Design
Some Wacky And Fun Guest Cottage Bathroom Ideas And Where We Are Headed
Over the holidays, anything “non-urgent” got moved to the back burner (or just put in the freezer, out of sight/mind). So, outside of partnership deadlines and timely end of year admin, I let myself indulge in my family and totally forgot that I had this adorably run-down house that needed my attention. But I’m back and so excited to keep this project moving (but don’t worry, you haven’t missed anything since this post). Today I want to walk you through a few bathroom ideas I’m VERY excited by, that are more fantasy than practical. It’s a big room, 12×16, so it’s going to be perhaps an oddly large bathroom with vaulted ceilings…and a urinal. Just having the basics (toilet, sink, shower) felt dinky and weird. So I’ve got some fun guest cottage bathroom ideas, and I wanted to share them…
Hoping to keep the paneling on one wall and find reclaimed wood to go around the rest of the room. I need 600 square feet (3 walls and ceiling). I have the vision of it clear in my head, but it’s hard to explain. It’s going to be rustic (but cohesive), with a side of “summer camp” due to the amount of wood, but with a cohesive color palette and fun tile and fabric. More to come on the materials.
Ok, so since the room is big and has high ceilings, I want to divide it up and do a “room within the room”. And since I’ve promised Brian a urinal, I want to put that and the toilet in its own room. There are, I’m sure, many ways that I can do this, but I have two main ideas that I love almost equally.
Toilet Room Idea #1: The “Outhouse”
Ok, so picture this – a small, roofed room inside the paneled bathroom. It would be almost free-standing (grounded against the back wall) with double doors going into it. It could be shaped like an outhouse (but stretched out wide, for double doors and to fit the urinal). I can 100% picture it, and I have zero doubts about this, as odd as the idea sounds. It could be paneled and painted so it fits in the same world but pops off the wood walls (which we hope to match and keep).
I was heavily inspired by this bathroom, below, with the tiled toilet room and shower.
What a totally delightful (and ballsy) design. This designer put two tiled rooms (with glass blocks, no less!) inside what seems to be more of an old-world bathroom.
One room is for the toilet and one for the shower. Now, while a tiled version of my “outhouse” would be incredible, I think the tile budget might be totally out of control if we did this. But I think it’s the best representation of this out-of-the-box, fantastical idea. Well done, Buchanan Studio! When we first saw it a few years ago, our “Watercooler” Slack channel was a-BUZZ. I know it’s controversial, but we all thought it was just a totally fascinating idea, executed so well.
Toilet Room Idea #2 – The “Through A Secret Armoire”
I mean, I’ve always wanted to do this (who hasn’t). You walk in, and it’s just an unsuspectingly large armoire (flat roof, not pitched), and then you open it, and it has a toilet and urinal. What a delight! The only caveat with this is that in order for the toilet to fit with the right clearances, it needs to be pretty deep, which, from the side, would give itself away (no armoire is that deep). Most of the ones that I’ve found online steal space from the adjoining room, which we don’t want to do here. So while this idea is a 12 on the fun scale, I fear that the execution of it is more challenging. Not only do I need to either find a massive, beautiful armoire, OR make one, but I need to build it out to be at least 4′ deep, and I think it would stick so far out that it would look dumb.
Our First Renders…
My team is having so much fun using Spoak, so we created some elevations here to show you. Now it’s rough, but it hopefully demonstrates what I’m talking about enough to visualize it and either agree with me or not. Depending on the size of the fixtures we go with (toilet, urinal, sink), we might not be able to bump the structure out from the side wall like this, but I like how it looks with some breathing room if the spacing works out. The sink would likely be vintage (and possibly wall hung), and the water heater location is still TBD (and would have to be small), but we wanted to account for it (it’d likely be hidden within a faux cabinet).
When I was in the space, I mocked up the depth of the outhouse to be a lot more, but now I’m realizing it could be a lot less deep (toilets are about 30″ and front clearance needs to be 15″). But you have to account for framing, so I think we are at least at 60″ from the wall. There are a lot of things to troubleshoot (and build), and this whole idea might not work. But picture this – you are over in our yard at a big outdoor party, and you are told the bathroom is through “that door over there”. Then, when you walk in, you see this quirky room that says “restroom” or “toilet room” on impossibly cute stained glass doors. Then you open them and inside is your own private toilet and urinal (might need to figure out a privacy situation for the stained glass doors, lol…). Maybe it’s a tiled wall inside (or the OG paneling). Maybe a little sconce, too. How cute does that sound???
