Make the Most of Your Shower Space

Read article : Make the Most of Your Shower Space

The shower is a catchall for bottles of shampoo, soaps, sponges and washcloths. They end up clogging the corners and taking over valuable space. For a quick fix, consider hanging a wire shelf system over the showerhead or installing an expandable pole shelf unit in the corner. But if you are considering retiling your shower, opt for built-in niches to accommodate different-sized bottles.

"Recess the niches in the back wall of the shower where you don’t really see it," says Ed McGarvey, designer at Madsen, Inc. "Make it one foot wide by two feet high and about three to four inches deep."

Additional seating is a luxury that can make the shower experience more enjoyable. It allows you to sit down to shave your legs or wash your feet. In a gut renovation or remodel, have a built-in seat installed. A teak wood bench or ceramic garden stool will also work in a shower that is not due for an extensive remodel, says Jennifer Markanich, owner and designer of Timeless Interiors. She suggests installing glass shower walls to give the illusion of more space and let in more light. For a quick fix, replace your shower curtain rod with a curved rod to make the space feel larger.

"Always have a hand-held shower head on a slide bar," says April Bettinger, owner and designer of Nip Tuck Remodeling. It will give you the spa-like feeling and is adjustable so people of varying heights can use it comfortably.

Be creative when choosing towels, a shower curtain and bathmats. "You don’t want everything to match," says Anna Aycock, owner of Designs by Anna Aycock. "You can get prepackaged sets but it’s not unique and shows no creativity." Instead, coordinate your accessories by basing them on a common theme like color or texture. “You don’t want them to be fighting each other,” she says. "You want them to balance with each other."