Shower Enclosure Styles

Choosing The Right Shower Enclosure Style Can Make Or Break Your New Bath Design

By Ray Adams

(HIT) - Homeowners looking to create a relaxing, comfortable environment in their home are turning to the bath as a focal point for trendy design and spa features. Larger shower styles and enclosures with seats and benches for relaxation, multiple showerheads, full body sprays, and steam showers are becoming a common request from those renovating or building a home.

“Many designers feel the shower has become the focal point of the bathroom,” explains Ray Adams, President of Coastal Industries, a leading US manufacturer of custom shower enclosure styles. “There is a trend toward allowing more light in the shower enclosure to enhance the overall atmosphere in the bathing suite.” Coastal is one of the leading shower enclosure manufacturers in the United States.

Extremely popular in today’s spa-like baths are frameless shower doors, which create the illusion of the bathroom as one open space, larger than it actually is. Also popular are the new brushed and oil-rubbed finishes for shower enclosures that complement the many fixture finishes available today. Whether framed or frameless, custom shower doors are often required to fit many oversized shower and steam shower areas and to create a totally enclosed shower environment.

“To provide the luxurious look and quality feel that customers today are looking for, we offer our Paragon series of framed and frameless shower enclosure styles in three different measurements of glass thickness,” adds Adams. “Generally, the thicker the glass the better the appearance and the durability.”

When it comes to customizing your shower enclosure, Coastal Industries suggests these tips to ensure you get the right look and the right product.

Framed or Frameless Shower Enclosure?

Considering the design of the shower suite, the amount of space it will occupy, and the budget in relation to the rest of the room is the best place to start evaluating this decision. Framed enclosure styles require more material, are more rigid, and are less expensive than a frameless shower enclosure installation. A custom framed enclosure might work best for a unique shower stall design with uneven walls. The Frameless shower enclosure style is a hot design trend, though because thicker glass is required, they are more expensive than a framed enclosure. These shower enclosures have a luxurious and elegant look.

All Shower Enclosure Glass Isn’t Equal

It’s actually a law that all shower installations use either tempered or laminated glass, however, tempered glass provides a sleek, high style look and is also easy to clean. It comes in dozens of patterns and its sleek transparency actually makes a bathing suite space seem more expansive.

Choosing A Shower Enclosure Finish

Homeowners have a broad palette of finishes to consider for the actual shower framework. Two of the most durable finishes are anodized silver and gold. Hot new trends include brushed and oil-rubbed finishes including bronze and nickel. Coastal offers a variety of finishes including its Paragon shower enclosures and accessories in the oil-rubbed bronze finish.

Finding Your Shower Enclosure Door

A kitchen and bath showroom or in a glass shop is the best place to look. Every model and style will not be on display, however homeowners can judge the quality of the shower door before deciding on a specific enclosure in a manufacturer’s catalog.

“The current bathroom design trends have led us to create shower enclosure styles with more options than ever before. Just as every bathing suite is unique, every Coastal Industries shower enclosure is customized to fit a homeowner’s individual style,” said Adams.

For more information about Coastal Industries, visit their web site at www.coastalind.com or call 1-800-874-8601.