Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Master Suite Planning - What's Your Vote?

As I finalize the plan for the new project, I'm trying to juggle the amount of space I allocate in the master suite.  Big bathroom?  Big bedroom?  Giant closet?  It comes down to trade offs in our fixed space.

So I'm curious, what's most important to you?  You can only pick one!

1)  Large bedroom space
2)  Large, luxurious master bath
3)  Lots of closet space

I realize most people want all 3, but given our square footage and space constraints, I need to figure out how to best utilize the space.  For example, we could have a nice, large bathroom.  But that means the bedroom space will be much smaller.

Here's our L shaped master suite and my current thoughts on bedroom vs. bath vs. closet ratios.  The bed is a queen size - to give you a perspective on scale.  The master bath has a double sink and a 32x60" shower.  And there will be two sets of closets.

I've heard that giant bathrooms aren't as popular anymore.  But that closets are more important than ever.  So what's your vote?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!


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25 comments:

  1. Can the closet be flipped with the ensuite? That could make a larger walk-in closet on the inside wall.

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  2. I don't like a huge bathroom, although I do like having the toilet separate. I don't like having to go into the bedroom to get dressed. I would try to design the bathroom with access to the closets and the bedroom smaller and cozy. Just enough room for bed, side tables, maybe a comfy chair.

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  3. You could.....that's the challenge! Bigger closet? Or bigger bathroom? There will also be a nice, 8 foot long closet as you enter the master suite. So that provides quite a bit of storage!

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    1. I like the 8' long closet when you enter. It could also be built-in cupboards.
      I am not a fan of diagonal walls, so also vote for making the closet bigger and including the window. I currently have a closet (which I turned into a sewing room) with a window and the house I previously lived in also had a window. Very "old house"!

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    2. I vote for the closets. The bedroom and bath are nicely planned!

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  4. Smaller bedroom, bigger closet. Bathroom needs to be large enough for the facilities, but not huge.

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  5. If you squared off the bathroom and then had the closet include the window, it could be a "walk-in" as well as add a few more square feet to the bathroom. The bedroom seems plenty big enough for me!

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  6. I'd definitely want room for nightstands, dresser and a chair in the bedroom. Could you change where the door comes into the bedroom? Make that whole area where the door and closet are into one large closet / dressing area? That would also give you a nice wall for a dresser.

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  7. I'd square off that bathroom door and make a walk-in closet including the window. Closet space is MUCH more important!! Who needs to dust a giant tub they never use???

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  8. Having a large master bedroom space is such a luxury. The space can become what ever it wants to be. And it gives the emotions of the room plenty of room to soar.

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  9. It doesn't seem as though there's enough room in the bedroom for some additional purpose (seating area, small desk, etc.) so I'm with the idea of giving the second window to the walk-in closet. (You'll know if the bedroom is dark or not; we can't tell that from the schematic.) I had a walk-in closet with a window when I was in law school. It's actually a nice thing--you can gauge the colors of your clothes better!

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  10. I also vote for squaring off the bathroom, including the window in the closet and making a water closet whenever possible. The latter makes a smaller bathroom function better because it allows more than one person to use the space and still have some privacy.

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  11. Definitely more closet space... I'd wall off the room just a little beyond the bed and make a huge walk in... maybe put the bathroom on the window side and move the walkin to the non window side.

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    1. I agree with bmccloy if changed plumbing is not a problem. Otherwise, I could see having a deeper closet and a squared off bedroom as Melissa and others have suggested.
      I think closet space is what most people want most, and at least a pony wall to block view of the toilet is a plus. Bathrooms don't have to be huge, but ideally big enough to allow two to move around without too much interference.

      Personally, bedroom size isn't that important to us because we only sleep and get dressed in the bedroom, not use it as a "master retreat." I think huge bedrooms the size of a studio apartment are a big waste of space in new homes, often making other bedrooms rather small. I do like having enough room for a dresser or two, and perhaps a chair.

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  12. I'd vote for the bedroom space. We have all three right now, and we enjoy the extra bedroom space the most. We have managed with less bathroom space and less closet space before, and it was fine. We had a tiny bedroom for years, and didn't like our bedroom nearly as well as we do the larger one now.

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  13. Larger closets for sure. For me, if there is a surface, I'll drop clothes and stuff there so I like a sparsely furnished bedroom but with well appointed closets.

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  14. I personally would go with a bigger bathroom, closet space is a close second. We currently have a large bedroom, average walk in closet and small master bathroom (smaller than your plan). If I was staying in this house I'd be extending the bathroom into the wardrobe space and adding closets into the bedroom because I hate a cramped bathroom and would LOVE space for a bath and a separate shower.

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  15. Depends. I personally prefer a bedroom without dressers and chest of drawers and a really big bathroom is just more to clean. I like a closet large enough for all clothing, shoes and accessories so my bedroom is calm and serene. In ours, we have a king sized bed, two slender night stands with a small easy chair by each one, a cedar chest at the foot of the bed for extra blankets and such and a chifforobe. That's it. The master bath is 11 x 7 feet with a clawfoot tub, a pedestal sink, a toilet and a ton of built in, closed storage cabinets with mirrored doors and a large 4 x 4 foot window. The closet is accessed through the bathroom. The bathroom is not large but, with the mirrors and large window, it feels very spacious and serene. The closet is 11 x 7 feet and holds all of our clothes, shoes and accessories and has a fold down ironing board as well. Having a large closet allows me to keep my bath and bedroom uncluttered and neat.

    So, if you like a spare, uncluttered look in your bedroom and bathroom.....go for the large closet. Incidentally, I agree with a few others who said that incorporating a window in the closet is a winner. It's the only thing that my closet lacks!

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  16. Swap closet and bathroom. Window in bath usually appreciated, natural light and ventilation. You Could "have it all"

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  17. Wow, thanks for all the input! I'm going to go back to the design and see what I can tweak, to increase storage. The current design has 14 feet of storage (which seems like a lot for an old house), but maybe I can figure out how to do a bit more. I'm reluctant to incorporate the window in the closet - that would leave just one window for the main bedroom, which would make it pretty dark and lacking ventilation. Back to the drawing board!!

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  18. I'm with the crowd that says to square off the door. I think those angled doors look like generic spec houses and waste space. Even if that's all you do (and put the door on the window/closet side, it would give more wall room to the main bedroom, for a long dresser or a chair. But I'm also in agreement to add the window to a bigger closet. Could you make the door a pocket door and put it near the window so as not to lose the light in the main part of the bedroom?

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  19. My vote is for larger closet, and if you can make it work a separate room for the toilet in the bathroom (though otherwise the bathroom does not need to be large.) It is a luxury to have a large bathroom and a large room, but it is so, so functional to have more storage space. More storage space means that everything else stays tidy!

    We have lived in a house where everything was large, and it was the closet we loved the most. Now we live (overseas) in a house that has a small everything, and it is the closets we miss the most. We find it so hard to put things away and keep things organized!

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  20. Large closets. I vote number 3

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