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Are you on the fence about including a walk-in shower in your bathroom remodel? There’s a reason walk-in showers are becoming a standard feature in new home builds and a highly requested remodel project among homeowners. Imagine having a bathroom that doesn’t feel dark, small, and cramped but is more like entering a world-class resort where you can relax and recharge. Color us intrigued!
We have ten bathroom ideas for you to bring to your contractor that will keep your bathroom feeling open, spacious, and as close to a day at the spa as possible at home.
Why would you want a walk-in shower over the classic standing shower of years past? So glad you asked!
A walk-in shower brings a spa experience to mind by allowing your bathroom to feel more open. The walk-in transitions seamlessly from the rest of the bathroom to your shower area; it requires no step-up or step-in — you simply glide right into it.
The size of your shower allows you to have a shower without a lip or shower wall to retain water. You’ll have plenty of space to go through your morning rituals without splashing water everywhere, possibly without needing a door or curtain to keep water in so that the room feels spacious.
This easy transition from bathroom to shower makes for a shower that anyone can easily access. The Americans With Disabilities Act recommends a shower stall be at least 36 inches square for easy access, which works perfectly with the ten shower designs we discuss here.
This ultra-modern bathroom look is uncluttered: a favorite for home remodels. Homeowners are replacing garden tubs, the hallmark of 80s bathing luxury, with sleek walk-in shower designs. Many sellers note that having a luxury walk-in shower gives a high return on investment, too, meaning you could increase the value of your home.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that a custom tile walk-in shower installation costs almost twice that of a prefab shower kit, so you need to go into your bathroom remodel with a solid idea of what you want and a plan to make it happen. Spoak’s design suite includes a project hub to track everything from your proposed budget to tile samples and paint colors, along with mock-ups of your space.
Without further ado, let’s talk about the fun stuff: which walk-in shower design ideas are right for you?
The first decision you’ll have to make is whether you want a shower enclosure. Closed shower curtains create a wall in the middle of the bathroom (not to mention making the one showering feel a tad claustrophobic). If you ditch the shower door and simply use a glass panel as a shower wall for a suggestion of a barrier between the shower and the rest of the bathroom, you’ll open up what was once a tight space.
While glass is as unobtrusive as it gets, if you have enough floor space, you may be able to forgo needing any type of shower wall. Define the shower area with a smooth transition between the shower and bathroom floor by using marble tiles of different colors.
Minimalists who appreciate rooms with clean lines can stick to one tile color throughout the room for cohesiveness that makes a narrow bathroom appear wider.
Don’t dither back and forth over whether your medium-sized bathroom design should focus on a soaking tub or a walk-in shower. Have both in one space! By creating a larger walk-in shower that accommodates a freestanding tub, you get the open feeling of a larger bathroom space — minus the hard life choices!
Use Spoak’s layout tool to find the roomiest arrangement for your bathroom plumbing fixtures: a corner shower with a tub claiming most of the space or a side-by-side tub and shower space.
Before you order fixtures, make sure your large shower is truly large enough to hold a soaking tub and has the right amount of shower space for comfort. You also need to check that you can easily maneuver around the tub. (No one likes a freestanding tub that they can’t clean around.)
Love the soaking tub/ walk-in shower combo but own a small bathroom? Nobody is stopping you from having a spa experience in a small bathroom! If you want an open, small walk-in shower but think it will make your small bathroom feel even smaller, consider tiling the entire room and making it a wet room.
The wet room is gaining in popularity and can solve your want-to-have-it-all problem by effectively making the whole room a shower space. However, the wetroom isn’t for everyone. You can’t have that gorgeous antique wood vanity in this sudsy space or the cabinetry you may rely on to keep your space tidy.
Eliminate the need for this wood cabinetry, and a backsplash for that matter, by sourcing a porcelain or fireclay pedestal sink that wipes down easily so you don’t have to worry about warping countertops. With tile everywhere, you’ll also need to choose floor tiles that have a bit of traction to them and can endure the hardships of busy family life.
Elevate your shower experience with natural light via a skylight. It’s as close to bathing in nature as you can get at home and enlarges the typically dark and gloomy feel of a bathroom.
