Please don’t call anything master unless you are a sub. It’s called primary suite now.

Anonymous wrote:We have separate walk in closets - will never go back to sharing.
Heated bathroom floors
We have a large walkin shower with multiple heads/sprayers and it's heavenly.
A separate w/c in the bathroom, don't have a need for 2 bathrooms
I would create another separate office or even a bedroom (maximize value) rather than a sitting area - we already have a family room and a formal living room, and our kids are off at college - what do I need another sitting are for?
Gas fireplace in the bedroom would be great

Agree with all of this. We just spent an alarming amount of $$ on a separate WC, and it was worth every penny.

Also endorse separate walk in closets with space for built in dressers and shelving. So nice to not have dressers cluttering up the bedroom.

We have an alcove that is set up with a desk and we rarely use it. The office downstairs gets much more use. We also rarely use the sitting area (although the dog likes to sleep on the love seat).

How big is your house? We have a cofffee/mini bar wine fridge in our beach house primary because it truly is a good distance to the kitchen and we tend to get up before guests so we don’t have to worry about waking others to “start” our day.

It wouldn’t be a big benefit to do this in our M-F house in DMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am not understanding the attic thing or why you would do that. I would rather expand up to attic if there was a public (hallway staircase) way to access it- not through the bedroom).


We just completed our renovation (MBR only- not bedroom yet) and heated floors, towel warmer, zero entry shower, larger soaking tub, 10' long double vanity, bidet, upgraded multiple lighting options/ moods and custom vanity are our faves so far. We also sprung for large quartzite and marble slabs (beauty and function/no grout lines).

for our bedroom we will redo hardwoods, add a balcony and fireplace and rework a corner to have a third closet.

Agree I don't want a kitchenette in our bedroom- happy to go to kitchen for that.

I know the attic thing is weird- and it’s hard to explain other than the house is a split level and the bathroom is on the attic level (as is the bedroom) already if that makes sense. It’s already part of the attic but there is an unfinished part that could have been finished but wasn’t?

Towel warmer. Mmmmm. Zero entry. Mmmmm.

Oh, wow- I am the PP to whom you responded and I don't know why your explanation didn't register- as we are in a split level too!! OK, got it. Well, for our BR, we busted through the ceiling to get double height and have the beams in the ceiling- so no second storey there for us. If you like sunlight/tall ceilings this is nice. We would likely want to age in place here so did not try to reclaim space there. Would you have enough room for normal stairs there, or is it on the actual same level, then?

We have a closet area where I fantasized about doing a double height library ladder to be able to reach double height shelves... but DH admitted he's the one who would likely have to climb up there to grab my bags for me and he had no interest in that so we didn't do it. I think they are 'pinterest pretty' but not actually usable. I'm only bummed that where our bedroom is, because of attic systems, we can't get double height- but may be able to do a small cupola in the middle.

Oh, we also really changed the layout of our bathroom. It is pricier but way worth it- so be sure to think about your perfect layout if you are demoing the whole thing anyway- don't just do the layout as is, if there are better options.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order of desirability to me:


Separate closets and bathrooms
A door in my closet that leads to a small sitting room with a fireplace and a window with a great view. The room would be secret so my kids couldn’t find me

Sign me up for this too! What an excellent fantasy. Mine would have a cat door so my lovely cat could join me and birdwatch.

My aunt actually has this in her house! Her kids are grown, so no need to hide. She joke it could
be a “safe room”.

It’s one of the best ideas posted so far! Lol

Anonymous wrote:I am not understanding the attic thing or why you would do that. I would rather expand up to attic if there was a public (hallway staircase) way to access it- not through the bedroom).


We just completed our renovation (MBR only- not bedroom yet) and heated floors, towel warmer, zero entry shower, larger soaking tub, 10' long double vanity, bidet, upgraded multiple lighting options/ moods and custom vanity are our faves so far. We also sprung for large quartzite and marble slabs (beauty and function/no grout lines).

for our bedroom we will redo hardwoods, add a balcony and fireplace and rework a corner to have a third closet.

Agree I don't want a kitchenette in our bedroom- happy to go to kitchen for that.

I know the attic thing is weird- and it’s hard to explain other than the house is a split level and the bathroom is on the attic level (as is the bedroom) already if that makes sense. It’s already part of the attic but there is an unfinished part that could have been finished but wasn’t?

Towel warmer. Mmmmm. Zero entry. Mmmmm.

I am not understanding the attic thing or why you would do that. I would rather expand up to attic if there was a public (hallway staircase) way to access it- not through the bedroom).


