There are bathroom renovations where the aim is simply to make everything newer. Then there are projects where changing the way the space works can make a much bigger difference.

For this complete bathroom renovation in St Leonards, our clients wanted a brighter, calmer and more practical room for everyday life. The existing bath was no longer the best use of the space, storage could be improved, and there was an opportunity to create a shower room that worked much better for them.

So we stripped the bathroom back and started again.

The result is a generous new shower, plenty of concealed storage, softer lighting and clearer surfaces, all within the existing footprint of the room.

Before deciding where anything should go, we came back to the question that shapes so many of our bathroom renovations: how do you actually use the room?

For these clients, replacing the bath with a shower made sense for the way they live now. Removing a bath can feel like a significant decision, particularly when it has always occupied such a large part of the bathroom, but if it rarely gets used, that space can often work much harder in another way.

Here, the bath-to-shower conversion allowed us to create a much more generous showering area without making the room feel crowded. We also incorporated a built-in shower niche, providing practical storage for everyday bottles without adding baskets or shelves inside the shower.

Before the powder blue furniture, worktop and shower panels could be installed, there was plenty happening behind the scenes. The existing bathroom was stripped out, new plumbing and electrical work was completed, new studwork was constructed where required, and the walls were prepared with new plasterboard and plastering.

This part of a complete bathroom refurbishment isn’t necessarily what catches your eye in the finished photographs, but it’s fundamental to the finished result. Straight, properly prepared walls are particularly important when fitting large shower panels, while plumbing and drainage need to work with the new layout rather than simply following the positions of the old bathroom suite.

Not everything needed replacing. The existing tiled floor was still in good condition and worked well with the new design, so we retained it. A complete bathroom renovation doesn’t have to mean removing something simply for the sake of replacing it. If an existing feature still works, both practically and visually, there’s often good reason to keep it.

Storage was another important consideration. We installed fitted bathroom furniture in a soft powder blue, creating plenty of cupboard space while keeping the worktop clear. The cabinetry is finished with a Polar Sparkle worktop, with matching Polar Sparkle shower panels and upstand carrying the same light finish through the room.

Lighting was planned just as carefully. Warm-white ceiling lighting creates a softer atmosphere, while a built-in cupboard was prepared for glass shelving with dedicated shelf lighting. Details like these may look like finishing touches, but the electrical work needs to be considered much earlier in the renovation, before plastering and the finished surfaces are installed.

We also fitted a heated towel rail with a summer element, allowing our clients to enjoy warm towels without having to switch on the central heating. It’s a relatively small feature, but exactly the sort of thing that makes a bathroom more enjoyable to use every day.

Looking at the completed shower room renovation in St Leonards, the biggest change isn’t any single product. It’s the way everything now works together.

The generous shower makes better use of the space previously occupied by the bath. The built-in niche keeps shower products close to hand, the powder blue fitted furniture provides useful concealed storage, and the combination of clear surfaces, Polar Sparkle finishes and warm lighting gives the room a brighter, calmer feel.

And underneath everything you can see is the plumbing, electrical work, studwork and preparation that allowed the finished bathroom to come together properly.

If you’re considering replacing a bath with a shower, we’d always suggest starting with what isn’t working in your current bathroom. Is the bath rarely used? Is storage limited? Do bottles collect around the shower? Does the lighting feel too harsh? Is there somewhere sensible for everything you use each morning?

Those answers can tell you far more about the bathroom you need than any photograph in a brochure.

Because a successful bathroom renovation isn’t simply about creating a room that looks different.

It’s about creating one that works better for the people who use it.