How to Design a Master Bath With Dormers

Window dormers are intended to add natural light to an attic. A master bathroom can be planned to include a couple of dormers, if those dormers are placed to look appropriate. The dormers can be positioned to bring light into the vanity area of the space, but placing them near a bathing or shower area can be awkward. Designing light to come into a bath area can work well with glass blocks inserted into the window space, if this complements the home's architecture. Closable shutters over the windows can be louvered to add partial light and insure privacy.

Floor plan of the master bath
Sketch pad
Graph paper

Instructions

- 1
  Sketch the bathtub, shower and commode areas of the master bath floor space. Design these fixtures to be placed on interior wall spaces away from the dormers. Leave the wall along the exterior side of the house for sketching the dormer windows. Consider how the dormers will look from outside the attic space, at curbside. Separate two dormer windows by at least 12 feet, if possible.
- 2
  Draw a vanity sink space in the area between the dormers. Sketch a wall mirror to be placed above the sink areas. Design the vanity to hold two sinks placed on opposite ends of the vanity. Construct plenty of storage beneath the vanity or add shelving underneath. Avoid placing wall cabinets near the dormers, since dormers should not compete for visual interest. Allow dormer windows to stand out on their own.
- 3
  Add additional natural light in the master bath by installing a couple of skylights. Consider adding glass blocks in the actual window space in each dormer, but also consider adding glass blocks near the vanity area on the exterior wall. Add these blocks starting 4 feet above the vanity counter space, then rising to the ceiling. Leave room for a wall mirror below the section of glass blocks.
- 4
  Use graph paper to lay out the master bath space and dormer windows. Sketch the exterior of the house to include shutters beside the dormer windows, if this is appropriate with the architecture. Match the dormers to the rest of the house in terms of size and proportion. Avoid making the dormers look like an afterthought, but instead make them fit the home's natural shape.
- 5
  Construct dormer windows to form a dressing space in a master bathroom, if placing the dormers above a vanity is not a good option. Use the windows to bring light into a sitting space with a small dresser instead. Avoid placing a dormer window above a commode or above a bathtub, since privacy issues may come into play. Treat the dormer windows as the focal points of the room in every respect, since they add architectural beauty to the interior of an attic room.

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