As a kitchen & bath designer trained in the US, I’ve found bathroom design to be one of the most challenging concepts in Rwanda. Many people ask me how to design their spaces better and as I have some down time, I thought I could share with you some guidelines over the next few days. If you have questions, please let me know.
These guidelines come from the National Kitchen & Bath Association in the US, a large member-based organization that encourages designers to continue learning. They have 18 recommendations, which I will group to make it more interesting and easier to follow.
Let’s start with openings and access:
Doorways should be at least 80cm wide. Ideally, if you can make it 90cm wide that is even better, but 80cm minimum. Also, don’t let the door hit another door, a cabinet, the toilet, or anything else. You should have complete open access.
Think to give yourself space in front of the sanitary, that’s sinks, shower areas, and toilets.
Take a look at this drawing I’ve made to explain.
Why this works? 1) door to bathroom opens in and there is enough room for it to open completely; 2) The door doesn’t hit anything; 3) You have enough room to stand in front of the sink, the toilet and you can get in and out of the shower without hitting the toilet; 4) we’ve created a water wall where all of the sanitary is in one line allowing for a streamlined, better approach to plumbing/piping/waste installation.
Good Bathroom Design