Apart from being one of the trendiest bathroom designs today, the wet room is one of the most functional and beautiful. If you’re considering an update to your bathroom, you should definitely consider it.
What is a wet room? Simply put it’s a bathroom that is completely waterproof—everything in the room can get wet without getting damaged. It is generally covered in hard surfaces like tile or stone that slough off the water quickly.
Wet rooms look different from a traditional bathroom. They are very open and have few, if any walls or other barriers. That’s because in an entirely waterproof room, there is no reason to keep water in designated areas.
You won’t find showers with curbs. The shower head can go anywhere and take up as much space as you want it to. Freestanding bathtubs occupy the same space as the shower. The new look might take some getting used to, but it’s well worth it.
Now that you have the basic idea, let’s talk about the details. Why are wet rooms so great?
Design Freedom
Aside from being the hottest trend in bathroom design today, the wet room is a favorite of designers for a plethora of reasons.
Functionally, the entire space can be a wet room or just a portion of the space. The room can be open or partitioned off with glass or décor. There are lots of options for showers and baths like rain shower heads, body jets, steam features, and more.
Design-wise, wet rooms are a dream for designers. The open format and need for waterproof materials often results in stunning style. Floor to ceiling stone or tile looks exquisite. Skylights or windows near the ceiling let in lots of natural light. Multiple showerheads can be installed for a luxurious and functional experience.
Designers can also make wet rooms much more comfortable to navigate and use. Picture, built in shower benches, heat lamps, etc. More on that in a moment.
Space Efficiency
The wet room is the most efficient bathroom design. Without the limitations of enclosed showers or poky shower/tub combos, designers are free to make the most of the space.
A wet room tends to make smaller bathrooms feel larger and actually give more room to the most important aspects of the bathroom.
Many people opt to get rid of the bathtub entirely and go for an expansive wet room with shower only. Even in larger bathrooms, if you’re not a bather, it’s completely ok to get rid of the shower.
Accessibility
Wet rooms are a shoe-in for accessibility design. Whether for a member of the family who is disabled or an elderly member of the family, the single-level bathroom removes potential difficulty and danger.
A wet room needs no modification for wheelchair access. It has no curbs for the elderly to navigate. It bestows independence on its users.
Wet rooms are also excellent for bidets or washlet toilet seats. These are excellent additions for accessibility and the waterproof room ensures they are safe to use.
Value
The wet room is an attractive feature with staying power. Long after their trend status has worn off, wet rooms will continue to be a functional feature that anyone can appreciate. Remodeling Magazine reports that a wet room is a “high-end addition” and that you might be able to recoup up to 65% of what you spend on a wet room when you sell the house.
A wet room is always a stunning design that makes the bathroom one of the best rooms of the house and a future selling point. It’s a design that works for all ages and types of families from a bachelor to a young family to retirees wishing to age in place.
You can count on the wet room to add value to your home. In the short term you get to enjoy everything a wet room has to offer and in the long term, it adds value to your property.
Cleanability
Maybe it’s obvious, but we’ll point it out anyway. The wet room is super easy to clean.
You could bring your dog into the wet room for a bath. Even if he shakes sudsy water all over the place, you can just hose everything down afterward. You can use the same cleaner on every surface (all your surfaces are probably similar in a wet room).
With so many hard surfaces, you might be able to use tools, like a squeegee, to keep things looking their best all the time. Instead of being more work, the wet room makes your job easier.
A wet room is well worth the investment. Whether you are updating your current bathroom, doing a full remodel, or building new, the wet room should be a serious consideration.
When you’re ready for the bathroom remodel, get our best tips here.
