Eric Cohler’s designer bathroom positions the shower as an entryway, encouraging the feeling – if not the act of – cleansing oneself prior to entering the bathroom. Spa Tower draws on Renaissance architecture to create a feeling of elegance while accentuating the soaring tower design of the shower.

Bathroom update keeps your home on trend

By Elizabeth Anthony

The shower often is the focal point of the bathroom. Most of us look forward to washing the cares of the day away in a long, hot shower; however, if a small, fiberglass shower is hindering your zen, it’s probably time for some updating. One of the big bathroom remodeling trends of 2014 is creating a custom shower.

According to the experts at HGTV.com, “Homeowners are opting for bigger and better showers which include elements designed to reflect their personal taste, whether that be showerheads, pebble flooring, niches, benches, body sprays — you name it. It’s about transforming the bathroom into a home spa.”

SHOWER TRENDS

Trends are showing that in 2014, many homeowners are turning their attention to luxury showers rather than bathtubs or whirlpools, focusing on big, bold, spa-like designs to create elegant, sun-soaked spaces. Some of the ideas to consider include:

Frameless Shower Doors

Shower trends place big emphasis on bright, barrier-free floor plans, and open, airy spaces that make use of natural light. The popularity of frameless, glass showers is a perfect example. Though this trend is not new, it has increasingly become a standard upgrade. Frameless shower doors make the bathroom look larger, giving an uninterrupted view of the space, and have a clean, seamless appearance.

Curbless Showers

For a truly barrier-free look, many homeowners are going even a step farther creating what is called a curbless shower. This features flooring that runs right into the shower, rather than stopping at the shower curb. This design offers a clean, beautiful approach — especially when featured in a smaller space. Instead of just eliminating the metal hinges and rails that hold together the walls of a shower enclosure, the curb at the foot of the shower is eliminated as well. Then, often the entire bathroom floor — shower and all — will be finished in the same tile, facilitating a simple change which is both more elegant and more accessible than a conventional design.

Barrier-Free Showers

Many homeowners are doing away with shower doors and shower enclosures entirely, opting instead for totally barrier-free showers that are open to the rest of the bathroom. Without any glass or tile walls to separate it out, these open showers have no limit on elbow room and can make a bathroom feel wide and open. With this layout, it’s important to be aware of water splashing and ensure everything in range of the shower head is waterproofed and that the tile floor is slightly graded to prevent water from pooling.

Wet Bathrooms

The wet shower is a natural extension of the barrier-free shower. Wet showers incorporate other waterproofed bathroom fixtures, like a bathtub, toilet, or sink, and usually come in one of two modes. In a smaller bathroom, the entire bathroom can be waterproofed from top to bottom, allowing for a roomy, full-sized, accessible shower in the space of a very small bathroom. In a larger bathroom, oftentimes it means putting a luxury soaking bathtub and occasionally a sink and toilet inside a glass enclosure separate from the main dressing area of the bathroom.

Steam Showers

One significant exception to this trend of open showers is the growing popularity of steam showers. Steam showers are designed to fill with silky, relaxing steam. However, managing the steam in order to prevent water damage means built-in steam showers must be completely enclosed on all sides, and typically require slightly lower ceilings to trap the steam as much as possible. The sides of a steam shower can be made of glass or tile, but must be completely waterproofed to keep the steam from spilling out.

Walk-in Showers

Finally, and most contrary to the open bathroom trend, is the rising popularity of walk-in showers. These designs make use of tile walls, often curved ones, to separate a small nook for the shower. This creates more of a barrier than the other kinds of showers, but offers a slightly more open feeling shower that’s perhaps less exposed, as well as a beautiful, shapely tile accent wall.

SHOWERHEADS

A simple showerhead update can dramatically improve your showering experience. With several styles available, the only difficult part is figuring out which one will suit your needs the best.

Rainshowers

If you’re looking for relaxing, full-body coverage, a rainshower is the right choice for you. These showerheads are often larger than their standard counterparts, allowing the user to receive all-over coverage rather than a concentrated spray. The Waterhill by Moen is a fantastic choice for a rainshower. It’s a generously sized 10” diameter rainshower for exceptional water coverage, with advanced, self–pressurizing Moen Immersion rainshower technology. This means it channels water through the showerhead with three times more spray power than most rainshowers for a more thorough rinse.

For a more contemporary look with a more features, consider the WaterTile by Kohler. With four 22-nozzle sprayheads, WaterTile Square Rain overhead showering panels provide luxurious water delivery that even Mother Nature would envy. Four fully adjustable and pivoting square spray heads distribute a relaxing shower of water that simulates a gentle summer rain.

Handheld Showers

With a handheld shower you’re able to bring the water flow directly to you. This type of shower allows any family member — no matter the size or age — to safely and easily shower. Delta offers some options with pretty cool technology. Delta’s In2ition showers with H2Okinetic technology feature a detachable handshower, which can run separately or simultaneously with the showerhead base, giving you the comfort of water streaming from the showerhead position and the flexibility to accomplish other tasks, such as bathing children, washing pets and cleaning the shower. When not in use, a powerful magnet locks the handshower back into place.

Standard Showerheads

Traditional shower heads unite the latest technology with a softer aesthetic. Designed to enhance classic or country style bathrooms, they bring up-to-the-minute features and finishes to traditional spaces while maintaining the authentic feel of your interior. A superb choice for this style is the Top 4 Relaxa by Grohe, which features four distinct, tightly controlled spray patterns for truly satisfying showering: an all-embracing wide spray; invigorating needle jets; a vigorous pulsating massage spray; and the effervescent, soothing champagne spray.

OTHER SHOWER ELEMENTS

Many homeowners prefer river rock on the floor of the shower to create a tactile experience. The artful mixing of a variety of materials is often more desirable than tiling the whole bathroom in one material.

Skylights or solar tubes in the shower itself are another way of creating a unique light experience in the shower.

Women also enjoy seats in showers that provide a natural place to perch a leg in order to more easily and safely shave. Older family members, too, find shower seating an additional security.

There are shower environments with music and colored lights that offer a completely unique experience. Check out the Kohler Moxie Showerhead that streams music via a wireless speaker right in the shower. And music isn’t the only impressive feature this showerhead offers. Not to be upstaged in the performance department, the sprayface features 60 angled nozzles that deliver a full, enveloping spray.

For a more spa-like shower experience, try updating your bathroom with one of these ideas. Allow your bathroom style and your budget to guide your selections.

The Rainshower® Next Generation
Head Showers is the perfect choice for a high-impact bathroom project. The collection: Icon, Solo and Eco present high-performance GROHE DreamSpray® in a way that could revolutionize how people interact with showers.

Delta In2ition showers feature a showerhead and handheld shower in one to combine the soothing comfort of a showerhead with the convenience of a handheld shower, bringing ultimate flexibility to the bath. photo courtesy of Delta

The Moen rainshower experience that you can control is available in the Velocity™ showerhead with Immersion technology. A flip of a lever allows either a calming rain rinse function or a self-pressurized spray.

From Kohler, a total sensory experience at the touch of a button.Create a spa-like environment in your home with DTV — an advanced digital platform that wraps water, sound, light and steam together in a seamless and totally customizable system. One simple electronic control for one incredible shower.