How many ways can you layout your bathroom? Which is the right one? How do you make the best use of the space whilst creating something that invites you in each day? These are some of the questions we all face coming up with bathroom layout ideas.
With such a plethora of configurations to choose from, from integrating walk-in showers and twin sinks to deciding where to place the toilet — coming up with the best modern bathroom ideas is a delicate art.
So we spoke to interior designers to discover the bathroom layouts they love. Most reiterated how important it is to work with the architectural footprint of your space, emphasizing functionality, natural light, and highlighting focal features within the space. When executed well, bathroom layout ideas will deliver a space as memorable for its beauty as it is for its functionality.
1. OPT FOR AN ELEGANT AND MINIMAL LAYOUT WITH A WALK-IN SHOWER
Minimal and sleek in its expression, walk-in showers give your bathroom layout an added ease of use and elegance. This layout works particularly well for those looking to maximize a small bathroom layout.
“For this bathroom, we took this one step further by installing a doorless walk-in shower," says Australian interior designer Greg Natale. "Instead of a shower door, a fixed glass panel separates the shower from the rest of the room without cutting the space in half. With the addition of a skylight, the room feels vast and spacious instead of cramped and stuffy."
Furthermore, the choice of seafoam green stone, and black and white detailing give this interior an extra sense of refreshment and relaxation.
2. CONSIDER EVERY ANGLE WITH YOUR LAYOUT
It’s important to approach your bathroom layout with a sense of inventiveness and creativity but to also consider that this space is experienced in a multitude of ways. For their Upper West Side Townhouse project, New York-based designers, Sugarhouse created a bathroom design that carefully segments the experience. The use of a tiled transition from vanity to shower offers their clients visual harmony but also elevates the sense of escape within each moment.
“We approach space planning holistically, but when focusing on the bathroom layouts, we think a lot about every vantage point of the room (and fixture!) and common sequencing,” says Jess Nahon, co-principal at Sugarhouse. The key takeaway here is to consider every aspect of the layout as equally important and to seek to celebrate each corner.
3. CELEBRATE SPACE WITH A WET FLOOR LAYOUT
This bathroom created by GRT Architects is resolute in its softness and serenity. Its plastered walls bring to life a layout that defies traditional notions of a bathroom, featuring an ‘invisible’ folding glass panel that keeps the toilet and vanity dry whilst preserving the expanse and splendor of this space.
“This is a much more unusual layout which has an “all wet floor” concept which creates an open feeling at the bathing area,” says Rus Mehta, partner at GRT Architects. The colorful sprinkle like bathroom floor tiles center the space whilst injecting joy and color in equal measure. This project serves as a wonderful reminder of the potential of bathroom design — it can break the rules whilst delivering on the promise of flawless function.
Price: $2.99/sample; $34.19/sq. ft.
This modern take on mosaic tiles brings together the beauty of naturally multicolored stones. It's been hand-crafted and polished with a low-sheen for a modern look.
4. KEEP YOUR VANITY AND TOILET SEPARATE
This bathroom design realized by interior designer Ghislaine Viñas transports you to a Zen-like state with its spa-like proportions and clean lines. It selects the best parts of the bathroom experience and focuses on them while keeping the toilet neatly separate.
“I’m not a fan of having your toilet next to the vanity and if you can, and have enough space, I would recommend tucking the toilet into a designated area so even in a smaller bathroom, you still have privacy,” says the colorful and contemporary interior designer, Ghislaine Viñas. When executing this concept at home, always consider how the adjacent spaces to your bathroom can be cleverly used to elevate your layout. Sometimes, having to come up with layout ideas for awkward bathrooms leads to the most creative outcomes.
5. BRING IN THE BATHTUB WHERE POSSIBLE
Many homeowners wanting to maximize on space have migrated from bathtubs to showers but there is something special about the former that the latter just can’t seem to recreate. Offering an opportunity to recline and relax, any layout that lets you bring in a treasured tub should be celebrated, and designers have to be applauded for their ingenuity in adapting spaces to accommodate them.