And Where Does One Shower?
Ok, we’ve got our toilet/urinal and sink covered, so where should the shower go? And what does it look like? Now this might not be a heavily used shower (at least not for many years), so again we can be more creative with it. I had two ideas bouncing around…
The “Floating” Circular Shower Pan
How fun is this?? I found this as I was researching how to do a shower without having to do all the hot mop shower pan waterproofing stuff (I was trying to avoid hiring out for that). What’s the least amount of “work” to get a shower without using a plastic insert (which I totally considered BTW and might be worth a blog post). So I found these images on Pinterest, which show exposed plumbing with shower curtains all the way around (no tile, no waterproofing walls) and what seems to be just a marble round shower pan on the floor (there are also cast iron claw foot versions). Now, would this possibly pass US bathroom code or inspections? I have no idea, but I’d bet not? But that didn’t stop me from spending no less than 5 hours planning out the bathroom with this in mind. Ultimately, I decided that future-proofing the bathroom by putting in a tub would be smart, which would shift this floating circular shower into the corner, in which case having it be round made less and less sense (I did find some corner quarter-round showers that were really fun, but started to feel a little too complicated).
Corner Shower With Chest Height Pony Wall
Ok then, I pivoted to doing a square or rectangular shower in the corner, but making it look more analog with a chest-height pony wall for privacy (and because I like the idea of a higher wall). And then above the wall, a super cute hanging curtain (almost like a cafe curtain, but that goes from the ceiling to the top of the pony wall), which gives me an opportunity to add a fun pattern/print and texture/softness. Fabric and tile are two of my favorite design elements, so I want to add them in as much as possible. I also love the idea of a column or some sort of decorative (and seemingly load-bearing) post or newel to add some architectural grounding (and for the paneling to butt into).
Here’s the birdseye view, which is not necessarily accurate yet but gives you a better idea of where everything is going to go. We might make the shower a rectangle, and we might do a floor-mounted faucet for the tub, etc (and pretend the sink inside the outhouse is a urinal). But I think it’s super helpful to see where we are headed.
Here’s where we left off. Since then, the framed floor has been started so that we can attach pipes to it for plumbing. But a lot left to consider:
- Flooring – If all the walls and ceiling are wood paneling, then a tiled floor sure would be nice, but at 12×16, that’s a big floor, and tile is substantially more expensive to install than wood flooring. And we are planning on painting a pattern on the wood floor of the living/kitchen, so I don’t want to do the same in here, or it will be a circus house. We also might need to do under-floor heating in here, as we aren’t putting a Quilt mini split in this room. More to come.
- Walls – So my goal is to find reclaimed wood that matches the tone of the wall that has beautiful existing paneling on it already (the wall where the outhouse would be). So far, I haven’t found it. It doesn’t need to be exact, and I don’t even mind if the width or profile is slightly different – it can look a bit hodgepodge, but I want the tone of the wood to be similar.
- Windows – I think we are getting rid of the one on the far wall since it looks out to a fence and is frosted. I think we are going to put skylights in here anyway. We’ll keep the big picture window.
- Framing – We have to frame the floor to be higher, so I’ll need to troubleshoot raising the door and creating some sort of step-up on the outside.
It’s pretty exciting, and now that my head is fully back on straight (dude, that holiday break killed me this year), I’m extremely excited to keep moving. Just need to get the plumber to respond to me 🙂
*Photos by Kailtin Green
I may have misunderstood the use of this room, but isn’t it partly for people coming to an event and pool parties and things?
These ideas are cute and I really don’t want to rain on your parade, but have you thought about the number of users and accessibility? Is one toilet and one shower space enough? Can the shower be zero entry? I wouldn’t feel comfortable using a shower in a space like that that may have tons of people coming in and out for the toilet and sink with only a shower curtain.
