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Design ideas for walk-in showers
A walk-in shower, that's to say, one which has no door and makes up part of an open-plan bathrooms, is a luxury like few others. Firstly, it gives you more space to relax, as, unlike traditional showers, it does not have to be designed with space to open the door in mind. Not only does a walk-in shower mean you don’t have to brace your feet against the sides of the bath (or to crouch, if you’re tall!) to take a shower, but they also save you from closing yourself in a standing box every time you take a shower, not to mention they are the most accessible type of shower, so perfect for future proofing the house.
From a practical standpoint, it's one less glass panel to clean, and decoratively, it keeps a room feeling open and spacious while also providing you with the perfect opportunity to add character to a space that might otherwise be boring or by-the-book; be it with Moroccan zellige tiles or installing wooden Chinese screen doors. Internal windows are a brilliant way to fill the darker corners of the walk-in shower with light, and tiled nooks in the walls provide the perfect place to store your toiletries. With a bit of creative thinking, a walk-in can also be an efficient way to make use of dormant corners or cupboards. And so, with that in mind, here are some of the best and most creative examples of walk-in shower design ideas from the House & Garden archive.
Michael Sinclair1/27Fired Earth tiles, arranged in a horizontal stripe pattern pick up on the colours of the vanity unit and wallpaper. These decorative details have been cleverly combined with practical elements by interior designer Lucy Hammond Giles, of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, to transform this classic Victorian house in west London into a pleasingly distinctive but eminently comfortable family home.
Owen Gale2/27Bespoke panelling, a free-standing bath from Devon & Devon and an elegant arched shower set with ‘Paint Box’ gloss tiles in ‘Bone’ from Mandarin Stone make this bathroom in a house on the south coast a quietly opulent space.
Christopher Horwood3/27In this Provençal house John Tanner has mixed carefully chosen vernacular antiques with a neutral colour palette and natural materials for a quiet, considered look. In the bathroom, an antique gilt-wood girandole and a vintage Charlotte Perriand ‘Méribel’ stool contrast with Bianco Perlino limestone mosaic tiles, which seamlessly link the shower with the rest of the room.
Owen Gale4/27The arched shower cubicle in a London house by Honor Devereux was inspired by Moroccan architecture. Like the walls, it is formed from greek tadelakt.
Christopher Horwood5/27Studio Squire has reconfigured the bathroom of this house in the South Downs to include a walk-in shower. The large shower cubicle was formed by reconfiguring the previous bathroom's layout. The various shades of pink wall tiles are from Mosaic Factory and the porthole window (which allows for some light to travel through) was sourced via eBay and painted in Farrow & Ball 'Tanner’s Brown'.
Ursula Armstrong6/27The bathroom in this pleasing Georgian house in the Chilterns by Jennifer Pelzig, the interior designer behind Parsnip Design, features Moroccan zellige tiles around the vanity, on the floor and around the shower. The walls are painted in Little Greene's ‘Slaked Lime’.
Owen Gale, Styling: Rachel Moreve7/27Marble chequerboard tiles from Mandarin Stone and light marble characterise this bathroom, where the walk in shower is separated from the bath by a low wall and glass screen, allowing light to flood in. Gold fixtures bring a further warmth to the space.
Anson Smart8/27In this Arents&Pyke project, the bathroom is a graceful, elegant room, helped by the light-reflecting zellige tiles which wrap the walk-in shower space. The clever thing that the designers did was use the same marble as on the washbasin to outline the entrance to the shower and add further texture.
DAVIDE LOVATTI9/27Mother-of-pearl balloon pendants stand out against Emery & Cie zellige tiles in this Italian bathroom. The tiles also continue the textured feel of the 16th-century flooring and blend the modern and ancient elements of the house seamlessly.
Tom Griffiths10/27In this blue and white bathroom in Melinda Stevens' house, the wooden wallpaper serves to ground the tile colours and create a more soothing space.
