20 Modern Shower Ideas to Start Your Mornings in Style

Think of your shower as the star of your bathroom. It’s a small but mighty space where you can show off your design style, whether that’s traditional, modern, or otherwise.

To add a contemporary touch to your shower, think outside the box: cool tile patterns, interesting enclosures, and all kinds of charming details that’ll turn your shower into a one-of-a-kind oasis—a little getaway where you can start your day off right or wash it all away at night. 

If you’re working with a dated bathroom design that you can’t wait to demo, scroll on. We rounded up 20 modern shower ideas that’ll have you calling a contractor immediately—or at least daydreaming about doing so.

Go Back to Basics

We’re relaxed just looking at this shower designed by Sarah Solis. Every design decision, from the exposed wooden beams to the transparent half-wall, took a deconstructed approach that resulted in an ultra-airy feeling ideal for a modern shower.

Highlight a Feature Wall

One step into this bathroom designed by Frances Harvey and your eyes will immediately be drawn to the shower’s feature tile wall. Its tiles are dark yet whimsical, with varying depths you’ll want to reach out and touch. It’s proof you don’t need to tile your entire shower in a striking tile, especially if your budget says no—one wall can make a serious statement.

Organize with a Niche

Your shampoo and condition deserve a better home than the corner of your shower floor, where they pile into a mess and inevitably get knocked over. A dedicated niche, like the one in this shower by Allison Ruda Interior Design, solves that issue. 

“This shower showcases beautiful modern yet classic features,” Ruda says. “The half-wall design invites abundant natural light, while a dedicated niche enhances organization.”

Look to Nature for Inspiration

This shower, located in one of the four-and-a-half bathrooms in the private retreat Blue Mountain Resort House, lives up to its home’s name. The entire property, which lives on 28 acres of pristine mountain, stream, and forest land, aims to blend modern convenience with natural beauty. This shower, with vertical and variegated blue tiles, does just that.

Highlight Natural Tones and Textures

Balancing brightness and warmth is no easy task, especially in an interior bathroom with no natural light. Float Studio got it right by incorporating natural tones and textures, including wood, limestone, and marble for an overall sense of peace. Don’t overlook the role the fixtures play either. They add weight and interest to the space, and are equally as long-lasting and timeless.

Lean Into Scandinavian Style

For an ultra zen shower experience, ask yourself: what would a Scandinavian do? Chances are they’d approve this serene space by Rumor Designs. The shower may look like it’s covered in wood planks, but don’t be fooled; it’s actually made of porcelain tile.

“This shower gives the appearance of a sauna with a Scandinavian aesthetic, and we loved that the tile came in extra wide plank-like lengths offering a more luxurious feel," Katie Siegel, lead designer of Rumor Designs, says.

Mix and Match Finishes

For this modern shower, designer Sarah Solis highlighted two sides of the finish spectrum: extremely high gloss and couldn’t-be-more-matte. The shiny tiles are toned down with aged fixtures that harken to another century. Together it makes for a luxe modern shower.

Get Creative With a Tile Pattern

If you have “been there, done that” feelings about horizontally stacked subway tile—a classic for a reason—there are plenty of other shapes and patterns to consider. How about herringbone? This Frances Harvey-designed shower’s herringbone shower tiles create a sense of movement and also an interesting contrast with the petite hexagonal floor tiles.

Forego Shower Walls

By nixing walls altogether, this modern shower’s customized floor tiles, which features a graphic design also accented in the walls, get to show off.

“The tiles are the hero,” Ami McKay, creator of PURE Design: Interior Design, Build & Shoppe, says. “Without shower walls, we can see the tiles without obstruction. It works well if your bathroom is waterproof, so make sure you use waterproof wood substrates!"

Double Down

There’s no denying the star of this stunning bathroom: the Santorini polished copper tub by Native Trails. It’s flanked by a pair of generously-sized bronze and glass shower enclosures, and sits atop Bianco Carrara herringbone tile, while a Fenwater pendant from Hudson Valley Lighting shimmers above.

Create a Bathing Platform

For this green-tiled beauty, McKay wanted to delineate the shower and tub area from the rest of the bathroom. That's why she designed a step-up bathing platform with a glass-walled shower and recycled tub.

“The green shower tiles wrap the vaulted ceiling for a dramatic color-blocking effect, and we used the same tiles for the platform trim," she says. She chose to place them vertically, which adds visual interest with a contemporary twist.

Tile It Black

What’s more modern than a black-tiled shower? Jennifer Ramsey Interiors leaned into a sleek, sophisticated shower design for this bathroom, choosing thin black tile placed vertically floor-to-ceiling. Not a bad place to freshen up. 

Get Graphic With It

The Lafayette Hotel and Club in San Diego wasn't shy with their graphic use of tile in this shower. Here’s your nudge to be bold. too. Small black and white tile—whether formed in stripes, checkers, or both—packs a serious punch, especially in a small shower. Brass fixtures make the tile patterns pop all the more, creating a timeless look that’ll look fresh for, well, ever.

Glass In Your Shower

If light and bright is more your style, take notes from this Cohesively Curated Interiors-designed bathroom. The shower’s glass doors create a seamless look that make the bathroom feel bigger. Plenty of sunlight bouncing off the luminous tile and pair of mirrors helps too.

Show Off Color

If you’re craving color in your home, a small space like a shower is an ideal place to experiment. Swoon Inside did just that in this modern shower, without the colorful tiles being too “look at me!” Placing the rectangular tiles vertically adds a contemporary touch. too.

Add an Arch

Forget feeling boxed in. To soften the lines of your shower, add some curves with an arched entrance. It makes a statement without being showy, and can tie in other curvatures (like a mirror, for instance) too.

Create a Shower Cage

Want to define your shower space without chopping the bathroom up into too many small sections? Here’s a solution courtesy of this modern bathroom design by Curated Nest: delineate the shower from the rest of the bathroom with French window-like glass panes. It keeps an open flow and lets any natural light stream into the shower too. 

Add a Bench

Go ahead, take a seat. Adding a bench to your shower, like Kristen Elizabeth Design did in this modern bathroom, makes for an extra relaxing place to let your hair mask set in, shave your legs, or simply let the warm water wash over you. It’s especially a must if you install a steam shower.

Add Floor-to-Ceiling Mosaic Tiles

Zoe Feldman Design didn’t shy away from using this mosaic tile throughout this modern shower—walls, floor, and ceiling. The variegated gray tones give it depth, and the brass fixtures and niche detailing add to its extra regal feel.

Skip a Door in Favor of a Splash Guard

If you’re working with limited square footage in your bathroom, consider installing a glass shower panel, as opposed to an entire door. It’ll act as a splash guard while maximizing the limited layout. It’s a modern move that’ll give your everyday shower a spa-like quality.

Read Next: 35 Beautiful Shower Ideas to Inspire Your Bathroom Remodel

Read the original article on The Spruce.