So you are redesigning your bathroom, whether it’s in the house you are currently living in or a new house that you are moving into, you’ll want to come to a fair few decisions at the designing stage. Are you having a bath or a shower? Will they be in separate units or with the shower above the bath? The answer to this question of course lies in the size, shape and style of your room, but if you decide to go for a shower on its own, or a separate shower, you should read on to find out what options are available to you.
Hinged and Bi-Fold Shower enclosures
Possibly the more traditional form of shower enclosure, the hinge and bi-fold enclosures offer simplicity and can be quite stylish. With hinge door enclosures the door opens outward for access to the shower, and a bi-fold door folds into itself for access. Both of these options take up additional space, on top of the area of the shower itself, however the bi-fold enclosure is a good option for a particularly small bathroom as they use less additional floor area and both options can be fitted into a recess space created by the walls of your room. The other plus point to these types of enclosures is the cost, as you are often able to find good quality hinge and bi-fold shower doors at a lower price than some other options.
Walk in showers
These showers are particularly elegant and can be a modern addition to any bathroom. With no door, the enclosures often have a large showering area with a screen to protect the rest of the bathroom and an open ‘drying area’ used to enter and exit the shower space and to dry once you have showered. The floor space taken up by these enclosures can be quite large in order to reduce the spray of the water from the shower area into the rest of the bathroom, though they are an ideal replacement for a bath should you want a modern, minimalist style or need a more accessible shower should you have mobility issues.
Sliding Shower Enclosures
Sliding shower enclosures come with two panels of glass, one of which is a door which slides back into the other to allow for access. Sliding shower enclosures can be very stylish and come as either units or the doors can be fitted into larger recesses within your bathroom. The style is slightly restricted as these enclosures are usually rectangular and the floor area taken up by the enclosure can be quite large. However, with the rest of the bathroom completely protected by the shower spray and no drips coming from the corners of the doors onto the bathroom floor, these enclosures can mean less cleaning up after your shower.
Quadrant Shower Enclosures
Similar to the sliding door enclosures, quadrant shower enclosure doors are on sliders and recede into the glass enclosure. However, they have a curve to them, so they can appear more elegant and use less space, in a less awkward manner, than their rectangular counterparts. In a smaller bathroom, the space saved using a quadrant shower enclosure can mean an easier throughway to the toilet or the sink and they can be fitted around a low or high-level shower tray.