Privacy and light are big issues when choosing bathroom window treatments. Natural light is really important in a small space, but bathroom windows need some serious cover-up. Click below for 8 solutions for bathroom windows, whether you rent or you're planning a renovation...
Top: Wooden blinds are a popular choice for bathrooms because they go with a wide range of decors, they're simple to clean, and they let in light while obscuring the view. These blinds from The Shade Store fit in well with a clean, spa-like bathroom.
Interior shutters show up a lot in British and New England bathrooms. With this classic window treatment, you can use shutters to provide privacy on the bottom half of a window while leaving the top half open. Photo: Living Etc.
Window film is a relatively inexpensive solution to bathroom privacy issues, and there are a lot of design-minded options available now. These are Emma Jeffs' Delphi and Clover Leaf Window Films.
Glass blocks in a bathroom obscure what's inside while letting an entire wall of light into the space. Photo: Thomas J. Story for Sunset.
Combining shutter systems with the modern look of blinds gives these windows flexibility. You can easily open the louvers to let light in, or close them for privacy. Photo: Heath Ceramics.
A bathroom skylight in Christy and John's Logan Square Bungalow fills their space with light, and solves the privacy problem.
Windows set high in a bathroom let in light while keeping out onlookers. Photo: Anderson Windows.
Cafe curtains provide privacy on the lower portion of the window, but leave the upper portion open to light and views. Photo: John O'Hagan for Southern Living.
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Comments (7)
We have a glass block wall in our shower - it actually looks a lot like the one pictured above, with a ventilation window. It has gotten really moldy really quickly though, despite constant scrubbing!
Does anyone have any ideas on how we can salvage this - the light is great and I would hate to lose the window. Maybe it wasn't finished properly. Thank you!
A bathroom with a window? Such is my wildest fantasy!
At $93 USD a roll (w/o shipping from the UK) I'm not sure I'd call the window film inexpensive.
The pictures look great, but they fail to mention something that can be very important in the selection of bathroom window treatments.... Hanging shutters and blinds in rooms with a great deal of moisture can lead to severe warping. You should only hand faux wood blinds and shutters (as opposed to real wood products). Another product that works really well in bathrooms is top down bottom up shades, I was surprised these weren't mentioned in the article. With the selection of any bathroom window treatment you should definitely pay attention to how wet it will get.
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Be careful with so-called privacy film!!
I have a window inside my shower. I put up privacy film when I moved in, wanting to retain the light, but block the window. Recently, my boyfriend parked out below the window and informed me that the so-called privacy film is not at all private! In fact, it is pretty darn see-through. I was too horrified to believe him, so I had him stand in the shower while I went down to check it out. Let's just say, I could see every inch of his tattoo perfectly, in great detail, right through the privacy film. My neighbors have gotten quite a show for the last 2 years.
Perhaps it is good to say, privacy film works, if you are not standing within 2 feet of the window.
I used inexpensive white contact paper to cover my bathroom window. Sunlight filters through nicely & we've had zero privacy issues.
hollyann - That is hilarious, yet at the same time, horrific! Sorry you had to find that out the hard way. Like mermaidblue, I used contact paper. The 'clear' contact paper is more like frosted glass, you get light but no real definition. It sticks well and can easily be replaced if a corner loses adhesion. I know stores also sell the spray frost but I haven't tried it.