UPDATED with pics! Smaller master bathroom must haves?

[dr.girlfriend]

I like the idea of the half-wall by the toilet with the niche in it because then the shower looks "clean" without a view of all the shampoo bottles, etc. :-) I don't like when the niche is on the most visible wall even though that's what we had to do in the end, just because the two walls facing the room are entirely glass.

I haven't found that our niche gets yucky, or gets standing water in it.  It's out of the spray of the shower for the most part.

[aprilsails]

My husband has an even better idea that he says he wishes we had done:

Do a slightly taller wall, and build a niche in there. You can make a shelf in there that hides all the shampoos, etc, from view. You could even make it the right height to prop your foot up for shaving.

[Roc A Bee]

I like the idea of niches in the half wall so it hides all the shower stuff. I like a lot of product options in the shower though.

Is there room for a medicine cabinet? I love mine. I store so much in it so the countertop can be kept clear.

[Susie]

We did a niche in our 2018 bath reno, and haven’t found that it gets gross from standing water. I think a big part of that is that it’s at the opposite end from the water spray so it doesn’t get all that wet. If it was on a side or under the shower head, I am pretty sure it would be a very different experience.

[aspentosh]

May 1, 2021 7:42:27 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

We've also thought about something like this along the exterior wall instead of niches. Just a shallow shelf to hold all our stuff. Not sure if that looks like a cop out or just something different.
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We've talked about doing a bump out like this on the wall opposite the shower head (so next to the window) but having it come out far enough that we can do open shelving on the OUTSIDE of the shower near the toilet for TP and other things like drgirlfriend mentioned. This would also give us the option to do the recessed shaving nook at the correct height AND a niche above that (but below the shelf) if we need some more storage options. I hope that makes sense.

Imagine vertical storage like this, but only up to belly height (for us, max height would be window height), and then a shelf (going along that entire wall) would be created INSIDE the shower for our shampoos and stuff.



ETA: The reason we love this idea so much is it gives us a big shelf in the shower, shelving outside of the shower, and it puts the shelf on the wall farthest from the shower head and not on the back wall that is most visible. I feel like it's a good combo of function, storage and, look. If we did the half wall and did the niche on the inside, we get no functionality or storage for the toilet area. 

The more H looks at it, the more he dislikes the half wall because he is worried it'll look cramped. But if the idea above takes up too much space of our shower (max we would want to come into the shower is like 8"), then we may reconsider, do a shallower bench (like 8-10") and then hidden niches in the shower. 

Contractor is coming today and we have so many ideas to throw at him. Poor guy, lol. 

[aspentosh]

Pilsy- we have niches in DD's bathroom but she does baths all the time. I've showered in her bathroom a few times and they purposefully slanted them a little so they drain off.

And yes to towel hooks over bars. We have been very pro hook for years. Which is why I think we quickly threw out the idea of a warming towel bar.

And I think charger in vanity is a definite thing now.

aprilsails, We might have room for a medicine cabinet. We are talking that one out. I have things I want immediate access to and don't mind leaving on the counter (contact stuff mainly) but H has more things like medicine. But the cabinet would be on my side of the vanity and that seems annoying. So wondering if it's worth it. Another question for him!

[aspentosh]

But then I just found this (thank goodness for Pinterest, lol) and it may be a winner.

Bench, with niche on same wall. Then smaller niche on inside of shower near top (for my shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars)... then another niche on the outside for TP and stuff.

[kitchenreno]

May 3, 2021 8:15:51 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

But then I just found this (thank goodness for Pinterest, lol) and it may be a winner.

Bench, with niche on same wall. Then smaller niche on inside of shower near top (for my shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars)... then another niche on the outside for TP and stuff.
View Attachment

I'm in the middle of a bathroom renovation right now, and this is exactly what I'm doing too!  They're actually cutting the niche part today.  I'm excited to see it.  At first I thought I didn't need a niche b/c bathroom products could be stored on the bench, but when I saw this picture, I changed my mind.  I hope mine looks just as good!  (will be white subway tile though)

ETA - in process picture added (I hope, I'm new at this).  

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[ellipses84]

The most important thing for me is a nice vanity with lots of storage (especially drawers) and I like it if there’s space for a tall cabinet to use as a linen closet if there’s not another one nearby. Heated floors are expensive so I don’t know if I’d bother with a small bathroom, although a towel warmer would be nice. You can also do the heater light / fan / light option. Do good vanity lighting for makeup. I love the look of marble floors but it can be so slippery in a bathroom. I’d personally go with a less slippery stone or tile.

