Before and After: 4 Lovely Bathrooms With Low-Curb Showers
See how designers improved these spaces with a low-barrier shower setup in different sizes, styles and features
A low curb creates a safe shower entry that’s less expensive than a fully curbless shower. This popular feature also promotes a light and airy look and helps keep water from entering the main bathroom area. But there are nearly infinite ways to design a low-curb shower. For an idea of what’s possible, see how these four bathrooms benefited from their shower updates.
After: Removing the tub deck allowed for an expanded low-curb shower. The frameless glass enclosure creates an open appearance, while 12-by-24-inch marble-look porcelain wall tiles add elegance. Porcelain penny round tile flooring provides a nonslip surface. Matte black fixtures and a linear drain add dramatic contrast and coordinate with other black details in the room. The built-in shower bench features a discreet shampoo niche.
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“After” photo by Cindy Marie Photography
2. Bold and Warm Midcentury
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five, part time
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Size: 51 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Jasmine Galle of Sage and Soul Interiors
Before: This young couple with three kids were excited to buy their first vacation home, a 1970s house overlooking the Salish Sea on the coast of Washington state. While the views were beautiful, the interiors needed help. That included the long and narrow 51-square-foot primary bathroom with its aging shower-tub combo. Wanting to modernize the space, the couple hired designer Jasmine Galle.
2. Bold and Warm Midcentury
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five, part time
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Size: 51 square feet (4.7 square meters)
Designer: Jasmine Galle of Sage and Soul Interiors
Before: This young couple with three kids were excited to buy their first vacation home, a 1970s house overlooking the Salish Sea on the coast of Washington state. While the views were beautiful, the interiors needed help. That included the long and narrow 51-square-foot primary bathroom with its aging shower-tub combo. Wanting to modernize the space, the couple hired designer Jasmine Galle.
After: Working together remotely, Galle and the couple decided to keep the layout but replace the shower-tub combo with a low-curb shower and a frameless glass panel that makes the compact space feel more open. Matte green-and-gray porcelain tiles with a concrete look and alternating geometric pattern run across the floor and up the back shower wall, pulling the eye in to highlight the room’s length rather than its width. Matte black ceramic rectangular tiles cover the full vanity, as well as both sides of the low-curb shower, adding drama and depth to the room.
The shower floor is 2-inch round matte green porcelain mosaic tiles that come in 10-by-10-inch sheets. Galle used gray grout and added an integrated linear drain. A matte black pressure-balanced shower system includes a shower head and a hand shower on a slide bar that creates flexibility and also gives the homeowners the ability to rinse down the walls.
Floor and shower wall tile: Brando Green, 8 by 8 inches, TileBar; black tile: Makoto in Kuroi Black, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; shower floor tile: Makoto in Midori Green, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; shower system: Lentz, Signature Hardware
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The shower floor is 2-inch round matte green porcelain mosaic tiles that come in 10-by-10-inch sheets. Galle used gray grout and added an integrated linear drain. A matte black pressure-balanced shower system includes a shower head and a hand shower on a slide bar that creates flexibility and also gives the homeowners the ability to rinse down the walls.
Floor and shower wall tile: Brando Green, 8 by 8 inches, TileBar; black tile: Makoto in Kuroi Black, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; shower floor tile: Makoto in Midori Green, Bedrosians Tile and Stone; shower system: Lentz, Signature Hardware
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Before Photo
Photos by Morgan Karanasios
3. Classic New England Style, Updated
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Concord, New Hampshire
Size: 160 square feet (15 square meters)
Designer-builder: Granite State Cabinetry
Before: In this traditional New England Colonial home in New Hampshire, the primary bathroom included a large tub with a tiled surround that took up lots of floor space and left the shower feeling crammed in. The couple hired kitchen and bath designer Whitney Nelson of Granite State Cabinetry to help them transform the bathroom with a stylish update that keeps things classic but with an edge.
