Environmental sustainability focus at Shower Screens
Here in the UK, we often face the challenge of designing around some of the smallest bathrooms in Europe. Awkward layouts and limited space can make it feel like true design potential is out of reach. At Shower Screen, we believe that a beautiful bathroom should never come at the expense of practicality and function. That’s why we teamed up with renowned British architect Laura Jane Clark to bring her expertise directly to our customers. The result? Our new ‘Inspire Your Bathroom’ series.
In this series, Laura reimagines real, often tricky UK bathroom spaces and transforms them into stunning examples of smart, stylish design. Today’s feature — and the first in the series — tackles a classic Victorian terrace bathroom.
Laura Jane Clark X Shower Screen – Environmental sustainability focus
Shower Screen Brand Ambassador, Laura Jane Clark
Working with Shower Screen as their Brand Ambassador, I wanted to bring you some fabulous bathroom design ideas for challenging spaces.
This one is for those outrigger rooms in a typical Victorian terrace. Originally in this client’s home, there was no bathroom on the first floor (see my book, The Handbook Of Home Design for why).
The smaller bedroom was ideal for a huge, glorious bathroom — BUT the client would end up losing that bedroom. So here, by turning and splitting the stair, they were able to steal a bit of stair space to squeeze a loo into the recess, whilst only extending into the bedroom by the shortest bath length — a comfy minimum of 1500mm. The result? A decent-sized bathroom and a smaller single bedroom/office too.
Also, by raking the ceiling and putting in an extra-large skylight or roof glazing, this small bathroom gained tons of drama and light, as well as an excellent natural ventilation solution.
I used the View 16 Fixed Bathscreen here, paired with beautiful matt black fixtures. Top tip — always try to position your shower controls and bath taps directly across from the entrance. That way, you won’t have to lean into the shower to turn on the water and risk that freezing blast of cold water on your freshly blow-dried hair (yes, I’ve done that… anyone else?).
Q&A with Laura Jane Clark
Do you see baths continuing to be a key feature in UK bathrooms — especially with the spaces being so small?
Baths are a bit of a marmite decision. Love them or hate them, I’m firmly in team bath. Even in smaller bathrooms, you can squeeze in a compact 1400mm or 1500mm-long bath that’s deeper to compensate. Plus, the smaller the bath, the quicker it fills — and the less water it uses.
When looking to make a bathroom feel bigger, what is more important — optimising light or colour palette?
Light, 100%. Whether it’s artificial or natural, light is the best way to increase the feeling of space in a bathroom. If space is tight, reduce the size of any window frames to maximise how much light you can bring in.
When choosing whether to fit a separate bath and shower cubicle, what should homeowners focus on most?
Think about the views in and out of both the shower and the bath — and what you see when you first walk into the room. Instead of facing the toilet, create a visual focal point with a beautiful shower screen or standout bath. It really changes the entire feel of the space.
What is your favourite part of this room set?
Definitely the window in the shower. It makes a real feature of the space and connects visually through to the bedroom, creating an amazing sense of openness and views out.
Keep an eye on our Journal and follow Shower Screen on social media for the next episode of Inspire Your Bathroom with Laura Jane Clark.