Bathroom shower (me with love)

Your shower is one of the most important elements of a bathroom. Most of us start and sometimes end every day standing beneath it.

We’ve created thousands of bathrooms over the years, and along the way we’ve developed a solid approach to ensuring the shower is as soothing and functional as can be. Here are our insights into the perfect shower experience.

1. A luxury experience

The bathroom shower has come a long way from the basic wall-fixed showerhead over the bath. The shower is now an essential feature in the modern bathroom, and whilst functionality is still very important, the style and look of a bathroom is key. In the past, bathrooms or kitchens were not considered to be a part of the decorative aspect of a home. Now, we are making them such a feature by adding lighting, decorative tiles and luxurious finishes.

Whilst most older homes have baths, the current trend for renovations is not to replace an old bath with a new one. Instead, we are seeing a lot of clients asking us to remove an old bath and replace it with a spacious walk-in shower, even a double shower if space permits. This adds style and space instantly.

We are all busy with work, social and family needs demanding our time. The ritual of the relaxing soak in a bath has in many cases fallen from our daily, weekly or even monthly schedules. Hence the rise of the shower – and the indulgent shower has taken some of that ritual back.

Another factor is sheer bathroom real estate. A bath takes up a large footprint, but it can be replaced with a shower that is considerably large and makes the bathroom areas appear bigger.

2. Feature Shower

Quite often in our projects, the shower is the main feature in a larger bathroom, with large overhead showers being particularly popular. They look minimalistic and finish off the bathroom’s design perfectly. The selected finish plays a big part in the bathroom aesthetic, and black tapware and shower heads have taken the lead in recent years, as well as brushed stainless steel and brass. Bright coloured tapware is even an option for those willing to be bold.

We also might nominate Trans Lam Glass (Frosted Glass) which looks great instead of clear glass. Also, adding a black frame to a shower panel gives a space a contemporary touch.

Ultimately, the shower is not just a daily ritual – a feature shower can be a daily indulgence.  It’s what turns a nice functional bathroom into something desirable.

3. Power to the shower head

While shower heads with multiple functions/spray patterns have been around for a while – they were largely ignored (who needs a five function shower if only one of the functions is worth using?). However, a new generation of technology and sophistication in shower heads has actually provided spray pattern varieties that are worth experimenting with.  These functions are available in both overhead and handheld showers.

A handheld shower also has a functional benefit of easier cleaning – it’s quick to rinse the shower walls, plus it’s perfect on those days when you aren’t washing your hair. Combination overhead showers with a separate handheld are also a popular combination. Massive overhead or rainhead showers are often requested by our clients, and while they provide an amazing shower experience, functionality usually dictates they also specify a handset shower of some description.

4. Improved design

All showers in Australia must be WELS rated and clearly indicate their litres per minute usage. Most modern showers have now been fully designed to work with lower flow rates. The standard is 9 litres per minute, but some units are now achieving under 7.5ltr/min while still delivering an effective shower. This is usually achieved by mixing air into the spray to create a finer droplet – thus increasing the surface area of the water, not the volume of water used.

We predict will be seeing more options appearing for different showering experiences with steam and waterfalls and body jets – with the future delivering a programmed wash cycle, like a carwash!

5. Getting it right

There are many steps to ensuring a waterproof bathroom, with design, build technique, and product selection (waste type, screen type etc) all contributing. A specialist bathroom renovator will ensure these factors are all considered and implemented to suit your specific bathroom scenario.

While strip drainage is popular, designers are now moving away from the commercial-looking stainless steel grates to more discreet drains that are hardly visible at all.

To talk to one of our award-winning designers about selecting the best shower design for your bathroom renovation, call us on 1300 662 838 or book your free in-home consultation now.