Can the toilet space fit someone with mobility issues, or have hygiene bins or baby changing?
It’s really draining as a disabled person, or parent of a disabled person, to find someone to ask for special arrangements. Especially if it’s you or Brian as I’m sure you’re the focus for everyone and maybe hard to reach at larger events.
If you’re planning separate accessible facilities, can you make them cute?
Hope this comes across in the supportive spirit I intended.
I agree, my first thought was accessibility as well. But if I remember correctly I think the whole bathroom is upstairs anyway and already not accessible for most people with limited mobility/mobility aids. I think (?) it’s ultimately more of a one-person-at-a-time bathroom and less of a public/guest bathroom, although this is certainly something to consider if the property will be used to host events and things! (Also if it’s intended as a single-person bathroom, I’d ditch the cafe curtain on the shower – the chest-high wall has a more summer camp feel while still maintaining privacy and a short curtain would look strange and fussy, imo.)
I think this bathroom is on the ground floor – it has a dirt floor currently
yah its a one person at a time bathroom 🙂 I think the curtain will be quirky, whimsical and add texture/fabric but its not for function (and might not work!). we’ll see
Agree on the curtain —- As someone that used to have a camp with pony wall showers, have the fun is to have that airy feeling and light, and not feel boxed in the typical shower cube – love pony wall idea, but feels like you cancel it out if you put curtains.
My same reaction. I think I would go full “dorm bathroom” with a couple of shower straps and a couple of toilet/urinal stalls (picture metal school stalls repainted with some fabulous automotive paint – maybe a even glittery bumper cars finish?) with accessibility in mind. I’d tile the whole room and think about making it cleanable. Picture a real shit,shower,shave (but make it cute) aesthetic. I’m all about the wackadoodle in the rest of the place, though.
Shower STALLS
haha. i love this but so not what we were thinking (until now, lol). Its a one person at a time, but just a more fun design than a typical big bathroom.
You hadn’t thought of metal shower stalls with a glittery automotive paint finish? Wow.
SARCASM
And the”why urinal?” questions crack me up. Answer: “because men.”
Hiya!
Ok so I think I might have miscommunicated about ‘event’s. Like maybe someday we’d book small weddings but that’s over 10 years out (and we haven’t looked into any sort of permitting or anything) so if we need to make modifications per code we would then (and i think we’d have to space, too). And yes we do have big neighborhood gatherings but nothing our powder bath has been totally sufficient thus far (with one toilet). I’m definitely thinking about making sure its easy to use for anybody thats older, too, in case a parent moves in with us. But we don’t plan on multiple people using the space at the same time at all. Its a guest bathroom for whoever is in the guest cottage and a big/fun one, but we don’t want multiple stalls or multiple showers (i honestly hadn’t even thought of that!). But its so good to think about all of this as its easy to design one way without thinking of all the needs and I agree that if this turned into any sort of larger event space that we’d need to make some changes. I’ll start thinking about that!
It’s an *enormous* space for a guest bathroom. Why not split it into two separate rooms?
Would it possibly make sense to have a powder room that’s accessible to the backyard but actually closed off from the rest of the guest house, and then a full bathroom with the rest of the space (which is then just private for the guest house)?
If, as the previous poster mentioned, this bathroom is meant to accommodate your family frat parties, maybe go with that? Pit in lots of toilet and urinal stalls and shower stalls, but make it cute? And accessible, because that would be a great design challenge.
That is a great design challenge! but we really don’t need it. i don’t think we’ve ever even had a line (and people are welcome to use other bathrooms in the house).But that would be fun to make cute for sure.
Just out of interest but why does Brian want a urinal out here (or anywhere, really – I had no idea that men secretly hankered after them).
But since he’s got bathrooms galore in the house, when will he use it? Just curious really.
I’m glad you’ve moved away from the round freestanding shower. Shower curtains in general are not popular in Australia, for many reasons, but I can just imagine that shower curtain getting in the way and clinging to your body while trying to shower and imagining whose else naked body it had stuck to…. Must be honest, liking the overall creativity but not a fan of that café curtain over the pony wall concept, with all that water and steam. Bathrooms, especially with multiple users, should be easy to wipe down and keep fresh and clean.
