While I don’t follow, like or promote trends I can report what my clients are asking for more and more. Lately, my bathroom renovation clients are asking for a bench seat in their showers. Recently, I’ve had three clients ask for a bench seat in their shower, integrated and not integrated. So here are my tips on this latest bathroom must have.
The right size shower for a bench seat
A good-sized seat, any seat is typically 40cm deep. Basically, big enough for an average bottom to sit on. This is true for benches, although benches can be slightly smaller. I’ve seen benches as small as 30cm but for comfort and functionality I would prefer a larger bench seat.
Which means your shower needs to be large enough to accommodate a bench seat, integrated or not. By integrated I mean a bench seat that is built in and finished with the same tiling rather than a seat that might be screwed into the shower wall.
So how big does your shower need to be to accommodate the latest bathroom must have? I think your shower needs to be 1100 to 1200 wide and 800-900 deep. Bearing in mind you may not use the bench seat every time you shower, you need enough standing space.
With my most recent bathroom renovation in Doncaster the shower is only 900 x 900 so we simply can’t fit a bench seat unless we increase the size of the shower.
Right style and finish
Like every other selection in your bathroom renovation project the bench seat, whether integrated or not needs to be within your interior style goal and colour scheme.
So, if integrated it will be a tiled finish but if not integrated then consider a finish and material that is in line with your interior style goal.
For example, if your interior style goal is Scandi then you might consider a timber bench seat. Your bench seat could also fold if you wanted. For one of my client sI have suggested a stand-alone plastic bench seat which could be used in the shower to sit on or out of the shower in a styling function.
Cleaning your shower seat
Most clients I work with want a bathroom that is easy to clean, easy to maintain. Having a shower seat means having another thing to clean in your bathroom.
Also depending on your flooring the bench seat, if integrated might leave a small pool of water that needs wiping off before leaving the shower.
And of course it means more grout lines and more mould opportunities. Like anything there are pros and cons worth considering before deciding to install a bench seat in your shower.
I can see the benefit of a bench especially as people get older and they want their homes to be more accessible. For client’s who like to luxuriate but don’t have a bath, this latest bathroom must have could be a good option.