As a residential architect, I design a lot of places where people sleep. Within the world of bedrooms, there are some really unique features we incorporate and some really common ones. The concept of Jack and Jill bathrooms land somewhere in the middle. Some of our clients want them and some don’t. So while there are approximately a billion ways you can design a Jack and Jill bathroom, here are three that I’d like to share with you. These would be modified depending on how they connect to the rest of the house, so look at these as food for thought. Here are three main things to consider:

1.       What is the requirement for privacy?

2.       What is the requirement for natural light/ventilation?

3.       What is the likelihood that two people will be using it at the same time?

Version 1:

In a linear configuration like this, the bathroom is placed between the two bedrooms (another variation is when they are configured in an ‘L’ shape, which we’ll save for another post). The approach with this version is to provide each user with their own vanity, while providing privacy for anyone using the toilet or shower. A pocket door between the two spaces helps keep the floor area open, as Jack and Jill bathrooms have a tendency to have a lot of doors. Additionally, the position of the doors into the bathroom from the bedrooms maintains privacy, limiting visibility through the bathroom. Note in this version that if the toilet area door is closed, there’s no natural light in the bathroom. Let’s be honest, it’s probably most effective to have the toilet close to a window.

Version 2:

This configuration maintains the principles from the previous version, with the exception of trading the double vanity for one larger counter with a single, offset sink. Not centering the sink allows for a window above the counter which helps with natural lighting for make up applications (if you’re wearing any, it’s hard to tell). The single sink allows for more counterspace which is usually on somebodies wish list. The design of this bathroom is also more compact, so if you’re needing some extra space in the bedrooms, you can explore options more like this one.

Version 3:

This final option looks at if there was no secondary room within the bathroom for the toilet and tub, and all the fixtures were open to one another. This design is also inspired by providing identical/symmetrical spaces (so when the kids are fighting over who gets which bedroom, the bathroom will always be the same). Here we traded a bathtub/shower combo for a large walk-in shower. This set up also allows for a hallway closet for additional storage (I’ve never had anyone ask me for less storage). This also provides larger bedroom closets and more regular shaped bedrooms.

In all three options, there’s always something to agree and disagree with. I always let clients lead this part of the conversation because everyone usually has a pretty firm opinion on how they want these spaces to unfold. When planning your Jack and Jill bathroom, consider how you want to access the bathroom, the privacy required for the users, how much privacy you want while using it, and the importance of natural light and ventilation.

As always, if you need any help planning your spaces or home, or need a second opinion on something, you can always book me for a one hour consultation here.

Happy space planning!

Dory.