Trend alert: Zoned bathrooms

You typically think of the bathroom as one space designated for bathing. However, in the future bathrooms may be structured a bit differently.

According to Judd Lord, director of industrial design at Delta Faucet Company, bathroom design layouts in the future will include various zones, like dry and wet areas – spaces dedicated to dressing, showering, putting on makeup, etc. The idea behind the two different zones is for your bathroom to be separate, yet connected. Here’s how to create wet and dry zones to increase efficiency and what to include in each area:

Wet zone
In a wet zone, the shower and tub are in a single area, and are often enclosed by glass to help define the space. Dress up the walls and floors in your wet zone with ceramic tile – a material that stands up well to moisture. The texture of the tile helps your feet grip to prevent you from slipping. The smaller the tile, the better the grip. You should consider adding drains to the floor to provide necessary moisture control in your wet zone.

Flooring is also a great way to separate the dry zone from the wet zone. Differentiate between the color, size or type of tile used.

Dry zone
Nobody enjoys stepping in the water that was tracked around by someone who was just in the shower. This is why dry zones are so practical. This space should be the first area that you step into when walking into the bathroom. The dry zone should include a vanity, a small rug and maybe a comfortable chair to promote relaxation. It needs to be kept far away from the clawfoot tub and shower. You can choose to have a screen divider in your bathroom as well to visually separate the two areas.

Women need a place in the bathroom where they can keep all of their cosmetics organized and apply their makeup in the morning. The vanity in the dry zone is perfect for this function. Add wall sconces around the vanity mirror to allow enough light for makeup application. Storage in the dry area should also be streamlined and organized. Take advantage of wall space around the vanity – mason jars can be placed on floating shelves to make cosmetics and other grooming tools easy to reach.

The toilet should be placed in between the wet and dry zone, almost acting as a divider.