Take a look at any home décor magazine and you will see fabulous layouts featuring the new thing in bathrooms – the walk-in shower.
These showers look cool and they can help you save money and use less water when combined with low-flow showerheads. Before you call the construction crew in though to remodel your bathroom, you need to think about whether this design would suit your lifestyle.
Design Space
A new walk-in shower is just what it sounds like. It has no edge or tub wall. It has no tub. You simply walk up to the spigot, turn on the water, and take a shower. The designs of these showers typically do not allow for a shower curtain or a door, however, you can have one included.
This provides a modern, minimalist look to the bathroom design. It increases the usable space in the room and goes beyond making the room seem larger. It actually frees up space a tub typically uses. This proves especially useful in small bathrooms and gives you an option if you want to transform a small space, such as a walk-in closet, into a bathroom.
Lifestyle of the Family
Single people or couples would not have a problem with a walk-in shower. It also proves useful for those in a wheelchair since there is no tub lip or “curb” to the shower edge. This means a person in a wheelchair could roll into the shower without assistance. Those with mobility issues do not need to lift their legs above a tub rim to enter. That makes this design an ideal choice for those on the go, those with mobility issues, and those confined to a wheelchair.
If you have small children and only one bathroom, the walk-in shower makes a bad idea. You may find it tough to bathe the kids. Babies typically require a bathtub and most kids grow quickly enough that they outgrow being able to be bathed in the kitchen sink in their first 12 to 18 months.
You also may not want to clean up after children when they bath in a walk-in shower. Since there is no door or curtain, water goes everywhere if the child decides to channel it as such. Adults tend to control their showerhead use.
Existing Bath Design
This minimalist, modern look might go perfectly in the brand new bathroom you plan. It may clash with your existing design though if you want to only change from a tub to a walk-in shower. Installing this type of shower would blend seamlessly with modern, urban, art deco, minimalist, or post-modern architecture. It would clash with American country home, rustic, or craftsman style architecture.
Of course, when installing a completely new bath or remodeling an existing one, you can choose a design that works with this eco-minded design. Include low-flow showerheads and a low-flow toilet so you can increase your water savings. By not using a tub, you can immediately reduce your water usage.
