5 Common Bathroom Design Mistakes to Avoid
Get your bath right for the long haul by dodging these blunders in toilet placement, shower type and more
Dylan Chappell
January 26, 2024
Houzz Contributor and California Architect, Dylan Chappell is known for his sustainable and green approach to projects. Dylan is a South Coast native and serves on the Architectural Review Board for the County of Santa Barbara. (http://dylanchappell.com/)
Houzz Contributor and California Architect, Dylan Chappell is known for his sustainable... More
Adding to or remodeling your house is one of the most exciting and creative processes you can go through. But with all that responsibility comes pressure to make informed decisions that will last. How can you make sure to get the right design for your lifestyle, stay within your budget and maximize the return on your investment? Start with a great design for every room in your house — including (or especially) the bathroom.
Bathrooms, whether big or small, should always be well thought out and carefully located, and should function with multiple users in mind. We’re long past the era where there was one bathroom for every three bedrooms in the house, and everyone had all the time needed to use it. Today’s bathrooms need to be beautiful, use space efficiently and serve the users functionally. Avoiding common design blunders, as these rooms nicely do, can help you be happier with your bathroom for the long haul.
Bathrooms, whether big or small, should always be well thought out and carefully located, and should function with multiple users in mind. We’re long past the era where there was one bathroom for every three bedrooms in the house, and everyone had all the time needed to use it. Today’s bathrooms need to be beautiful, use space efficiently and serve the users functionally. Avoiding common design blunders, as these rooms nicely do, can help you be happier with your bathroom for the long haul.
1. No View Out
No one likes a dark, damp bathroom with bad circulation — it’s no fun spending time in a space like that. If you’re building or relocating a bathroom, try to site it on an outside wall with windows.
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No one likes a dark, damp bathroom with bad circulation — it’s no fun spending time in a space like that. If you’re building or relocating a bathroom, try to site it on an outside wall with windows.
Shop for bathroom vanities on Houzz
If windows are not an option, installing an operable skylight can allow for the fresh air and natural light needed to make the space feel comfortable.
Find a bathroom designer near you
Find a bathroom designer near you
2. A Clear View in From Public Rooms
I once worked on a large remodel for which the existing design had a bathroom in the dining room — seems kind of like a conflict of interests, right? Whenever possible, avoid locating the bathroom directly off one of the home’s public rooms — like the kitchen, living room or dining room.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put in a long hallway, but create some sort of formal separation to break up the line of sight. The last thing you want is to be sitting in the living room with a glass of wine and looking straight into the bathroom at the toilet.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Learn the basics
I once worked on a large remodel for which the existing design had a bathroom in the dining room — seems kind of like a conflict of interests, right? Whenever possible, avoid locating the bathroom directly off one of the home’s public rooms — like the kitchen, living room or dining room.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to put in a long hallway, but create some sort of formal separation to break up the line of sight. The last thing you want is to be sitting in the living room with a glass of wine and looking straight into the bathroom at the toilet.
Not sure where to start on your home project? Learn the basics
3. Making It All About the Toilet
That leads me to my next blunder: Avoid making the toilet the first thing you see in the bathroom, and avoid any sightlines to it from adjacent rooms. I like to put the toilet and shower in their own room while keeping the sink separate. This allows someone to take a shower while someone else gets ready at the sink.
That leads me to my next blunder: Avoid making the toilet the first thing you see in the bathroom, and avoid any sightlines to it from adjacent rooms. I like to put the toilet and shower in their own room while keeping the sink separate. This allows someone to take a shower while someone else gets ready at the sink.
In the bathroom floor plan here, the wall between the two rooms adds only a couple of inches to the overall size of the bathroom but doubles the room’s functionality.
4. Curbed-Shower Enthusiasm
A curbless shower makes a bathroom feel bigger and look cleaner — plus, it’s very practical for aging-in-place homeowners, since it adheres to universal design principles.
A curbless shower makes a bathroom feel bigger and look cleaner — plus, it’s very practical for aging-in-place homeowners, since it adheres to universal design principles.
This look is fairly easy to achieve in a new bathroom or a remodel — just make sure you mention it to your architect or contractor prior to construction.
Shop for bathroom accessories
Shop for bathroom accessories
5. Thinking Bigger Is Better
That’s right: Bigger isn’t better; better is better. Whether you’re designing a large master bathroom in your dream home or trying to figure out how to squeeze in an extra bathroom for your growing family, the most important aspect of your new bathroom is that it has a great design that functions efficiently for your specific lifestyle.
That’s right: Bigger isn’t better; better is better. Whether you’re designing a large master bathroom in your dream home or trying to figure out how to squeeze in an extra bathroom for your growing family, the most important aspect of your new bathroom is that it has a great design that functions efficiently for your specific lifestyle.
The truth is, great design is less about how a bathroom looks (although it’s always nice when it looks fantastic) and more about how it works. Great design translates to a house that functions better, costs less to build, is more efficient to maintain and gets you more for less.
Tell us: Have you had any bathroom remodeling blunders or successes? Share your experiences in the Comments.
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Tell us: Have you had any bathroom remodeling blunders or successes? Share your experiences in the Comments.
More on Houzz
Read more stories about bathroom design
Find a bathroom remodeler
Shop for bathroom products
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Stephanie, I feel your pain! Strangely enough, the 2 skylights in our house are just about the only things NOT leaking! (Our problem is the windows when it’s windy and raining sideways…..nothing but problems!) Good tradespeople are hard to find these days, no matter where you are and which trade you need….waiting for our plumber to start in a bathroom as we speak! (No word, no sort of idea when they will come, we just wait…..) Our Velux windows (now 19 hears old) are still holding, but I’m sure that can all change……🤞😩
I’m glad my contractor talked me out of a curbless shower. Well, not talk me out of so much as present the pros and cons. We did a low curb instead. I’d consider it if I had a huge space to work with, but I like keeping the water inside the shower. I love the look of it, and of those doorless showers, but it’s not practical for us. We still get water outside of the shower from time to time even with doors and a curb.
Our small master bathroom (original to our townhouse built in 1985) went from cheap and ineffective to luxurious and functional! Here are before and after pics.