Bathrooms have a bad reputation as places nobody wants to visit. That’s why they’re often tucked away in inconvenient corners and hidden behind sliding doors. However, they don’t have to be, and one of the easiest ways to reclaim space from a small bathroom is by removing the door. We’ve created an easy-to-follow guide for you to learn how to hide a bathroom off your kitchen, whatever your budget is.
Bathroom design is not something that every home builder knows how to do. Hiding your bathroom off of your kitchen is the smartest thing you can do. The first step is to make it look like it belongs in the kitchen with a storage cabinet door for entry.
Table of Contents
It’s really not hard to hide a bathroom off a kitchen
A barn door was the perfect solution because it provides privacy without taking up any space inside the bathroom or kitchen. It slides along a track that’s mounted up high on the wall, so you don’t even notice it when it’s open.
We painted it black, but you could paint it any color that would coordinate with your kitchen or living room decor. It’s also easy for guests to open or close because you can push or pull from either side of the door.
You can start by having it tiled from ceiling to floor
You can start by having it tiled from ceiling to floor. The floor can be in a mosaic style that is unique and has a good contrast with the walls. You can also choose to have a shower door that is transparent and has great art on it.
This will give you privacy, decorate your bathroom and still not block the light from coming into the bathroom. Have a large wall mirror in place because it can make any space look larger than it actually is. The mirror should be well-lit, and this will make the room appear larger and brighter.
To do this effectively you will have to have it professionally done
If you are going to have this done, the first thing you have to do is have a competent contractor come in and give you an estimate on the work. This will involve removing all of the existing walls, plumbing, electrical and then rewiring and replumbing along with replacing all of the drywall.
An architect or contractor will be able to provide an estimate and drawing of what would need to happen. If you do this yourself, you run the risk of being asked to tear it down because it was not done to code.
Hide Bathroom Off Kitchen
- Use a utility room or closet. This is one of the most common solutions. A lot of times, people will already have a pantry or a laundry room that they can convert into a bathroom.
- If you do not have anything like that available, you can turn an entire closet into a bathroom, although this may require some reworking of the floor plan and even moving walls depending on how big your closet is and how big the bathroom has to be.
- Add an enclosed hallway. One option that is gaining popularity is adding an enclosed hallway between the kitchen and the bathroom where someone can walk through and never know they are interacting.
Installing a screen door
- Install a screen door between the bathroom and the kitchen. It will allow air to circulate without allowing people to see inside. If you install a screen door between the bathroom and the kitchen, you can keep your bathroom private even when it is not in use.
- Include a sideboard as part of your kitchen design that is positioned so that it obscures the entrance to the bathroom when someone is sitting down at the dining table. This will also work if you have an island bench in your kitchen.
- Alternatively, you could have a wall mounted unit or partial wall fixed between the two spaces which acts as a screen for those sitting around your dining table or island bench. It won’t completely hide your bathroom but it might provide enough privacy for most people.
This might be an easy solution in your kitchen and bathroom design plan
This is a nice solution to having your bathroom exposed to the kitchen area. The pocket door can easily swing or slide open and close for privacy when needed. By having your door swing into the bathroom, you gain more storage space in the bathroom by not needing a clearance space for the door to swing out from the bathroom into the kitchen area.
You will have many options of where to locate this pocket door depending on how you layout your kitchen and bathroom design plan. You may need to relocate some plumbing lines to install this type of door but it can be done easily in most cases.
Conclusion
Be creative and maybe you will come up with more creative solutions. The bathroom should be both functional and comfortable for everyday use. There are several tricks to make the space seem larger: installing mirrors, adding rugs and having powerful exhaust fans are just a few things that can help to open up a tight space.
Use lots of paint samples on the walls and hang family pictures. You can also create some interest by building an interesting backsplash or countertops instead of tile to save money. To sum up, bathroom off kitchen should be a point of interest in your kitchen not just a stumbling block. In the end, you’ll realize that if you use all readily available options, you can hide or remove the bathroom on the second floor.