Shower baths have more potential than you might think – here's how to make it look more luxurious while saving space in a bathroom

When I think of uninspiring bathroom schemes, my combined bath and shower design is exactly what comes to mind. A shower idea that involves stepping into the bath has always felt awkward, and it often goes hand in hand with an unaesthetic design.

So how do we combat this? While it can be tempting to knock it out and replace with a gorgeous walk-in shower, practicality has to come first and sometimes a combined bath and shower is exactly that.

So if, like me, your shower bath is here to stay, then this is how you can make the very best of it.

While a shower over a bath can often feel restricting in terms of design, it's important to not allow it to stifle your creativity.

'A shower over a bath does not have to mean a built-in bath, a standard glass screen and a wall-mounted shower set squeezed in at one end,' echoes Keeley Sutcliffe, design manager at BC Designs.

Built-in baths are one of the most common formations, but if your bathroom layout doesn't allow for this, then there are other options.

'A freestanding bath can make the whole arrangement feel far more luxurious, but it needs to be treated as a showering space as well as a statement piece,' Keeley adds.

It's not just the bath positioning you have to think about - where the shower head sits is important, too.

'Positioning is where many layouts go wrong. The shower head should sit above the widest, flattest part of the bathing area, rather than over a steeply sloping end where it is uncomfortable to stand,' Keeley adds.

Part of what I personally find difficult about my own bath shower situation is that it must be turned on by the bath tap, which means dashing in and out under the shower head to avoid getting wet. If you're designing from scratch, this is a key design flaw to abolish.

'Controls should be close enough to the edge that the water can be turned on before getting into the bath, so nobody has to step beneath a cold shower. I would also keep the bath filler away from the main entry point and, where possible, use wall-mounted brassware to leave the rim feeling cleaner and less crowded,' she continues.

Practicality aside, it's time to consider style. A simple glass divider and white subway tiles aren't going to make your bath-shower feel stylish, so instead focus on how you can incorporate colour and pattern into the wash zone.

A stripe-drenched look using simple tiles is particularly effective and can keep costs down by opting for budget-friendly subway tiles. Continuing the pattern onto the side of the bath also helps to disguise the appearance of a simple baseboard.

If tiling is out of budget (or too much faff), then tongue and groove panelling is a simple way to make a bath-shower set-up feel warm and inviting, rather than cold and boring. Painting in an earthy shade gives you added style points.

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