#Product Trends
Statement showers
Creating a work of art from your walk-in shower
The greatest luxuries in life are those borne of necessity. Sure, music, literature and art enrich our lives and take us to a higher plane of existence. But it’s the simple things like taking a shower in a beautiful luxury bathroom that, when we put serious effort into making them special, are elevated to a whole new level of experience.
Hot water jetting down all over you… refreshing you… revitalising you… in a shower cubicle that wouldn’t look out-of-place in a modern art gallery? You don’t dream that that’s your life? Get out of town!
Seriously, here in 2020, when luxury is somewhat of a scarce commodity amidst the spread of a global pandemic, we find ourselves reaching for these simple, domestic indulgences more than ever. So it’s no surprise to us, anyway, that statement showers are one of this year’s biggest trends in interior design.
Design the bathroom around the shower
The first thing you need to know about creating a statement shower (and it’s a fairly obvious point) is that it needs to stand out. We’re talking about making the shower the centrepiece of your bathroom so that, when you walk in, your eye is drawn immediately to it. So that’s where all your decorative attention needs to be focused.
Your bathtub, washbasin and loo should feel simple and un-interruptive by comparison. Minimalism in the main space allows for serious maximalism in the shower. So choose a simple colour for your fixtures and fittings (glacier white is the obvious choice), giving the shower its best shot at really breaking out with the wow factor.
Splash out in the shower
When it comes to the shower space itself, this is where you can get a little crazy. First of all, let’s think about the backsplash. What about a giant slab of marble or two in a contrasting colour to the rest of the bathroom? Rojo Alicante is a rusty red marble that will give your shower a warm, summery sense of Mediterranean indulgence. Or, if Art Deco opulence is your thing, how about the jaw-dropping statement that is Nero Marquina marble?
The great thing about choosing a marble wall is not only that it will make an immediate and lasting impression, but it will also allow you to be a bit more practical in terms of the shower tray you choose. The shower tray is the part that takes all the footfall and the bulk of the running water, so choose a non-porous material like Corian® for the shower tray so that it stands the test of time and really allows the marble wall all the aesthetic glory.
Fixtures and fittings that ooze indulgence
There’s one piece of minimalism that we will indulge in your statement shower and that is, of course, the door (if you even decide to have one). If you’re going for an opulent interior with a statement wall, then you simply must have a glass door that does not intrude on the vision of loveliness that is your shower wall in any way whatsoever.
On the other hand, the entrance to the shower might be the statement itself. If you’re going rustic, tiki or other in terms of your shower theme, then you might well consider making the shower door the statement itself. Just be mindful, because it’s a fine line between a luxury statement shower and, well, a gaudy bathroom disaster. Proceed with extreme caution on such a daring fitting.
Shower taps
One fixture you don’t need to be cautious about is the shower tap, which should really feel bold and different and in contrast to the rest of the bathroom. It wants to make the shower feel almost like its own separate room within a room. A brass shower tap in the boldest of shower spaces will feel very lively and attention-grabbing.
Generally, taps should be consistent throughout a bathroom to give it connectivity, so sure, choose a shower tap that’s sympathetic to those in the rest of your bathroom, so as not to create a clash that just doesn’t work. But that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to experiment with clashes. Statements, after all, are built on them!
Decorating the shower area
If you’re going to bring ornamentation into the bathroom, in 2020, you should be placing it around the shower. The shower almost becomes a shrine to your cleanliness. Keep the rest of the space minimal and clean and put your personalised finishing touches around the shower area.
Plants, freestanding bathroom stands decorated as much with ornamentation as with bath products, paintings, statement lighting and sculpture will draw attention to your shower as the one true room in your home within which luxuriation reaches its lifestyle apex. All hail the shower and its rejuvenating power!
Now, go forth and remodel.
