August 4, 2026 — 6 min read
Measure the room, roughly
Wall-to-wall width and length, ceiling height, and the position of the window and door are enough. Approximate numbers are fine; they are verified on site before anything is ordered. What they do is let a designer talk about real layout options instead of hypotheticals.
If the bathroom sits above or below another room, note that too. It affects how plumbing can be moved and how much of the work is visible from elsewhere in the house.
Photograph the room as it is
Take one photo from each corner, one straight at the vanity, and one of the shower or tub. Include the ceiling and the floor transition at the doorway. Unflattering photos are the useful ones — they show the conditions that have to be solved.
Write down what does not work
This is the most valuable document you can bring. Not preferences, but friction: the drawer that hits the door, the light that makes everything look grey, the shower that drains slowly, the towel that never has anywhere to go.
- What annoys you every single morning
- What guests notice or comment on
- What you avoid using entirely
- What you would keep exactly as it is
Describe how the room is used
Two people getting ready at the same time is a different room than one person with a long evening routine. Children, aging parents, or anyone who may need support elements later all change the plan. Say it early — retrofitting for it later is far more expensive than designing for it now.
Collect images, even contradictory ones
Save whatever you respond to, without editing the set for consistency. Contradictions are informative: a designer can usually identify the shared quality behind images that appear unrelated, and that quality is often the real brief.
Have a range in mind
A range, not a number. Bathrooms vary widely depending on whether plumbing moves, what the stone is, and how much of the structure is opened. Naming a range early keeps the design work aimed at something buildable rather than producing a scheme that has to be dismantled later.