Consider adding a skylight with remote-controlled blinds that can create just the right amount of light first thing in the morning. You may want your skylight to open up to the outside of your bathroom ceiling vaulted at an angle for a breath of fresh air and a gentle breeze.
While many contractors recommend adding flush-mount eave skylights when you get a new roof, window specialists can install one into your existing roof, and if you’re really feeling adventurous, you can always try a DIY tubular skylight.
To maximize the sense of space in your bathroom, paint or tile your walls white. White walls reflect sunlight and make the room appear much grander in size than it actually is.
One underrated spa-like luxury that isn’t costly to add to your walk-in shower is a built-in bench. Whether you select a traditional bench tiled to the floor or a floating bench covered in tile, a bench will encourage you to sit and relax a minute longer.
A shower bench makes the shower more accessible to everyone, which, due to your changing needs over time, is a wise investment to make in a forever home. Tiled shower benches are also the epitome of luxe sauna style.
While adding bathroom features, take time to build a niche into the walk-in shower that runs the same length as your bench. This is a fantastic way to store toiletries without disrupting the look of your tile. The horizontal lines of both bench and niche create a sense of width to make your space feel larger.
We all love the look (or near invisibility) of glass walls surrounding the shower for opening up the bathroom space. Take a walk-in glass shower to the next level by installing a frameless glass shower door.
The frameless door is as close to a doorless bathroom shower as you can get. It gives the transparency of one big, open room while still controlling any excessive splashing. Think: children. (Need we say more?)
Are you torn between two or three different shower tile ideas? Why choose when you can find a way to incorporate all three in your walk-in shower space? Have the best of all the tile situations by sifting through your favorite patterns and finding two or three that coordinate to use in different areas of the bath. (If you need some help with mixing patterns and colors, check out our course on exactly that.)
Use geometry to boost the contrast by choosing a different bathroom tile pattern for your floors than the one you use on the walls. Let the fact that they are still the same color be the unifying factor. In the same way, you may choose similar geometric-shaped tiles for shower walls and floors, letting the color difference make them distinctive yet harmonious.
If you’re feeling super adventurous, tile the ceiling, too! Design a maximalist bathroom by coordinating shower, ceiling, wall, and floor tiles that work with your bathroom color scheme.
If you’re already set on a large walk-in shower for your bathroom remodel, opt for multiple shower heads to give you the complete resort indulgence. The configuration of shower heads is limitless, so consider what you’d like best at the end of a long day.
If your walk-in is large enough for two, add two wall-mounted shower heads, one at each end of the shower. You can further upgrade the wall-mounted shower head with a shower head/ hand sprayer combo.
Consider adding double rain shower heads from the ceiling, and if you want to go all the way with spa relaxation, add a couple of body sprayers to the wall beneath your shower head.
If you had your hopes set on a more traditional bathroom look and you fear a walk-in shower will interfere with your home’s interior design, consider going with a grid-style shower door.
Grid shower doors can come with several smaller panels that bring classic paned windows to mind and add interesting geometry. However, you can also source a style with a simpler grid style that might work better for smaller spaces. With classic paned windows and industrial metal doors, merge the walk-in shower design look with any design style from farmhouse to urban classic.
Speaking of farmhouse modern, bring those beloved subway tiles into your bathroom in a big way. While tiling the whole floor and possibly all of the walls, look for ways to turn this classic style of the white bathroom on its head.
Why not hang your white subway tiles vertically for a change of pace? Mimic the traditional running tile motif, except having them staggered vertically for something that feels fresher. Even just stacking your subway tiles horizontally on top of each other is a traditional look that is coming back in a big way. If all this seems a bit passé for you, seriously mix things up by using black tiles instead.
Are you already sketching out your ideas? Ditch the notepad and take your remodel plans online to Spoak’s room visualization tool.
Photo Credit: (Left) The Spruce; (Top Right) Rosalind Ingram
Sources:
Walk-in showers replacing baths in many remodels | The Columbus-Dispatch
The Best Ways to Improve Your Home's Value in 2022 | Bob Vila
How to Design a Bathroom Wet Room | U.S. News
How Much Does Skylight Installation Cost? (2023 Guide) |This Old House
ADA Standards for Accessible Design Title III Regulation 28 CFR Part 36 (1991) | ADA
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