Tropical Downpour: Outdoor Showers for Lovers of Nature
If you love the idea of washing under the sun and stars, let this collection inspire your own open-air wash zone
Sure there are outdoor showers that are prim and proper, modest outdoor versions of the bathrooms inside a house. But if you’ve got a hankering to really get back to nature, find a spot in your garden that lets you get as close to showering in a waterfall as the suburbs can allow. These ideas will provide just the inspiration you need to get to work creating a version that works for you (and your location).
If stickybeaking neighbours are not a problem, your screen can be as minimal as you like. Here architect Nick Leith-Smith had the advantage of building on a fifth-floor rooftop terrace in London, with no neighbours to look down on anyone’s naked splendour. A point of Kiwi pride: his use of hardy New Zealand flaxes (Phormium tenax and Phormium colensoi) to create tropical ambience in English weather.
In a slicker modern setting, the screens can be a little more thought out. Don’t make the mistake of only having a single row of slats – it may shock passersby. Instead, offset a second trellis on the other side of the fence (setting the slats on one side against gaps on the other) to make it neighbour-friendly.
12 outdoor screen ideas
12 outdoor screen ideas
Indoor-outdoor flow
In tropical climates – or summer, for the rest of us – an outdoor shower can be part of the bathroom suite. To do this well and really blur the boundaries, continue the same flooring from indoors to out, and repeat the wall surfaces too. But keep it feeling outdoorsy with plenty of plants and an open side or two if you can.
In tropical climates – or summer, for the rest of us – an outdoor shower can be part of the bathroom suite. To do this well and really blur the boundaries, continue the same flooring from indoors to out, and repeat the wall surfaces too. But keep it feeling outdoorsy with plenty of plants and an open side or two if you can.
In this masterful outdoor space, contemporary wall tiles sit alongside organic pebble stones. It’s the real tree in the middle that makes this feel like nature, albeit at her most polished.
Surfing safari
A recycle of a beloved, but beyond repair, surf board will make the post-waves wash-down a thing of nostalgia. Open decking and a spot of beach-sturdy hedging is all you need to complete the set-up.
If feeding plumbing out to the backyard is a problem, turn the back deck into a shower space. But keep it casual with timber floors, recycled hooks for towels – and not much more.
A recycle of a beloved, but beyond repair, surf board will make the post-waves wash-down a thing of nostalgia. Open decking and a spot of beach-sturdy hedging is all you need to complete the set-up.
If feeding plumbing out to the backyard is a problem, turn the back deck into a shower space. But keep it casual with timber floors, recycled hooks for towels – and not much more.
The hot tub reinvented
Not everyone loves soaking in wooden hot tubs. Give yourself the same woodsy vibe with a shower stall made of hot tub slats. Positioned in the trees like this, what could be a prettier way to take the morning ablutions?
Not everyone loves soaking in wooden hot tubs. Give yourself the same woodsy vibe with a shower stall made of hot tub slats. Positioned in the trees like this, what could be a prettier way to take the morning ablutions?
For a more modern take – and only for competitive wood-stackers (you know who you are) – here’s the ultimate woodsy shower. Some smart steel structural framing (and, if you really want to avoid a dangerous collapse, steel rods threaded through the logs) make this safer than it looks.
Showers without borders
Showers without borders
Concrete decisions
Concrete might not be the first material you think of when you’re wanting to go au naturel, but poured into rough-cast wooden shutters, it can be a thing of beauty. It patinas beautifully with age, and pairs well with stone, timber and trees.
Concrete might not be the first material you think of when you’re wanting to go au naturel, but poured into rough-cast wooden shutters, it can be a thing of beauty. It patinas beautifully with age, and pairs well with stone, timber and trees.
Integrating a concrete shower with matching retaining walls is a handy way to turn a sloping site into a cool outdoor area. Repeat the warm decking wood on the slatted wall, add a bench for dropping wet towels, and it’s an improvement on nature. Almost.
