Burning Question: Sharing Is Caring?
This week we got to wondering how often you share with your spouse, specifically the bathroom. Do you guys use the same one? Not at the same time of course. And if so, do you have a double sink situation or are you sharing one mirror and one vanity like us?
Are you fancy enough to each have a designated bathroom so you never cross paths while you’re washing up? We’ve heard some say it’s the secret to a happy marriage, so tell us what you’re working with.
And speaking of bathrooms, check out how we injected some subtle style to our guest bathroom in just a few hours with $4 of paint.
Image courtesy of HGTV.com
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we share the same bathroom but do like our privacy every now and then. Our bathroom has a “water closet” toilet area behind a seperate door so that doesn’t cause problems and we only have 1 sink but a very large counter top and vanity area…plus we get ready at different times so that doesn’t cause problems either. My husband does tend to use the guest bath a lot but I think that is because it is closer to the office and living room.
Our ‘master’ bathroom is the size of a matchbox, so I lovingly let my husband have that one all to himself :o). I used the guest bath in the hallway. Works for me! I did realize however, that I am going to be the one sharing with kids in the near future… hmm…
We pretty much each have our own in our 2/3 rental, but we’re looking forward to sharing one large master bath with double vanities when we move into our new home in November. We both still use both bathrooms, but it’s really matter of keeping our things separate. Both bathrooms are small with non existent vanities ;o)
Oops! Make that 3/2. What kind of house has more baths than beds?
We share one sink, but have an extra tall and wide mirror.
Our house is a 1950s ranch like yours only ours has only 1 bathroom. We have one sink and one mirror in there and don’t have any problems. Our schedules don’t usually mesh up either though. I also grew up in a house with 3 women and 3 men with 1 bathroom.
My husband and I bought our first home 2 months ago, and this is the first time in our four years together we’ve had more than one bathroom! It’s pretty exciting. Our master bath has two separate vanities (walk-in closet double-doors between each sink). I love having six drawers and the cabinet space all to myself for my make-up, hair dryer, etc. However, I was also perfectly happy to share one vanity in our previous apartments. Having a large soaking tub is way more important to me than sink area :)
2 sinks is a huge key to happiness in our house :)
After 19 years of marriage sharing the bathroom is not as charming as it was at one time. We try to avoid getting ready at the same time to give each other necessary space, even though we have a double sink. The biggest problem is the shared walk-in closet which barely fits one person. It is directly attached to our bathroom and not a place for 2 people to make “what to wear that day decisions”. Space=love!
We rent a 2 bed/1 bath townhome, so we definitely have to share. It’s a tiny bathroom, but thankfully has a wide sink area and mirror. I often get annoyed when we’re in there at the same time, but as my husband always says, ‘Big love grows in small spaces.’
We are luck, luck, lucky at my house – BIG bathroom with a double vanity & (obviously) double mirrors. My hubs and I can get ready at the same time, along with 2 kids under the age of 3 and a dog all piled up in there… although we try not to!
In our current home, we have “his” and “her” bathrooms simply b/c one has a jet tub and the other a walk in shower… but in the new house the master bath has a garden tub and walk in shower, and the 2nd bath a bath/shower combo… we will be using the same bathroom in the new house. There is only one sink area, so we’ll either need to coordinate bathroom time, or one of us may have to plan to get ready in the kid’s bathroom…
My house does have two bathrooms, but there’s nothing I love more than brushing my teeth in the one sink, upstairs bathroom with my boyfriend before bed!
When we first got married, our apartment hada HUGE bathroom with 2 sinks and tons of counter space for each of us. It was fantastic! Our house has a tiny master bath. Only a corner shower (no tub), a pedistal sink, and toilet. That’s it!! I hate it but we just have to take turns. Luckily out bedroom has a vanity area so I use that in the mornings for makeup. (Pictures of our teeny tiny bathroom! http://rootsandrings.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/pictures-of-my-grown-up-life/)
We share one bathroom in our 800sqft condo. We even have the washer and dryer in there..so it is always a busy place! We have one sink. It actually works out really well because I get up earlier and use the bathroom before the hubby even gets up so we never are in there at the same time! Works out well! But let me tell ya, on weekends when we are trying to get ready for a night out at the same time it is a different story!
