At the end of May, I stood in my friend Sarah’s bathroom, staring at her shower. I was looking at it because it was a pretty great shower. It was not the largest shower I have ever seen. Her townhouse is actually smaller than mine. However, the way that the sunlight reflected off of those subway tiles, the way that the rainfall shower head seemed to be a sculpture on top of the dark grout, made me realize that I have been living with a “beige box with a curtain”.
Do you know the feeling of seeing someone else’s space and instantly realizing that your own space is lacking? That is what happened to me. I was perfectly happy with my “builder grade” stuff until I saw how a thoughtfully renovated shower could make you feel.
Most of us come home to our basic bathrooms and do nothing with them. A white fiberglass surround, some chromed fixtures that came in a contractor pack, and possibly a sliding glass door that never stays closed. So, we put up a cute shower curtain, purchase a few high-end shampoo bottles and say we have decorated. But after standing in Sarah’s shower for twenty minutes (while she made coffee, I was not being rude), I realized that we were missing many opportunities.
Sarah’s renovations weren’t very expensive — approximately £3,000 overall, over several weekends. The biggest change she made was removing the plastic surround and tiling from floor to ceiling. She used large-format porcelain tiles in this soft gray that made the entire area appear larger than it actually is. I mean, according to physics, it is still 32 square feet of area; however, your eyes will definitely lie to you.
Her decision of choosing a grout color was also a good one. Instead of using bright white grout (which would highlight each and every soap scum particle), she selected a slightly darker gray grout. Clean-look but lenient enough that you won’t have to scrub it each week. Believe me, I discovered this the hard way on my kitchen backsplash project — white grout may look amazing in pictures, but it is horrible in person.
But here’s what I found the most interesting: the fixtures. Sarah threw away the typical chrome for all fixture selection and purchased matte-black faucets and a true thermostatic shower valve. Do you remember those mornings when you turn on the water and it is either scalding or cold, and then you spend the next five minutes doing that awkward dance to try and find the ideal middle ground? Gone. Every time you open the faucet, the water comes out at exactly the temperature you specified.
She also purchased a rainfall showerhead — not one of those large restaurant-type heads that look cool but provide the water pressure of a gentle mist. This one is about 8 inches x 8 inches, mounted to the ceiling, and provides a moderate amount of water flow. Plus there is a separate handheld wand connected to a second valve for washing your hair or rinsing the tile after cleaning.
However, I think my favorite portion of the renovation was the lighting. Out went the single overhead light that created a multitude of shadows. In came LED strips behind the mirror (which she upgraded to a very large, frameless rectangle) and a couple of recessed lights positioned to truly illuminate your face without casting a horror movie shadow. The difference of how you look and feel getting ready in the morning is substantial.
Storage was another game changer. Rather than the corner caddies that fall over if you look at them the wrong way, Sarah had the tiler create two actual recessed areas in the wall. One at waist-high for daily items, and another near the floor for razor blades and other items you do not use every day. They are both lined with the same tile as the rest of the walls, so they look intentional, not like an after-thought.
The glass enclosure, which I am going to write about separately. Sarah decided to go with a single piece of clear glass — no frame, no door, just one huge piece of glass that creates a clean line and keeps water in the shower. When I first saw this, I was concerned about water spraying outside the shower, but the location is perfect. Additionally, no tracks to clean and no doors to worry about. Simple sometimes really is better.
Now, I am not saying that everyone should take out their entire shower. After living through my own renovation (which was inspired by Sarah’s, if I am being truthful), I have learned what the most impactful changes are to your space that cost the least.
While tile is a major transformational element, it is also the largest expense and messiest job. Therefore, if you are not prepared for that type of renovation, even replacing your showerhead can make a difference. I replaced mine with a new model that has multiple setting options including a pulsating massaging option that has become essential after working on my laptop for hours each day.
Replacing your shower door or curtain is likely the simplest change. I replaced my old sliding glass doors (the one panel had a perpetual soap film stain that I could never completely remove) with a single pivot door. Approximately £200, one Saturday afternoon for myself and my partner, and suddenly the shower feels like it is a part of a legitimate adult’s home.
Lighting impacts your space more than you would believe. Even if you cannot rewire, simply switch to daylight LED bulbs in your existing fixtures can make a difference. I installed a small LED strip underneath my medicine cabinet — plugs directly into a standard outlet, provides a pleasant ambient glow that makes everything look less harsh.
The mistake I made initially was assuming I had to coordinate everything perfectly. All chrome or all brushed nickel or whatever. Mixing finishes — such as matte black fixtures with brushed brass accents — can look more expensive and intentional than perfectly matching contractor-pack fixtures.
I spent possibly too much time researching grout colors (there are approximately seventeen thousand shades of “light gray”) but it was worth it. I selected a slightly darker shade, which means I’m not always stressing about cleaning it, which was probably a good decision for someone who consumes coffee in the shower. Don’t judge.
The best part of renovating your shower isn’t just how much better it photographs — although mine certainly does. It’s how different your daily routine feels when you’re in a space that was designed intentionally, not just quickly and inexpensively. My morning shower went from something I rushed through to actually being a nice way to begin the day.
Honestly, I believe that feels worth investing.