For the shower make sure you have the shower head in a place where it’s easy to turn on and warm up without getting in or getting soaked. My coworker and I used to travel a lot together and complain about all the hotels that had a terrible setup. I’d get a hand held sprayer in addition to the rain head. There are newer modern versions than the typical. Definitely put in a little bench for leg shaving. This can be a square in the corner or a bench along one end. I love solatubes / natural light in showers but it looks like you get a lot of light from the window. Soap/shampoo dispensers look sleek but IDK if I’d use it in real life. Do you want to be able to roll into the shower in the future? You just need to make sure the floor is barely sloped to the shower drain to do this, rather than having a lip to step over.

[dr.girlfriend]

May 4, 2021 14:00:41 GMT -5 ellipses84 said:

For the shower make sure you have the shower head in a place where it’s easy to turn on and warm up without getting in or getting soaked. My coworker and I used to travel a lot together and complain about all the hotels that had a terrible setup. 

Oh, I forgot we did that!  We have the thermostatic shower control on the side perpendicular to the shower head.  That way we can reach in and flip it on without getting wet, and of course it's already set to the correct temperature.

Sorry, I was looking for a pic but I guess since you would have to be basically inside the shower to see it I don't have one.  Here's the shower before the glass went on, the shower control is on the left side, across from the niche.

[aspentosh]

Thanks all! He came out on Monday and we had a looooot of questions for him, lol. And then he asked us what we wanted that we'd never thought about (like curbless shower).

I think at this point we gave him our dream items and he said he'd price everything out and put individual prices (as best he could) so we could then pick and choose what we wanted to keep. This is our "forever home" so we don't want to skimp, but if a solar tube in the closet that puts us out of range, then that is something that can be added later. But moving the toilet and window 5-6"... that needs to happen now. So I guess we'll see where the quote comes in shortly!

kitchenreno , thank you for the pic!!!!! We asked him about that style but also the ledge with foot hold and storage on the exterior of the shower for the toilet. We're still trying to decide which we like better and which feels more open.

ellipses84, getting wet while turning on water is probably one of my biggest bathroom pet peeves. Seriously.

[ellipses84]

Yes! I think it’s the worst in a lot of hotels because they were renovated and kept the shower head and controls on the same short wall which you could access fine if it was a shower curtain or sliding doors but when they put a glass wall with a swing door on the opposite end of the long side it makes it impossible to reach the controls without getting in. They can do the shower head and controls on opposite walls, it’s just more expensive/ challenging in a renovation, but totally worth it.

[aspentosh]

Well, contractor came out and we got our quote back! It's a bit higher than we were hoping for but still very reasonable since we added in some expensive things.

In the bathroom we will:
update to 60" double sink vanity
move the window and toilet closer to the vanity with still plenty of room for TP holder to be hung
expand Curbless shower from 36" to 40-42" (this will be decided once we see things in place... we don't want to crowd the toilet on either side)
forego a half wall or bench because we want it to be open, so we're doing a ledge inside the shower and TP storage on the outside of the shower
rain shower head from ceiling and slide bar with hand shower on wall (still need to decide on this one and hoping for thermostatic)
install outlets in vanity for charging
**still deciding if we want a recessed medicine cabinet or not**

In the soon to be attached closet we will:
move wall *towards* bathroom a few inches to be able to get IKEA closet system in there (or somewhere else- someone shared a different option before)
push other wall out towards our bedroom to give another 12-14" of space, which while it won't change our options for closet systems, it will give a lot of floor space and

We are going to visit some showrooms with the contractor to look at shower fixtures, frameless shower doors, and floor tile options next week. Still deciding on shower wall tile layout because H really really really really wants accent tile. May just go with brick lay pattern for the tile and do the simple accent strip.

[KellyEasterbrook]

I have nothing to advise, but the project sounds so exciting!

May I ask how big your original bathroom is? We've got a really small master bathroom that we're hoping to reconfigure to include a full tub, toilet and sink. Basically, my goal is your original bathroom. Ha!

[dragon's breath]

Outlet near the toilet for a bidet seat (heated water!)

Also, after tiling my current shower, I've decided that when I build I do not want tile. I want a nice, extremely easy to clean, shower insert. I love the look of tile, but I hate anything that requires maintenance.

[aspentosh]

May 12, 2021 15:04:26 GMT -5 KellyEasterbrook said:

I have nothing to advise, but the project sounds so exciting!

May I ask how big your original bathroom is? We've got a really small master bathroom that we're hoping to reconfigure to include a full tub, toilet and sink. Basically, my goal is your original bathroom. Ha!

5' by 7.5' or so. Shower/tub combo (36" deep), about 10" between tub and toilet on one side, and then about 10" between toilet and single vanity. It was efficient, for sure. We are just lucky to have an unused makeup area right outside of the bathroom that many homes in our neighborhood have taken over and it makes so much sense for us! 

