Your shower enclosure can make or break the aesthetic of your bathroom. If your bathroom is gorgeous, a work of design genius, it can all be undone by the wrong enclosure. There are abundant different shapes and sizes, and the entry systems of the shower enclosures vary widely too. The standard shape is a simple rectangular box, but there are also corner enclosures, bi-fold doors, pivot doors, sliding doors, quadrant enclosures, offset enclosures and walk-in styles, including wet-rooms. Each one has advantages and disadvantages, and it’s only your discretion which could limit your choice.
Different Enclosures
Corner enclosures tend to be highly economical in terms of space, maximising the room in a smaller bathroom. They’re very stylish, very modern, and very comfortable. Shower doors are all practical, so you don’t need to worry too much about which style door to go for. They all do their job very effectively, so once again, it’s just the styling with which you need to concern yourself. Sliding doors are smooth and modern, particularly as part of a larger glass structure, while bi-fold and pivot doors reduce the amount of space taken up by the entry system.
A design style which is currently booming in bathroom design is the concept of frameless enclosures. Usually the frames of shower enclosures are made from thin aluminium strips which hold the structure together. But recently, the amount of metal framing has been stripped out, leaving a completely frameless or semi-frameless glass case. This is the most modern look currently taking root in interior design, and it’s easy to see why; it looks sensational.
The frameless design is minimal and clean, but nothing is as minimal and clean as the wet room. The wet room is a relatively new concept in the UK, but it’s been around in northern Europe and North America for some time. Now it’s becoming really popular here too. In essence, it’s a section of the bathroom which has been segregated from the rest by a simple glass panel (usually), but is otherwise left open. As such, it’s a far more versatile design than an ordinary shower enclosure. The floor of the wet room slopes gently toward the waste outlet, so the floor of the rest of the bathroom remains as dry as possible despite there being no real disconnection between it and the floor of the shower.
The Wet Room & Showerbath
One of the most striking benefits of the wet room over a conventional shower is its ease of access for people with limited mobility. There are no sides to negotiate, no doors, no lips or ledges. It is simply an open space, separated slightly from the rest of the bathroom. Space for a wet room can be created simply by removing the bathtub and installing the wet room in its place. If however you’re agonising over whether you should rip out the bath and replace it with a shower, or keep the bath and make do without a shower, then you might want to consider a shower bath. It’s an elegant solution to the problem of space conservation, combining the best characteristics of a bath and a shower and throwing in a few added advantages for free. For example, a shower bath will completely prevent a wet bathroom floor, since most of the falling water is caught inside the bath – particularly if you a re using a large separating screen which blocks the shower from view and supplies a bit of privacy when you’re standing in it. A showerbath is wider at one end for space to stand comfortably, but maintains the unparalleled comfort and relaxing properties of the bath.