Bathroom design

Bathrooms We Design

• Primary bathroom - an ensuite with a shower, often a tub, a double vanity and room for two people to get ready at once.
• Guest bathroom and powder room - small rooms every visitor sees, where one strong material does more than many.
• Curbless shower and wet room - a level floor with a continuous slope to a linear drain.
• Bathroom with laundry - a stacked washer and dryer in a cabinet, a sink and a place to fold.
• Home spa - a steam shower, sauna or pool next to the bath when the house has room for it.

Layout Comes First

Moving a toilet or a shower drain is the most expensive change in a bathroom, so before drawing anything we check where the drain, vent and supply lines run and which way the floor joists go. A better room often comes from small moves: a pocket door instead of a swing door, the vanity on the wall opposite the shower, the toilet behind a low partition. We keep code clearances around the toilet and in front of every fixture, so the plan works on paper and at the permit counter.

In Seattle, replacing fixtures and tile in place usually needs no permit, while moving plumbing, adding circuits or opening walls usually does. Structural changes are drawn by our architects to local code and signed by a licensed engineer we work with.

Water, Air and Warmth

A beautiful bathroom fails once water gets behind the tile. Showers get a continuous waterproofing membrane on walls and floor, the floor of a curbless shower is recessed and sloped to a linear drain, and niches are planned with the tile layout instead of being cut in later. The residential code in Washington calls for a bathroom exhaust fan ducted outdoors; in our damp climate we specify a quiet fan on a humidity sensor so the mirror and walls dry quickly. Radiant heat under the tile keeps the room comfortable through the grey months and dries the floor after every shower.

Materials That Live With Water

Large-format porcelain is our default for walls and floors: it is dense, needs no sealing and leaves few grout lines. Natural stone is the most beautiful and needs sealing and gentler cleaners. Microcement gives a seamless surface on walls, floors and even vanities, but it depends on a skilled applicator and a good sealer. In Residence 11 we combined microcement and porcelain on the walls and used Laminam large-format porcelain with a stone look in the bathrooms. In a 116 m² minimalist apartment the bathrooms are tiled with Mirage ceramics, with Mutina tiles as the feature that gives the project its character.

Light and the Mirror

A single ceiling light leaves shadows on the face exactly where you need to see. We light the mirror from both sides or use a lit mirror at face height, add soft ambient light in the ceiling or a cove, and a dim low light for the night. Fixtures in the shower zone are rated for wet locations. A warm white of 2700 to 3000 K with good color rendering keeps skin tones natural.

Storage Without Clutter

Wall-hung vanities with drawers, a recessed cabinet behind the mirror, a tall cabinet for towels and a niche in the shower keep the counter clear. In small bathrooms we often hide the toilet tank in the wall: the in-wall carrier leaves a shelf above it and makes the floor easier to clean.

A Bathroom for Every Age

Many clients plan to stay in their homes for decades, so we design bathrooms that keep working as life changes: a curbless shower with a bench, blocking in the walls for future grab bars, lever handles, a comfort-height toilet and slip-resistant tile. Done well, none of it looks clinical.

Spa at Home

In larger houses the bathroom often grows into a spa. In Ascetic House, a 487 m² residence for a professional athlete, the program includes a full SPA zone and a 25-meter swimming pool, planned together with the rest of the house. If your project includes a pool, see our swimming pool design service.

How We Work

We start with a measured plan and photos of the existing room, develop two or three layout options, then the concept with renderings, and finally a drawing set: plans, elevations of every wall with the tile layout, plumbing and lighting plans and a schedule of fixtures and finishes. We help choose tile, stone and fixtures through our material selection service and can stay with the remodel through project support. A bathroom can be designed on its own or as part of a whole interior design project.