Why the “Wet Room” Is Taking Over

20 Jun Why the “Wet Room” Is Taking Over

If the result is luxurious, the motivation can be pragmatic. Because of the water shortages in California, Meyers says, many clients are opting for a single bathtub in the primary bathroom, but if space is limited, squeezing in both a bathtub and shower can be tricky. Which is when Meyers decreases the size of the vanity and, in a “hero moment,” designs a wet room, which eliminates the clearances required around a traditional shower enclosure and tub and enables everything to fit in a smaller footprint. (Clients who opt for a steam shower will require extra space in an attic or closet to house the steam machine, Meyers says.)

From scarcity comes abundance, because the wet room encourages material plentitude: multiple showerheads, including maybe a rain shower from the ceiling; acres of porcelain or natural tile; or, in the case of a wet room that Grand Rapids, Michigan–based Jean Stoffer Design is creating for a home in King George, Virginia, a Tadelakt plaster finish for the walls; the tub a sculptural centerpiece with a bench for sitting in between a shower and bath, no toweling off necessary; and ample windows to help foster an inside-outside connection. When managed with care, the material choices “can transform a functional space into a very moody, dreamy space,” says David John Dick of Los Angeles–based AD PRO Directory firm DISC Interiors.

But Dick also raises a few caveats. He favors the approach for smaller spaces next to a gym or pool, but cautions clients that a large wet room off the primary bedroom might be more difficult to keep warm and requires a certain comfort level for water splashing around every corner (getting the drainage and exhaust right are paramount to ensure the space dries quickly). Grace Start of Jean Stoffer Design says that some clients are all but “morally opposed” to the idea, too far a leap from their bathing norm.

But for those who are open to it, the benefits can extend beyond the aesthetic. In a foreword he wrote for a 1985 book about Japanese bathing, authored by Peter Grilli and Dana Levy, the renowned artist and designer Isamu Noguchi described the classic Japanese furo, or tub, as a box of hinoki wood with a fire chamber that was fed with twigs to warm the water. In our modern age, he writes, the furo provides a vital connection to the past: “Even in our cramped little modern tubs, submerged to our necks in hot water, we luxuriate in our memories of time and space, and feel ourselves alive once again.”