“The clients desperately wanted a soaking tub but were tight on space," explains Seattle and New York-based interior designer Allison Lind. "They didn’t have a need for an elongated double shower, so were ok with squeezing in a small tub at one end instead."
The result is a bathroom layout idea that makes wonderful use of the natural light, is endlessly versatile, and prevents wet floors. With a bit of creative thinking, it's absolutely possible to make a small bathroom stylish.
Price: $757.77, Was: $1,024.30
This contemporary-style freestanding soaking tub features a comfortable sloping silhouette and convenient pop-up drain. It's stain- and scratch-resistant, and currently heavily discounted.
6. CHOOSE A LAYOUT THAT ENCOURAGES CALM
Your bathroom layout is a living thing in many ways; you must engage and interact with this vernacular each day and thus it must be carefully constructed. This small terracotta-toned bathroom imagined by Parisian designers, Studio Castille, takes a sleek storage-centric approach that encourages calm for its inhabitants.
“For small bathrooms, optimizing space is essential: built-in storage, wall-hung units, wall-mounted shelves. This allows you to maximize space while keeping the environment uncluttered,” explains Mathilde Abeel and France Lepoutre, founders of Studio Castille.
When it comes to your remodel, always consider how you can amplify your bathroom storage and ensure your layout works for your everyday.
7. LET YOUR LAYOUT MAXIMISE YOUR FOCAL FEATURE
Making a statement in a big bathroom trend right now, and your layout will be a key part of the puzzle. This striped shower in Allison Lind’s lakeside project perfectly complements the rich tones of the joinery but is distinctively the star of the show.
“We utilized the corner as a large focal-point shower feature and then were able to create separate 'his' and 'her' vanity spaces on either side,” she explains.
Its well worth considering what your focal point will be and how your layout can work to accentuate this. The flow of movement should encourage interaction with this point and offer easy access.
Price: $2.99/sample; $8.62/sq. ft.
The striped detail on this bathroom floor and wall tile can be laid in a number of different patterns, easily creating a striking statement in your space.
8. CONSIDER THE ATMOSPHERIC IMPACT OF YOUR LAYOUT
Ambience cannot be understated. The right bathroom layout works in unison with the other interior elements to capture a feeling as much as an aesthetic. Studio Castille’s soothing and minimal color palette accentuates the quiet minimalism of this bathroom design. Privacy is architecturally integrated rather than explicitly defined with doors.
“The choice of colors, textures, and accessories influence the atmosphere," say Mathilde Abeel and France Lepoutre, founders of Studio Castille. "Light tones visually enlarge the space, while darker tones create a cozier atmosphere.”
9. EMBRACE SIMPLICITY WITH A CORRIDOR LAYOUT
This charming bathroom layout from GRT Architects feels rich in its decorative elements but is rooted in simplicity. Utilizing perspective, it embraces its linear form instead of rejecting it.
“This is a tweak to a layout that is common for townhouses, a sort of ‘single loaded corridor’ that terminates in the bathing area, except in this case we made an all-glass shower with two sets of controls and double showerheads for a couple’s use,” says Rus Mehta, partner at GRT Architects.
If you opt for this kind of layout, lighter tones work particularly well to reflect light around the room and create the illusion of a larger room.
What are the rules of bathroom layout?
Whilst there is no definitive set of rules when it comes to bathroom layout ideas, listening to the advice of experts and their tricks to make a bathroom layout work harder is a great place to start. First impressions count so definitely consider the first view that you create in your bathroom.
This is a sentiment echoed by interior designer, Ghislaine Viñas. “I recommend avoiding having a bedroom and bathroom layout where the toilet is the first thing you see when you walk in a room,” she says.
It’s also important to consider how you will use your bathroom day-to-day as this is a space defined by function as well as aesthetics. Your bathroom layout ideas can accentuate aspects of the room but also create private moments. “When designing bathrooms, we often introduce layers and architectural elements to create intimacy,” says David Ries, Principal of Ries Hayes.
