Many Americans shower daily, so it makes sense to create a luxurious shower to help heighten the experience.
Bathroom remodeling is on the upswing because it adds both value and comfort to homes. A home with a luxury shower room demands a higher price on the market and makes a nice amenity for the current homeowner, regardless of plans to sell or stay. During the 1990s luxurious baths were all the rage while high-use showers were deemphasized as design features, but today’s more practical bathrooms are devoting a lot of design elements and bathroom space to the shower. These days luxury showers rule, whether they’re used for a quick wake-me-up in the morning or relaxing steam shower at the end of the day.
The elements of a luxury shower
What makes a shower luxury? While there are certain design elements commonly associated with luxury showers, you’ll see from the examples below that the look of luxury also means taking a unique approach. Custom designs, beautiful tile work, and contemporary features all contribute, but it’s often the extras and amenities that truly make showering a luxury experience.
This Case Design steam shower has many elements of a luxury shower: dual handheld showerheads; a third, ceiling-mount showerhead; natural stone tile; flip-down sitting benches; and a custom design to fit the space.
This custom luxury shower room by Deep River Partners makes great use of the open space in the center of a larger bathroom. The tile columns, glass tile walls, and flagstone floor add several unique design features that make this master bath shower one-of-a-kind.
This bathroom by Pulp Design Studios has a unique take on the typical shower design with a soaking tub inside the shower. It’s smart to use the enclosed shower room to contain the moisture from both the bath and shower, helping to protect and prolong the life of the beautiful marble surfaces outside the shower room. The deep soaking tub, bamboo shelf, and steam sauna all help create a spa-like experience.
Creating the look of luxury
A luxury shower has a unique design, but there are some common elements that most luxury showers share:
- Rainshower shower heads, also called ceiling-mount or top-mount heads, are found in nearly every luxury shower these days.
- There are at least two shower heads in most luxury showers. Most people prefer a detachable wall-mounted sprayer as a second head.
- Custom tile designs make a space unique with beautiful materials.
- Most high-end showers are enclosed in glass and don’t have shower curtains.
- Sitting benches help make the shower as relaxing as the bathtub.
- Lighting options include lights on dimmers both inside and outside the shower to help set the mood.
You’ll notice these common elements in all of our featured showers.
This beautiful bathroom by BiglarKinyan Design Partnershop has a shower and adjacent bathtub design found in many high-end bathrooms. The bathtub deck extends into the shower to create a stone bench and a nice aesthetic feature. While this shower could easily be converted into an enclosed steam sauna, the choice to leave the top open improves ventilation and maintenance of the natural stone surfaces inside the shower stall.
This similar setup by Ward-Young Architecture and Planning has a fully-enclosed steam shower that enjoys the same views as the soaking tub.
In contrast, this custom shower design by Visbeen Associates has combination shower-tub with an atypical approach. This rowboat style sitting tub combines the luxury of a bathtub and the practicality of a shower.
You don’t have to have a huge bathroom to shower in luxury. This shower by Traditional Log Homes fits in the same space as the shower-tub combo unit that it replaced and includes a number of luxury features, such as dual hand-held and rainshower heads, his and her temperature control settings with auto-memory, travertine benches, a custom tile waterfall, and steam sauna settings.
Another luxury shower fits into a nook inside our own Case Design/Remodeling bathroom. The custom tile work, skylight views, and features like the stone shelf and sitting bench create a relaxing and luxurious experience.
This shower design by Cottam Hargrave creates a spa-like shower that allows users to rinse off on their way to and from the outdoor pool. The roofless shower and plenty of hot water turn showering outdoors into an indulgence.
For those who prefer to bathe outside, this outdoor shower from The Orvis Company is an affordable luxury at only $279. When you live near the beach it makes a lot of sense to stop sand at your doorstep.
