Should You Include a Water Closet in Your Bathroom Design?
December 23, 2025There are a lot of options to consider for every room in a home design, and areas like kitchens and bathrooms have specific considerations. It’s important for the overall layout and design of these rooms to be as functional and comfortable as possible. In bathroom design, privacy is also a consideration. Features like water closets or partitioned bathroom designs can provide some extra privacy, especially in shared bathrooms. Should you include a water closet in your bathroom design? Here’s what to know and what to consider to help you decide if a water closet is right for you:
What is a Water Closet?
A water closet, or WC, is a small room or enclosed area within a bathroom featuring a flushing toilet or a toilet and sink. They are often separate from other fixtures, like showers, tubs, and other sinks. Although a powder room could technically be considered a water closet, the modern water closet feature is a small, enclosed room within a bathroom design to separate the toilet from the rest of the bathroom.
Water closets were first introduced in European-style homes alongside indoor plumbing and toilets in the late 1500s. They gained popularity in the 16th Century in Europe and in the 1900s in the United States as luxury hotels and homes incorporated European styles.
They have started to pop up more often in modern bathroom design as practical features valued for the privacy they provide. Modern water closets can be fully-enclosed rooms within a bathroom design, feature a pocket door, or can be partitioned by a half-wall or shelf for a balance of privacy and openness in a bathroom design.
Should You Include a Water Closet in Your Bathroom Design?
Whether you should include a water closet in your bathroom design is a personal choice. If you want one and it is designed to work well, it can be the right choice. A water closet can work well in a bathroom design, provided you have the space for it and want the toilet to be separate from the rest of the bathroom. This is something to consider when planning bathrooms in your custom home. If you’re considering whether a water closet is right for your bathroom design, ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you want to prioritize privacy for anyone using the toilet?
- Do you want the toilet to be separate from the rest of the bathroom?
- Are you considering an open-concept bathroom?
- Will the bathroom be a shared bathroom that multiple people may need to use at the same time?
- Are you concerned about droplets from toilet flushes getting on other surfaces in the bathroom?
- Will your bathroom design be large enough to accommodate a water closet?
- Do you need the bathroom to be accessible?
Privacy in Multi-Use Bathrooms
The main purpose of a water closet is to provide a private space for using the toilet. This is why water closets partition the toilet for privacy and separate it from the rest of the bathroom. It can be particularly useful for primary bathrooms, bathroom suites, and any bathroom that will be shared or used by more than one person at a time. A fully-enclosed or partially-partitioned water closet can also be a good option for adding a little privacy to an open-concept bathroom design.
Hygiene and Odor Control
For someone prioritizing privacy and hygiene, who is concerned about bacteria or droplets from flushing toilets contaminating other items or surfaces in the bathroom, a water closet can be a good solution. By separating the toilet, it can help contain particulates from flushing to the water closet and also help contain any accompanying odors.
Available Space, Layout, Plumbing, and Electrical
Ending up with the toilet as a focal point is a bathroom design mistake to avoid, but so is having a cramped layout or a layout that doesn’t work. The addition of a door or partition can take up space in a layout, so your bathroom design will need to be large enough to accommodate it and all the other fixtures and features you want. Your builder may also need to make special considerations for electrical and plumbing lines to ensure you have a functional water closet with an exhaust fan that doesn’t interfere with the plumbing and electrical for the rest of the bathroom.
Accessibility
Another consideration for whether you should include a water closet in your bathroom design is accessibility. Although a water closet can make a bathroom look more appealing and add privacy by hiding the toilet, it can make accessing the toilet more difficult, and navigating the smaller space can be a challenge.
This can be a problem for anyone aging in place or using mobility aids. If you are focused on age-in-place bathroom design, a water closet may not be a good option. Or, if it is included, it would likely need to be partially partitioned instead of fully enclosed and would need to do so in a way that doesn’t inhibit or delay access to it.
7 Major Design Considerations For Water Closets
If you have decided that a water closet is for you and you do want to include one, there are some design considerations and other factors to work through with your home builder. Design considerations for water closets can include:
- Privacy
- Door Swing
- Appearance
- Layout
- Size
- Ventilation
- Fixtures
1. Privacy
How much separation do you want the water closet to have from the rest of the bathroom? This will help determine whether the water closet is partially concealed or fully enclosed. Each option will have its own considerations and can affect the layout and overall size of different areas in your bathroom design.
2. Door Swing
If you’ll be opting for a fully-enclosed water closet with a swinging door, you will need to take door swing into account in wall clearances, the layout, direction, and more. Pocket doors are an option if you don’t want to have to think about door swing. It all depends on whether you’re enclosing the water closet with a door and what type of door you want to include.
3. Appearance
Large bathrooms with water closets can have an overall luxurious look and feel. Often, a well-designed bathroom and water closet can provide a luxury hotel or spa aesthetic. Also, if your desired bathroom layout puts the toilet in a direct line of sight or you’re going for a more open-concept bathroom design, you may want to consider how to “hide” the toilet a little bit. A water closet can conceal the toilet and improve the initial visual of your bathroom. This can be true even with partially enclosed water closets.
