New This Week: 4 Wonderful Bathroom Wet Rooms
These designers use wet and dry areas to create refreshingly open and airy bathrooms
Mitchell Parker
May 3, 2019
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative... More
A wet room solves a basic requirement in a bathroom. “It’s a separate space in a bathroom to keep the wet stuff away from the dry stuff,” designer Nate Fischer says. Waterproof materials from floor to ceiling mean that water can go anywhere like “a great big car wash,” designer Lori Dennis says.
Wet rooms typically require a more generous amount of square footage than a traditional layout, but not always. The following four bathrooms show various interpretations of the wet room concept and smart ideas worth considering should you go this route.
Wet rooms typically require a more generous amount of square footage than a traditional layout, but not always. The following four bathrooms show various interpretations of the wet room concept and smart ideas worth considering should you go this route.
1. Bright Idea
Designers: Lori Dennis and Sara Plaisted
Location: Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles
Homeowners’ request. A spacious, open bathroom with lots of natural light.
Wet room. Large-format floor-to-ceiling ceramic tile that’s laser printed to look like stone. Floating bench. Recessed niches. Shower controls on wall adjacent to shower niche. Large glass divider “meant to really just go away,” says Dennis, whose client found her through the Houzz pro directory. “This bathroom is all about the natural light, and the materials are just a subtle background.”
Designer tip. “We wanted this room to be very modern, so the windows are a little bit of an unusual shape, very horizontal to have a fluidity with the horizontally laid tile pattern,” Dennis says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “When we finished, the floor was just a little bit more slippery than we had hoped for, and since it’s such a large area that has water on it, we needed to address this,” she says. “We used teak mats on top of the tile to make the area less slippery.”
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Designers: Lori Dennis and Sara Plaisted
Location: Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles
Homeowners’ request. A spacious, open bathroom with lots of natural light.
Wet room. Large-format floor-to-ceiling ceramic tile that’s laser printed to look like stone. Floating bench. Recessed niches. Shower controls on wall adjacent to shower niche. Large glass divider “meant to really just go away,” says Dennis, whose client found her through the Houzz pro directory. “This bathroom is all about the natural light, and the materials are just a subtle background.”
Designer tip. “We wanted this room to be very modern, so the windows are a little bit of an unusual shape, very horizontal to have a fluidity with the horizontally laid tile pattern,” Dennis says.
“Uh-oh” moment. “When we finished, the floor was just a little bit more slippery than we had hoped for, and since it’s such a large area that has water on it, we needed to address this,” she says. “We used teak mats on top of the tile to make the area less slippery.”
Find teak bath mats in the Houzz Shop
2. Level Up
Designer: Nate Fischer Interiors
Location: Anaheim Hills area of Anaheim, California
Homeowners’ request. “The homeowner’s main request was to create a space that made her feel like she was at a spa,” says Fischer, whose client found him by searching the directory and viewing his portfolio of images. “Something relaxing enough to make you feel like you are on vacation in your own home. For this room, we did not have enough width for your traditional shower-and-tub setup, but that challenge ended up forcing us to create this amazing wet room concept for the bathroom. We put a moisture barrier where we needed it but decided to keep an open entryway.”
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Designer: Nate Fischer Interiors
Location: Anaheim Hills area of Anaheim, California
Homeowners’ request. “The homeowner’s main request was to create a space that made her feel like she was at a spa,” says Fischer, whose client found him by searching the directory and viewing his portfolio of images. “Something relaxing enough to make you feel like you are on vacation in your own home. For this room, we did not have enough width for your traditional shower-and-tub setup, but that challenge ended up forcing us to create this amazing wet room concept for the bathroom. We put a moisture barrier where we needed it but decided to keep an open entryway.”
Find a bathroom designer near you
Wet room. A step up to an area with a freestanding bathtub. Porcelain wall tile running floor to ceiling on two walls. Accent wall of 2-by-12-inch blue tile. Mosaic floor tile. Abstract light fixture over the tub. Rain shower head and wall shower head. “We actually installed the shower control valve around the corner opposite of the shower head,” Fischer says. “This kept that tile feature wall so clean and simple, with just the shower head on it.”
Designer tip. “Levels,” Fischer says. “When you have a long space like this, it can feel slightly awkward when the flooring is all on the same plane. We added a step up to break the room up and also to help contain the shower water drainage.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Our tile wall was a fiasco and roller coaster all in one,” Fischer says. “Our original tile selection ran out of stock right when the project started, so we made a last-minute scramble to reselect that. Initially I had designed a shallow ledge along the entire shower wall. We were literally 5 square feet short of having enough tile to make that happen, so we had to eliminate the ledge. We literally had to use the one sample piece of tile to finish the job.”
Designer tip. “Levels,” Fischer says. “When you have a long space like this, it can feel slightly awkward when the flooring is all on the same plane. We added a step up to break the room up and also to help contain the shower water drainage.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “Our tile wall was a fiasco and roller coaster all in one,” Fischer says. “Our original tile selection ran out of stock right when the project started, so we made a last-minute scramble to reselect that. Initially I had designed a shallow ledge along the entire shower wall. We were literally 5 square feet short of having enough tile to make that happen, so we had to eliminate the ledge. We literally had to use the one sample piece of tile to finish the job.”
