{"id":18610,"date":"2020-08-28T12:37:11","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T19:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=18610"},"modified":"2024-07-22T10:07:34","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T17:07:34","slug":"open-bathroom-concept","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/open-bathroom-concept\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s a Home Design Head-Scratcher: Open Concept Bathrooms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year, Elle Decor listed open concept design<\/a> master suites as a top trend in 2019, celebrating the convergence of the shower, tub, and yes, even the toilet into the bedroom.<\/p>\n

But the design remains controversial when it comes to real world livability. Scroll through the comments<\/a> of any article discussing the trend and you\u2019ll find a heavily skewed ratio between the appreciative and the repulsed.<\/p>\n

In conversation with design experts, we\u2019ll explore the origin of the open concept bathroom trend and its recent foray into primary residences across America.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Jermaine Ee \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Open concept travels from spas abroad to elite Manhattan abodes<\/h2>\n

The open concept bathroom began to draw media attention in the late 2000s<\/a> as cosmopolitan hotels across the globe fashioned rooms with baths and showers visible from the bed. From the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas to the Waldorf Hilton in London<\/a> to the Renaissance Capital Hotel Beijing, guests experienced unified spaces with mixed reactions, depending on their relationship to their travel companion.<\/p>\n

These elite hotels, however, were not the first to pioneer the open-concept bathroom.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere we first started seeing it was in other countries. I used to spend a lot of time in Costa Rica and that idea of an indoor-outdoor bathroom is just part of the vernacular there,\u201d shares Jessica Shaw, Director of Interior Design at The Turett Collaborative<\/a>. \u201cYou would see it if you were going to a beautiful spa in the Maldives, but you wouldn’t necessarily see it anywhere in New York in the early 90s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shaw, whose portfolio includes commercial spaces for illustrious record labels like Island, Def Jam, and Universal Music Group, along with a multitude of moguls\u2019 private homes, first remembers seeing open concept bathrooms crop up on home soil in the private residences of Manhattan\u2019s globetrotting, Jivamukti yoga<\/a>-loving urbanites.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was invited to a party in this lovely building, a famous building in the East Village called the Christodora on Avenue B that faces Thompson Square Park and that\u2019s where David Bowie and Iman used to live and Moby lived there. And it was the first time I saw an open concept bathroom, in a relatively small New York apartment in a fabulous building. It was very zen and it had the Buddha head,\u201d recalls Shaw.<\/p>\n

Among those fortunate enough to participate in the travel boom<\/a> of the 1990s, the owner had experienced open concept design abroad and wanted to bring a piece back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was that whole idea of transporting someone and telling a story and transplanting you to another place and another experience,\u201d Shaw comments.<\/p>\n

Open concept bathrooms trial in America\u2019s suburbs<\/h2>\n

As with many trends that start in NYC\u2019s upper crust lofts and Hampton retreats, open concept bathroom design has gradually spread into American suburbs. Here the trend faces the ultimate litmus test for mainstream adoption: Will the everyday homeowner embrace the open concept bathroom as seen on Houzz<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Top Milwaukee real estate agent Pat Tasker<\/a> doesn\u2019t believe so.<\/p>\n

\u201cI showed one like that in the spring in a higher-priced house, and the people did think it was odd. They said, \u201cit feels like we\u2019re in a motel,\u201d Tasker shares. \u201cI think whoever designed it thought it was a great idea and I just don\u2019t think it was. I don\u2019t know; it just doesn\u2019t seem normal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tasker, who sells 71% more homes than the average Milwaukee agent, has encountered several listings with open-concept suites in the past couple of years, all of which spent an above-average time on the market.<\/p>\n

Even when perfectly executed, which becomes more difficult at lower budgets, open concept bathrooms reduce privacy to a level few people can willingly commit to. Since bathrooms are often deal breakers or makers<\/a>, buyers apprehensive to combine private spaces will give homes with this trend a quick pass.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (WisSignPhotos \/ Pat Tasker<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jon Jordan, certified contractor and owner of Evergreen Home Exteriors & Remodeling<\/a> in Tacoma, WA confirms the sentiment:<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people have opted for open concept design in rooms like the kitchen, but we haven\u2019t seen that as much with the bathroom. It can be a bit jarring to use the bathroom without privacy, and that\u2019s been the biggest barrier for people to overcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jordan\u2019s rare clients who request the open concept most often reference a hotel they stayed in as inspiration. However, more often than not, homeowners stick to traditional bathroom layouts, desiring a strong return on investment<\/a> for a pricey remodel (on average, between $6,021 to $15,058<\/a>, according to HomeAdvisor).<\/p>\n

\"An<\/a>
<\/a> Source: (Spencer Gordon \/ The Turett Collaborative<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pulling off open-concept bathroom design<\/h2>\n

Designing an open concept bathroom goes beyond knocking down the bedroom wall and exposing the bathroom as-is. This project requires a highly skilled architect or designer to design a space that is equally aesthetically pleasing and functionally efficient.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s got everything to do with the choice of materials and the use of them. That is the art of interior design to a large extent. It\u2019s understanding the proportions of the space and how do you choose to give life to them,\u201d says Shaw.<\/p>\n

Miss the mark and your master suite will look shockingly incomplete, like this open concept design in Philadelphia<\/a> that went viral last November.<\/p>\n

Create an intelligent layout<\/h3>\n

In open concept bathrooms, the bathtub acts as the focal point, creating a spa-like atmosphere akin to a traveler-favorite indoor-outdoor villa. With the soaking tub centrally located, a person can easily converse with a partner relaxing on the bed or bath side of the master suite.<\/p>\n

Typically, the shower lives behind the tub, farther from the bedroom in a \u201cwet zone\u201d buffer, including a slightly sloped floor to direct water towards a drain. This space must include a powerful extractor fan<\/a> to prevent steam from creeping into the bedroom area.<\/p>\n

For those looking for a semblance of separation, opt for a layout partially quartered off with a fixed or sliding divider. Design solutions include:<\/p>\n