Browse more decking ideas
Browse more decking ideas
A garden grotto
When you’re surrounded by neighbours, you might have to compromise on the uninhibited communing with nature just a bit. Here, a courtyard has aged into a natural grotto of roughened concrete, pebbles and stone, with a shower tucked beside the bath, Japanese-style. The gorgeous creepers give you spring and summer scent from star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and intense autumn colour from Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
When you’re surrounded by neighbours, you might have to compromise on the uninhibited communing with nature just a bit. Here, a courtyard has aged into a natural grotto of roughened concrete, pebbles and stone, with a shower tucked beside the bath, Japanese-style. The gorgeous creepers give you spring and summer scent from star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) and intense autumn colour from Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia).
Or build walls of scoria rock, and pave with flagstones for a more tropical ambience opening right off the bathroom. Be sure to add drainage beneath the pavers so water doesn’t creep back towards the house foundations.
Branching out
This is the ultimate in nature indulgence. Huge palm trees, ferny underplanting, even a handy rock to pop your (biodegradable) shampoo on. Be sure that the pavers are rough enough that they don’t get slippery when wet: you don’t want to have to call for help if you slip over when you’re starkers.
This is the ultimate in nature indulgence. Huge palm trees, ferny underplanting, even a handy rock to pop your (biodegradable) shampoo on. Be sure that the pavers are rough enough that they don’t get slippery when wet: you don’t want to have to call for help if you slip over when you’re starkers.
Even in a tiny corner, you can create the tropical jungle of your dreams. Here, an indoor-outdoor wooden bathmat ensures feet don’t get muddy.
Courtyard pavers are another good way to avoid mud. Again, make sure you use non-slip stones, and slope the surface into the garden so that water drains into the plants, not towards the house or footpath.
Creeping up
While you’re waiting for the trees to grow, conjure a leafy shower room with creepers. The key to making this look considered, not sloppy, is sharp framing of the fence at the top, as well as the sides. Annuals like nasturtium (Tropaeolum) grow super fast, useful in year one, but for something longer lasting and easy to care for try New Zealand native tecomanthe (Tecomanthe speciosa). Its shiny leaves and tropical autumn flowers will provide a good solid screen.
While you’re waiting for the trees to grow, conjure a leafy shower room with creepers. The key to making this look considered, not sloppy, is sharp framing of the fence at the top, as well as the sides. Annuals like nasturtium (Tropaeolum) grow super fast, useful in year one, but for something longer lasting and easy to care for try New Zealand native tecomanthe (Tecomanthe speciosa). Its shiny leaves and tropical autumn flowers will provide a good solid screen.
Stonewalled
If you live near a stone quarry, you may be lucky enough to commission a stonemason to build you a shower that honestly says ‘local’. A sculptural column does double duty as a pleasing piece of art when the water isn’t flowing. Add surrounding benches for soaking up the heat of the sun and you’ve got a space you’ll never want to leave.
If you live near a stone quarry, you may be lucky enough to commission a stonemason to build you a shower that honestly says ‘local’. A sculptural column does double duty as a pleasing piece of art when the water isn’t flowing. Add surrounding benches for soaking up the heat of the sun and you’ve got a space you’ll never want to leave.
Even more naturally evocative of a waterfall is this rough stone wall, surrounded by grasses and tropical palms. A gentle wall of bamboo evokes the serenity of a holiday in Bali.
TELL US
How close to nature would you like to go with your outdoor shower? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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TELL US
How close to nature would you like to go with your outdoor shower? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
MORE
Browse indoor/outdoor bathrooms
Yes, you could build a proper wall, with a proper door, even a roof over your head. But where’s the fun in that? Pull the shower away from the house – preferably under a tree or two – and build a rustic fence of manuka stakes. Or, if you like your rustic a little more refined, build a screen from recycled building materials that already have a great patina. Old railway sleepers, scaffolding planks, reconfigured pallets, you get the idea. These homeowners get extra nature-cred points for the stone block that houses the showerhead.