Kitchen & Bathroom Design Blog

There are many ways we welcome visitors to our homes, particularly overnight guests.  You may offer them refreshments, or fix up the guest bedroom so they have their own cozy space to relax and sleep.  What about the bathroom?  Other than having a bed to sleep in, guests want to know that they have a welcoming, comfortable place to put their toothbrush and toiletries, to shower, and to get ready.  While it may not get the same daily focus as the master bathroom, the guest bath should be carefully designed to be an accessible, comfortable space for visitors. 

How do you accomplish this?  Think about your favorite hotel experience and emulate that in your guest bathroom design.  This may involve creating a slightly more basic design than the master bathroom, while still including little touches of luxury and some of the comforts of home.

First, make sure you cover the basics, just as you would in any bathroom remodeling project.  Focus on a good quality shower, but include a bathtub if space allows and if you think it will be used.  Incorporate a vanity with some countertop space, easily accessible storage, and a sink.  While you may want to have two sinks in a master bathroom, one sink is typically sufficient for a guest bath.  Include a mirror and proper lighting to make the bathroom the perfect place for guests to get ready.

Second, go for convenience and accessibility in a guest bathroom.  Guests will not need as much storage as the regular occupants of the home.  Unless you plan to use this bathroom for extra storage for your own items, then you do not need to incorporate a lot of storage. This is also not the place to store all your spare toiletries and extra medicine, particularly if you have guests with kids visiting.   You just need to include enough items for guests to use during their short stay and possibly a few extras.

Guests do not want to feel like they must go digging through your cabinets to find essentials, so make everything easy to find.  Stick to open shelves or simple vanity cabinet storage for extra towels and toilet paper, basic toiletries, and possibly a hairdryer.  Include hooks in a convenient location where you can hang a guest bathrobe or where they can hang up towels to dry.  If you expect to have guests staying for longer periods of time, like grandparents who visit for a week or two, include a laundry hamper so they have a place to put dirty towels and clothes.

Finally, think about the style you want to portray in your guest bathroom renovation.  Will you stick to that elegant, simple style emulating a favorite hotel room?  Or, do you want to add a bit of personality to welcome guests with a style all your own?  Think about the image you want to portray to overnight visitors, and bring out that style in your bathroom design.  One sure approach is to aim for a simple style, but add in a statement piece like an ornate mirror.

Bonus tip: remember that the most visited “guest bathroom” in the home is the powder room.  A scaled down version of these ideas, like maintaining easy to find storage for spare toilet paper can be applied to the powder room too!

Make your guests feel like they have a comfortable place to stay in your home by creating a welcoming, yet stylish guest bathroom.  Find more bathroom ideas in our design gallery, or contact us to get started in updating any space in your home.