Planning your Luxury Shower Experience

The English Tapware Company have compiled this helpful guide to planning your ideal shower experience, incorporating our bestselling products to suit your situation and needs.

When creating your own luxury shower experience, there are a multitude of decisions to make. Whether determining the size of an overhead shower rose, considering the storage requirements or determining the house’s water pressure, the list of considerations can seem endless.

The English Tapware Company have compiled this helpful guide to planning your ideal shower experience, incorporating our bestselling products to suit your situation and needs.

SHOWER LAYOUT

We firstly need to talk about mixer tap positioning.

Project: Gardyne Street Product: Perrin & Rowe - Contemporary Shower Layout C2C & C1B
Designer: Tobias Partners Photographer: Katherine Lu

To ensure your hair doesn’t get prematurely wet and you’re not left standing under icy cold water waiting for the hot water to kick in, we recommend wherever possible, taps are placed near the entry into the shower, away from the shower heads. This is for easy reach access and ensures you can set the shower temperature whilst staying dry outside. Be mindful of the direction of spray from the handshower so it does not spray near the open shower door when a user is setting the temperature.

Project: Drummoyne House, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower Layout 2C & 1B
Designer: Marina Wong, Photographer: Katherine Lu

Because our preferences vary, we have a range of shower mixer combinations. Our single lever shower mixer is the easiest to use as water is mixed by rotation of the lever. Perrin & Rowe single lever shower mixers are fitted with a pressure balancing cartridge which automatically adjusts the incoming hot or cold-water flow to avoid scalding and freezing if taps or appliances are turned on and off elsewhere in the house.

If renovating an existing bathroom, keeping the traditional in-wall fittings with separate taps is easier to retrofit and more cost effective. With separate taps, it can be difficult to balance the incoming hot and cold-water supplies for a continuously warm shower. This can be resolved by the plumber running the hot and cold water into mixing chamber where they mix together before running on to the shower outlet.

Modern technology now makes it easier to operate a set of taps. We’ve all struggled to turn on and off some old taps! Our Perrin & Rowe lever and crosshead taps are fitted with high-quality, quarter-turn ceramic disc valves. Little to no strength is required to turn them on for an effortless shower experience.

Multiple shower outlets can be fed through a diverter which directers water to either one of the shower outlets or each outlet can have a simple on/off isolating tap.

SPECIFYING HAND SHOWERS

Project: Alma Residence, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 1C
Designer: Studio Gorman, Photographer: Prue Ruscoe

Being height adjustable, hand showers on an adjustable sliding rail provide for tall adults and short children and allow you to shower while keeping your hair dry. They will also aid in shaving your legs by allowing you to direct water to where it is most needed. A hand shower is a boon when cleaning the shower, easily rinsing off the walls and floor.

For busy families, hand showers are a godsend, allowing the parent to control the direction of the water to clean up small grubby children and four-legged furry friends. As kids grow, the handshower can easily be moved up the sliding rail with a flick of the lever.

Project: Kumeu House, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Deco Shower Layout D2C
Designer: Heather Fox, Photographer: Anna Rees

For times of incapacity (after that fall on the ski-field), handheld showers allow you to shower in a seated position. Hand showers are also essential for elderly visitors and guests with disabilities who require assistance from a care-giver.

An energy efficient choice for the eco-conscious; with the shower head lower down, the hot water loses less heat before making skin contact. Win!

ADDING OVERHEAD ROSES

Project: Glynn House, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower Layout 3B
Designer: Peter Schaad, Photographer: Martina Gemmola

Our perforated showerheads feel like rain.

Overhead rain-showers are the ultimate luxury in a home, delivering a decadent, soothing shower experience. Perrin & Rowe offer perforated shower roses from 130 to 310mm in diameter, with 200mm being the most popular. Regardless of the width, the water volume remains the same as these roses are fitted with a water-conserving flow limiter.

Project: Pittwater House, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 3A and 2C
Designer: Alexander & Co, Photographer: Felix Forest

In a bathroom catering for a couple or family with varying likes and dislikes, fitting both overhead and hand shower in the one shower area provides the ultimate flexibility. Dual-shower outlets are now commonplace in luxury bathrooms with each person having a shower option to suit their requirements. No arguments here!

Multiple shower outlets can be feed through a diverter which directs water to either one of the shower outlets or each outlet can have a simple on/off isolating tap.

