Lately many designers have been using a wet room strategy to make the most of bathroom space. This approach combines the bathtub and shower together behind a full or partial enclosure that keeps water out of the rest of the bathroom. With a wet room strategy, there’s no standing in the tub while taking a shower, which is more comfortable and accessible. And when bathing kids in a wet room, they can splish-splash as much as they want and any water that gets outside the tub will simply hit the shower floor and go down the drain. Here’s a look at five different takes on the wet room approach.
Kimberlee Marie Interiors
1. Efficiently Laying Out a Long, Narrow Space
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple whose children have moved out
Location: Seattle
Size: About 100 square feet (9.3 square meters)
Designer: Kimberlee Gorsline of Kimberlee Marie Interiors
This Seattle renovation combined a small existing master bath with part of an adjacent full bathroom to create a true master bath for a couple of empty nesters. While they wound up with a generous space of 100 square feet, the room’s footprint was long and narrow.
“The homeowners wanted a bathtub not so much for themselves but because they could envision giving their grandchildren baths in it,” interior designer Kimberlee Gorsline says. To fit both a roomy shower and a freestanding bathtub into the layout, she placed them in a wet room space behind a glass divider.
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Kimberlee Marie Interiors
The clear glass allows the back wall of the shower to serve as a striking focal point — it’s covered in black-and-white encaustic cement tiles in a Moroccan pattern. The two other shower walls are covered in a large-format white subway tile that mimics the look of shiplap. Gorsline covered the shower floor in black penny tiles and repeated them inside the wet room’s three niches.
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KraftMaster Renovations
2. Adding Modern Style With a Steel-and-Glass Partition
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple
Location: Summit, New Jersey
Size: 140 square feet (13 square meters)
Designers: Bob Gockeler and Kim Platt of KraftMaster Renovations
An awkward layout and damage from burst pipes spurred a complete renovation of this New Jersey couple’s master bathroom. Bob Gockeler, principal of design-build firm KraftMaster Renovations, had installed several wet rooms before and thought this would be a practical and beautiful way to achieve the open feel his clients were after. Because they had visited Europe, where wet rooms are more common, they were familiar with how such a layout would work.
KraftMaster interior designer Kim Platt laid out the wet area behind a chic steel-framed glass enclosure, which lets the entire bathroom enjoy natural light from the window while keeping the water contained.
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KraftMaster Renovations
A large niche backed in a marble mosaic tile creates a focal point. Glints of gold in the veining of the tile pick up on the brass faucets, lighting and other accents in the bathroom. Repeating materials from one side of the wet room to the other created cohesion. In addition to the brass finishes, these include classic black-and-white basketweave tile on the floors and Calacatta marble on the vanity countertop and tub deck.
Tip: Instead of using an enclosure with panes, get the look by applying a metal grid on top of the glass on the outside of the stall. This makes it easy to squeegee the shower-facing side.
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Rose Rock Properties
3. Letting the Whole Room Enjoy a Picture Window
Bathroom at a Glance
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Designers: Danielle Palm and Rocci Chandler of Rose Rock Properties
In fixing up a 1935 cottage in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to preserve it and flip it, designers Danielle Palm and Rocci Chandler needed to give it something it lacked: a functional master bathroom. To make it marketable, they looked to the home’s style and age for inspiration, then mixed in modern comforts.
To make the most of the square footage and a large picture window, they combined a freestanding bathtub and the shower in one spacious wet room area. The wet area is fully enclosed in clear glass that lets the whole bathroom enjoy the light from the window.
A hexagonal Firenze Carrara marble on the floor of the entire space adds a classic touch, while the sculptural, minimalist bathtub is more modern. “We carried the same flooring into the wet room for a seamless look,” Palm says. The wall tile combines 1930s and updated style: It’s a classic subway shape but its elongated dimensions are more contemporary.
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Rose Rock Properties
High contrast is a theme throughout the house. In the master bath, the Nero Marquina marble on the shower wall does the trick, while its herringbone pattern lends a classic touch. The matte black door handle of the wet room picks up on the accent wall. A hook just outside the wet area provides a convenient spot for a towel or robe.
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4. Squeezing In a Soaking Tub
Bathroom at a Glance
Who uses it: A couple with a college-age daughter
Location: Chevy Chase, Maryland
Size: 106 square feet (9.8 square meters)
Designer: Meghan Browne of
This Maryland family wanted to turn a small bathroom in the basement into a post-workout spa with calming Japanese-inspired style. While drawing up the plans, designer Meghan Browne found there was just enough space next to the vanity for a Japanese-style soaking tub. These tubs are shorter and deeper than standard tubs — the idea is to be able to sit in water up to your neck. The family loved the idea of being able to hop in for a muscle-soothing soak after a workout.
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The teak of the soaking tub inspired the rest of the material palette, including a matching teak niche above it, a teak shower floor and a contrasting white tile that has a 3D wavy texture. A white quartz countertop on the vanity waterfalls down between the vanity and the tub. A partial clear glass enclosure protects the rest of the bathroom from the shower water and maintains an open feel. Like some of the other examples seen here, it also allows the entire space to enjoy the natural light from the room’s only window.
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Dyer Studio Inc.
5. Meeting the Needs of Two Homeowners
Bathroom at a Glance
Location: Beaverton, Oregon
Size: 125 square feet (12 square meters)
Designers: Stephanie Dyer and Veronica McCoy of Dyer Studio
Contractor: Rush to Build
In this Beaverton, Oregon, bathroom, interior designer Stephanie Dyer wanted to give the homeowners a style that would suit both of them — sporty for him, subtle and calm for her. And whereas he usually enjoys showers, she loves a long soak in the tub.
Dyer used a wet room strategy to give both homeowners what they wanted. They went back and forth about whether to completely separate the room with a glass divider or to leave it somewhat open. The designer came up with a practical solution: For now they’re trying out a more open setup, but she created an opening that will easily accommodate a glass door should they ever change their minds.
Dyer Studio Inc.
As for style, the couple both loved the idea of a cast concrete sink and the light coloring of bamboo on the vanity, shelves and medicine cabinet. The stripes recall a locker room or public pool, suiting his sporty style, while the calm and serene color palette suits hers.
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