Reinvent Your Home

If you're undergoing bathroom renovations, you'll need to decide on a shower enclosure. Choosing the right one will create a functional and beautiful space in which you can relax. The benefit of a glass enclosure is the range of customisation options. Here are some of them. 

Framing Options

You can adjust the amount of framing that edges the glass panels, choosing between frameless, semi-frameless or framed models. For a sleek, seamless impression, install a frameless design, with minimal brackets securing the glass panels. Semi-frameless models feature more prominent vertical metal edges, while fully framed panels have trim on all four sides. To evoke greater spaciousness, go with less framing as the metal trim tends to make the glass more visible. However, all versions open up the bathroom by not blocking off the shower space; the glass forms a physical but not a visual barrier. While frameless showers typically use toughened glass, a fully framed version can use a laminated variety. The glazing needs to comply with local building regulations.

Enclosure Shape

Different enclosure shapes suit different bathroom layouts. Options include square, rectangle, hexagon or curved forms. Sometimes three walls of tiles hug the shower, and glass panels and doors close off the enclosure. For smaller bathrooms, install a contoured or hexagon shower in a corner to save space. If you have a bath-shower combo, fit a fixed panel, with or without a swinging door. Doors can vary depending on the enclosure shape. Sliding and stacker models don't need a swinging arc and so work well in compact installations. 

Types Of Glass 

While safety toughened or laminated glass is mandatory for most showers, you can decorate it in several ways. Frosted glass undergoes either a sandblasting or acid etching process to create satiny, cloudy glazing that offers privacy to shower goers. You can select from different transparencies that are more or less see-through. The frosting can form decorative patterns and motifs if you prefer designs. Rainwater, abstract swimming fish or a seascape are some possibilities. Why not repeat a shape from within the bathroom decor? For instance, if you have a circular mirror and rug, install even frosting with just a few clear, precise circles within—like portholes in a ship.

Also increasing the privacy for your shower enclosure, tinted glass is another option—it can be grey, bronze, blue or green. Minerals within, such as iron and cobalt, cause the tints. The thicker your shower screen, the deeper the shade. Pick up a tone within natural stone or tiles and subtly repeat that within the shower enclosure for a polished impression.

Keep these shower enclosure options in mind while planning bathroom renovations.