[KellyEasterbrook]

May 12, 2021 19:07:52 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

May 12, 2021 15:04:26 GMT -5 KellyEasterbrook said:

I have nothing to advise, but the project sounds so exciting!

May I ask how big your original bathroom is? We've got a really small master bathroom that we're hoping to reconfigure to include a full tub, toilet and sink. Basically, my goal is your original bathroom. Ha!

5' by 7.5' or so. Shower/tub combo (36" deep), about 10" between tub and toilet on one side, and then about 10" between toilet and single vanity. It was efficient, for sure. We are just lucky to have an unused makeup area right outside of the bathroom that many homes in our neighborhood have taken over and it makes so much sense for us! 

That’s so awesome you can easily expand.

One more question, if that’s okay! What’s the width of your single vanity? You’re giving me hope that we can expand our incredibly tiny 1960s corner shower to something more usable. 😀

[laterz]

Coming in late to this - have you used a rain shower head before? I was super excited to try it, but then ended up being a bit underwhelmed (likely because i have a lot of hair and the water pressure was different from it than the actual shower head.) Something to consider.

I also have a bench in our shower and i wish i didn't; i'd rather have that space back (and could buy a little teak bench if i really wanted something there.)

[zarapipe]

As far as ascent tile we did a waterfall strip behind the shower head and I love it. We also did the same tile inside the niche. We also have a good side ledge and it’s not a pain to clean.

[aspentosh]

May 13, 2021 13:44:59 GMT -5 KellyEasterbrook said:

May 12, 2021 19:07:52 GMT -5 aspentosh said:

5' by 7.5' or so. Shower/tub combo (36" deep), about 10" between tub and toilet on one side, and then about 10" between toilet and single vanity. It was efficient, for sure. We are just lucky to have an unused makeup area right outside of the bathroom that many homes in our neighborhood have taken over and it makes so much sense for us! 

That’s so awesome you can easily expand.

One more question, if that’s okay! What’s the width of your single vanity? You’re giving me hope that we can expand our incredibly tiny 1960s corner shower to something more usable. 😀

Right about 30". And it's actually closer to like 6" between toilet and vanity. Apparently my mind is making it seem like more space, lol.

[aspentosh]

laterz, I am not entirely sure I will ever use the rain shower feature. I have a long, fine hair and need PRESSURE to wash it. My H basically buzzes his hair every few weeks and just likes the feeling of water hitting him, so it's all for him. And glad to hear you say that about the bench. We waffled bench-no bench for so long but opted for no bench because of that concern.

zarapipe, I love the waterfall look and I am wondering if I could make that happen and still do straight herringbone. I was even contemplating a full wall of accent tile where the shower fixtures will go and it just "rains" down on the floor. What do you have for your ledge (the horizontal piece)? Just accent tile? I am wondering if we'll need to do a slab of something.

[aspentosh]

Well, original plan was for about a week, but it took three times that and we're not quite done (waiting on glass). But the process was smooth enough, the contractors were great, and we LOVE the final product. 

We took our small bathroom, added in the makeup area right outside of it, and then made it flow better with the (now) attached closet. 

Before


Demo basically done


Now (just need glass)

[aspentosh]

This view is our closet transformation

Before. Super tight doorway


We took down ALL the walls and pushed them out a bit. We gained about 16" to the right which gave us a lot more floor space. (Holes in ceiling and raw floor wood shows where walls used to be.)


Opening now is huge and more like a passthrough than a doorway. 

[aspentosh]

More closet photos.

We added in a PAX system from IKEA. We have plans in the next couple months to frame them out so they look built in. 


This is the other side. We had to remake the shelves because we expanded the width a few inches, but it's all done now. 

[aspentosh]

Last few photos for now. From the shower to the vanity area and closet.



And close up of the shower. We didn't like the first shower head we tried and then amazon sent us the wrong one (sent an 8" Kohler instead of a 12" Delta???) so that isn't done either. But we love love love the shelf in the shower with "hidden" storage on the outside near the toilet. Best of both worlds, honestly. 

[libbygrl109]

That looks great!

[melmo1122]

It looks so good, everything you chose really came together great. Love the blue vanity with the wall paint color. I’m hoping mine will be done next week so I can post some pics.

[scm1011]

looks great!

[jlt19]

It looks so great!!

I just went shopping for a shower door today and man alive there are so many choices I didn't even think about!

We just moved and have a great master shower, but they didn't put in a door and water gets everywhere! Our vanities are very similar, I love the dark blue.

[thejackpot]

Everything looks wonderful!