For most of us, a soak in the bath tub is a relatively rare treat. A morning shower, however, is a daily occurrence – and often more than daily, if you've been roaming the great outdoors.
Yet in choosing bathroom options it's all too easy to focus on the showstopper – an incredible bath – rather than thinking about the everyday experience. For our money, that's what showers such as this one from Catchpole & Rye (www.catchpoleandrye.com) seek to put right.
This Kent-based company started out selling antique bathroom fixtures and fittings which they'd refurbished, but over time they moved into the design and manufacture of their own products made in traditional styles.
What we particularly like about the example on this page – the Spine shower, in aged brass finish (£8,640) is how immensely practical it is: the 'ribs' that protrude form the spine offer all manner of options for hanging baskets of lotions and potions which accrue in most family bathrooms.
Yet that's not the primary function of the ribs: each one houses hot water jets to make this a shower that's horizontal as well as vertical. You'll have to ensure that your shower cubicle design works in harmony with this design. Cathpole & Rye offer design and customisation services to help on that score too, and if you get it right you'll have a shower that offers just as much sense of occasion as the finest bathtub – with the added benefit of being a luxury for every single day.
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