All You Need to Know About Walk in Showers

The shower has become an integral part of modern life, washing away a full night’s slumber each morning, the shower is just as much our friend as it is our enemy, associated with the dread of waking up and facing reality but still consoling us with open arms at the end of a hard day with a much appreciated massage.

We have a close relationship with the shower, so it is important that we pick the right one for our bathroom suite, whether it is to play an integral role amongst the bath and basin or stand as a focal point in the corner of an en-suite; choosing a shower all depends on the surroundings.

With a pencil behind your ear, a self assured look over your spectacles and a stroke of your proverbial beard, entering the world of shower shopping takes more than a trip to your local retailer and choosing the first thing with water spraying out of it.

With everything from quadrants, walk ins and wet rooms, to pivot doors, reduced height showers and thermostatic mixers, it won’t be long before you’ve anxiously chewed your pencil down to the lead, sat on your glasses and set fire to your beard…this is of course if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

So it’s our job to make sure you do know what you’re talking about, and first off we thought we’d concentrate on everything you need to know about walk in showers…

What is a Walk in Shower?

As the name suggests walk in showers are designed to be walked into, rather then stepped into or combined with a bath installation (a bath shower).

A walk in shower is defined by its slimline tray which sits flush to the floor, allowing users to step from the cooling tiles of the bathroom floor right into the soothing atmosphere of the shower installation.

Either standing as a focal point in shower rooms, tucking neatly into a complete bathroom suite or melting into the corner of more compact spaces such as en-suites; investing in a walk in shower means adding even more functionality and style to your bathroom suite as you don’t need to consider the surrounding space around the shower for a swing out door.

Why Choose a Walk in Shower?

Walk in showers are available in a huge range of shapes and sizes, making it one of the most versatile additions to your installation.

What makes walk in showers so versatile is the wealth of shower trays and glass panels on offer. Depending on the space available a walk in shower can be a large rectangular style design or a neat square.

The beauty of a walk in shower is that it can be designed to exact specifications, with a range of clear glass panels to suit the surrounding space.

To put it simply, you can choose a location for your shower, choose a tray and then situate your panel or panels to create an entrance to suit your setting.

Examples of how a Walk in Shower can Work

For a large walk in shower that can still tuck neatly into a corner, choosing a rectangular shower tray and covering just one side with a clear glass shower panel leaves a nice empty space for you to walk in comfortably without compromising your surrounding space with a hinged or bifold door.

This design doesn’t work for every bathroom; the entrance left by using one panel could be blocked by a basin, toilet or bath installation.

If this is the case then there are plenty of other designs to choose from that can mould around your space, some using a full glass panel to cover the remaining short end and a three quarter panel to cover the remaining long side and still leaving space for an entrance.

This versatile solution allows you to work the luxury of a walk in shower into your bathroom without making any major changes that could cost you even more money (moving your toilet for example).

A great shower solution to add to a current suite or stand as a grand focal point in a stand alone showering suite, walk in showers are available in a huge range of affordable and designer solutions from brands such as Matki and Simpsons; simply measure your space, decide which angle you’d like to walk in and choose the components.