Ha! We have two bathrooms: we share the master bath for getting ready purposes, showering, tooth brushing, etc, but I graciously “let” my husband use the other bathroom for his quality magazine-reading time.
We have a huge master super bath, and each have our own sink although my husband has repeatedly told me he wants me to move into the hall bath to “get out of his way.” So I did because our master bath is so cold in the winter!
After two days of using separate bathrooms, he followed me into the hall bath saying he missed the morning banter and me giving him a smack on his bare tushie when he got out of the shower.
Now, we’re cramped into a tiny hall bathroom and the antics ensure! Sometimes the cat joins us! I love it and this practice will make it easier on us when we eventually downsize from the huge townhouse we live in now to something more cozy with a lot of land.
Just as long as we have at least two toilets …
After sharing a bathroom for the first year & a half of our marriage (first in our one bedroom apt and then for 6 months in a house we rented), we realized that sharing a bathroom is just NOT in the cards for us. We are both “putter-ers” in the morning, slowly moving around the bathroom at a snails pace. It did not bode well for us getting to work on time. When we bought our house in June, we were overjoyed to each have our own bathroom. My husband’s is the tiny guest bathroom with a shower stall, sink, toilet & little else, while I got the “main bathroom” – which is larger but also houses the washer/dryer. But, it is still ALL my own….AND I can sort laundry while sitting on the toilet. How’s THAT for multitasking??
Ooh, and check out my blog waldobungie.wordpress.com to see how I took your advice and did YHL’ed-it-up at our casa! Thanks for all your advice! Our house is definitely a work in progess, but your blog has helped us to make the most of our teensy tiny abode! :)
Oh, the cat just likes to sit on the back of the toilet and unroll the toilet paper into the trash can. She hears us in there having a good time and she MUST COME IN! How dare we leave her out of something!
One bathroom here, works fine for us since I’ve used a vanity in the bedroom my whole life and can’t stand getting ready IN the bathroom, it just gets too hot.
We shared 1 bathroom for the first 2 years or marriage, and even though now we live in a house with a bath & a half, we usually end up sharing anyway. We both use the full bath (obviously) but that sink is his and the one in the half bath is all mine. Unfortunately there’s no outlets in there, so all I can do is my business & brush my teeth in there. At least that bathroom is cuter & stays cleaner :)
We have two sinks and our toilet is in its own little water closet. Such a treat after living with a teeny tiny one-sink bathroom.
We live small deliberately, so there is only one bathroom and one sink. I haven’t gotten to the point that I feel the need for more, but perhaps I’ll be there one day. Honestly, you don’t seem like the types to get sick of each other’s company. :)
The best part about keeping my bathroom reno simple was that I was able to go for higher end materials. I used marble subway tile on the walls and marble basketweave on the floors (hope it’s cool to post that link, feel free to remove it), which would have been a bit too expensive if I had a larger bathroom and had wanted extra plumbing.
I assume this means the master bath remodel is coming soon? What style are you thinking about?
Hey Jeannine,
Unfortunately the tiny footprint of our bathroom is staying put so we’re destined to share that small spot with one vanity and one mirror- it’ll just be a nicer view after the makeover (new tile, new mirror, new vanity, etc). Luckily we don’t get ready at the same time so we don’t usually really overlap in there… which is a good thing because I’m not sure two people can even fit in that room.
xo,
s
We share the same bathroom, and sometimes at the same time. It really is the only bathroom in the house and only rarely is there a problem. I think part of that problem would be solved if I added a second mirror so the sink can be used separately for tooth brushing while the mirror is used for hair doing. I guess I don’t spend that much time in there, and if we are getting ready at the same time, I kind of know how each of us operates, so maybe I’ll take the dog for a walk before I brush my teeth or do my hair so that the bathroom is free when I return.
We’ve got a tiny master bathroom with one sink and one mirror. It’s definitely a pain in the butt. My husband’s only requirement for our next house is that the master bath must have a double vanity. : )
Ohhhh we share it all. Normally I don’t mind since we’re on two totally different schedules and don’t bump into each other. Plus, he keeps it clean. However, we also share it with our cat’s food. Why the bathroom? I’m not sure. But what’s really fun is getting out of the shower, stepping down onto your nice comfy bathmat and realizing you have cat food pebbles now in between your toes. It’s a great start to the day.
