Outdoor Showers: 20 Ideas for Bathing en Plein Air
Outdoor showers season is getting underway. Is there any greater luxury than bathing outdoors? You don’t need much more than a shower head and a modest enclosure (ideally one that offers a glimpse of the sea). We combed through the many outdoor showers we’ve come across over the years and selected the most memorable. Here’s our top 29:
LA Luxe
Above: Designer Vanessa Alexander’s outdoor shower in Malibu, California. Photograph courtesy of Alexander Design.
Long Island Lavender
Above: An outdoor shower in Southhampton, New York by Maria Milans del Bosch. Photograph by Montse Zamorano. For more, see Before & After: A Swimming Pool in the Hamptons, Inspired by Spain.
Cape Cod Classic
Above: An outdoor shower in a secluded corner of a Cape Cod garden needs no walls, doors, or curtains. Photograph by Justine Hand.
Sweden Summerhouse
Above: A shower in the back of a summerhouse designed by LASC Studio, from Remodelista’s Shocking Color in a Swedish Summer House.
Berkshires Balance
Above: Photograph by Michael Moran courtesy of O’Neill Rose Architects. A pool house in the Berkshires in Massachusetts has an outdoor shower sided with white clapboard. For more, see Swimming Pool of the Week: Beautiful Views in the Berkshires.
Pacific Palisades Pastoral
Above: For an outdoor shower, the choice of materials—water-worn pebbles underfoot and a board and batten shower enclosure—are an echo of the architecture of the house. Photograph by Art Gray. For more, see Landscape Architect Visit: A Refined Family Garden in LA’s Pacific Palisades.
Simple Living on Cape Cod
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams. For more, see Architect Visit: A Kitchen Garden on Cape Cod.
Charleston Clapboard
Above: A shower and bathroom in a pool house in Charleston, SC, designed by architect Heather Wilson. See more at Remodelista’s Steal This Look: An Outdoor Pool Pavilion, Shower Included.
Napa Glamping
Above: Perched on a platform, a modern open-air bath in northern California’s Napa valley has a corrugated metal roof, teak-stained knotty pine paneling, and stainless steel interior walls. Photograph by Matthew Williams. For more, see Gardenista Book Sneak Peek: Glamping in Napa.
New York State of Mind
Above: A minimalist shower on the side of Tom Givone’s farmhouse, from Remodelista’s A Floating Farmhouse in Upstate New York.
Above: An outdoor shower on Jamaica. Photograph by Art Gray. For more, see The Tropical Life: A Family Camp on Jamaica Designed by Sean Knibb.
Veracruz Viewpoint
Above: A bamboo fence encloses a shower at a beach house in the Bahamas. See more in Island Life: At Home with Tom Scheerer.
Nashville Retro
Above: A shower is tucked between a bathhouse and camper trailer from our Outbuilding of the Week: A Retro ’60s Camper, Outdoor Bathhouse Included.
Cape Cod Couple
Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista. Side-by-side showers constructed of simple exposed plumbing parts. For more, see our book, Gardenista: The Definitive Guide for Stylish Outdoor Living.
The Blues in LA
Above: An LA shower designed by Michaela Scherrer. For a tour of her own house, pick up a copy of Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.
South Africa Story
Above: A shower on the back porch of the Ecca Lodge, at the private game reserve Kwandwe in South Africa.
Shelter Island Scene
Above: A shower overlooking the shoreline of Shelter Island, NY, at a house designed by Suzanne Shaker and Tamarkin Co. Photograph by Photography by Bart Michiels. For more, see Architect & Designer Visit: Cary Tamarkin and Suzanne Shaker in Shelter Island.
Pacific Northwest Cabin
Above: The lone shower in a house on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia designed by Olson Kundig Architects. See more in Remodelista’s A Master Architect Builds a Tiny Cabin in the Pacific Northwest.
Manka’s in Marin
Above: A tiny concrete shower stall at Manka’s Inverness Lodge in West Marin, California.
Considering installing an outdoor shower yourself? See Hardscaping 101: Outdoor Showers. Prefer a bath to a shower? Have a look at 5 Favorites: Outdoor Bathtubs.
