Dear Darren: Darren Palmer answers tricky design questions

Q: I have a very small bathroom. How can I put in a shower over bath without it looking daggy and outdated?

A: You have a few options when it comes to showers over baths. The first is obviously to not do it at all. You can change a bath area into a shower alone by tiling and waterproofing for purpose and/or using a shower tray as a base. Chances are, though, if you have small children or dogs that need washing in a tub, or you just love a soak yourself but you’re tight on space the best solution is a shower-bath combo.

The key to making them look good and contemporary is choosing well when it comes to tiles or wall finishes, tapware, the location of your shower head and the position of your taps and spout so that you can maximise functionality.

Choosing a good looking bath is a must also, and fortunately there is a plethora of options from the likes of Caroma, Reece, Rogerseller and Apaiser.

There are free-standing-looking baths that are more sculptural in form, but make sure you have a flat lip on the edge that meets the wall where a shower screen will need to be.

You can also play with the look of your shower screen as part of your design, whether that’s with a special glass finish such as a reeded glass, or a black metal frames. As with all design, it’s all in the details.

Q: How can I update the look of my ugly aluminium windows without replacing them?

A: The best way to deal with something that’s unattractive but hard to replace is to draw attention away from them.

Installing window treatments would be your first go-to.

If you use a plantation shutter, such as the range I used in my beach house from Carpet Court, the frame that the shutters sit within will largely obscure the aluminium window frames and what is not obscured by the frame will be diffused by the shutters themselves, drawing your eye forward to the shutter.

Roller blinds, roman blinds and venetians are also suitable options.

If you have a question to ask our interior guru Darren Palmer, email editorial@domain.com.au