We have two bathrooms, which my boyfriend is very thankful for since I have my own space to store bath products, lotions, etc. We’ve had to share one tiny bathroom before and I know that neither of us would want to go back to that!
We live in a 1957 Ranch that, sadly, only has one teeny, tiny bathroom. I mean TINY. And no windows. It’s tragic really, because I love the rest of the house, but HATE the bathroom situation. One thing that saves us is that the hubby has to be to work at 8, while I’m not due in until 9. If we were on the same schedule it would be nigh impossible!
We’re looking to renovate the bathroom this winter, though, so would love to see you guys do something about options for maximizing space in small bathrooms!!!
We are apartment bound right now, so we only have one bathroom. Our vanity and mirror are HUGE so that is not a problem to share. However, we only have one sink. We’ve gotten a routine for brushing our teeth now so we are never in each other way. ;)
Pff! Not only do we have only one bathroom in the leetle bungalow we just bought, it’s so tiny you could sit on the toilet with one foot in the tub and one foot in the sink. Easily.
But we’ve always shared, and personally I think learning to do that sharing-the-vanity dance around each other is the secret to a happy marriage, not having two bathrooms.
It also helps that I work from home and my husband gets up much earlier than I do. Yeah.
We have 1 bathroom and it’s tiny. We generally take turns using the sink, but have learned to use the sink at the same time too. It’s cozy for sure! My husband never had more than 1 bedroom growing up in a family of 5 for most of his life, while I was used to 2 full and 1 1/2 while I grew up in the same size family. I’m very much looking forward to having another bathroom someday – if only so it’s easier when we have friends or family staying with us!
We live in a mid century ranch with only one full bathroom, just like you guys. And I work out of my home too, so the secret is that I sleep through his morning routine and he’s out of the house when it’s time for me to get in.
When I used to work for “the man” and we’d have to share the bathroom, it was pretty annoying. Especially since we’d have to determine who’s going to shower first, and if that person slept in five minutes extra they were screwing everything up for the second to shower.
If we ever build a second full bathroom, as we plan to, I think that each claiming one as their own will be grand.
We have 2.5 baths in our house. But my hubby and I share the master bath. That is simply because I don’t want to have to clean more than one full bath…lol. The half bath down stairs does make things much easier though. I do dream of the day when we have a double vanity in a master bath because it does get a little cramped when we are both in there…especially when our golden retriever decides he needs to be in the same room with us as well. :)
Like Ashley, our master bath is small (why we have a giant bedroom and closet with this suite, I do not know), so I’ve mostly left it to my husband. I do keep my “evening” stuff in there – face wash, toothbrush, etc. – although I’m frankly thinking about moving out altogether.
He’s not exactly the clean one out of the two of us. Ahem.
Downside – our DC area townhouse is 3 stories, so I actually have to go down to the second floor for my (also small) bathroom. Boo.
Our last home only had one bathroom. Period. So – I’ll take this any day!
Our ensuite master bath has a double sink, but I actually use the guest bathroom because it’s closer to my side of the bed. Since it’s just the two of us, it’s wonderful to have separate bathrooms (for now, until future children take over mine). No complaints about cleaning them, since we each have to bathe in our own muck. :) We used to share tiny bathroom in our old apartment, and honestly, I don’t know how we’d ever go back.
We’re lucky enough to have a very large master bath- with two sinks and a very large mirror! The best part is that my hubby lets me have the master bath all to my self- while he uses the guest bath.
We have 2 sinks and counters on opposite sides of our master bath. It’s way more than we need, since my husband spends zero time in front of the mirror (I don’t think his head has felt a comb in years. His hair is super short.) In my eyes it’s just another sink to clean. Our toilet is in a separate little room so that’s never an issue.
