Lifestyle
Commercial Bathroom Design: What You Need To Know

Do you want to know the best commercial bathroom design ideas? Read this guide to discover the best tips and tricks for designing a commercial bathroom!
Providing adequate toilet facilities for your workers is mandatory in the United States under OSHA law.
If you’re setting up a commercial bathroom for your premises, you must abide by these legalities. Yet, you can also have some fun creating a functional and pleasant interior design for your restrooms.
Check out these commercial bathroom design ideas to ensure comfort and convenience for your employees and customers.
Critical Factors in Commercial Bathroom Design
While all commercial bathrooms serve the same purpose, you must consider slight nuances in design depending on your circumstances.
Office workers need quick, convenient, and sanitary pit stops where they feel comfortable. Your employed bathrooms can impact worker satisfaction and indirectly hamper their performance.
Consumers in a commercial setting expect clean, uncrowded restrooms where they feel valued and a little pampered. Gym bathrooms should provide functional space, including lockers, showers, and extra privacy options.
An understanding of what your users expect should guide every aspect of your design for commercial bathrooms. These are the main considerations:
Purposeful Design
As outlined above, your commercial bathroom’s purpose goes far beyond the basics. Don’t hesitate to conduct a little user research when planning your bathroom design ideas.
Above all, a public bathroom must be aesthetically pleasing and meet stringent hygiene standards. You must also make provisions for users with disabilities in your bathroom layout and accessories.
Expected Number of Users
It’s easy to know how many people you should cater to when planning an employee bathroom, but things get a little more challenging when planning an in-store design.
Figuring out how many people are likely to visit during peak times is the best way to calculate the necessary capacity of your bathroom.
It’s always better to accommodate the maximum number of users and avoid queues. You should also plan for future expansion if need be.
Fixtures and Accessories
The right commercial accessories and fixtures ensure your bathroom users enjoy a pleasant experience. A well-designed, user-friendly space with clean, modern lines always impresses users.
Remember, a commercial bathroom serves many more people than your restroom at home. Make sure fixtures and fittings are easy to clean and sturdy enough to cope with heavy use.
Things to keep in mind when choosing bathroom accessories include design, quality, and technological advances. Better quality items will pay for themselves over time thanks to their added durability and low maintenance requirements.
The following are the basic accessories every bathroom needs:
- Baby changing units
- Drinking fountains
- Hand dryers
- Mirrors
- Paper towel dispensers
- Sanitary disposal
- Soap dispensers
- Adequate lighting
- Toilet roll holders
- Waste bins
Nowadays, touchless accessories are preferred in public spaces, so keep this in mind, too. Click here for examples of the latest touchless tech for bathrooms.
Cleanliness
To maintain a good reputation, your commercial restrooms must always be spotlessly clean. When planning your design, choose tiles, flooring, countertops, and fixtures that resist stains and are easy to clean.
Odor is another important thing to keep in mind. Excellent ventilation and HEPA filters will ensure your bathroom stays clean, fresh, and hygienic.
Your Bathroom Design Budget
Every commercial bathroom requires an installation budget as well as a post-installation budget. Once you’ve paid to install your bathroom features, you’ll also need to stock up on accessories and pay for the electricity and water involved in everyday use.
It’s important to consider upfront as well as ongoing costs when designing your bathroom.
Water and electricity saving features are vital for modern businesses from a budget as well as a social responsibility perspective. Motion sensor faucets, dryers, and low-flush automatic toilets are examples of resource-saving features.
Avoid going overboard with luxury accessories initially. You can always upgrade them later.
Rather, focus on good quality, functional items with low operational costs. These are some options to consider:
Toilets and Cubicles
Toilet design has come a long way in recent years, so take care to choose the ones that suit the design of your building.
Back-to-wall toilets and urinals offer compact sizes, sleek looks, and water-saving features. Low-level toilets are better suited to retro building designs.
You can also opt for waterless urinals to save water and touch-free sensor flush toilets for supreme hygiene.
Toilet cubicles are much cheaper than walls but still provide the necessary privacy. Always choose cubicles of a design and color that suits the rest of the bathroom.
Floor-to-ceiling cubicles are always the best bet for maximum privacy.
Faucets
Lever and deck-mounted faucets are affordable and a versatile choice for a variety of bathroom styles. Non-concussive taps deliver a limited flow of water when activated, making them ideal for commercial bathrooms.
Sensor taps also prevent water wastage by shutting off after a certain time frame. Their touchless operation also promotes good hygiene.
Sinks
Inset bathroom sinks fit into the vanity unit, hiding unsightly pipework and preventing vandalism. For a modern look and design, you can also opt for:
- Semi-recessed sinks
- Underslung sinks
- Countertop sinks
Wash troughs offer multiple faucets to create a unified, modern look for your space. Combination units dispense water, soap, and hot air in one place to save space.
Building Your Bathroom to Suit Your Brand
Whether you’re building a commercial bathroom from scratch or updating your existing one, it’s important to keep the above in mind.
As long as you have the basics in place, you can enjoy carte blanche when it comes to creating a unique, convenient bathroom design to suit your brand. The colors, fixtures, layout, and lighting you choose all impact how customers and employees view your business.
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