Master Bath becomes Master Retreat

There's a shift being seem in the relationship between the mast bathroom, bedroom and closet, and how space is allocated for each. For that reason, bathroom designers looking to create a true master retreat need to rethink design considerations to make sure the space truly meets the client's needs. 

With smaller homes predicted to be built in the future, maximum square footage is being devoted to the master bedroom/bathroom. Additionally, in renovation work, entire sections of current bedroom/bathroom areas are being reconfigured.

Within these bedroom zones, in both renovation work and custom-built new construction, there's a shift being seem in the relationship between the master bathroom, bedroom and closet (dressing room), and the square footage allocations for each of these spaces. Therefore when designers are challenged by master bedroom undertaking, it's smart to dimension the entire area currently occupied by a master bedroom/bathroom/closet... and all the adjacent spaces.

Some questions to consider:
What are the priorities for the new "adults only" area.
   What are they willing to trade- a bigger bathroom for a smaller sleeping area, a more luxurious dressing room in place of a rarely used chaise lounge corner?

How would they like new areas to relate to one another?
     Do they need a place to sit down in the closet or can they walk into the bedroom zone and sit on the bed or in a chair to put on their shoes?

Just how much "togetherness" is desirable?
     If they share a bathroom, do they use the space concurrently or sequentially?

The relationship of various spaces created for specific activities needs to be "mapped out". In the past m a person walked into a master bedroom that was the sleeping zone. This space typically housed the television in an armoire, a dresser for clothing and a chair or lounge for relaxing, and had several doors leading into closets(s) and into a bathroom. Therefore, the sleeping was in the central area of activity.

This is changing. The master bedroom sleeping zone in many master suites is a separate oasis of peace and calm places with the closets now tied directly to the bathroom zone. This seems to be occurring because buys adults sharing the space may be on very different sleep cycles or work schedules. The current idea is that one can rise in the morning and not bother one's slumbering mate while preparing for the day.

A third approach to space planing is to separate the sleeping area from the other activity zones by relocating the closets/dressing room to the entrance of the space, or creating a foyer to serve as an entry point to various centers.

In the master suite pictured, the entrance can lead to a separate area for a small private office, a mediation center or an exercise space-whatever the homeowners desire.

It is almost as though homeowners are interested in creating their own private mini apartment- a place they can escape from a busy activity-filled life assaulted with all kinds of electronic entertainment media.

A fourth is to create an entrance foyer in the adult retreat that accesses all areas of the suite. That's why understanding how the adults would like to use the space, how much square footage you have to work with and what their "vision" is of their ideal closet space and bathroom space needs to be detailed as they develop the "program" (gathering all the information and dimensional details before starting the planning process).