Shower room too crowded?

James Tatlow

7 years ago

last modified: 7 years ago

Are we trying to cram too big a shower in (1200x1200)? Maybe it feels claustrophobic in reality...

Featured Answer

J

7 years ago

If you want to make it feel more spacious, how about placing the sink against the window wall. And changing the direction of the WC so the back is against the same wall. Then remove the shelf and little wall from around the WC and shower area on the left. Then you could get the 1200mm shower in. And get more floorspace and maybe a longer sink/bench space.
If you could put the WC anywhere, I'd place it where the shower is now. And shower where the loo is and square up the sink as mentioned before.
I think it's your corner sink that's making the room feel crowded though.
Good luck with it all!

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Comments (14)

James Tatlow
Original Author
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Well it's 1200x1200 with the bench and it can't go in the other corners because it would have to finish part way across the window. Good idea about squaring up the cabinet, I'm not sure on that either, but there's not enough room in front of the toilet if rotated 90 degrees in its current place. It could Swap places with the sink but is then in view with the door open...
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Angie
7 years ago
I think it works nicely. So long as there's space to dry off etc without having to move around to avoid knocking into things. The bigger the shower one can fit in the better really.
Angie
James Tatlow thanked Angie
James Tatlow
Original Author
7 years ago
We can always get dry in the bedroom I guess.
PRO
OnePlan
7 years ago
You can get WC cisterns that fit into the space between the uprights of a stud wall joists ( if it's a hollow stud wall ) that might give you a little more room if you keep to the same design without the loo boxing in part .
James Tatlow thanked OnePlan
whizzywig
7 years ago
I think sttop is right about the basin taking up the movable space. If you tucked the loo a little closer to the shower and ran a line of slim units under the window, edge to edge, with a smaller mirror cabinet above, you'd have a room with a bigger feel... take a look at the Roper Rhodes fitted furniture and their all in one worktop with City basin. (Other makes and models available!) The shower looks amazing.
James Tatlow thanked whizzywig
James Tatlow
Original Author
7 years ago
Unfortunately it's an exterior wall. I'll try the slimline cupboards in CAD though, thanks.
PRO
Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
7 years ago
Hi there,

I think the design looks as though it works quite nicely (though I always prefer an overhead view to check space to move!), and I like the corner basin - you don't often see it, so it is always nice to have something a bit different!

An alternative layout which should also work well would be to have a run of units along the window wall with the sink on the far left and a concealed WC on the far Right. You could have a lit mirror/mirror cabinet above the basin, and if you wished to maximise storage, wall units above the WC. If you want a really sleek look, I would go for an gelcast semi-recessed basin with a continuous worktop (all part of the moulding) running all the way to the other wall - have a look at the options from Mereway Trend, Roper Rhodes or Britton Bathrooms for some lovely sleek designs.

Wrt 1200x1200 shower - should be absolutely fine. Personally I love a big roomy shower. I'd consider a quadrant (curved) tray in this layout, as it will help the "flow" in the room.

Hope the project goes well - post some pics in due course!
James Tatlow thanked Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
James Tatlow
Original Author
7 years ago
Najeebah
7 years ago
hi there. corner sinks in bathrooms generally seem crampy to me. it fits in, but in use, when bending over one, I feel it's much too crowded by the walls forming the corner. in a large enough bathroom, the sink can be placed far enough out of the corner to avoid this, but this is generally not the case. I'd rather a slightly smaller shower and a straight vanity, facing the toilet.
I also suggest you remove the narrow wall between the toilet and shower. It breaks up the space.
The bathroom is 2000mm wide. if you're planning on having a 1200mm wide shower, only 800mm is left for the door, frame and all. What size door do you intend having?
James Tatlow thanked Najeebah
James Tatlow
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks Najeebah. The existing door is shown, it is 700mm wide plus the door frame. Its quite narrow but is the original for the house. Thanks for your tip about feeling crowded, maybe you are right, I had not thought of that, was too busy concentrating on the walking space. I'll look out for a corner sink in the wild this week and try it out :).

On the topic of quadrant showers as suggested by Caldicote Kitchen and Bathroom Centre, I had also originally wanted one with a single sliding door, but it seems like they all would all end up opening to the side or in any case, too close to the toilet in the current layout. I definitely think it would flow nicer. and a slide door seems like it would be better for a tight layout like this. Double sliding doors would open in the correct place.

Everyone is suggesting a sink on the the window wall, but I cannot get it to fit. The option that doesn't require a great toilet move would be as below but the toilet doesn't fit, unless perhaps a corner unit, but it seems a bit clunky. You can see the lines on the floor I drew that represent the desired comfort space around the toilet. It would probably be possible to do it with a pedestal sink, but hard to get the mirror nicely located with the window being there.

The second option would be to swap the position of the toilet and sink, and in which case the sink may as well go against the other wall for better space usage. I think this would work better than the corner sink but, it means moving the toilet all the way around the wall away from the soil stack, marked in red below. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem, I'll ask around. It also puts the toilet in full view from the landing, but maybe it's not such a big problem.

Sstops first suggestion of moving the shower to the far wall would work great, if not for the window being dead centre of the shower wall:

Thanks everyone for continued input.
PRO
Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
7 years ago
Hi again,

I would never recommend a shower coming part way across a window - causes all sorts of issues you can do without. Attached below are images of a coupe of options I've mocked up quickly (generic units & models, low res, no effort on colour scheme!) using standard sized units to give a quick feel for a couple of other layouts. First is the continuous run along the window wall:

It is a clean, easy to install layout with hidden wastes and no nasty plumbing issues. I've shown a slab-top basin similar to Mereway's simplicity, as the 12x12 shower limits space. You could have the basin in front of the window, but most people want the practicality of a decent mirror in front of them.

Next option has WC on the left and basin on Right:

I've used about the deepest basin you could get away with, but would probably recommend a less deep unit, possibly curve-fronted. I think this orientation is better than having the WC and basin reversed, as there is more room to walk past the shower.

Having had a look at the plan view better scaled, I think personally I would opt for a slightly smaller shower - a 12x10 perhaps - as I think this would make the space a little more comfortable while still giving plenty of room in the shower. We do quite a lot of small bathrooms here in my area, and a 9x9 or 10x10 are probably my most used sizes and still comfortable enough.

Hope these are of some use to you - feel free to use as you see fit!
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Joanna C
7 years ago
I think the layout with the loo and washbasin opposite each other by the window could work well. However, I think it would be better to have a slightly narrower shower so you don't walk into a pane of glass the second you open the door. As I understand, it's your en-suite? Would it work to move the doorway to the wall on the right (or left) that way you could have a monster of a shower on the wall where the door currently is.
James Tatlow thanked Joanna C
PRO
Caldicot Kitchen & Bathroom Centre
7 years ago
I agree about a narrower shower, jprzym - the plan shows the max dimensions that would be achievable, though I think a 1200x1000 would be much comfier and give better flow in the space.
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