EXPOSED PIPEWORK

Project: Hawthorn II, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 12A
Designer: Naomi Freier Interiors

Showers sets based on an exposed riser-pipe are a classical fixture that can provide a statement feature within your bathroom. We recommend where possible installing these showers perpendicular to the shower door, so taps are easy to reach from outside the shower enclosure and you can avoid reaching through the falling water.

Project: Tamarama Residence, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 11A
Designer: Tamsin Johnson, Photographer: Anson Smart

Exposed showers add a modern industrial element to a bathroom by having components, which are normally hidden in the wall, on display. They are easy to customise by using mixers or separate taps, different sized overhead shower roses, hand showers or enjoy both with a riser-mounted diverter.

Exposed pipes make repairs and installation simple, keeping costs down. An exposed shower set may be able to be fitted without damaging existing tiling or walls linings.

CHOOSING BATHROOM ACCESSORIES

Project: Woollahra Showroom
Product: Perrin & Rowe - Sliding Rail Soap Basket

Once upon a time all we needed was somewhere to place a cake of soap we probably made ourselves. Have we moved on from there!

To meet modern bathroom requirements, allow generous storage wherever possible to hold our new-age necessities: soap, body wash, oils, shampoo, razor and even portable (waterproof!) music systems. Larger wall baskets with sufficient depth are ideal.

Providing storage in busy household showers is essential to avoid the clutter of bottles on the floor or on top of a wall. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, each year over 6,000 people are hospitalised after slipping in their bathrooms at home. Create a safer environment by getting your bottles off the floor, to eliminate unnecessary bending and avoid slippery soap build-up. A quick rinse with a handshower at the end of each shower will assist with this.

We suggest one or two corner baskets or alternatively, one or two long baskets which fit containers in a range of sizes.

Grab rails are no longer the ugly industrial hardware screwed to the wall in your bathroom. The newly launched range of high quality Hawthorn Hill grab rails are in traditional and contemporary styles and their full range of finishes.

Definitely a consideration for every bathroom, they should be standard in a guest bathroom which may at some time be used by people with a range of abilities. Positioned within the shower, over the bath, beside the toilet etc, these grab rails are an elegant fixture which you and others will appreciate when required.

SELECTING SHOWER HARDWARE

Project: Epsom Bungalow - Main Bathroom, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 1C, Joseph Giles - Arnold Towel Rail and Shower Door Knob

OUTDOOR SHOWERS

Tapware and shower fittings for outdoor use need to be able to withstand coastal conditions. At the beach house, an outdoor shower is essential to rinse off after a swim and stop everyone from walking in salt and sand. Another tip is to install a bath spout low down for easy foot washing!

An outdoor shower offers a solution to all pre and post-swimming needs. Placed next to the pool or spa at home, this will become indispensable throughout the year to keep the smell of chlorine outside and save a lot of indoor mess. A beautiful brass shower is an architectural feature.

An outdoor shower can be used to wash your pets and help everyone cool down outside, particularly on hot summer days.

Project: Bronte Home Product: Perrin & Rowe - Outdoor Shower 11A

Project: Hobson Bay, Product: Perrin & Rowe - Classical Shower 2C
Architect: Julian Guthrie, Photographer: Patrick Reynolds

Perrin & Rowe tapware and shower fittings are engineered from premium quality brass and will not deteriorate over time. Exposed to the elements, uncoated bare brass will develop a rich bronze patina which complements organic materials like timber, marble and limestone, with no loss of functionality.

A queue for the shower? For homes with only one bathroom, investing in an outdoor shower with hot and cold-water supply is a good life hack. Never again will you be left waiting in the hallway for the bathroom to free up; find yourself enjoying a hot outdoor shower under the stars!

AND FINALLY... FINISHES

Your preferred finish for your tapware and accessories will depend on the ultimate look you are after.

The Chrome finish is the hardest and most durable finish. Polished Nickel, Pewter (Brushed Nickel), Satin Brass and Polished Brass are all ‘living finishes’ and develop an aged patina after a period of time. For a luxurious option, consider the Perrin & Rowe Gold finish made using real 24 carat gold which will not tarnish but requires careful cleaning.

For additional elegance, Perrin & Rowe’s white or black porcelain lever handle options are a favourable choice. Paired with any metal finish, these smooth porcelain handles are a pleasure to use and will further elevate your bathroom interior.