I hear you. Every man i know wants a urinal and LIGHTS UP when i mention it. 🙂 The cafe curtain i can see perfectly in my mind and i LOVE how it looks. But the renders are wonky for sure for now. Also this won’t be a heavily used bathroom (remember this is the house that I actually don’t have to design to be practical, intentionally). stay tuned 🙂
Just sharing a urinal story. We toured a large home in a bougie neighborhood where a divorced dad lived with his four boys until they were all out of the house. He remarried at some point and the main level of the home totally reflected his new wife’s excellent taste and preferences. Then we went to the extremely large walk out basement to find a home theater designed with lazyboy recliners on tiered platforms with intense sound system, a 100 gallon fish tank walling off the pool table, cement floors with large garage style doors to open up to the small built in skate park outside (for skateboard training based on the many trophies on the wall) and, most surprising to us, a urinal next to the washer and dryer in a walled off laundry room. It felt like what four sporty young boys with a wealthy dad would absolutely design as paradise. Honestly I bet they made a lot of great memories with each other and friends. We continue to refer to it as “the urinal house”. Discussing this option with others opened my eyes to the fact that yes, many men want this and see it as the… Read more »
agree w the other commenters! if this space would serve you best not as a traditional single-family bathroom why not go with that!
I absolutely love the creativity and wackiness and think this space can really handle something outside (or inside) the box! As someone who also has mobility issues and is currently trying to figure out how to retrofit my house for aging parents in the future (just in case), I would love to see some beautiful bathroom options that would also be accessible as aesthetic inspiration for inclusive spaces are hard to come by. I get that this request is maybe more niche and not the primary concern here, but agree with the other commenters that maybe it would also be a cool challenge to get wild and have it functional for more folks/longer term. Whatever you end up doing, I know it will be amazing, and I look forward to seeing the evolution of this cottage!
My partner fell and had a significant injury requiring 2 surgeries..she wasn’t old. People dont think about accessibility until they are suddenly IN it.
If this is truly meant to serve people using the grounds during a party or other large gatherings, making it accessible doesnt have to mean adding to the cost or even the look. It just means looking up basic accessibility info and incorporating it into the design. But BONUS when spaces are made accessible, it turns out they are also more user friendly for everyone.
Yes to this. We are renovating 3 bathrooms with roll-in and sitting options for aging parents and ourselves down the road. A friend’s husband had cancer and they had a shower he was able to sit in for comfort and I immediately decided to add that feature in our new bathrooms.
I mean, you are all inspiring me to take on that design challenge! Its funny I thought putting in a shower instead of a bath/shower combo was addressing the needs of older folks but the location near the tub likely wouldn’t fit a wheelchair which I hadn’t planned on. Lots to think about 🙂
i think these ideas are so fun!! if you keep with the single toilet and urinal, it might be worth considering adding a wall between the toilet and urinal to create two separate restrooms. That way you get the look of the singular outhouse, but the functionality of two restrooms for all the hosting you do!
I agree. I don’t think women like to be close to that.
Agree. The lights in my eyes dim, rather than light up, when I see a urinal in a shared bathroom.
I’d only add a urinal with the “law” that my husband would clean it DAILY.
Yeah, I imagine them as smelly and gross, haha
A pony wall is a great idea to separate the toilet and urinal! I too get weirded out with the idea of a urinal in the same room, and a pony wall (with gorgeous tile perhaps!) could offer some visual separation from a urinal.
(We have separate bathrooms. The key to our 31-year *mostly* successful marriage.)
I love that you are thinking about these wild, fun ideas! As I was reading this I kept wondering if the vision is for just one person at a time to be in this room (for example to use the restroom during a party). If so, then you’d just lock the main doors while inside and not need privacy within the outhouse room, right? Or, if the idea is that a group of friends would all come into the larger room and be chatting, then having more than one toilet would be great! I do love the pony wall shower (maybe the curtain isn’t even needed!) – very summer camp and fun!
its a single use bathroom, but just more fun. think of a lot of master bathrooms – yes you can be outside the toilet room while someone is inside of it (if you live with them), but if guests were over you’d lock the main bathroom door and not just the interior toilet room door. To me the outhouse is a great way to break up the space, design-wise, but the function of the bathroom remains the same – one person uses at a time. Of course if a couple moves in certainly one person should shower while one is on the toilet, but groups wouldn’t necessarily hang out in here 🙂
And it’s just cute! The concept is cute (and also happens to be practical). We live in Maine and this idea would be very appropriate here with all our camp-lodge style houses.
