Step Into a Refreshing Outdoor Shower
Open Showers Blur the Line Between Inside and Out
Using an outdoor shower is a time-honored tradition that keeps sand and seaweed out of your indoor shower stalls. While with some of these I wonder about privacy and modesty, the freedom of rinsing off under some of these must be a bit of a rush! Some of these are pretty wide-open to the elements from all four sides and above, while others may only be open to the sky or one side, but what they all have in common is making you feel closer to nature while you wash your hair.
This shower is as open to the elements as it gets (minus that lovely wood deck underfoot). It's adjacent to a hot tub, so one can rinse or cool off after getting out. See this shower in its wider context here.
Let's start at the beginning of outdoor shower-style history: the beach cottage with the stall outside around the corner. While its design is a bit more upscale than the typical old-fashioned outdoor stall, it still involves that towel-wrapped dash through the back door into the middle of the house. Sometimes I think that is part of the fun!
Next we have a showera bit more open to the elements. This is one of those showers that makes me wonder about privacy, but what a spot for a rinse!
Another new shower trend (or one borrowed from a villa in St. John): Providing an outdoor shower right outside the bathroom. This is the same shower you saw in the previous photograph. There is also a shower on the indoor side of the glass, so the options are open in more ways than one.
This shower has it all: a connection to the indoor bathroom, the outdoor feeling, and a bit more privacy.
This shower is covered overhead, but not anywhere else. I imagine this would feel like rinsing off in a jungle treehouse.
This space plays with the boundaries between indoors and out, with the stunning glass panel marking the dividing line. The shower is open to the sky.
This shower falls on the indoor side of the dividing line; technically it's indoors, but with the doors open it's completely open to the patio on one side. This kind of setup gives a feeling of being open to the elements with a bit more privacy.
Often in bathroom design, there are not many windows because of privacy concerns. This means that bathrooms usually get little, if any, natural light. New attitudes toward these spaces (most of which take advantage of the homes' remote locations) open views to the outdoors and let the light in. If you are not quite comfortable with this or are in a less remote location, consider a glass block wall.
This architect left a note under the picture explaining that "privacy allows a fully open wall of glass in front of shower and tub." I assume this means that unless someone is hovering outside the glass in a helicopter, no one can see you. However, if you're the type who is stalked by TMZ, you might want a little more privacy than this. Sorry Lindsey Lohan, this is not the shower for you.
This trend has started to spread beyond the shower stall. This is an outdoor bathtub on an upper deck of The Hillside House.
Here the tub and shower can be completely open to the courtyard. Even when the doors are closed, there is still a very strong feeling of being open to the elements.
Where is your comfort level in all of this? Would you hop right under any of these showers or does even a tiny skylight make you feel too exposed? I'm still deciding; please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
More shower design trends:
The Case for a Curbless Shower
Avoid Falling Bottles with a Shower Niche
Accent Tile Stands Out in the Shower
Where is your comfort level in all of this? Would you hop right under any of these showers or does even a tiny skylight make you feel too exposed? I'm still deciding; please let me know your thoughts in the comments.
More shower design trends:
The Case for a Curbless Shower
Avoid Falling Bottles with a Shower Niche
Accent Tile Stands Out in the Shower