Master Bathroom Floorplan Ideas You Need to Know BEFORE You Start

Are you looking to renovate or remodel your master bathroom? Here’s what you need to know and consider before you start! Keep reading to get ideas, inspiration as well as all the considerations you need to think of before you start demolition or redecorating.

The Importance of a Well-Thought-Out Master Bathroom Floorplan

In all houses, it is fair to say that ultimate comfort, convenience, and the maximation of the floor space is the priority, right? That’s what we all are going for. And most homeowners, architects, and interior designers would agree. Making sure that everything is strategically placed in order to achieve this allows all of us who live there to feel like it’s a home and not just a house.

These elements – maximizing space, convenience and comfort – encompasses all — and I mean all — rooms and spaces in the house, including the bathroom!

It may seem like a trivial thing to include the bathroom when making sure that everywhere in your home suits your family, but it’s actually the space that needs this the most.

Why?

Because bathrooms are usually the smallest spaces in your home, and yet they have the greatest number of fixtures, after your kitchen. Most of the time, a powder room will have a shower, sometimes a bathtub, a toilet, bathroom vanity, and a lot of immovable fixtures, so the space is typically condensed, with a lot going on.

Today, we are going to talk about what you need to think about when you’re planning to update or renovate your master bathroom, which typically is adjacent to the master bedroom. There is a lot to think about before you get started.

The Best Time to Design a Master Bath Floorplan

First and foremost, you should know that that designing your master bathroom and adjoining floor plan is best done before moving in (included in preparations upon purchasing) OR ideally, during major house repairs.

A floor plan change will fundamentally shift furniture and bathroom fixtures around, which require big changes such as new lines for the plumbing, new lines for electricity, which is why it’s best to take on this project during major repairs or before moving in. Or, unless you’re ready to take on a major renovation.

A floor plan dictates how the space in a room is used; it shows everything from where the electrical, plumbing and other foundations go as well to where the fixtures will be installed.

Once these two important aspects – plumbing and electricity – are modeled out in your floor plan, the furniture, designs, and other trinkets are added, completing your floor plan and bringing you to the next step: actually buying materials and modeling the room.

Let’s walk through some things you’ll want to be thinking about as you design your dream master bathroom.

Important Considerations in Designing Your Master Bathroom Floorplan

This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosures for details.

To ensure that your master bathroom maximizes space, provides convenience and comfort, here are a few tips and tricks on how to go about planning your bathroom’s floor plan so you’ll get the best results in the most cost-effective way.

Determine Your Non-Negotiables and Your Wishlist for Your Master Bath

As you probably did when you were purchasing your home, you had a few items that were non-negotiables, and others that were on the ‘It Would Be Nice’ wishlist. It works the same way with your master bathroom layout.

Before you do anything else, you first need to consider your budget and your space.

Those two things will largely determine how you design it. If you are OK with knocking down walls, enlarging the square feet in an area, rerouting plumbing and electric – and have the budget to do it – there really are no limits; go ahead and design your dream bathroom.

But if you are limited in space and/or money, you will need to prioritize.

The two major considerations (that take up the most room) are the bathing area and the vanity.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when designing the bathing area:

Do you want a separate shower room or a separate tub area, distinct from each other?

Do you want a stylish freestanding tub that you can just sink into after a stressful day?

Do you want a separate area for bathing that is separate from the vanity and toilet?

Do you want a large shower area or a shower stall?

Do you want single or double shower heads?

Do you want a jacuzzi tub?

These kinds of designs are typically only possible if you are truly creating a master suite and have the square footage to do it. If you are working with existing space, you may need to adjust move some of those items to the wishlist.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself about the vanity area:

Do you want a double vanity?

Do you want a single vanity with a double sink?

Do you need plenty of counter space or can you manage with just a little?

Do you want a medicine cabinet or a flat mirror?

What kind of lighting do you want (and need)?

Will there be any way to add natural light, if there isn’t a large window on an exterior wall or a skylight?

{Here are some vanity ideas you can peruse through!}

Then, you may want to consider some of these other ‘extras’ that may be on your wishlist:

Do you want a pocket door?

Do you want an enclosed separate toilet room?

Do you want a linen closet in the bathroom?

Do you want a glass door for the shower or tub, as opposed to a curtain?

Will you want a seated make-up and hair station?

Do you want a dressing room or area inside the bathroom?

Do you want heated floors?

These are things you want to talk through with your spouse, especially if your new bathroom layout is going to be something larger than a standard bathroom or half bath.

Whatever you decide, you’ll want to make sure you have enough space – or have a plan to create space.

Determine What Kind of Space You Need

In a master bath, it is typically just the husband and wife who will be utilizing the bathroom. Even so, you want to determine what kind of space you’ll want and need – to shower, to get ready, to take care of hygiene, to dress – and even to relax somewhere in a space without kids.