I think the 12X 16 space would be best used if you added a little cedar SAUNA!!!! Personally yes I would put the urinal in its own little house that is fully tiled inside with a floor drain and a built in water sprayer on the wall so it can he hosed down completely. That would make the cleaning task fun and the responsibility of those who use it ( and hide it LOL)
Bath and showers in large rooms can get chilly so I would definitely work on creating little mini zones within this large space….
Oh we’ve thought about a sauna! And still might 🙂
YESS – if you have space do a sauna, that’s what I would want as a guest!! And true on bathrooms – big bathrooms can be chilly!
Outhouse for the win but would love to see star and moon cutouts on it. I forget the meaning but there was an historical reason.
This is such a large bathroom, and with the idea that guests will use it, I would totally embrace making it accessible, and adhering to ADA guidelines for placement of the toilet. I think the urinal is a waste of space, honestly – use that space for an accessible toilet.
I don’t love the idea of a curtain above the pony wall, seems fussy.
The “outhouse”, though a cute idea – I think the “roof” is going to get SO dusty and gross and difficult to clean. If there’s enough space, if doing an accessible toilet, you could still put it in its own room, but take the walls to the ceiling. Maybe do a door with a moon on it as a nod to the outhouse.
For the bathing, is it really necessary to have a tub in here?
I really like the high pony wall idea, the armoire, not so much. I’m looking forward to the process.
When I was a kid, our neighbors had a “family bathroom” shared by the parents and 4 daughters with 2 small, enclosed “privacy” areas: 1 tub/toilet, 1 stand-up shower/toilet. The common area was a galley-shaped space with a long vanity with 2 sinks on one side and a wall of built-in storage on the other. One end of that common area was open to the hallway, the other end had a door to the screened porch which had steps down to the lake so it was often used by party guests entering that door. It was the only bathroom in the house and worked quite well. I suspect your space could accommodate something like that. With a zero-entry shower and toilet, that enclosure could be accessible. The home was rustic/MCM style, so not whimsical but that’s your forte so I’m sure you could do it!
I like this idea! could the toilet/shower area maybe be a wet room?
OOOH i love this reference. Yes that is similar!! like a family could use it at the same time, but no it would be weird for strangers to use at the same time.
I’ve used a friend’s bathroom that had the toilet in a tiny room with a door. It was awkward at best to use.
So fun and whimsical!
I think the ideas are super cute and creative, but all I can think about whenever I see bathrooms with hardwood floors is water splashing everywhere and damaging the floors. Just me??? I also agree that if you’re expecting multiple guests to use this in the same event (kids and adults alike), easy to clean should be a consideration.
If you buy the right type of hardwood it is fine for bathrooms!! Even though it seems like it wouldn’t be.
Hiya! i think i wrote at the end that we aren’t sure about the flooring. And no, hardwood flooring is actually totally fine in bathrooms with the right finish.I mean, the urinal room might need a ‘mat’ as brian keeps saying which is obviously giving me pause. i would MUCH prefer tile but it might be a budget decision.
I just lol’d so hard at this and I’m still chuckling. The need for a “mat” (Why? There’s no non-icky answer to that question, haha.) and your understated admission that that gives you pause. I also would “pause”.
Very curious why the need for a shower and tub in here. I’d make it the kind of bathroom a party venue needs… 2+ toilet stalls, storage, great mirror/lights, diaper changing area. I’m fat/tall and that armoire toilet is my nightmare! Imagine rushing to change your tampon in a piece of furniture in the middle of a room 🫠
OMG that visual 🤣🤣
And YES to your suggestion. Almost like the bathrooms at Nordstrom – you walk into one main room with sinks/mirrors etc. (maybe storage as well?) and then there are separate walled-off toilet stalls.