3. Elegant Enclosure
Designer: Jamie Daniel of Boyce Design & Contracting
Location: Atlanta
Homeowners’ request. Upgrade a master bathroom to create a more open and bright design. “They were looking to incorporate some updated transitional elements that would also complement the traditional style of their home,” says designer Jamie Daniel.
Wet room. Frameless glass enclosure. Deep soaking tub. Multiple polished nickel shower heads with body jets and sprays. Mirrored marble mosaic tile running floor to ceiling on three walls and on the white quartz-topped shower bench. “The desire for an expansive oversized shower while still incorporating an updated freestanding tub — a necessary element in any master suite — was the inspiration for the layout,” Daniel says.
Other special features. White marble tile floor. Crystal chandelier.
Designer: Jamie Daniel of Boyce Design & Contracting
Location: Atlanta
Homeowners’ request. Upgrade a master bathroom to create a more open and bright design. “They were looking to incorporate some updated transitional elements that would also complement the traditional style of their home,” says designer Jamie Daniel.
Wet room. Frameless glass enclosure. Deep soaking tub. Multiple polished nickel shower heads with body jets and sprays. Mirrored marble mosaic tile running floor to ceiling on three walls and on the white quartz-topped shower bench. “The desire for an expansive oversized shower while still incorporating an updated freestanding tub — a necessary element in any master suite — was the inspiration for the layout,” Daniel says.
Other special features. White marble tile floor. Crystal chandelier.
4. Awesomely Accessible
Designers: Eddie and Julie Leverett of One Eleven
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Homeowners’ request. A minimalist master bathroom that feels light and airy and provides comfortable wheelchair accessibility. “From the early design phases, we took accessibility into account,” says designer Julie Leverett. “And because this was an inherent part of the design, rather than an afterthought, the universal design features blend seamlessly, adding beauty to the master bath rather than detracting from it.”
Wet room. Frameless glass enclosure with curbless entry. Beige porcelain tile running floor to ceiling on three walls. Wall-to-wall niche. A 60-inch drop-in soaking tub with additional insulation for energy savings. “By reorienting the bathtub, we gained the necessary room to comfortably combine the bath and shower areas, capturing the wet room style perfectly,” she says. “The wall-to-wall niche not only adds functionality for both the shower and the bathtub essentials, it brings both areas together as one, which is an ideal representation of a wet room.”
Designers: Eddie and Julie Leverett of One Eleven
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Homeowners’ request. A minimalist master bathroom that feels light and airy and provides comfortable wheelchair accessibility. “From the early design phases, we took accessibility into account,” says designer Julie Leverett. “And because this was an inherent part of the design, rather than an afterthought, the universal design features blend seamlessly, adding beauty to the master bath rather than detracting from it.”
Wet room. Frameless glass enclosure with curbless entry. Beige porcelain tile running floor to ceiling on three walls. Wall-to-wall niche. A 60-inch drop-in soaking tub with additional insulation for energy savings. “By reorienting the bathtub, we gained the necessary room to comfortably combine the bath and shower areas, capturing the wet room style perfectly,” she says. “The wall-to-wall niche not only adds functionality for both the shower and the bathtub essentials, it brings both areas together as one, which is an ideal representation of a wet room.”
Other special features. Dual floating vanity that can accommodate seated and standing positions.
Designer tip. “Being a design-build contractor, we are able to change design midconstruction if we see an opportunity present itself,” Leverett says. “With this particular wet room, once the walls were exposed, the thought of a wall-to-wall niche came to fruition. Although subtle in itself, the niche transformed the bathroom into a minimalist Zen retreat.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “With this master bathroom, accessibility was a key component of the design,” she says. “A challenge that comes with that is creating a barrier-free entry. In order to overcome this hurdle, we cut, removed and planed existing concrete to provide the necessary slope of one-quarter-inch per foot, creating a barrier-free, zero-edge entry point. Knowing the end goal will be a wet room with ease of entry, and maneuverability in and out of the shower to accommodate an individual plus a caregiver, gives the drive to push forward without hesitation with design.”
Wall paint: City Loft, Sherwin-Williams
More on Houzz
Before and After: 9 Small-Bathroom Makeovers That Wow
See other bathroom makeovers
Find designers and other professionals
Shop for vanities, bathtubs and more
Designer tip. “Being a design-build contractor, we are able to change design midconstruction if we see an opportunity present itself,” Leverett says. “With this particular wet room, once the walls were exposed, the thought of a wall-to-wall niche came to fruition. Although subtle in itself, the niche transformed the bathroom into a minimalist Zen retreat.”
“Uh-oh” moment. “With this master bathroom, accessibility was a key component of the design,” she says. “A challenge that comes with that is creating a barrier-free entry. In order to overcome this hurdle, we cut, removed and planed existing concrete to provide the necessary slope of one-quarter-inch per foot, creating a barrier-free, zero-edge entry point. Knowing the end goal will be a wet room with ease of entry, and maneuverability in and out of the shower to accommodate an individual plus a caregiver, gives the drive to push forward without hesitation with design.”
Wall paint: City Loft, Sherwin-Williams
More on Houzz
Before and After: 9 Small-Bathroom Makeovers That Wow
See other bathroom makeovers
Find designers and other professionals
Shop for vanities, bathtubs and more
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Do not like walking thru a wet shower floor to get to the tub...
We had our bathroom designed this way last year and still love it!