Ideas
Shower room ideas: designing a room without a bath
Written by Martin, M24/7 Bathrooms
Last updated:
A good shower room puts the shower where the water can drain best, uses the space saved from a bath for a bigger tray or storage, and has strong ventilation. Layout first, finishes second.
Dropping the bath frees up space, and the best shower room ideas spend that space well: a larger shower area, a comfortable route from the door, storage built into the walls and a finish that is easy to keep clean. The starting point is always where the waste can run, because the shower position is fixed by the drainage more than by taste.
Shower rooms are common as en suites, loft rooms and second bathrooms, and in homes where the main bathroom is converted for easier access. Whichever it is, planning the layout, screen and ventilation together avoids a room that looks right on day one and stays damp after.
Layouts that work
Most shower rooms fall into one of three shapes. A long, narrow room suits the shower across the far end, with the basin and toilet on one wall leading to it. A squarer room can take a corner shower, leaving a clear floor in the middle. In a room with a sloping ceiling, the shower goes where the headroom is greatest, and the toilet can sit under the lower part.
Wherever the shower goes, the toilet needs a route to the soil pipe and the shower waste needs enough fall to drain. Moving either is often possible, but it affects the floor, the boxing and sometimes the room below. That is why the survey looks at the pipework before anyone draws a layout.
Enclosure, door or walk-in screen
The choice of screen changes how the room feels. A full enclosure with a door keeps water contained in a tight space. A walk-in screen, a single fixed glass panel with an open end, makes the room feel larger and is easier to clean, but needs enough length for the water to stay in the showering area.
In small rooms, a hinged or folding door that opens inwards can save floor space. Clear glass keeps sight lines open, while tinted or patterned glass gives privacy in a shared room. Our walk-in shower service page covers trays and screens in more detail.
- Full enclosure: best containment in compact rooms
- Walk-in screen: open feel, needs length
- Folding or inward door: saves space in front of the shower
- Wet room floor: no tray at all, fully tanked
Niches and storage
Without a bath edge to stand bottles on, storage needs thinking about. A recessed niche built into a stud wall or boxing keeps toiletries off the floor and out of the spray, and it can be tiled to line up with the wall tiles so it looks planned rather than added. Niches have to be decided before the walls are boarded and tanked.
Outside the shower, a wall hung vanity unit or a mirrored cabinet adds storage without eating floor space. Concealed cisterns behind a boxed wall also give a useful shelf above the toilet.
Tiling and finishes
Shower rooms suit continuous finishes. Running the same floor tile into the shower area, or the same wall tile around the whole room, makes the space read as one. Larger wall tiles mean fewer grout lines to clean, while smaller tiles on the shower floor give grip and follow the fall to the waste.
Light colours reflect light in a room that often has a small window or none at all. A darker floor can ground the room and hide marks. Whatever the look, wet areas are tanked behind the tiles for extra waterproofing protection.
Ventilation matters more without a bath
A shower releases a lot of steam into a small space, and shower rooms often have little or no window. A properly sized extractor fan, ducted to the outside and left running after each shower, is what stops mould on the ceiling and grout. In internal rooms the fan is not optional, it is the only way the moisture leaves.
Leave a gap under the door or fit a vent so replacement air can get in, otherwise even a good fan struggles. Our ventilation guide goes into fans, ducting and controls.
Questions
Frequently asked
Is a shower room a good idea instead of a bathroom?
It can be, especially in an en suite, a loft room or a home where a walk-in shower is easier to use than a bath. Many households keep a bath in the main bathroom and choose a shower room elsewhere.
What size does a shower room need to be?
It depends on the shower size, the toilet and basin you want and the door swing. Small rooms can work well with a compact enclosure, an inward or folding door and wall hung fittings.
Do shower rooms need an extractor fan?
Yes. A shower in a small room produces a lot of moisture, and an internal shower room has no other way to clear it. The fan should vent outside and run on after use.
What does a shower room cost?
Cost depends on the room size, whether the toilet or shower moves, the screen and tiles chosen, and the condition of the walls and floor. M24/7 gives a written quotation after seeing the room.
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