Clear glass. Swans. Swirling leaves. Stained glass with orange, purple and gold details.

As renovators continue to splurge on bathroom tile, fixtures and accessories, many are looking to the shower stall door to complete the design statement.

"People are starting to realize that a shower door doesn't have to be a commodity item," said Jennifer Jelinek, a senior market analyst for Kohler Co., based in Kohler, Wisc. "Yes, a shower door is functional, but it can really add to the overall decoration of the bathroom."

Shower doors are made with glass that is manufactured as

·         clear

·         obscure

·         a blend of clear and obscure

·         special designs, including “stained glass”

·         custom designs

They range in price from $175 for a 4-foot door to as high as several thousand dollars for a custom designed door.

Clear Glass

Many renovators have moved toward clear glass in recent years because it has a crisp, clean look and allows them to showcase their shower stall. "The clear glass opens up the bathroom and it's just more attractive," said David Herbert, vice president of marketing for Coastal Industries, Inc., a shower and bath enclosure manufacturer in Jacksonville, Fla.

Obscure Glass

Other people are more focused on privacy. They will use doors with obscure glass that help seclude the interior of the shower stall. The disadvantage to this style is that it hides whatever design choices you’ve made for inside the shower. This may disrupt the visual flow of the room.

Privacy also can be achieved if the base of the shower enclosure is made of tile and the door is positioned in a secluded area of the bathroom.

Combination of Clear and Obscure

There is a middle ground between clear and obscure glass, however. Those who want to show off their marble walls and still maintain some privacy have several options. A subtle design or one that covers part of the door will allow some design elements to filter through while blocking part of the stall from view from the outside.

Popular Design Possibilities

Patterns that are popular include a swirled leaf design and a textured design that resembles rain hitting the glass. You can tell shapes and know there's somebody there, but they're not so exposed.

There also are designs that include an ocean with a wave pattern near the top of the door and a school of fish swimming at the bottom. The Ocean Reef pattern by Kohler Co. has obscure glass that covers most of the panel. The top one-quarter of the glass, above the wave, is clear.

A horizontal stripe design is yet another option that would add design, and some privacy.  "It gives people the best of both worlds -- a little more security, but they can get light in and see the tile," Herbert said.

Patterns Applied Directly to Glass

Renovators also can add a unique touch to their doors by ordering a pattern that is applied to the glass. "People see a picture of something they like and we take it to a graphic designer and they recreate it," said David Stallings, owner of D. Stallings Installations, Inc., in Bensenville, IL. "It's basically like a piece of plastic they lay over the glass and you sandblast it."

The cost to have such a door made is approximately $400, which includes $200 for creating the design, he said.

Stained Glass?

Other designs mimic stained glass. Kohler Co. has a Basilica pattern with a rectangular section of white bars surrounded by thin black lines around the border. Colored diamonds are located at each corner and in a few placed in between, along the rectangular pattern. The middle of the door has some of the pattern, but is mostly clear.

"It's a nice way to add another design element . . . without overpowering the room," Jelinek said.

The Basilica door is sold in two color groups. The orange, blue and gold design has warm tones and blends with brass shower heads, faucets and other finishes. The royal purple, forest green and gold design has cool tones and blends with silver finishes.

Designing the Shower with the Door in Mind

While design is king, renovators also should consider the layout of the shower and how that will affect the functional purpose of the door. "I've seen showers with dual shower heads, a body spray and a steam shower and they're all pointed at the door," Stallings said. "Just remember your finished product and where the door will go. If you're putting that much water pressure against a hinge, it doesn't matter if it's an expensive door, it might not hold the seal."