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Walk-in showers are showers with little or no ledge around the floor of the bathing area and, technically speaking, no true barrier or door to, well, walking in and getting clean. Though the cost of adding a walk-in shower to your bathroom is generally higher than that of a tub-shower combination (according to our figures on shower remodeling costs), there are plenty of compelling reasons that spending the extra money now is worth it in the long run:
- Walk-in showers make your bathroom look bigger. With either a glass wall (or no wall at all) separating a walk-in shower from the other fixtures and furnishings, there’s nothing to stop your eye from taking in the room’s farthest wall.
- They make your bathroom more accessible. For those who plan to live in their homes long term, there will come a day when you or a family member can’t or won’t want to climb into the bathtub to take a shower, or may need to sit while showering. Plan for these what-ifs now while you’re remodeling, so you don’t have to make accessibility updates down the road.
- Walk-in showers give you more flexibility in terms of design. Do you have a bathroom with a dormer, walls that aren’t square, or a weird layout? A walk-in shower can easily fit in a small or oddly shaped bathroom. They are also terrific solutions for homeowners who want to place a bathing fixture where a tub won’t fit.
- They offer a good return on investment. A tub-to-shower conversion is one of the best returns on your bathroom-remodel investment, according to Angi.
If you’re still on the fence about whether this update is right for your home, these shower design ideas may convince you.
1. All-White Bathroom
An all-white bathroom will leave you feeling 100 percent clean, whether you scrubbed behind your ears or not. There’s a reason why monochromatic white is one of the more popular master shower ideas: It’s a timeless look that can be easily made trendy by swapping in colorful linens and accessories. But why mess with a good thing? This curbless shower is spacious and so serene, even more so with the barely there glass shower wall.
2. Industrial Spa Sanctuary
We love the look of this 40-square-foot Brooklyn bathroom, whose black fixtures and panes give this spa-like retreat an industrial edge. The stunning back wall looks like wood, but is actually an American-made porcelain tile from Datile that won’t be damaged by the shower’s spray.
3. Walk-In Shower With Seat
Seating in the shower—and a place to put your bathing accouterments—is a true indulgence. Though this shower’s swinging glass door technically disqualifies it from being a walk-in, you could just as easily go doorless for your reno. The large-format, light tiles on the walls and bench make the stall look spacious, and a vase of greenery on the bench give it a less sterile feel. (Stick a bunch of eucalyptus in that vase for an extra-fragrant bath!)
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4. Shower to Tub Conversion
A breathtaking shower for homeowners without neighbors nearby, this design from Seattle-based First Lamp is probably the closest you’ll get to having an outdoor tree house shower indoors. The shower—which doubles as a tub—”hangs off the edge of the house so the lip sits level with the shower floor,” explains architect Kevin Witt. The shower’s floorboards are the same Ipe wood decking that clads the home’s exterior; removing them reveals the sumptuous tub.
5. Walk-Through Shower
A walk-through shower that’s open on two sides is a terrific compromise for homeowners who don’t want to bathe in a closed-in space, but also want to keep the rest of the bathroom dry. You’re sure to be drenched from all angles with both wall-mounted shower heads and a flush-mounted ceiling fixture (Kohler’s WaterTile Ceiling Mount Rain Shower Head is similar to the one pictured). In this space designed by DC-area ART Design Build, the beauty is in the details: We love the rough-edged stonework on the edge of the wall, and the built-in lights that help you watch where you step.
6. Wild Wallpaper
Why let tile and paint do all the visual heavy lifting in your bathroom? As you contemplate walk-in shower tile ideas, remember that floor-to-ceiling shower tiles and glass wall panels can be costly. Economize where you can by spending less on materials and labor: This garden-level bathroom in a Boerum Hill, Brooklyn brownstone has Ann Sacks tile in the shower enclosure itself, accented by Schumacher’s Birds & Butterflies wallpaper on the adjacent walls. We like how the transom window lets in natural light, and the black toilet and fixtures add a surprising contrast to the white tile.
7. Timeless Wet Room
This classic bath is proof that a wet room—which is a waterproofed bathroom with a drain in the floor, and no barrier between the shower and the other fixtures—doesn’t have to look like a locker room. The white porcelain and chrome fixtures are timeless, and the intricate tiling pattern that frames the shower fixtures and encircles the room ties the room together. This is an upscale walk-in tub-shower combo that both you and your Park Avenue grandma can get on board with.
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8. Tuscan Villa
Looking for walk-in shower tile ideas for an Old Word-styled bath? With tumbled stone tiles, antique bronze fixtures, and an arched niche, this walk-through shower gives us serious Italian-villa vibes. We like the irregular-shaped bathing space, which looks like a meandering alleyway and reminds us that a walk-in shower can be just about any size or shape you want it to be.
9. Beachy Vibes
This freestanding, stainless-steel shower from Heatgene is just the sort of fixture under which you’d take a quick rinse after a poolside dip, or as you come up a beach approach after an ocean swim. Consider installing one if you have difficult-to-plumb walls, or if you want to turn an atypical space into a modern bathroom shower area. If vacation is still months away but you want to relive (and then wash away) that sand-between-your-toes feeling, give your tootsies a rinse under the footwash spout.
10. Calming Neutrals
“We wanted the master bath to be calm,” says Block Renovation client Yale Zhao of this upscale remodel. Just the ticket for homeowners looking for doorless walk-in shower ideas, a simple panel of glass separates the zero-entry shower from the other fixtures; three different neutral-toned tile patterns add visual interest without being too busy. Zhao particularly likes the room’s pink ceiling, which “adds just enough color…and keeps things from looking sterile.”