Small room with warm steam from the shower? I would think no heat lamp required. Think of the old hotel rooms with the heat lamps in the bathroom--yes, the room was cool when you went in, but once you got the water going the heat lamp was overkill.

Having had them combined, I agree with what's been said. Consider whether a barn-style sliding/rolling door, or bi-fold, plus stacking even full-size washer/dryer, and a tiny wall-mount wash-up sink and/or shower stall would make the separation easily possible; it will be well worthwhile, particularly if you want guests to feel comfortable using it. And, rather than making the laundry the mere closet, I'd make the bathroom the mere closet. In the laundry, one seeks fresh-smelling and dry - a convergence and dispatch of often-intimate belongings from multiple members of the household, always in progress, milling through noisy cyclings and beepings, nagging for attention, and demanding work -- often intimates hanging in plain view, and/or shedding lint; one wants space to shake out and sort and fold. In the bathroom, one seeks privacy in an isolated corner, and/or transport from cares elsewhere, often in steamy wetness, without the distraction of others' belongings, or fear of being in anyone's way; one wants to disappear. Also; think aersolization of effluent. It's easier than you'd think to separate the rooms, even if you have to walk through one to get to the other, and well worth it. They'll still be adjacent; and you can easily shed clothes from one into the other. Your kitchen and bathroom both use plumbing, but that's no reason to combine them.

I was talking about shortening the window, not shower. That short black wall near the doorway is next to the toilet. I wasn't sure how to make the layout in the software program with a wall that extends past the doorway. I don't want to walk into the bath and see a stackable washer/dryer on display. I was just going to put a door in front of it. That wall is 13' long so I could easily have a 48"-60" vanity and have space on that wall to open the doors to the washer/dryer. And the shower will still be at least 4x5 which I thought was plenty big for a guest shower. This is our only bath downstairs so will be used throughout the day by us and our kids as well as guests. There are 3 baths upstairs as well for each bedroom (for perspective).

Sorry, had to work yesterday. My first thought is to do an island in the center. At 11.5 wide, it is too small to divide usefully I think. However, I’m going to play with it today. Also, if you are ok moving the utility sink out to that space in the garage I’m assuming you’ll have to add plumbing. If so, I would put the dog wash out there. Dogs shake off water during and after a bath, which ends up everywhere. Do you ever use the current utility sink to hand wash clothes or do you not need that option? In my new house I don’t have a traditional laundry sink in my laundry space and realize now I don’t need it. I have a utility sink in the garage and it gets used there for diy project stuff, but I never hand wash anymore so don’t miss it in the laundry.