Oh dear! yah this is a guest house bathroom, that would be accessible from the outside for guests, but no need for multiple toilets. I think the outhouse will be ample in size (and not low ceilings or anything). so much to think about!
It does sounds like you entertain a lot, and have large groups of people there. Rather than have them all use your powder room, why not make this something that can be for the guest staying or for that — more flexible, multiuse -people probably would prefer to not have to traipse through your house, and keeps your house cleaner. If longer term you are going to be a party venue it also gives you time to test it out. Sustainability wise it ‘s nice to have multipurpose and not have to rebuild a in ten years- that’s not that long.
Very fun ideas! I agree with many posters that perhaps designing it as a small locker room style institutional washroom is the way to go (separate two stalls for urinal and toilet, separate two stalls for showers with changing space), given how much space you have, but I know you are also planning for the future when it might be an in-law or separate ADU for adult children.
With the world upside down and feeling helpless, following this journey is a hit of hope every time I read a post.
I love these creative ideas. Maybe this space could also be more utilized? The small wall-mounted sink could look slightly dinky in a room this size, and it would be great to have a place to set a toiletry bag, for example, thinking as a guest in this house. The room size seems like it could handle a larger sink area or even a double sink, if more than one person is staying here that would be a big perk. I like another person’s idea of more than one shower stall, if the plan is to accommodate multiple people. Looking forward to seeing this quirky bathroom!
hiya! the plan is maybe multiple people would live in the house someday but this isn’t a group bathroom (I must have clearly miscommunicated). It wont’ be as practical or utilitarian as any other bathroom i’ve designed because I simply want to have more fun in here and its just not necessary. This is more for my creativity and whoever lives here will be just fine (and yes, it might be us someday :))
I must admit I don’t get it. It feels oddly open where it isn’t useful and closed in in the areas that will get used the most. I understand the desire to experiment with this space but I am confused like others as to the use of this bathroom. If feels like it is moving in to weird for weird sake and just doesn’t use the space you have available in a good experience for the user.
Who is this bathroom for? Why does Brian feel so adamant about a urinal here? Why is the sink so small when there is so much unused space? What advantage is a closed in water closet? I will admit I also don’t like the inspiration pic of the room within a room – all the beautiful tile in the world doesn’t change that a person will be crowded in a tiny closet when that is totally unnecessary.
My first thoughts were also of accessibility (when I saw the step up to the toilet from the “Secret Armoire” inspiration pic). I do agree with the idea of having two toilets to accommodate multiple party-goers, which could definitely still work with your outhouse idea (one little roofed ‘building’ with just a toilet, and one with a toilet and urinal (kind of like your Buchanan inspiration pic with “toilet house and shower house” on each side of the sink–that room wasn’t huge, but it still fit). Regarding, making the “outhouse toilet room” not jut out too much, I know you said you didn’t want to steal space from an adjacent room, but you could build a faux wall within the room, so the toilet room didn’t have to just out 5-6′. Then put cabinets disguised to blend into the wall in between. Maybe the pitched roof of the toilet building could have glass (or stained glass) at the top of either side of the pitch to make it feel less claustrophobic, with a light in the larger room’s ceiling above shining through–a little secret surprise. I don’t like the entire door being stained glass because then people can see the… Read more »
I’d start with defining the goal and scale the bathroom(s) to the guest house. If there’s a need for a bigger party bathroom in the future can you build a separate building housing a few separate restrooms? Or is this house going to house such restrooms?
For a guest house or office, I’d consider separate showers and separate WC if you plan on hosting more than one family at once. If you plan on using a urinal you may want to put a wall between the toilet and the urinal.
I hear there are frequent issues with urinals. Men don’t always flush them and it causes calcium build up and urinals that need additional maintenance. I am not a man so I can’t relate to wanting them and it’s disgusting to sit near them. Men can sit too.
I love this post, and am living vicariously through Emily’s project.
When we refreshed (gutted, and rebuilt) our bathroom the code clearance from toilet to anything else was 24″. That seemed pretty tight to me when I did a sit-through of it. And a friend’s renovation of a NYC mega apartment has 16-17″ clearance from toilet to tub which feels super awkward to me (I’m 5’3″). You can easily check by googling what code is for your area, but I would also suggest a sit-through mock up.
