29th April 2008 11:07AM

The new ARTISAN shower system is available from selected tile shops throughout New Zealand.

“It’s a shower that’s been designed with the modern city dweller in mind”, says Atlantis director Stan Gregec, “and will appeal for its young, fresh and vibrant qualities”.

ARTISAN is certainly different to the traditional tiled shower look. With its sleek minimalist styling, it is a shower that gives an optical illusion by appearing to sit completely level with the floor, when in fact it is actually supported by a 38mm high hob – known as the Atlantis Zero hob.

“The Zero-hob allows us to achieve a complete pared down effect and offer the added water containment benefits of a raised hob with a 20mm guaranteed slope to the waste,” says Stan Gregec. “This means water will drain effortlessly to where it is directed and buyers will have the assurance of a totally leak-free showering system that comes with a 20-year guarantee.”

The fully frameless look of ARTISAN, to match the pared down profile of the base, will appeal to those who don’t like clutter or unnecessary detailing in their showers. A new aluminium top brace enhances the frameless effect even further, and makes for easy cleaning.

Looking at the shower floor, you can’t see any unsightly drains in this shower. The new Atlantis hidden waste is achieved by a tile-over waste location in the centre of the shower. It’s a nifty solution to enhance that clean, unbroken look.

The ARTISAN system has been designed with the tradesperson in mind as well. Atlantis is already known for its easy-to-install systems – think of them as kits with all the pre-finished components for constructing a tiled shower included. ARTISAN takes it a step further by offering the Atlantis system in a form that is fully compatible with the tile-layer’s methods.

Stan Gregec explains: “ARTISAN will appeal to tilers because it allows them to use their own preferred waterproofing method for the shower walls and for the rest of the bathroom. For tilers it creates the best of both worlds. They get the benefit of having the hard work done for them that typically comes with having to prepare and screed a tiled shower floor – a time-consuming and messy job – while able to finish the waterproofing how they want.”

Moreover, the ARTISAN shower base can be installed onto an existing concrete or timber floor – without the need for any structural alterations to the flooring.

With minimal training, the tile-layer is now able to quickly and easily construct the whole shower and virtually eliminate his risk on the job.

Because the Atlantis screens come pre-measured and will simply locate into place, there is no need for the screens to be separately ordered and then having to wait for them to be installed. The tile-layer can finish the job in a couple of hours and put the premade Atlantis screens in himself as soon as the grout is dry.

“It’s a system that has benefits for everyone,” says Stan Gregec. And the biggest benefit of all may be the price. The ARTISAN shower brings the Atlantis range into an affordable price bracket for everyone – typically selling at a retail level for around $2000. Excellent value when you consider that it is New Zealand-made from the highest quality materials and screens, and comes with a bulletproof 20-year leak-free manufacturer’s warranty on the shower base.

• See Shower Gallery  for more images of Artisan showers.