The Art of the Window: 10 Ways to Elevate Your Bathroom

The bathroom has advanced far beyond its humble functional roots. Since the medieval era, when the garderobe, or toilet, brought the outhouse in from the cold, these intimate spaces have grown in sophistication to become stylish, spa-inspired havens for spiritual renewal and self-expression. A well-placed and beautifully designed window can enhance both the function and ambience of a bathroom. Create a windowscape that honors the intimacy of the space by cloaking the room in privacy as it allows in soul-nourishing natural light.

1. Stained glass. Stained glass, best known for its application in churches — another contemplative space — is an excellent unexpected choice for a bathroom window. It obscures the room’s occupants while letting in filtered light and adding beauty inside and out. Best used in a sunny window, stained glass will glow like a gallery masterpiece against a crisp, neutral backdrop.

Learn about stained glass through the ages to today


2. Diamond-paned glass. We can thank the Tudors for this next design revelation: Before the invention of flat-sheet glass, smaller rounds of glass were cut into diamond shapes, called diapers, and used to construct windows for those wealthy enough to afford them. Today, we still love diamond-paned glass for its vintage elegance and the romantic look of light refracting through the slightly slanted panes. In the bathroom, it provides another layer of texture and a visual obstacle between the room and the world outside.

Window: custom, Pella

Learn more about Tudor architecture


3. Frosted glass. Frosted glass is an obvious choice for concealment. But to minimize exposure while maximizing connection to the outdoors, leave the upper panes clear and frost the lower third or half of the window. Just be sure to confirm early in the design process that when you’re standing, the frosted area will cover everything it needs to cover.

Tub: Starck, Duravit


4. Sea glass. For a truly unique bathroom window that complements a nature-inspired design scheme and honors a commitment to upcycling materials, consider hiring a local artist or craftsperson to create a custom sea glass window covering to bathe your restroom in fractured rays of colorful light.

Explore 8 elements of beachy style


5. Skylights. A skylight is an excellent way to brighten the bathroom and connect the occupant with the outdoors while ensuring maximum privacy. Placing the window in the shower’s ceiling evokes the primordial pleasure of showering outside, especially when the shower is outfitted with a rain shower head. If you ever want a little less light, you can always outfit your skylight with a motorized window shade.

How to add a skylight


6. Upper windows. An upper window can let in more than light: In coastal areas and regions where breezes are plentiful, a casement-style window lets you take full advantage of the fresh air. Mount a hopper-style casement, which opens from the top as pictured, or an awning type that opens from the bottom, as close to the ceiling as you can comfortably reach. (No climbing on slippery bathtubs and counters!)

Windows: custom, Millworks Etc.; sconce: Pierce, Restoration Hardware


7. Decorative shades. A window shade is a highly customizable option that offers supreme versatility with its range of fabrics, opacities and configurations. For example, a white canvas shade with a simple brown border adds a finishing touch to this white bathroom without overpowering it.

Window shade: custom, Kate Jackson Design; tub: Ventura, Giagni; wall paint: Chantilly Lace, Benjamin Moore


8. Sheer shades. Sheer shades operate much like traditional blinds, filtering the light through a sheer fabric and offering additional privacy with adjustable vanes that can be tilted closed when needed. Crisp and airy, they recede into the window, letting exquisite millwork or tiling take center stage.

Sheer shades: Hunter Douglas


9. Shutters. Few things convey tradition and grace quite like plantation shutters. As if we needed any more reasons to love these tailored classics, shutters are considered highly energy-efficient and can also increase the value of a home. Take care to choose an engineered material, especially inside a shower stall or above a bath, as moisture can warp and rot real wood.


10. Wrought iron. Wrought iron window guards are ideal for a Mediterranean-style bathroom overlooking a garden where privacy isn’t essential but a feeling of protection is still desired.

Too many cold iron bars can be unsettling, though, so limit yourself to one ornately wrought beauty that presides proudly over a softer vignette of greenery, like the one shown here, and choose interior finishes that evoke warmth and comfort.

Window grate: Miller Iron Works

Tell us: How do you like to dress up your bathroom windows?

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