How to choose a shower system — the complete guide

The shower system is the product you use several times a day, every day — which is exactly why choosing one deserves more than five minutes. The good news: there are only a handful of decisions, and they follow a clear logic.

The first and most important is the installation type. An exposed system carries everything on the wall — mixer, riser, overhead head, hand shower. It installs quickly, replaces easily and requires no opening of the wall: the ideal choice when the bathroom is already finished.

A concealed system hides the mixer body inside the wall; only the escutcheons, handles and showers remain visible. The result is cleaner and more architectural, and the wall easier to maintain. The price is planning: the decision must come before the tiles, the concealed body goes in during the plumbing stage, and it effectively commits you to one brand's system.

The second decision: thermostat or single-lever. A thermostatic mixer holds the set temperature regardless of what happens to the building's pressure, and has a safety stop — commonly at 38 °C — that protects against scalding. For families with children, and for everyday comfort, it is the most meaningful element of the whole system. A single-lever mixer is the simpler, more affordable solution — a perfectly honest choice for a less frequently used shower.

The overhead head: a larger diameter gives a softer, more enveloping rain, but demands more water and enough height to sit comfortably above your head. Think about the ceiling: with a lower one, a wall arm with a more compact head is often wiser than a ceiling mount.

The hand shower does the quiet work: rinsing, cleaning the enclosure, children, the family dog. Look for a comfortable grip, at least one softer and one firmer spray mode, and a slider bar that adjusts for height.

Water pressure is the thing to check before anything else. Large rain heads only show their character with good pressure; with weaker pressure choose a more compact head and a model rated for low pressure. If you are not sure what your home's pressure is, ask your installer or write to us — it shapes the choice more than anything else.

Count the outlets. An overhead head plus a hand shower means a mixer with two outlets and a diverter; add body jets or a bath spout and the count rises — and the concealed body must support it. This is decided on paper, before the purchase — not on the fly.

Materials and care: metal heads and risers bring weight and longevity; silicone nozzles let limescale rub off with a pass of the hand. Brushed surfaces hide droplets and fingerprints better than polished ones — a practical advantage in hard water.

The shower's finish is part of the larger picture: match it to the basin mixer and the accessories. The standards work in your favour — connections are universal (1/2"), and on exposed mixers the wall unions are standardised at 150 mm apart, so replacing an old mixer with a new one is usually straightforward.

Before you order, check: installation type (exposed or concealed), pressure, number of outlets, ceiling height, finish. Five answers — and the choice comes down to design. Browse our shower systems by finish and brand, or write to us for help.