The first showers, naturally, were waterfalls. But ever since plumbing moved indoors, we’ve been trying to better nature with imaginative ways to bathe—whether through stream or steam. Lately, though, some style-forward designers are trading in the high-tech minimalist spa look for something more idiosyncratic and historic. We’re calling it the “conservatory shower”: a fancy fixture that swaps out the traditional seamless glass stall for a birdcage-esque frame. It’s a look that dates back to the Gilded Age, and designers like Pamela Shamshiri and Sara Story are sourcing their own versions from architectural salvage shops, or commissioning the production of brand-new ones.
Story, an AD100 honoree, opted for a from-scratch edition for her house in New York’s Hudson Valley. “We’d combined two rooms to make a primary bathroom, with this layout where a shower just didn’t make sense along a perimeter wall,” she says. The sculptural statement of a conservatory shower felt right, with its marble form and polished nickel frame. “It’s a unique focal point for this bathroom,” she says. “So much of the time, the showstopper is the tub. But here, in the shower, you see 360-views of the landscaping, you see a wood-burning fireplace. It’s pretty magical.”
All this magic didn’t come easy. “It’s always a lot more [difficult] to fabricate anything sculptural,” she laughs. “And the shower doors are rounded, so it was super challenging because of how it had to articulate around the rounded shower walls. I made a custom metal shower vessel to hold shampoo and conditioner, which feels very British to me, like those grand old hotels in London.” The result was highly effective—although, Story advises, “I’d get all the costs upfront next time.”
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For pros who want the real thing, Steve Zaborski of Zaborski Emporium in Kingston, New York, has a few rows of vintage conservatory showers he’s found at flea markets and estate sales. “One, I got from Margaret Carnegie Miller’s summer house,” he says. The shower was in the personal bathroom of industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s only child. “They’re hard to come by, because they’re generally over 100 years old. Some need renovations, some are pretty well-to-go. Most just have surface stuff, because they’re made of brass with nickel plating, with cast iron or earthenware bases. It’s a matter of how good a finish you might want.”
Their scarcity often drives up the price point, though Zaborski points out that if you’re looking at conservatory showers, you’re generally not worried about cost. More concerning is space—you need a bathroom big enough to swing open the door and grab a towel, not to mention house all the plumbing—and whether your residence has the kind of water pressure to power all those spouts. Still, he says, installation is fairly easy since they tend to disassemble in labeled pieces. And, he notes, the shower is generally no heavier than the cast-iron tub influencers are soaking in all over your feeds.