We just completed our renovation (MBR only- not bedroom yet) and heated floors, towel warmer, zero entry shower, larger soaking tub, 10' long double vanity, bidet, upgraded multiple lighting options/ moods and custom vanity are our faves so far. We also sprung for large quartzite and marble slabs (beauty and function/no grout lines).

for our bedroom we will redo hardwoods, add a balcony and fireplace and rework a corner to have a third closet.

Agree I don't want a kitchenette in our bedroom- happy to go to kitchen for that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In order of desirability to me:


Separate closets and bathrooms
A door in my closet that leads to a small sitting room with a fireplace and a window with a great view. The room would be secret so my kids couldn’t find me

Sign me up for this too! What an excellent fantasy. Mine would have a cat door so my lovely cat could join me and birdwatch.

My aunt actually has this in her house! Her kids are grown, so no need to hide. She joke it could
be a “safe room”.

Washer/dryer in bathroom, or wherever.

Hi, OP here.

There was a PP who asked why we are doing this. We bought a huge fixer upper that is our forever home. We got it right before the market boom in 2019 and we have put off the master suite because we wanted to get it done all at once. It’s not for anyone else really. We just want a home that we never want to leave- in other words perfect for us. We are hoping to age in place in this home but are aware the stairs will probably prohibit that.

Our second floor has angled ceilings where they finished the tallest portions but gave us options in the attic to extend 4 feet out-ish. So it gives us a lot of creative options.

I love all of the answers here and am depressed we can’t get two WC. I would love that but a private stall and sink will have to do for now. I think we are going forward with the office idea.

So far: heated bathroom floor is a winner, definitely a private stall, and a secret room for dressing are all amazing ideas. The coffee/fridge idea is nixed. I’m not sure if we can fit a WD upstairs now. Maybe a laundry cute.

The single best thing we did when we renovated was to have heated tile bathroom floors. It's been 15 years and I STILL love them!

I also really like that the toilet and bidet are in a little enclosed area with a pocket door and a supersized fan. It's the only way I can share a bathroom with my DH. What comes out of his @ss is just vile and lingering.

Anonymous wrote:If I had room for it, separate toilets (his/her) and separate walk in closets.

I think the whole coffee bar/fridge in the master is weird. We saw this in many houses we looked at it and it was a turnoff for me. I don't really want a kitchenette in my bedroom. There is not much of a scenario where I want to stay in my bedroom all day and can't make it downstairs for a cup of coffee. Maybe I'm alone in this reaction though.

This is what I wanted when I was a zombie with a newborn but I hear you on awkwardness. What if it was part of a nice built in bookcase set up with the equivalent of an appliance garage at counter height that could be hidden? That way it looks like built in furniture but can also be used as a morning/evening refreshments staging area. Sigh, my dream.

Anonymous wrote:We're about to redo our master in the next 6-8 months. I'm still contemplating ideas, but feel like I'm missing really cool ideas to make our en suite truly special.

We currently have the following:

1) Large walk in closet
2) Separate Sitting Area
3) Master bath with shower and tub.

We are currently thinking to do the following:

1) Build out the walk in closet to create a "linen closet" in the attic. It's not big enough for a separate office or gym, and our current hallway linen closet can barely hold pillowcases.
2) Convert the sitting area into a small office, with a cabinet with a fridge for a coffee maker and water. I'm not sure about this one, but we barely use the sitting area anyway and I'm open to ideas to make the space really useful. We could also close it off and turn it to a separate bedroom.
3) Expand the bathroom into the attic and have a separate toilet and sink area and a W/D upstairs. Keep the tub but add built in wall shelves for towels.

My biggest question is what are the things that you wish you could do for your master, in particular for the bathroom and sitting areas?

I recommend (2). We converted the sitting area in our primary suite to a small office with some built in shelves and room for a desk plus one medium sized comfy chair (we skipped the fridge/coffee idea because I don’t like food in the bedroom) and it gets used so much more than it did before. I love how tucked away the space is - makes it easier to work from home when you’re harder for your family members to access

I'd have a modest master suite. Save my money for a nicer home everywhere else where I spend most of my waking time.

Oh, wait: that's what I did!

If I had room for it, separate toilets (his/her) and separate walk in closets.

I think the whole coffee bar/fridge in the master is weird. We saw this in many houses we looked at it and it was a turnoff for me. I don't really want a kitchenette in my bedroom. There is not much of a scenario where I want to stay in my bedroom all day and can't make it downstairs for a cup of coffee. Maybe I'm alone in this reaction though.