There is something about an outdoor shower that instantly makes a backyard feel like a retreat. When I was planning our own DIY outdoor shower, I saved so many inspiration photos. Some were completely enclosed, some were little more than a shower fixture mounted to an exterior wall, and others relied almost entirely on landscaping for privacy. What I realized is that you don’t necessarily need to recreate one design exactly. The best outdoor shower ideas are often a combination of details borrowed from several different spaces.
Outdoor Shower Ideas in This Guide
Below are some of my favorite outdoor shower designs, along with the details I would steal from each one, how I think you could recreate the look at home, and a few products that can help you get there.
1. Classic Wood Outdoor Showers Built to Last
Nantucket Looms
The detail to steal: the shelf.
This outdoor shower feels more like an actual room than a shower enclosure. The warm wood, ferns and simple built-in shelves give you somewhere for soaps and toiletries and even decor. I found this balcony shelving unit that would be narrow enough to get the same look without having to build anything.
Shor Homes
The detail to steal: treat it like an extension of the deck.
Instead of creating a separate little shower stall, this design incorporates the shower into a larger deck area. The swinging gate and unique picket design are my favorite details. This wouldn’t be very hard to replicate with a jigsaw and double action spring hinges.
Ocean Home Magazine
The detail to steal: built-in storage.
If you’re building an outdoor shower from scratch, this is a good reminder to think about storage before closing up the walls. For our outdoor shower, we skipped framing out a niche and used these wall-mounted shampoo and conditioner dispensers instead—an easy way to add storage without taking up any extra space.
How to Get the Look
You don’t need a completely custom cedar enclosure to recreate this style. A wood or wood-look privacy screen can establish the same warm backdrop, then add a simple rainfall fixture, teak stool or bench, hooks and a narrow shelf. If you’re using real wood, choose Cedar, or if your budget allows Teak. Both have natural oils that repel water, resist rot, mold, and insects.
Wood Outdoor Shower Enclosures, Fixtures, Mats & Benches
2. Outdoor Showers with Architectural Character
Shampoo Hotel
The detail to steal: the architecture.
The textured plaster, curved niche and pebble flooring make it feel like something you’d find at a boutique hotel rather than in someone’s backyard. To recreate the look, I’d use a wall-mounted garden fountain as the focal point. Remove or disguise the fountain’s water source and pair it with a separate wall-mounted showerhead.
Kevin Isbell Interiors
The detail to steal: make the enclosure a focal point.
This is proof that privacy walls or gate don’t have to match. The curved white wall and blue gates turn a practical outdoor shower into an architectural feature. Even without recreating the exact shape, an interesting gate or decorative privacy panel could create a similar effect.
The Coolist
The detail to steal: use an opening as a frame.
An arched opening, climbing greenery and overhead rain shower completely change the feel of what could otherwise be a very simple outdoor shower. If you already have a garden wall or enclosed patio, this is a great example of working with the architecture that’s already there.
How to Get the Look
These showers look expensive because the surround is doing most of the design work. For a DIY version, I’d spend less on an elaborate shower fixture and put more of the budget toward the enclosure. Stucco-look walls, an arched privacy panel, decorative doors, pebble flooring and climbing plants can create the same resort feeling without building a miniature Mediterranean villa in the backyard.
Mediterranean Outdoor Shower Tile, Fixtures & Garden Accents
3. Simple Open-Air Exterior Wall Mounted Ideas
Fredrick Landscape
The detail to steal: let the landscaping provide privacy.
This is probably the simplest concept of the entire group. The shower fixture is mounted directly to the exterior wall. There’s no traditional enclosure, yet the landscaping makes the shower feel like its own little destination.
Domestically Blissful
The detail to steal: you may not need an enclosure at all.
A black shower fixture against white siding makes enough of a statement on its own. The grouping of planters around the base makes it feel styled rather than like someone simply attached plumbing to the side of the house.
Collins DuPont Design Group
The detail to steal: create privacy only where you need it.
Rather than enclosing all four sides, this design uses architectural panels and existing landscaping to screen the shower. An option where complete privacy isn’t necessary.