Michael Sinclair11/27Fonace Brioni tiles create a show-stopping shower space in Pandora Taylor's house.
Paul Massey12/27Wondering how to fit a bath and a shower in to a small, sloped attic space? Take inspiration from this design by Todhunter Earle for a chalet in Chamonix. The space is enlivened with iridescent tiles by French company Emery & Cie.
Owen Gale13/27In Pembroke Lodge's shower room, Provence limestone tiles from Mandarin Stone ground the space, while a lantern from Rowan & Wren hangs above.
Owen Gale14/27Georgina Cave of Cave Interiors chose these reclaimed patterned tiles to cover the floor and back wall of the bathroom in her London house.
Simon Brown15/27What was once a good sized bedroom was turned in a wonderfully spacious bathroom in this house by Salvesen Graham. The wallpaper ('Floral Trail Delicate') is a Salvesen Graham own. With fixtures from Balineum, Porta Romana and Watermonopoly, the space was finished with antiques to offset the utilitarian feel.
Owen Gale16/27The bath in the master en-suite of Georgina Cave's house is a bespoke design, with the walls and steps covered in Ruivina marble and offset with Clay Atelier handmade wall tiles from Artisan of Devizes. Riven black slate tiles line the inside of the bath and cover the floor.
Christopher Horwood17/27Lucy Williams designed her shower with the intention of “having a big walk-in shower that felt a little bit Mediterranean” and reminded her of “summers in Greece even in the depths of winter in London”. The shower was created from microcement and finished in a slightly glossy wax seal; inside, fittings by Water Monopoly complement the architecture.
Michael Sinclair18/27In the bathroom of this Welsh cottage, the owners have used yellow tiles from Mosaic del Sur to brighten up the children’s bathroom, which has a salvaged ceramic sink and a glass Crittall-style screen for the wet-room walk-in shower.
Owen Gale19/27Angelica Squire’s walk-in shower is lined with deep blue zellige tiles, which give the space texture and help bounce light around the room with their glossy hand finish. They contrast beautifully with the gold taps. To add to the effect, Angelica tiled the ceiling, too.
William Abrannowicz20/27Shower doors don’t have to be of the standard glass – wood can be an effective alternative. Here, a pair of Chinese screens act as shower doors. Glass has been placed behind them to protect them from the water.
Alicia Taylor21/27In this Surrey family home, Todhunter Earle kept the walk-in shower design delightfully simple, adding a single paned window between the shower and sink. The fixtures are black with the pipework concealed. The effect is one of clean, angular simplicity.
22/27In Audrey Carden’s London house, heavily striated marble extends beyond the walk-in shower to the floor below and the sink, defining the whole bathroom in opposition to the wooden floor outside. The marble was supplied by Ashlar Mason.
Simon Brown23/27The simple palette and accessories makes this bathroom in a Kensington flat feel elegant and luxurious. The bathroom walls are covered with tadelakt plaster, while the walk-in shower has a projecting marble base. The fact that there’s no door on the shower makes the space seem larger.
Davide Lovatti24/27The industrial style of the hydrotherapy bathroom at Carskiey Estate is immediately striking, combining an original Edwardian shower and bath with a teak wet-room floor.
Lauren L. Caron25/27The shower in this bathroom in a Seattle bungalow by Studio Laloc is ‘Regulator’ by Waterworks; the bath is a Manhattan Tub from Hydrosystem’s Metro collection. A seat under the shower itself is perfect for sitting and resting under the water or to perch on post-shower.
Owen Gale26/27In Angelica Squire’s Victorian terraced house in London, the walk-in shower is almost disguised at the end of the bath, tucked practically into the corner. The fittings are by CP Hart.
Paul Massey27/27Caroline O’Donnell’s colourful London bathroom is tiled in electric blue Bisazza mosaic tiles. “I loved the idea of Caroline waking up to this rich blue, which is offset perfectly by the glamourous gold fixtures and fittings,” explains designer Harriet Anstruther.
