This family has four adorable young children, and wanted to reconfigure their out-dated baths to increase space and add functionality. These two baths were back-to-back in the house, in between the kids’ bedrooms. They needed to be child-friendly, with easy-to-maintain materials, but also coordinate with the rest of the house in terms of color and style. The left-side bath had a very tiny, claustrophobic shower awkwardly situated behind the bathroom door, and only one sink. The right-side bath had a tub/shower combination and again, only one sink.
The clients and I considered different options for the two baths. One option was to remove the wall separating the baths and create one large, open bathroom space with a bathtub, a walk-in shower, and four sinks and vanities in the center, sort of like a kitchen island, for the four children. But, after weighing pros and cons of our options, ultimately we decided to keep two separate bathrooms. Here’s what I designed for them to give them the flexibility and space they needed:
- In the bathroom on the left, I moved the walk-in shower from the tiny little space behind the door to the back of the bathroom. This allowed for a much larger shower, and also provided a striking focal point in the space. The toilet was moved several inches in order to create the space. The window was left in its current location, but is now inside the shower.
- Relocating the shower gave us space for a much needed second sink.
- I also recommended reversing the door swing on the bathroom door—in the old bath, it blocked the entrance to the tiny shower, and, had it remained as it was, it would have blocked access to the sink. Reversing the door swing provided much more floor space.
- In the bathroom on the right, we kept the tub and shower in its existing location, but removed the overhead soffit to make it more spacious and bright.
- We added a second sink, while still being able to keep linen storage in the bath. The new linen cabinet even has a pullout laundry hamper.
- In both baths, we plumbed for a hand-held shower on a slide bar. This allows the showerhead to be adjusted for the varying heights of all four children (adults too!), and also allows for convenient cleaning of the tub and shower.
- For consistency and flow throughout the house, I recommended keeping the colors neutral and using the same materials in both baths. However, I did change the tile design to keep things interesting. Notice the asymmetrical vertical stripes in the shower, and the large arch feature in the tub- the same glass mosaic is used in both spaces, but with very different results.
- The wall and floor tiles are porcelain, and the countertop is engineered quartz, for easy cleaning and maintenance.
The end result is two beautiful and functional new bathrooms that fit the needs of this busy family.