As you’re designing, you’ll want to think through how much space should be free floor space, how big the cabinets and vanity must be, what kind of shelving you’ll want and need.

For example, you might not actually need a lot of counter space for your hygiene products (those typically are better unseen anyway!), but you still may want a large, open vanity. In this case, if your dream is to have a luxurious or spacious feel, you may choose to put in extra storage spaces in the bathroom’s nooks and crannies, even if you don’t have room for a larger vanity, so you can create an open feel and floorplan.

Factor in and Utilize Corners in Your Design

As we have said before, bathrooms have such a small space once you consider its relativity to how many fixtures are in it – which is why you must utilize your corners!

Consider plotting fixtures such as tubs, showers, sinks, and toilets in the corner against the wall as it will give you a lot of space for some of the other things you desire to include.

By utilizing your corners, you will have the freedom to include the essentials, add in some extras, and still preserve its function.

To effectively utilize your corners, make sure that the shower, tub, sink, and toilet that you choose are not the ones that require space on both sides. As this is a common practice, just approach the clerks at the store or Home Depot you shop at and ask for suggestions on corner-friendly fixtures. They are usually happy to help.

Plot Your Mirrors

Oftentimes when creating a floor plan, especially when it’s for spaces such as a bedroom and living room, mirrors are not part of the furniture and appliances that you plot and are just added in as an afterthought.

While this is common practice, make sure that it’s not the case with your bathroom’s floor plan!

Mirrors are a focal point and are an essential in a bathroom in a way that is different from other rooms in your house. After you’ve located where your fixtures will go, you’ll also want to think about mirrors as they correspond to your vanity.

Make sure you have the proper wall space for a mirror to be centered over the vanity, or possibly have two mirrors, if you are going with a double-sink vanity. You also want to think about how the mirror fits in with the rest of the style of the bathroom as well as any bathroom shelving you’ll want to include.

Be sure to also consider your lighting fixtures. Make sure there is enough space for the mirror you chose to fit neatly; you don’t want it to look cramped or cluttered.

Remember, mirrors are more than just decorative; you also need them to be strategically placed.

Here are some mirrors that would look lovely in a bathroom!

Have Your Floor Plan Checked by Professionals

As earlier discussed, designing your floorplan comes with a lot of foundations and structural change. This includes electric, plumbing, and the like. When it comes to the finalization of your floor plan, make sure that it has been signed off by professionals: an electrician, a plumber, an engineer, and if you’d like, an architect. The professionals in master bathroom design can help you create the best layout for your space and budget.

It may cost some dollars to get these professionals’ opinions, but moving forward with a floor plan layout that has significant structural changes without a green light from them is setting yourself up to have a house that’s going to deteriorate quickly.

If you have the skillset AND knowledge to DIY, that’s amazing. But if not, you’re smart to run all this past a professional, especially if you are doing major structural changes.

Save yourself thousands of dollars in losses, and spend a little to have your floor plan professionally checked.

Having an approved floor plan means that it’s possible to go ahead with a full bathroom renovation: to route and reroute the water lines underneath your house and to add pathways for electric currents should new electrical sockets need to be added. Once the professionals say this is all possible, you can now get to work on building and modeling your dream bathroom for your dream home!

One pro tip: To save money, trying to go to businesses or construction consultancy agencies that already have all these professionals on their roster. This gets you reliable workers and will likely cut some costs for you. Look into your community or ask your local hardware store; they’ll surely be able to recommend a few.

Sample Master Bathroom Floorplans and Inspiration Pictures

I’m sure you’re probably wanting to get some visuals for different ideas for master bathrooms and floor plans! I’ve got you covered! In addition to what I’ve shared in this post, I’ve created a Pinterest Board dedicated to this specifically – both pictures of bathroom and architectural floorplans. No need to search or click back and forth. Just head over the board and scroll to your heart’s content!

Your Dream Master Bathroom Becoming a Reality

You and your spouse will probably need to have several conversations and go through several rounds of modifications to your floor plan – that is totally normal. Make sure you have the proper timeframe set as major remodeling and repairs take time. Have the patience for it, AND most importantly, have the financial capacity for it.

A wise friend told me that when it comes to a home renovation project, it usually will take longer, cost more, and be harder than you think.

I know that sounds like bad news, but that is usually reality, so it’s better to face it ahead of the project and be prepared!

Making a floor plan and constructing and reconstructing to follow the floor plan takes time and finances, but you can rest assured that once all it is all over (and the headache of remodeling will come to an end), you’ll come out of it with a bathroom space that you love.

Decorating and moving furniture here and there to match a certain aesthetic or cater to your preference is one thing, but floor plans ensure that your rooms and spaces actually serve the purpose that they were meant to have. Floor plans are here to make sure master bathroom remodel is functional as well as aesthetically beautiful.