Planning a bathroom that works for the whole family can be a tricky process. In a perfect world, we would all have one bathroom per family member (plus an extra one for the dog!). Alas, the majority of us have to settle for sharing one bathroom between the whole family.

Finding a design that works for both adults and children alike can seem like a daunting task. You’d love your bathroom to be a gorgeous, relaxing haven but, simultaneously, it also needs to be a safe, child-friendly space. How do you find that balance?

Well, on that note, here are our tips for designing the perfect family bathroom. Ready? Let’s go.

Safety First

If you’re blessed with small children, one of the first things on your mind is probably “How do I make sure the bathroom is safe enough?” Luckily, a few smart choices can make your bathroom child-friendly and help to keep your little ones from having any accidents.

Choose a toilet with a soft close toilet seat to eliminate any risk of tiny fingers getting caught in slammed seats. When choosing your bathroom fittings, choose a suite with rounded edges to help your children avoid any painful bumps if they run into something. Another useful tip is to opt for textured floor tiles to reduce any chances of slipping on a wet floor.

Easy Clean

We all strive to keep our bathrooms clean and tidy. Unfortunately, in a shared family bathroom, this can be easier said than done. Regular use and frequent foot traffic can make cleaning your family bathroom feel like a never-ending task. However, there are design choices that can make the process slightly easier to handle.

We go on about wall panels quite a lot around here, but it’s because they really are a great option. Wall panels are a good choice if you want something low maintenance. They wipe clean with ease; no tedious scrubbing required!

If you’re not keen on wall panels, tiles are still a great option. Large tiles are a good choice here as they have fewer grout lines to clean, so you can spend less time scrubbing walls with a toothbrush, and more time with the kids. Make sure to tile both walls and floor for easy clean up.

Walk in showers and wet rooms are both great options for family bathrooms. A walk in shower usually only has one glass screen, meaning less glass to keep clean. If you want something with even less maintenance, a wet room could be the best fit. No shower screen to scrub; simply wipe down the tiles and you’re done. 

Useful Bath

When it comes to family bathrooms, a bath is an essential, especially for families with small children. If you have space for it, a separate bath and shower is useful to have. You could even have a separate bath in a wet room style bathroom. Alternatively, if you’re stuck with a small bathroom, a shower bath is a multi-purpose choice that’s great for families.

Whether you opt for a separate bath or a shower bath combination, one thing that is incredibly useful for families is a double ended bath. A double ended bath with a central tap means that two children can be bathed at the same time with ease (or, as easy as it can be to bathe two small children at once!)

A handheld shower fixture is a convenient thing to have. A bath shower mixer tap is incredibly useful for bathing small children and washing hair. A slider rail shower kit is also important to have, so your children can adjust the shower head height and angle to suit them as they grow over time. 

 Storage

If I could only give one tip for designing a family bathroom, it would be to add in storage space, and plenty of it. When a full family is sharing a bathroom, it can be easy for things to get messy and cluttered. Adding in lots of storage furniture can help to keep your bathroom looking neat.

A vanity basin unit is a great way of keeping your essentials organised without using up any extra bathroom space. An extra piece of storage furniture, like a tall storage unit, is also helpful for keeping everything tucked away.

Shower baskets and caddies are also useful to have in family bathrooms; you can find caddies large enough to store toiletries for the whole family. Another good idea, for those with younger children, is to install separate shower baskets; one for toiletries, another for the kids’ bath toys.

Heated Towel Rail

A heated towel rail is a worthwhile investment to add to your family bathroom; say goodbye to those infuriating piles of wet towels on the floor! Towel rails are available in tall sizes, meaning they have multiple bars that can heat towels for the whole family. Heated towels rails also have the added benefit of keeping your bathroom cosy in the cold winter months.

Smaller Details

For finishing touches, add in some smaller items that will help to make the running of your family bathroom a lot easier.

A step stool can be a helpful addition for small children to help them reach a high basin.

If you’re tasked with trying to keep your bathroom tidy and find yourself constantly picking dirty clothes up off the floor, a laundry basket could be an invaluable addition.

When the whole family shares one bathroom, it can be tricky to stop the room from looking like a children’s bathroom, as opposed to an adult’s one. Swap out kids’ cartoon towels for colourful, but classic, towels that match your bathroom décor. You could even choose a different coloured towel for each family member to keep things organised.

There you have it; our tips for the designing the perfect family bathroom! What are your thoughts? Do you have any tips for family bathrooms? Leave them in the comments below!