Bathroom Shower Designs
Many small bathroom designs only include a bathtub, rather than a tub and a separate shower. Most of these tubs normally double as showers. Even though it’s often a good thing to have one bathroom fixture that can do two jobs, you may be looking for a shower that’s larger, or more convenient, or more comfortable. If you’re planning a bathroom remodeling project, consider separating the tub and the shower, or even completely replacing the tub with a large shower. That means you’ll need a shower stall, either ready made or built-to-fit. Bathroom shower designs cover a wide range of options, from all-in-one acrylic or fiberglass panel models, through moulded pans to which you add your own wall covering, such as ceramic tile, all the way to custom built mortar pans as a base for tile or stone.
The most important factor when searching for a new shower stall is the amount of space that you have for it to fit into. If you are changing from a combo bathtub/shower to a bathtub and a standalone shower, you may not have a lot of space to work with. If that’s so, your options may be somewhat limited. On the other hand, if you are completely gutting and remodeling the whole room, you may be able to adjust the space available to fit the shower stall you’ve set your heart on.
Once you’ve made the decision that you need to buy a new shower stall, as well as deciding on the appropriate size, you’ll need to start shopping for your shower. You might expect to find all the parts you need all in the same place, but that may be more difficult than you expect. Although there are plenty of retailers, especially large home improvement centers, that sell standalone shower kits, many do not, and you may not be looking for an all-in-one kit. The required parts may include, but aren’t necessarily limited to:
- materials for building niche for shower
- shower pan or floor
- drain fittings
- shower wall materials (panels, tiles, mortar etc)
- shower door or curtain and rod
- shower controls and head
Each of these items has many choices available and you’ll need to make decisions about each one, first the type of item needed, then the specific item you want to use.
Once extremely important practical point, especially where you’re replacing an existing shower stall, is the location of the drain piping in relation to the drain hole in the new shower pan. It’s essential that these match up!
Once the buying process starts, many homeowners go searching for the nicest looking standalone shower but may be disappointed that it doesn’t fall within their budget. Perhaps you may be looking for the best, but you might be remodeling your bathroom on a tight budget. If so, you’ll be happy to learn that standalone showers and otehr shower components come in many different sizes, shapes, colors and styles. Whether you’re considering an expensive trendy looking shower, a traditionally styled one, something with dozens of nozzles for water, steam and who knows what else, or simply the most affordable one that does what you need, there’s a strong chance that you can find exactly what you are looking for.
Most home improvement stores, online and offline, carry a selection of shower components and supplies, including some that are grouped into kits and which can be cheaper than buying all the parts separately.On the other hand, if you have the time and patience to watch for bargains, you can get great deals on separate components and match them together yourself.
Offline “real world” stores have the advantage that you can see the actual shower stall you’re planning to buy, step into it, and try it out for size and comfort. Large stores sometimes have quite extensive displays of stalls and pans, and even more plumbing fixtures so you can see all the choices of faucets, valves, controls and shower heads. Modern bathroom shower designs have changed a lot since our parents “two separate faucets on the wall, and a shower head”.
Many kit showers, or pans and wall panels made from acrylic or fiberglass, are simple for a moderately experienced DIY-er to install him or herself. The most important thing to remember is “measure twice, cut once”: especially for cutting holes for plumbing pipes, consider making a full-size template of the layout and transferring it to your wall panels.
Small Bathroom Ideas
If your bathroom is small, like mine, it can probably use some great small bathroom ideas – ideas to save space, make the best use of the space you do have, and make the space look larger even if it really isn’t. Read on for a collection of ideas for small bathroom designs, from the basic to the slightly over-the-top, to help you make the most of your small bathroom.
Use a shower instead of a tub. If you have a tub somewhere else in the house, maybe you don’t need one in this particular bathroom. Nowadays, most people take showers instead anyway. The space used by a standard tub, 60″ x 30″, will give you a luxurious two-person shower, or you can install a smaller shower and use the extra space for storage or a second vanity basin.
The toilet-lid sink is a sink which installs in place of the lid of your toilet tank, and drains into the tank, thus reusing your washing water as flush water and saving water. I can’t see many people installing this instead of a regular vanity or sink, but if you’re in a really small bathroom it might be just the ticket.