How to Remodel a Bathroom
3. Classic New England Style, Updated
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their three children
Location: Concord, New Hampshire
Size: 160 square feet (15 square meters)
Designer-builder: Granite State Cabinetry
Before: In this traditional New England Colonial home in New Hampshire, the primary bathroom included a large tub with a tiled surround that took up lots of floor space and left the shower feeling crammed in. The couple hired kitchen and bath designer Whitney Nelson of Granite State Cabinetry to help them transform the bathroom with a stylish update that keeps things classic but with an edge.
How to Remodel a Bathroom
After: Nelson got rid of the tub and deck, making the room feel more airy and open. She replaced the drop-in tub with a freestanding one that has breathing room between it and the new low-curb shower. Removing the tub surround also allowed Nelson to expand the shower stall, which now measures 78 by 48 inches.
The shower walls feature undulating 3-by-8-inch subway tiles in various shades of white. The main flooring is 24-by-48-inch porcelain tile with digitally printed marble-look veining. The shower flooring is the same tile but in a 2-inch hexagonal size. The shower has a built-in bench and a long ledge that runs across the back, offering a spot to store body products off the floor.
Shower tile: Blanco, Passion series, Emser Tile; shower quartz: Breeze Blanc, Quartzforms Spa; plumbing fixtures: Artifacts collection, Kohler
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The shower walls feature undulating 3-by-8-inch subway tiles in various shades of white. The main flooring is 24-by-48-inch porcelain tile with digitally printed marble-look veining. The shower flooring is the same tile but in a 2-inch hexagonal size. The shower has a built-in bench and a long ledge that runs across the back, offering a spot to store body products off the floor.
Shower tile: Blanco, Passion series, Emser Tile; shower quartz: Breeze Blanc, Quartzforms Spa; plumbing fixtures: Artifacts collection, Kohler
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Photos by Raemi Rue
4. Minimalist and a Little Eclectic
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Castle Rock, Colorado
Size: 180 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Bonnie Bagley Catlin of Signature Designs Kitchen | Bath | Interiors
Contractor: All About Bathrooms
Before: This retired couple enjoy lots of outdoor activities like skiing and horseback riding, and they wanted a primary bathroom that would feel relaxing when they returned home. But in their existing bathroom, a bathtub with a large surround squeezed the shower stall to 46 by 46 inches. And a built-in shower bench took up valuable space inside the stall. The couple found interior designer Bonnie Bagley Catllin on Houzz and hired her to help them improve the look and feel of the bathroom.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
4. Minimalist and a Little Eclectic
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A retired couple
Location: Castle Rock, Colorado
Size: 180 square feet (17 square meters)
Designer: Bonnie Bagley Catlin of Signature Designs Kitchen | Bath | Interiors
Contractor: All About Bathrooms
Before: This retired couple enjoy lots of outdoor activities like skiing and horseback riding, and they wanted a primary bathroom that would feel relaxing when they returned home. But in their existing bathroom, a bathtub with a large surround squeezed the shower stall to 46 by 46 inches. And a built-in shower bench took up valuable space inside the stall. The couple found interior designer Bonnie Bagley Catllin on Houzz and hired her to help them improve the look and feel of the bathroom.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
After: After considering their options, the homeowners decided to go for major changes. One of the key moves was eliminating the original bathtub and its large surround. This made the bathroom feel more airy and open and created room for a spacious low-curb shower stall that measures 63½ by 52 inches. The homeowners learned from their previous shower that they had no interest in a built-in bench, and they instead opted for a simple teak shower stool. Blue-green porcelain tiles bring a big dose of color to the room. The tiles are 2-by-10-inch subway tiles composed in an offset vertical pattern that make the tiles resemble water.
Shower tile: Look Avio, The Tile Shop
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Shower tile: Look Avio, The Tile Shop
Read more about this bathroom makeover
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1. Clean and Fresh Farmhouse
Bathroom at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with three daughters
Location: Ladera Ranch, California
Size: 215 square feet (20 square meters)
Designer-builder: Designers Natalie Carr and Aaron Golden and project manager Jim Mathews of Sea Pointe Design & Remodel
Before: These homeowners disliked almost everything about their former bathroom, especially the large built-in tub and tight shower stall. Wanting a larger shower and an updated farmhouse style that better fit with the rest of their home, the couple reached out to designers Natalie Carr and Aaron Golden and project manager Jim Mathews for help.
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