as using high-quality cleaning products to give the area a more thorough cleaning. Even simple cleaning techniques like working your way from the top to the bottom can do wonders when it comes to improved bathroom maintenance.

8. Upgrade to a Wall-Mounted Toilet

Speaking of easy maintenance, a wall-mounted toilet makes cleaning substantially easier compared to traditional freestanding models. These futurist toilets also free up more space in your bathroom since their cisterns are hidden behind the wall.

wall-mounted toilet

9. Consider How Your Choices Affect Movement and Flow

Awkward doors and sinks that are bigger than they have to be can make your bathroom frustrating to use. Work with your interior designer to make sure layouts and fixtures don’t impede the expected movement of users. Once you have a layout you’re satisfied with, choose contractors with a good reputation to ensure that everything is set up as designed.

10. Design for Privacy

Bathrooms must include features that ensure the privacy of users, particularly if they’re in larger family homes. For instance, if glass shower enclosures are used, they should be frosted rather than clear. Multiple ingress points should also be avoided to reduce the possibility of users walking in on each other. If heavy use is expected, splitting up the toilet and bath into separate but still adjoining rooms can be an excellent option.

bathroom design for privacy

Make Every Detail Count in Your New Bathroom

Successfully building a pleasant bathroom is less about hopping onto the latest trends and more about considering the little things, particularly each household member’s needs. Once you understand everyone’s preferences, the challenging task of designing a truly functional bathroom becomes that much easier.