Designing a bathroom from scratch can be perfectly straightforward or a bit of a conundrum. Here we’re giving you the pros and cons of the different types of shower spaces that could suit your bathroom. So, whether you’re working from an existing layout or starting afresh, this round-up will provide some inspiration for your new bathroom…
1 – An Alcove with Pivot Door
Many bathrooms have a ready-made alcove for the shower, which does make planning straightforward – installing a new shower tray and a Pivot Door makes the shower space look simple, streamlined and un-cluttered. Shower trays and doors come in a large number of sizes, so there’s bound to be one to suit the existing alcove. This is our London 6mm Pivot Shower Door, 760mm wide. A Pivot Door allows maximum entry space, is shown here with an Aluminium frame, with a black frame also available. Top Tip: Check your available width, Pivot Doors are available in sizes from 760mm to 1200mm width.
2 – A Curved Quadrant Shower Enclosure
A simple shower enclosure is another straightforward choice, and can usually replace an existing enclosure with a similar floor area. An enclosure requires a matching tray, the two are designed to work together to ensure the spray is completely confined to the enclosure and doesn’t stray into any other part of the bathroom. Enclosures can have sliding, inward or outward opening doors, and it depends on how much moving-around space you have available as to which is the best choice. This is our Hamburg Quadrant Shower Enclosure, 800mm along each straight edge, with centre entry and roll-back sliding doors.
3 – A Square Bifold Shower Enclosure
Another simple choice, this is a Square Shower Enclosure, which can work well in a smaller, square layout, especially if combined with wall-hung fittings to enhance the floor area. This London Bifold model has one opening door, which slides to the left (or right, both options available) whilst folding in the middle, for easy entry into the shower space. Again, it’s designed to be fitted with a matching tray and is a perfect choice for a neat and streamlined corner installation.
4 – An L-Shaped Shower Bath with L-Shaped Fixed Screen
A shower bath is considered to be the best of both worlds if here isn’t space for a separate bath and shower. An L-Shaped bath gives more showering space than a regular rectangular bath, and the L-Shaped screen gives that little bit more protection from shower spray encroaching into the room. We have left and right handed versions so you can choose depending on which suits your room layout best. And don’t forget, the existing plumbing for bath taps makes it possible to upgrade to a shower bath without too much changeover work involved! And for a less angular look, there’s also the option of a P-Shaped Shower Bath and Screen.
5 – A Wet-Room Shower Screen and Return Panel
A wet room is different from a shower enclosure, as there is no shower tray involved, and the shower drain is recessed straight into the floor – which will need to be tiled, of course! A tray-free showering space looks very contemporary, and visually streamlines the room. A wet room needs more planning than an ordinary bathroom, as the whole floor area needs to be totally waterproofed, and is usually slightly raised to accommodate the shower drain. This is our Munich Matt Black 8mm Shower Glass panel with a return panel (250mm) to help contain the spray. The main panel comes in sizes from 700mm to 1200mm.
6 – A Sliding Shower Door
A sliding shower door is a neat way of creating an enclosed wet-room, without the need for a separate shower tray. Providing the floor is fully sealed and waterproof, a Sliding Shower Door can complete an alcove shower space. Sliding doors are often the best choice where the design and layout of the space works better without the requirement of allowing for outwards or inwards opening entry door/doors. This is the Oslo Matt Black 8mm Sliding Shower Door, in a generous 1400mm width for spacious showering. Remember, side panels are available if it’s not an alcove installation…
7 – A Single Wet Room Panel
Keep it simple, sleek and elegant with a single glass wet room panel. This is a very good solution in a small bathroom, where the idea is to keep the room looking as pared back as possible. It’s also good in a larger space, where the idea is to have a clear, uninterrupted view of the whole room. It doesn’t get much more straightforward than a wet room panel, and Copenhagen Wet Room Easy Clean Shower Glass panels are available in numerous widths, from 700mm to 1400mm. 250mm return panels and separate single panels are available if you want to section the room.
8 – A Sliding Door Shower Enclosure
We’ve mentioned a Sliding Door for a wet room, but you can also have a Sliding Door Shower Enclosure too… this is our Oslo Premium Easy Clean Sliding Enclosure, which is used with a shower tray – it can sit on your newly tiled floor or an existing floor. Once again there are numerous sizes available, to cover pretty much any bathroom size! An enclosure can sit in a corner, as shown here, and need no further space allowance for a door opening into the room. This is the Aluminium version, and Matt Black is also available.
There you have our best advice on which shower space is the best for you and your home! Be sure to tag us in pictures of your finished shower space on Instagram, @Bathroommountainuk, we love seeing our products in your homes!
