We all spend more time in the bathroom than we realize.
When you add up morning routines, handwashing throughout the day, showers, evening rituals, and all the in-between glances in the mirror, the average person spends one to two hours a day in the bathroom.
Over the course of a year, that’s more than 500 hours!!
Stay in your home for a decade, and you’ll spend thousands of hours in your bathroom. And yet, in nearly every renovation or new home build, most homeowners treat the bathroom as an afterthought.
That’s the “paradox of the bathroom.” Think you’re the exception?
Visualize for a second how you actually experience this space every day. You’re turning faucet handles multiple times…you’re opening drawers morning and night…you’re stepping onto the floor barefoot…you’re adjusting lighting before you’ve fully woken up, and again when you’re winding down…you’re standing in front of the mirror at moments that set the tone for your day.
See what’s coming?! Your priorities are about to shift. Bathroom decision decisions are about to become something new: about what feels good, works intuitively, and holds up gracefully over LOTS of use!!
The real measure of the best bathroom selections
Return on Enjoyment® is a way of looking at your home’s design through the lens of everyday use. Bathrooms make this especially clear, because they are experienced through touch more than any other room in your home.
And yet…most people evaluate bathrooms visually. Tile, fixtures, cabinetry, and finishes lead the convo. Even with well-intentioned homeowners that try to prioritize cleanable surfaces or timeless styles, what still goes unexamined is frequency…in other words, how often each element is used and what that means for daily rituals.
Faucet handles, for example, are turned again and again throughout the day. Light switches and dimmers are adjusted morning and night. Drawers are opened in predictable patterns. These interactions repeat themselves every single day. Over time, they shape how a bathroom feels WAY more than any individual finish!!
That’s why I evaluate bathrooms as a sequence of interactions instead of a collection of materials. Follow along to see where I start…
Faucets and Handles: The Most Touched Element in the Room
Your faucet handles quietly define every interaction with your bathroom. Most of us wash hands eight to ten times a day, which means:
- 16-20 handle interactions (on then off) per person, per day
- 30-40 in a primary bath shared by a couple
- 60-80 or more in a family bathroom (likely spread across multiple bathrooms)
That frequency changes how your faucet selection should be evaluated. Be sure know that:
- Weight matters: Lightweight handles often feel insubstantial over time.
- Resistance matters: Too stiff or too loose becomes noticeable VERY quickly!!
- Temperature response matters: Delayed temp adjustment creates daily annoyance.
Lighting Controls and Mirrors: Used Daily, Often Half Awake!
Bathroom lighting is adjusted more often than you probably realize. They’re also used at very different points in the day (and night), meaning our sensitivity to light and our dexterity to reach for them will change!
Design tip: consider automations you can program for exactly the right light you like at each time of day!!
We touch lighting controls two to six times per person per day, sometimes more in guest bathrooms or powder rooms.
Mirrors are used just as frequently, and what nearly EVERYONE overlooks is how closely mirrors and lighting (and light switches) work together. Consider how:
- Poor lighting placement WILL change how you look in a mirror
- Glare will affect visibility and comfort, too
- Inconsistent light temperature will alter how faces and colors appear
And since we are talking about the bathroom, these interactions will happen when we’re tired, and rushed, and winding down. So…the perfect lighting layers (and actual switches) have to be EASY!! Lighting that requires thought or adjustment will waste your time and leave you disappointed. Every day, every time you walk into the room.
Shower Controls and Entry
Most people shower five to seven times a week. That might sound less frequent than other interactions with faucets or lights, but showers involve a different level of interaction. Besides…you might adjust the temp of the water more than once over the course of a shower, so the interactions are also more complex!
The controls you touch inside the shower are adjusted:
- While standing barefoot
- While exposed (quite entirely!) to the falling water
- While multitasking or moving quickly
Larger, custom showers have multiple touchpoints: you turn water on, you adjust the temperature, you regularly redirect the spray. Small issues—like awkward hardware placement, confusing systems, or slippery entries—are a daily drag, not to mention safety risk.
Designing your shower space and all its hardware means thinking through:
- Reach and access
- Predictability of controls
- Entry and exit movement
Storage and Drawers: Accessed Constantly!!
Bathroom storage is used morning and night. Toiletries, grooming tools, medications, and personal items are accessed in consistent patterns that don’t change much.
In practical terms, that means:
- Drawers and doors are opened multiple times per person, per day
- Storage placement directly affects how smoothly routines unfold
- Poor organization shows up immediately in clutter and frustration
But, since storage is often designed after bathroom renovation finishes are selected, it tends to be reactive instead of intentional. The result doesn’t always support how each individual homeowner uses his or her space.
There’s honestly too much to say about this one…it has to start with a conversation, directly, where I can learn about your daily routines. That’s where the magic begins!! Why not send me an email directly?!
Flooring and Transitions
Every bathroom visit begins involves flooring, of course! That includes:
- The threshold of flooring from the adjacent room to the bathroom
- The feel of the bathroom floor as you stand each day at the vanity
- The comfort beneath your feet as you move between zones
- And the transition as you exit the space
Because flooring is experienced physically 100% of the time, and visually only when you look down, its performance matters more than its appearance alone!!
Some quick design tips:
- Texture affects comfort and safety
- Temperature affects how welcoming the space feels
- Stability of the material matters during quick or tired movements
How Frequency Changes Bathroom Design
Looking at a bathroom through frequency of use instead of what draws the eye.
When elements are selected and designed with intention, enjoyment compounds over time. And that’s where the real value of a bathroom lives…not in how it looks on day one, but in how it feels on day three thousand.
Start by choosing one element you touch every day and upgrade it with intention!! Then, you can reach out to our team to inquire…
About the author:
Robin Burrill, RID, NCIDQ, ASID, IDS, CAPS, is an award-winning professional kitchen, bath, and interior designer. Robin and her husband, Robert Mathews, have owned Signature Home Services, Inc. for over three decades, establishing a superior in-house team with a widespread reputation for delivering meticulous design to their many repeat clients.
In 2022, the national publication, Kitchen and Bath Design News magazine, named Robin to their Top Innovator list in recognition of her achievements in the field of kitchen and bath design. In 2024, she was named one of the Fall 2024 Market Pros and “tastemakers” by ANDMORE at High Point Market. In 2024 and again in 2025, Fixr identified her as one of the Top Professional Interior Designers for their nationwide audience. At the start of 2025, she then acted as one of Dallas Market’s “Style Eyes” at Lightovation and Total Home & Gift Market.
Over her extensive career, Robin has been quoted in Architectural Digest and Forbes multiple times; her design work has been featured in top national trade publications; and she has been interviewed for Designers Today magazine’s “Profiles in Design” video series, among others. Widely respected for the depth of her knowledge, Robin is a sought after speaker and judge for many design industry events.
In 2023, Robin designed a bench for Charleston Forge, making her foray into product design. Robin currently serves as a volunteer on the board of the Dallas/Ft. Worth chapter of the Interior Design Society.
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