6 Bathroom Features People Regret the Most, According to a Designer

It’s so exciting to get to have a hand in your home’s design, but sometimes we get in over our heads with what we want a space to look like. Whether we’re prioritizing luxury, function, tech, or trying to blend all of them together, we usually step away from designing a space with a few regrets and oversights.

We asked a designer what these common regrets are for designing a bathroom so that you don’t make the same mistakes.

Large Showers With Partial Doors

Half doors on showers look nice and add a luxurious feel to any bathroom; they’re almost always glass, which instantly elevates a shower. However, that doesn’t mean they’re the most functional option.

“Overly spacious showers, or showers that are not enclosed, are cold and drafty, especially in winter with colder environments,” says designer Emily LaMarque.

For the same luxurious feel without the added draft, opt for an enclosed shower with glass doors instead, or leave just a small gap between the panes and the ceiling.

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Too Much Grout

While tile can make a stunning design choice in any room, too much of it in the bathroom can quickly become a burden.

“Especially in wet areas, grout can discolor, become mildewed, and can break down quickly,” LaMarque says. “Using materials with minimal grout lines can be much easier to maintain.”

Vessel Sinks

Vessel sinks might add a luxurious feel when installed, but after the fifth round of cleaning in a week, you might start to feel differently. They take up a lot of counter space, and can be difficult to clean around.

“Vessel sinks are often installed at a height that feels either too high or too low, so they feel uncomfortable to use,” LaMarque adds.

For a low maintenance sink, opt for a simple, undermount vanity sink with a solid surface top, LaMarque suggests.

Bad Showerheads

Bad showerheads can mean a lot of things to different people, but there are a few things that will make one regrettable.

The first is placement—showerheads are often installed too low for comfort, making it difficult for taller people to use.

“If you are remodeling a bathroom, place the shower head plumbing at seven feet high so that there is ample space to stand under the showerhead, rather than having to bend, duck, and squat to fit underneath the stream of water,” LaMarque suggests.

Additionally, she mentions that people often regret choosing a rain shower; people often overestimate how often they want their whole bodies—face and hair included—drenched in water.

“While a rain shower that actually drenches can be nice occasionally, make sure you have a hand shower or a standard showerhead to use regularly,” LaMarque says.

Standalone Tubs

“Standalone bathtubs can be problematic if they aren’t planned properly,” LaMarque says.

Like with a vessel sink, cleaning around a standalone tub can become difficult, time-consuming, and problematic quite quickly. Not only this, but it has to be big and deep enough to submerge your entire body—otherwise you’re in for a chilly soak.

“If you do select a standalone tub, ensure that the hot water heater can accommodate the required gallons of hot water to properly fill the tub,” LaMarque suggests.

Not Enough Functional Outlets

An outlet by the vanity used to be enough to accommodate the occasional hair dryer, but between electric toothbrushes, towel warmers, bidets, and all of the other new-age electrical components in a bathroom, just one doesn’t cut it anymore.

“It’s simple to plan ahead during a remodel and include an electrical outlet behind the toilet to be able to use a bidet at a later date,” LaMarque says, noting that bidets and washlets have increased significantly in popularity in the last few years.

She also suggests hiding outlets away in order to keep clutter away from the countertops.

“Plan ahead and place electrical outlets in drawers or cabinets that house small appliances like hairdryers, shavers, and electric toothbrushes so that they can remain plugged in or charging and still always be easily accessible,” she says.

2 Luxury Features Worth the Cost

Even though there are all of these places where bathroom design can go poorly, LaMarque notes two features customers are always satisfied with: heated flooring and eye level sconces.

“Nothing feels more luxurious than warm, cozy floors in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning,” she says.

This is a guaranteed upgrade for stone floors, as well as wooden ones, which might not get as cold as stone, but feel just as good when heating up your feet in the morning. But to achieve full luxury, you should think about convenience from feet to face.

“A pair of sconces installed at eye level makes a world of difference for facial lighting in the bathroom,” LaMarque says. “Having your face lit at eye level makes makeup application and general grooming so much easier.”