Your bathroom can be the most exciting room in your home! It can be a place you enter every morning for an invigorating shower that helps you face another day, and it can also be your sanctuary after work while you relax in a long steam bath or sauna. Maybe a unique “waterfall” in a new shower enclosure with walls of natural stone will make you feel like you are in the Rocky Mountains. How can you have a bathroom like this? You add a new shower enclosure. It is all in what you choose, but today you have so much to choose from that you may be a little overwhelmed.

If you think shower enclosures are boring, then you haven’t seen the latest offerings. A shower enclosure surrounds the inside of your shower and protects your walls, ceiling, and floor from water damage. It can include doors of protective glass that come in many patterns and thicknesses, or it can be designed to be private without doors. Some important decisions to make when selecting a new shower enclosure will be material choices (natural or engineered), color, design, and amenities.

The shower enclosure demands a large part of your bathroom and should be as carefully thought-out and created as the rest of your newly decorated room. Decisions related to measurements and codes may encourage you to meet with a local interior designer. He or she will make sure that you get everything you want without making costly mistakes or forgetting to add features you really want. You will need to decide if you want a shower enclosure installed into the existing space of your bathroom, or if you want to create more space and a more elaborate plan.

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether you want a shower enclosure made out of a natural material or an engineered material. Natural products include granite, marble, onyx, limestone, travertine, slate, sandstone, and quartzite. These materials can be cut into specific shapes to fit your space. Granite is known for its durability, while marble is distinguished by its grains, textures, and colors. Man-made clay or porcelain tiles can also be used, but remember that with tiles you will have grout and grout lines. A colored grout is a good choice because soap and shampoo residues stain and discolor grout. Homeowners are selecting larger-sized tiles and are having them installed on the diagonal these days.

If you want an engineered, prefabricated shower enclosure, you will have just as many choices and decisions to make. These synthetically engineered prefabricated units are strong, solid products made of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), which is a hard and nonporous material that offers strength and durability. There are many beautiful color choices, as well as impressive finishes that look like granite and quartz.

Because perfect measurements are imperative, a contractor will measure and order the components to fit directly into your space. The contractor will also add a seal for permanency, giving a very clean, seamless look that is easy to maintain and keep clean. Speaking of keeping your shower clean, Kohler has a product out named Sterling that is made of stain- and scratch-resistant solid Vikrell. It has CleanCoat, which makes it easy to clean and wipes clear.

Your designer can recommend a contractor to pick up the new products, install them, and usually haul away the discards. Local bathroom showrooms/bathroom supply stores and stone/rock supply vendors will have these materials available.

An estimated timeframe for completion of a project like this depends on the extent of the project. It can take between one and three months if all of the materials are in stock. If you choose a stone or marble that is not available in this country, then you will need to be patient. If you are using the available space dimensions and installing a premade unit, the contractor may be able to install it within a week.

The total price will vary depending on the added features. The price of a natural shower enclosure is going to depend upon the price per square foot of the materials in your area, plus delivery and installation. It will be more expensive to create a natural enclosure than a premade unit, but it will be a timeless feature in your home that will add to its resale value.

Ambience is big! Today’s trends are toward the more dramatic and unique bathrooms that feature larger stones with waterfalls cascading down the walls. Even today’s recycled glass from nightclubs and restaurants is being used in shower enclosures. Heated towel racks and radiant heat installed under the floors are desired. Protection from viruses and germs is being offered by products like Microban, which has been developed with an anti-microbial protection that inhibits the growth of germs, mold, and mildew.

Another beautiful trend is thick glass shower doors with “chipped edge” wave-cut tops to resemble raw natural ice. Less hardware is also preferred. The hardware that is being used is rubbed and brushed bronze, brushed nickel, and hammered steel. Barrier-free options and upgrades are available in many of the same materials and are ADA-compliant.

So if you saw a bathroom like yours on an extreme makeover-type show and they were destroying it, it’s time to make changes. Remodeling your bathroom to include a shower enclosure with a sauna or steam mist is a very personal home therapy plan for de-stressing and adding a private, intimate space. You may find that life’s daily stresses melt away and you feel better, with more energy to live life. You will look forward to waking up to your new bathroom with your personal shower space all set up and ready just for you. Ah, life is good!

Editor’s Note: Donna Sharp, Allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers, has worked professionally in Omaha, NE for 30 years. She has designed 12 spaces for designer show houses, and is the chairperson of several committees.