4. Layout
Incorporating a water closet into your bathroom design can give you more or less flexibility in the layout. Depending on the layout and where the water closet is in relation to other features, there may be additional considerations for plumbing lines and electrical in the design.
With a custom home design, you have as much flexibility as you want; you just need to make sure that you have enough square footage to accommodate everything you want. Your builder will be an invaluable resource for things like this and will be able to work through considerations around these details with you for a layout and design that works.
5. Size
Another design consideration for water closets is size. Not only do you need to consider the size of the water closet within your overall bathroom design, but also the space within the water closet.
You don’t want it to be so spacious that you’re wasting valuable square footage, but you also don’t want it to feel cramped or claustrophobic either. Whether it is fully enclosed or not, you want to make sure that you have enough room for legs and arms to stretch out and to move around the area comfortably.
6. Ventilation
Bathroom ventilation is essential for a comfortable environment. It’s also a consideration for water closets, especially fully-enclosed ones. At the very least, an exhaust fan is a good idea. If it works with the design, a window can be a good idea as well. It can provide some ventilation as well as some natural light to go with the other bathroom lighting in this area.
7. Fixtures
Another big design consideration for water closets, just as with any bathroom design, is the fixtures.
- What bowl shape do you want for the toilet?
- Do you want a standard height toilet or a slightly higher “comfort height” toilet?
- Do you prefer a one-piece or two-piece unit?
- What type of flushing mechanism do you want?
- Do you want to incorporate any touchless features?
Thinking through some of these questions and working through them with your builder can help you determine the right fixtures for this area in your bathroom design.
6 Water Closet Ideas to Consider For Your Bathroom Design
In addition to overall design considerations, there are also tons of ideas for interesting ways to incorporate water closets. If you’ve decided you want to include one, there are plenty of water closet ideas that will allow you blend it seamlessly into the overall look and feel you want to create. Here are some water closet ideas to consider for your bathroom design:
- Put it out of sight
- Center it strategically
- Make it a powder room
- Play with partitions
- Add an accent wall
- Include some accessories
1. Put it Out of Sight
One of the water closet ideas is to put it out of sight. Whether you’re opting for a fully-enclosed water closet or just a partial wall separation, putting the water closet off to the side in a bathroom layout or on the other side of a wall or surround of another bathroom feature can also often put it out of the direct line of sight. This can be a way to keep it accessible, while also making sure it’s not a focal point of your bathroom design if you don’t want it to be.
2. Center It Strategically
On the other hand, another water closet idea is to place it relatively central in the bathroom design. Depending on the design elements you choose for your water closet, you may want to make it part of the focal point.
This can be particularly popular for fully-enclosed water closets that feature elegant door or trim details. In these cases, highlighting the water closet a bit more than usual only adds to the overall luxurious elegance.
3. Make it a Powder Room
Some water closets just have a toilet, while others have a toilet and a sink. Including a sink can give a water closet more of a powder room look and feel. This is a popular option for fully-enclosed water closets that have full privacy and doors to separate them from the rest of the bathroom.
4. Play With Partitions
Fully-enclosed water closets have their place and can work well in a lot of bathroom designs. However, there are also plenty of water closet ideas that use partitions for partial separation and some privacy without completely enclosing the area.
Whether you go with a half-wall that can double as a shelf or incorporate extra storage or a partial wall that extends fully to the ceiling, you have a lot of options. You can even go for a glass partition for some separation and opt for textured or frosted glass for a little more privacy. Adding storage is a half-wall shower idea that you can use anywhere you include a partial wall in a bathroom design.
5. Add an Accent Wall
Your water closet may not be the first thing you notice in the bathroom, but that doesn’t mean that the decor in it has to be an afterthought or boring. Just as an accent wall can elevate your bathroom, the same can be true for a water closet. Wallpaper in a dramatic color or interesting pattern can elevate the look and feel of a water closet. Using wallpaper as an accent wall is a wallpaper trend.
In the case of a fully-enclosed water closet, it can be a design element that surprises and delights. Wall trim or decorative interior trim are other accent wall ideas to consider for your bathroom that can work well with water closets, whether they are fully or partially enclosed. You can even paint the wall trim and pair it with wallpaper for extra layers of visual interest. Wallpaper patterns featuring metallic accents or textures are other options that can make your wall closet design pop.
6. Include Some Accessories
The water closet may not be as featured as other areas of your bathroom design, but there are still plenty of opportunities to include useful and/or decorative accessories. Hanging small shelves on the wall can give useful storage and a place to display decor.
Pictures, art, and wall hangings are always an option. A tray placed on the toilet tank can also create a place for accessories without taking up a lot of space. These are subtle elements that can have a big impact on your water closet design.
Design and Build Your Custom Home With Custom Home Group
Should you include a water closet in your bathroom design? It can be the right choice for privacy, especially in shared bathrooms, or for aesthetics. Whether you want a water closet in your bathroom or not, an experienced custom home builder can help you determine what works for you and make sure that anything you want to include is designed well to work.
They’ll help make sure every room in your home design suits your needs and delivers on your wants. If you’re ready to get started on your own custom home in Central Pennsylvania or Northeastern Maryland, contact Custom Home Group at 717-284-4090. We can help bring your dream custom home to life!