Hi: we are empty nesters with a City Apt (3 baths 3 bedrooms): where my bath is part of the Master bedrm and hubby uses another one as "his". We also have a rural turn of century country cottage with 3 baths on multi level so we SHARE the master bath (and it is the largest). What you recently described with the split config and some passthru/shared areas resonates and we find has worked well. Since space does not seem to be a constraint, you may, for resale purposes, want to consider a bath-spa. Meaning add some spa elements. I know you said you dont need more humidity or heat...but steam enclosure or ready-to-install-cabinets may not add considerably except for the actual steam generator. Mini dry or steam sauna rooms are great (we have a Finnish-style sauna...it is about 8x5 and is a separate room. Next to it is a small 1/2 bath) Also in our 'hood, a dual bath could count as two and run into code issues. So i am sure you'll be checking out how your town regulates Here is what we've found as best configs we've lived with or had the pleasure to experience: - separated closet areas are ideal..even with a shares common entry. Also our requirements for lengths and drawers are different (just consider the accessories or shoes!) - that said, i dont like the closets being super close to the water. That is humidity from the shower or tub in the very near vicinity. Further, my SIL and BIL rebuilt their master bath with her closet being direct accessed from the bathroom. I found it nice but not really conducive to full dressing...too small and i wanted to be out in the open more where i could stand back from the full length mirror - the real reason we use separate bathrooms is the toilet and you've addressed that. we always prefer bathrooms where the toilets are a little separate...be that a half door or semi enclosed. And we really really treasure Windowed bathrooms. More windows the better - The more isolated the toilet can be from the other areas (layout wise), the better the other areas work and feel clean, fresh,comfortable. some bathrooms we liked even had a small hand washing sink in the toilet area. - A Toto toilet special flush toilet with a SOFT CLOSE lid for us is a MUST!!! once you have it (now others make the soft close lids too) you wonder where its been all your life. Same for the way the Toto flushes low and high volume. Unfortunately their color and style choices are limited but do check out the functionality and try to replicate. The power flush with minimal water use is good. - I am not fond of separate bidets (and we travel abroad alot so we see these) One more thing to clean and plumb etc and addl space taken up for something not very attractive. Instead, the Toto-type bidet function can be added to a hi-end commode. For a price, of course. - two tubs two showers feels odd. And you've addressed this too i think. A large shower with ease of access, open feeling and glass or even outside light is best. A rain head in shower is nice but not in lieu of the regular. We are very eco conscious so we arent into the multi jets --- my BIL recently did a walk in large shower with lots of jets; i cant say that it enhanced my shower experience because i would rather just finish up and not use the water. And i didnt like sloshing thru a large wet area to find a place to dry my feet. So large without everything being subject to water jets was my observation - When i want to use water, well for me its a deep tub WITHOUT jets ---nothing to disrupt luxuriating in hot bubbly scented water A handheld as option with the tub is nice (to rinse off, to rinse hair, etc) - Double or separated sinks are a plus -- really it is the separate mirror each of us is after! plus separated banks of drawers or spaces. My bath has bureau drawers and there I keep my lingerie so that i can dress the underthings right there. That said, some common space for the replenish supplies and for towels. - We love thinner waffle weave towels rather than big thirsty Turkish ones...because the former absorb quickly and in humid weather, we can use 1 a day and not create immense stax of laundry. So, we both like having a stack of towels right there in the bath rather than in a linen closet down the hall. - Lighting is important. Not just the usual over sink lighting that is good for working on the face. Some softer moodier lighting or lights on reo-stats are good. I saw mirrored cabinets spanning double sinks that had soft lighting running along the bottom. Left on, such as the evenngs, it was a nice glow and almost meant i didnt have to turn on lights brightly every time i went in. - Audio or even a small flat panel feed to your bathroom? that will take special planning if the latter. For sure, i love listening to the radio and would love to have some thing in the bath rather than turning up my clock radio so loud! Enjoy

We had one in the hall/kids' bath when I was a child. My mother loved it. That bathroom had a vanity that consisted of a 36" tilt-out hamper directly under the sink, with a bank of drawers to either side. It was very convenient for our clothes and towels and for sheets when changing the beds. Nothing smelled, and this was in FL back when A/C was used only in July and August, not all the time the way people do now. (There was an annual argument and whinefest about when it was hot and humid enough to turn on the A/C.) The whole hamper assembly could be lifted out if they needed to get to the plumbing, but IIRC, it took two people to do that. EDIT for typo on hamper width--it was 36", not 48". Still pretty big, given the depth of it. This post was edited by writersblock on Mon, Jul 1, 13 at 11:20

tira_misu - thank you, and yes, it's the godmorgon storage cabinet. It's a bit shallower than the vanity which for our bathroom is ideal, as the bathroom door opens towards it, and the electrical switches that were already there, fit perfectly between door and cabinet. By the way, our faucets are from Grohe and fit just fine. Just choose a single hole faucet without the thingamabob that opens and closes the drain. That would not work.

4 sinks (two double vanities) No to duplicate sinks. What matters more is storage in the vanity. What would be more useful would be a good-sized vanity with a single sink and a bank of drawers for each user. I don't really see any storage in your plan, but every bathroom needs space for extra towels, extra toiletries, hampers. Consider a linen closet somewhere. Rather than push more, more, more sinks, get the details right: Wall-mounted faucets are easier to clean, deeper sinks don't splash on the user, to-the-vanity mirrors work better for children /short people, and good lighting is good for everyone. 2 toilets (each one closed off in separate water closets within the main bathroom space), If you're trying to maximize convenience, enter from the hallway instead of cutting through the bathroom. If you're trying to maximize function, add a small sink to the toilet closet /make it a half-bath. 1 standing shower, 1 shower/tub combo. These are in the same room? And it's for the secondary bedrooms? Why not just go with the shower-over-tub combo? but figured why not experiment and combine them into one room? Because it's a bad idea. This spreading-things out concept will require more space, will be harder to keep clean, and will not appeal to buyers. Go with two 3-piece baths. Jack and Jill bathroom set up that was alright J&Js can be done well ... it's just that most are poorly designed. but I wanted to experiment away from the monotony of of traditional layouts. Different for the sake of different is not progressive ... classics are classics because they have stood the test of time and proven their worth for people in very different circumstances. If you want something different, consider an outdoor shower. First an anti room with large vanity (at least 6'), single sink, and linen closet. Disagree. An anti-room requires a door mid-way, which is a pain to clean around /behind. And while it seems to encourage privacy, it actually creates a barrier for the user who wants to reach the farther room. The concept of sink, toilet, and tub/shower in one room is proven to be very desirable. Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Again, classics are classics for a reason. the first room's door does not lock! Things done at the first sink should be tasks like brushing teeth, doing up makeup and hair and others that don't require total privacy. Omitting locks from the doors isn't a bad idea. back to back standard bathrooms would be more efficent and more comfortable. I don't know that they'd be more comfortable, but back-to-back bathrooms are more efficient because they keep all the piping /all the water in one wall. Shorter piping costs less, keeps the possibility of leaks to one area. Think of the trend of large, open showers as opposed to being closed off with curtains/glass doors. I'm sure the privacy aspect of it was largely unappealing Good point, but large, open showers are functional. The dormitory concept in a private home isn't. You could have a sink and vanity in every bedroom, But you'd still need a sink in the bathroom next to the toilet.