You can DIY an open room shower easily with Schluter shower systems. It’s watertight and has many sizes of forms that shape the slope on the floor needed for drainage. You simply tile over the pre-made pan (Brian will love this). We “asked” our contractor nicely to use Schluter and he was a convert after installing it.
Code here in Portland is 15″ from wall/tub to the center of the toilet. But a few more inches is definitely more comfortable. Where are you that it’s 24″? Bathrooms must be huge!
Oh, did you mean the front clearance? Here it’s 21″.
I totally looked into this system! I watched a few videos. it is something we are considering (but admittedly I was intimidated even by the video). We have checked codes and we are getting permits so i’m sure the city will tell us what we can and can not do 🙂
Yes, yes, yes for Schlueter!!!
Along with some other posters, I wonder if making this into more of a public restroom–style bathroom with multiple toilet, shower, and/or changing room stalls (maybe this is where the reclaimed wood comes in, for some cute doors?). Similar to public restrooms, one stall could be maxed out for accessibility. Love the summer camp inspo, and think this could be a really unique space.
I love that you’re thinking about leaning into weird/quirky/whimsical in this space because it’s so much fun to think about!
But why have a bathtub here at all? Why not a put the urinal stall in the far corner, and make your indoor outhouse have two toilets? Then three people could use the restroom in private, and you could make each little outhouse cabin it’s own unique thing?
Love the outhouse! (I still think about that giant tent Orlando put in his family room as a bedroom – I feel like this is a similar vibe)
On the other hand I don’t understand the bathtub for accessibility? Maybe we are using those words differently, but in my experience dealing with older relatives is that bathtubs are not easy to access. A large shower that fits more than one person for assistance and with a door opening wide enough for a wheelchair or walker feels more helpful.
I knew a family that had a big bunk bed loft room. When you got to the top of the stairs one wall had an inset double sink vanity situation then there were 2 doors to the right that had toilets and one door to the left that was a shower and bath. It also was very woodsy looking and I thought it was brilliant to do it that way because they loved having out of town guests.
I really love the design inspiration and ideas.
Could you also plumb on the outside wall (outside of the structure) on a side where no one can see for the urinal with a kind of shower stall enclosure?
I think a bunch of us women are stuck on the urinal thing but I am sure you will work through it and it will be fabulous!
Good idea since men seem to love to revel in their ability to easily pee outside! (I mean I would love to have that skill too).
First- I love the quirky direction of this! My favorite is the outhouse idea.
I didn’t read all the comments but wanted to weigh in as someone who recently moved into a house with a GIANT bathroom we will be reducing in the future. Ours is more like 12 x 25 and getting out of the shower stall is FREEZING. No matter how long of a shower anyone takes, or even when we take a super hot bath in the giant jetted tub, the room does not heat up. There’s never a risk of too much moisture because there’s so much space for the air to go. And while I absolutely love the look of the little freestanding shower, I used to live in an ancient apartment that had a shower with a wrap around curtain and it was a nightmare to use. Totally annoying, the curtain was always sticking to your body, it didn’t keep the water contained, etc.
Love the inside out house idea. Please allow more than minimum clearance in front of the toilet. I’m tall and hate feeling like I’m going to hit my head when I go to pull my pants up. 🙂
Also, be sure to think about water control with the shower. The circular shower seems tiny and like a water all over the floor nightmare.
Bidet, seriously.And easy access for everyone, you never know who will need it or why.
Maybe two outhouses? One water closet and one urinal closet.
Also for events and aging in place, designing for accessibility / universal design would be great !
I love all these ideas, the examples, and the renderings! Thanks for sharing your creativity. It’s inspiring.
Deeply confused about all the critiques in the comments, but I love this, Emily! It’s great to see you stretch your wings creatively and let your imagination run wild. Sounds quirky and fun, excited to see where you land.