How to Get the Look
If you’re looking for outdoor shower ideas that don’t require building a full enclosure, this is one of the easiest approaches to recreate. If your yard is already private, this may be the easiest and least expensive way to add an outdoor shower. Mount the fixture to an exterior wall or use a freestanding shower, create a surface that drains well underfoot and use large planters or evergreen landscaping to define the area.
Just don’t let Pinterest convince you that three cute potted ferns equal privacy. Before skipping an enclosure, check the actual sightlines from neighbors, second-story windows and the street.
Fixtures, Planters & Privacy Landscaping
4. Low-Maintenance Vinyl & PVC Outdoor Shower Enclosures
Young House Love
The detail to steal: keep the enclosure simple.
A straightforward privacy wall can be enough, especially when the house already creates one side of the enclosure. To recreate this, use a vinyl fence panel instead of building a custom wall from scratch. A row of outdoor hooks attached to the rail make it feel finished. Painting or choosing the enclosure to match your exterior trim helps it blend into the house rather than look like an addition.
Main Street Bungalow
The detail to steal: add an overhead element.
The pergola-style top makes this simple white enclosure feel much more custom. You could recreate the look by adding short pergola rafters above a basic privacy wall, even if they aren’t structural. They also give climbing plants somewhere to grow, adding greenery and additional privacy over time. A hanging plant or trailing vine can create a similar effect if you don’t want to wait years for the enclosure to fill in.
Amanda Lindroth
The detail to steal: use landscaping outside the enclosure, too.
The shower itself is relatively simple, but the surrounding bougainvillea and tropical foliage make it feel completely secluded. To recreate the idea, start with a louvered privacy panel or door and then plant around the outside rather than taking up valuable space inside the shower. A flowering vine grown over the enclosure can soften the structure while providing even more privacy as it fills in.
How to Get the Look
This is the approach I’d recommend for most DIYers because you can build the enclosure separately from the plumbing. Prefabricated vinyl privacy panels, fence panels or outdoor privacy screens can save a huge amount of construction time. Add a gate or opening, then make the enclosure feel custom with a pergola-style top, hooks, shelving or landscaping.
Vinyl and PVC are especially appealing if you live somewhere humid or coastal because there’s no wood to stain, seal or eventually replace.
My DIY Outdoor Shower Materials, Fixtures & Accessories
Of all the outdoor shower ideas I considered, a vinyl enclosure ultimately made the most sense for our backyard.
Everything I Used to Build My DIY Outdoor Shower
After hundreds of hours researching outdoor showers, these are the exact products I chose. And why I’d buy almost every one of them again.
Before You Choose an Shower Design
The prettiest inspiration photo isn’t necessarily the best design for your yard. I had a million ideas for our outdoor shower, but executing them is the hard part. Before buying anything, think about privacy, drainage and plumbing first. Those three decisions will determine what kind of shower you can realistically build.
If you already have a private yard and accessible plumbing, your outdoor shower might be as simple as a fixture mounted to the house and a well-draining surface underneath. If neighboring houses overlook the area, you’ll probably want a taller enclosure. And if you’re starting with an open section of the yard, a freestanding privacy enclosure may make more sense.
I would also pay attention to what is behind the pretty parts of these photos: Where do the towels go? Where does the shampoo sit? Can you reach the controls without getting sprayed with freezing water? Where does all that water drain?
Those little details are what make an outdoor shower actually enjoyable to use.
Creating an Outdoor Shower That Works for Your Backyard
After looking at dozens of outdoor shower ideas while planning ours, my biggest takeaway was that the enclosure makes a much bigger difference than the shower fixture itself. A relatively inexpensive fixture can look completely custom when it’s paired with the right privacy screen, flooring, landscaping and a few thoughtful details.
You also don’t have to copy one of these outdoor showers exactly. Take the wood tones from one, the storage idea from another, the landscaping from a third and build something that works for your backyard, your budget and the amount of privacy you actually need.
And if you’re considering building one yourself, don’t let the plumbing automatically scare you away. I had to learn that part as I went and it really wasn’t nearly as difficult as I expected.
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