I have recently, however, made great use of the space underneath our sinks. Since we have little ones, we don’t keep any cleaning supplies under there. So I picked up some 5 gallon water jugs on sale and can now fit 35 gallons of water storage between the two cupboards!
oh boy do we share a bathroom! haha Our bathroom is tiny and we both have to leave for work at the same time! We have come up with a little system because there is no way we can both be in there at the same time. I’m currently working on putting a little vanity area in our bedroom, so I can have a place to put on makeup other than sitting on the floor while holding a mirror :) It’s especially difficult to straighten my hair after the steam from his shower fills the room :)
this is what it looks like:
http://fancyvintage.blogspot.com/2009/08/our-home-part-one.html
We built our home and requested a double sink (side by side) in our master bath. We had to give up a bank of large drawers to get the second sink, and now we realize our mistake.
If we had to do it over again we’d have one sink with the other half of the vanity as drawers for storage and TWO mirrors. We think the real advantage to having a second sink is the mirror that it brings. Very rarely do we need to use the sink together, but we both like our own mirror.
We share a bathroom, but have seperate sinks! That is wonderful and the key to making things run smoothly! :)
We have two houses.
Our primary home has one main bath on the 2nd floor, which we share in the morning, but we’ve worked out the timing down to the minute! We have another full bath on the 3rd floor and a toilet in the basement, but they’re just too darned inconvenient.
Our weekend home has three full baths (1 w/ bath and shower) and 2 with shower only. And we share, for the most part. When we’re upstairs for the evening, we both use that one. During the day, when we’re downstairs, we share THAT one.
And when we’re outside for the day during the summer, we use the one in the basement ’cause it’s closer! And we share that one, too!
I guess we just like to share!
We have two (small–it is an old house) full baths–one upstairs and one downstairs. The downstairs one is the hubster’s–he likes the big shower and the high ceilings in that room. The upstairs one is mine–although it is no en suite, the upstairs is kind of like our own retreat–big bedroom, bath, and my office. We share when we have guests since the guest room is downstairs.
We have a one bedroom/one bathroom apartment. Sharing the tiny bathroom isn’t much of a problem – especially because I grew up sharing one bathroom with 4 other people – but oh, what I wouldn’t do for another toilet. Just a little half-bath. Because DH _always_ manages to take up residence for his quality reading time when I desperately need to pee.
That was TMI. But it’s true.
Our little house has one tiny little bathroom…not even room for a closet…and so we are forced to share…but luckily we get ready about 15 minutes apart since im a nurse and am up very early…otherwise we would be in trouble! we are planning a makeover on our bathroom very soon to hopefully maximize what little space we have and make it look more modern!
In our first home, we shared a small bathroom. Eventually, hubby revamped the basement bath and that became somewhat ‘his’. In our current home, we have a true master bath. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but when we first moved we laughed all the time about not seeing each other anymore because we had more room.
I’ve been living with my boyfriend for over a year now – and in all of the THREE places that we’ve lived, we’ve always had to share a sink and a mirror. It’s not the sharing the sink or mirror that has ever been a problem, it’s the storage space and electrical outlets. He gets made if I leave his shaver unplugged after using my hair dryer, and I hate it when he leaves his stuff ALL OVER our vanity. Thankfully, the tiny bathroom in the house we just bought has way more storage space than meets the eye…. but, he still has to deal with me leaving his shaver unplugged ;) Maybe one day we’ll have a house with more outlets!
I am a newly single with the masterbath all to myself now. i am enjoying having my girly stuff spread out and organized. it was difficult to keep everything just how i like it with someone sharing the space. and just because i can, i use one sink in the morning and one sink at night! (it’s the little things in life which make me giggle)
We share a bathroom but luckily have separate sinks and they are not even side by side…they are on either side of the door so we are never in each other’s way! It’s awesome and one of the things we liked best about the house!
Another bathroom share-er here! The small 1950′s ranch home that we purchased 5 months ago only has one bathroom – it is rather small and has one sink, one mirror. We purposely wanted small home and while another bath would be nice, we make it work. We even get up and get ready at the same time in the morning since we leave at the same time – having one car, I drop the hubs off at the train and then drive to work.
Occasionally there is a traffic jam but we have always had one bathroom and can navigate around each other very well. In fact sharing a bathroom has never been an issue for us so maybe it is the key to a happy marriage – at least for us :)
We used to share and even though we had a huge vanity and lots of storage, we hated it. I gave him the small (5×5) one off our bedroom and I use the bigger hall bedroom with more drawers. It works great! We have 2.5 bathrooms so hopefully bathroom sharing will always be a thing of the past for us.