First off, Emily – you have this amazing ability to make anything work, function- and style-wise. So I have no doubt you are going to finish this project with a lot of squeals and smiles (mine included). The rooms-within-a-room is an ADORABLE idea and would be awesome for the whole bathroom. That inspiration photo is really the core of the whole concept. I do fear the urinal could put a damper because of the competing toilet, shower, and possible bathtub. And in the long run, how often would that urinal be used? (in other words, I worry about how impressed would the guests be, beyond the first 5 minutes of novelty). I do NOT recommend removing the urinal concept though! The famous saying about the ‘happy wife, happy life’ applies to the husbands too. 😉 I would consider simplifying the urinal to something simple/basic/cute and placed in an underutilized corner. This would also allow for flexibility down the road, if you want to change the urinal to something else. I have to admit I did grin big-time once someone suggested a literal summer camp setup with stalls (or one long trough?) and multiple sinks. Using industrial supplies ensures longevity and… Read more »
I was wondering if maybe you could write a post about the function this place is going to have? I’m still a bit confused: is it going to be an office? House for guests? Only private guests or also group gatherings if you rent out your place? “Retirement place” for yourselves? Because I think each and every of these functions (as well as “bathroom for outdoor parties”) has other needs. To be honest, there’s not many were I see a bath as being a “need” or even a “nice plus” (if you’re old, you’d probably be happier with a bigger shower, where you can sit / drive in with a wheelchair / have someone in there with you to help you, you don’t take a bath in an office etc.). I’m not really a fan of the look of the outhouse, but if you want to do something like that, I was wondering, since you definitely have the place for it, if it might be a nice idea to place the outhouse so that it has two entrances: one directly from the outside (that way, for outdoor parties – which I imagine might also bring mud in – people would… Read more »
Yeah, making a sketch and then forgetting to add it. Here you go 🙂
Please do not use the floating shower (any shape). What happens with these middle of the room showers is that the shower curtain mysteriously ends up blowing around and sticking to the person showering. It’s a nightmare.
Emily, don’t do something where the shower curtain is loose like the circular shower. Have you ever showered in a claw foot tub? I don’t think you have. As soon as you turn the shower on, the darned curtain immediately gets sucked in and attaches itself to your wet body like saran wrap. It is maddening and your guests will be cussing you as they try to peel it off. Just my two cents…
Please make sure the toilet is ADA accessible with a chair height seat. I would take the toilet out of the outhouse and make the outhouse a for men only urinal space. I wouldn’t want to do my business next to a urinal. And I like the idea of the urinal being in it’s own space with a drain and a spray so it can be cleaned easily.
Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like a gorgeous armoire with a Narnia door should lead to a secret library or a whimsical playroom, not a toilet. Ha 🙂
With that much space available, it does seem like a missed opportunity not to allow access for a wheelchair or walker next to the toilet. Wasn’t there originally a thought that this cottage might be used down the track for elderly parents to age in place?
I like the idea of a cute inside-outhouse for the urinal only. Might be an idea to keep it separate so the women are not grossed out?
A stand-alone, inside OUTHOUSE?!?! Are you kidding me??? That is quite possibly one of the coolest design ideas I have ever heard/seen. I love it!!
Also- I married a guy that’s the oldest of four boys, they had a urinal in their house growing up and they use it all the time (we are over there several times a week), it honestly sees more use than the toilet.
The first option is giving HOLLISTER front porch vibes funky and fun. But so much open awkward space for a bathroom, wouldn’t a bathroom/laundry be more practical long term. Down the road one of your kids may inhabit this at some point and function over form would win out. The circular shower is cool!!
It’s clear you have more than enough feedback here, but just wanted to chime in and say I love the whimsical nature of what youre considering, we need more of that in design. While it may not be appropriate for a home you live in every day it feels like a really fun and interesting way to go for a building such as this. Why not stretch your wings here, why not make some controversial decisions? I’m here for it and interested to see more as it develops.
Polished concrete floor? Possibly incorporating aggregate for a terrazzo look?
It would be in keeping with the fun, rustic, outdoor aspects of this project. Sealed of course for low maintenance!
Dunno if anyone else suggested; I didn’t read through all the comments.
It’s like you got a set piece or scenery from a movie marked “cottage” and you’re leaning into whimsy and damn it, I’m here for it. Make it fit for fairies and elves and get bonkers because we’ve all become so worried and practical these days. My eyes are craving that kind of candy.