Good lighting can make your small bathroom seem larger, and even if it doesn’t, it will make it brighter, more cheerful to be in, and safer and easier to use. Think about windows (including interior transom windows over doors), skylights, solar tubes, fan/light combo units, heat/light combo units, vanity lights, over-shower/tub lights. Also consider bulb types: compact fluorescent (CFL) and even LED light bulbs are now as good and as available as the old incandescent bulbs, and save a lot of energy in comparison. They also run much cooler, saving on AC if you have hot summers.
Do you need only minimal storage in the bathroom? If this is a guest bath, or if you have storage right outside the bathroom door, you may be able to get away with only enough storage for a few toilet rolls and spare toiletries. That frees up space for actual spaciousness: consider the difference in look between a pedestal sink and a vanity cabinet. Alternatively, use a half-depth vanity cabinet, with the sink extending forward over the front: these take up less floor space while providing some storage space.
Frequently used or not? If not, you can use wild or fragile decor which might get damaged or tiresome in a heavily used room.
Instead of trying to make a small room look less small, why not play on the smallness and make it into a cocoon or cave.
Use opposite-wall mirrors or reflective wallpaper to make the room extend into infinity.
Borrow space. Can you set a shower or tub back into unused closet space in another room? Set storage cabinets between the studs? Expand a ceiling up into attic space? use a greenhouse window in place of a standard one? Even bump out one wall a couple of feet?
A light colored floor which is as clear as possible makes a space look larger. Use a pedestal sink or small vanity cabinet, a vanity cabinet on legs, a claw-footed tub, or wall-hung toilet to give you the maximum visible floor area.
Bath/shower combos often feel very cramped in use, but much of that perception is at torso and shoulder level rather than round your feet. A curved shower rod which projects into the room gives a surprising feeling of spaciousness to showering in the tub, and doesn’t impose much on the room visually.
A cathedral ceiling can make a space feel more airy and open but don’t go too wild: a too-high ceiling in a small room sometimes just feels like you’re in the bottom of an elevator shaft!
Glass shower stall walls and doors allow the eye to move freely through the space instead of being stopped by structures – and that means feeling as if there’s more available space.
Related Blogs
- Related Blogs on bathroom decor
- Bathroom Decor For Kids | Project Nursery
- Elegant Bathroom Decor « Home Interior Designs
- 8 Hot Trends in Bath Design 2009 | The Decorating Diva
- Bathroom tiles | My blog about houses – Best house plans
- dwellings and décor » Blog Archive » The Murphy’s New Bathroom
Bathroom Tile Design Ideas
The bathroom and tile design go together like… hmmm…. rhubarb and custard? Maybe even better than that! Seriously though, the beauty of tile and its tough, waterproof surface make it the perfect material for bathroom walls and floors, especially in wet areas.
Functionally, there are many things to take into account. When choosing tiles, make sure the tile you pick is suitable for the area you plan to use it – waterproof enough for the bath or shower, and textured and tough enough for the floor.
Here are some pictures of tile use in bathrooms to help you come up with your own bathroom tile design ideas.
Large wall tiles broken up with narrow contrast stripes behind a white vessel sink
The large pale mottled/marbled effect tiles have a quiet, soothing effect, while the contrast stripes are made up of multiple small stone tiles in different colors, and break up the expanse to a more human scale.
Pale blue/grey/silver mosaic tiles behind a white vessel sink
The subtle damask-type pattern in these pale blue-grey tiles sweeps over all the bathroom walls. It gives the walls lots of interest while not being obtrusive, and makes a great background for the natural wood, metal and stone finishes.
Shades of black, grey, white and silver mosaic tiles
This is quite a busy mosaic tile pattern. It might make a good shower or bathtub surround for a morning-use bathroom when you want to be woken up! Alternatively, panels of this pattern surrounded by white would pop out and make a statement without being overwhelming.
Large pale diagonal tiles with narrow striped accent
These are the same pale marbled tiles in the first picture above, with the same small rectangular stone accent tiles, but here the large tiles are set on the diagonal. The swoopy towel ring makes a nice contrast with the straight lines of the tiles.