Outdoor Shower Ideas for Beach Houses, Pool Yards and Muddy Gardeners

Beach towels never stay dry for long, so this shower gives them a proper home.

• Horizontal boards with thin gaps let sea air through and still keep the stall private.
• Wood pegs fixed to the slat wall hold towels off the wet floor.
• A short built in bench gives sandy feet somewhere to sit before the rinse.
• Gaps between the deck boards let water run straight through.

Rinse the worst of the sand off first. Gritty boards get slippery fast.

Wet swimmers drip across the lawn, and this shower sits close enough to the glass pool fence to catch them first. A half round pad of pale broken stone keeps feet off the grass. The brass fittings pop against the plain white wall.

A hand shower on a hose sits just below the rain head, which is handy for sandy feet and wet swimsuits.

Here is the layout in four moves. The payoff is less pool water tracked indoors and less grass worn bare by the gate.

Garden mud needs somewhere to go, and loose gravel gives it a place. The shower stands on a bed of pale stones in front of a timber wall, so rinse water soaks down instead of pooling around your boots. Terracotta pots of leafy plants sit at the edge, right where the spray lands.

Gravel floor: mud and water drain through, and boots come out clean.

Deck boards: look neat, but turn slick when mud sits on them.

Keep a stiff brush by the pipe and scrub boots before the final rinse.

Rough stone is busy on its own, so everything around it stays simple. One tall, dark wood post carries the shower head and a single round knob. The floor is a clean white tray, and tall grasses grow in a narrow bed on both sides.

Tip: Pair hard stone with soft, narrow leaves. The grasses hide the foot of the post and sway whenever the wind moves.

A small wall light on the white side keeps evening rinses easy.

Two towels, two hooks, no clutter.

The steel pole stands on its own base plate on a pale timber deck, with a round rain head overhead and a hand shower on a hose. The white wall behind stays bare except for the towels.

A tree grows right beside the stall and a leafy plant with an orange flower fills the corner. It feels like a garden room more than a bathroom.

Straight walls make a box. A curved one makes a nook.

• The wall bends in a soft curve, so the shower feels tucked away yet open to the sky.
• A round brass rain head hangs high on a bent arm, with one lever below it.
• Pale, uneven stone covers the floor, with a small brass drain set into it.
• A cactus in a white planter and a big textured pot soften the corner.

Leaf shadows on the white wall do the decorating for free.

Under a huge mossy branch, a wide round rain head hangs over the deck.

Twisted branches set inside a plain timber frame make the privacy screen. A rope style railing keeps the rest of the view open to the forest. Underfoot, a metal grid panel sits below the head so water can drain away.

Wet timber gets slippery, so keep your feet on the grid while the water runs.

Some showers feel like a hidden garden room, and this is one of them.

A stone arch frames a small nook lined with pink and white mosaic, with a darker border around the floor tiles. Brass fittings and a little brass soap shelf sit inside. Roses climb the wall beside it, and a lace edged towel hangs on a brass hook just outside.

You step out right next to the blooms.