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13 ways to dress up a bathroom window
Though a functional space, there is no reason that a bathroom can't be as decorative and pretty as any other room in your house, and one way to introduce a bit of personality is in the window dressing. That being said, there are some considerations to be made here which only really apply to the bathroom, namely that if your bathroom is overlooked or visible from the street, you will want to find a way to dress it that prevents others from looking in without completely obscuring any view or light for those inside the house. Some choose frosted glass, which is a viable if slightly dated option, while others opt for the increasingly-popular café curtain: a sheer sheet of ruffled linen which stretches across the lower half of a sash window, thus allowing light in and also keeping the top half of the window uncovered.
As in any other room, a patterned fabric on the window is a great way to introduce a decorative element, and is particularly useful where wallpaper might prove impractical (all too often does it peel off in bathrooms thanks to the humidity, though this can be avoided if you are fastidious about extractor fans and open windows). It can be used to mimic or complement the colour scheme you have chosen for your paint or tiles (see a brilliant example by Phoebe Hollond below, who has used a chequerboard print on a bathroom blind which ties together the paint colours used elsewhere in the room).
Whether you're leaning towards a simple blind or a mediterranean-inspired shutter, we've rounded up the most inspiring bathroom windows from the House & Garden archive, to help you decide which way to go.
Dean Hearne1/13In the children's bathroom in Holly Howe's London house – unsurprisingly known as the blue bathroom – 'Cypress' wallpaper in cocoa by Howe at 36 Bourne Street lines the walls above panelling in Little Greene's ‘Grey Stone’. The blind in a matching fabric blends beautifully and creates a sense of harmonious continuity. Holly sourced the bath from Facebook Marketplace. Next to it is a vintage tub chair, which doubles as a washing basket. The turtle print hanging above the bath came from one of Holly's favourite Sunday spots – a little antique shop on Hampstead's Flask Walk.
Mark Roper2/13In the children's bathroom of this project by Phoebe Hollond, the blind in a Pierre Frey check and woodwork in Farrow & Ball's ‘Yellow Ground’ create a sunny feel. Against the softer hues of the tadelakt blue (a similar effect could be created by ‘Borrowed Light’ by Farrow & Ball), the pops of yellow create a youthful and uplifting feel.
Mark Roper3/13Another bathroom in the same project features a window dressed with a simple cafe curtain - a delicate and romantic addition which allows the bold tiles from Bert & May to sing.
Boz Gagovski4/13A slightly more elaborate version of the classic cafe curtain, this lace fabric, delicately tied with little ribbons, helps to add softness to this bathroom in Russell Loughlan's house. The decoration is inspired by his love of Porto and is decorated with more tiles from Milagros. The blue woodwork is painted in ‘Serge’ and the walls and ceiling are in ‘Pale Hound’.
Astrid Templier5/13To truly make a bathroom feel like a part of the rest of the house – and just as comfortable and considered as any other room in it – try hanging curtains, as Pandora Taylor has done for this house in Herne Hill. The aim was to make the space feel like it could be in the countryside, which is certainly achieved with thanks to the traditional valance curtains in ‘Xian’ by Nicholas Herbert.
Christopher Horwood6/13In the main bathroom of this playful London house by the artist Natasha Mann, Milagros tiles and a mirrored porcelain sink are juxtaposed with a mural hand-painted ceiling in gold leaf and egg tempera by Natasha. The stained glass window is a particularly exciting feature, which could feasibly be added into most bathrooms for both privacy and to create a colourful dappled effect around the room.
Owen Gale7/13The starting point for this ensuite bathroom in a London house by Honor Devereux was a tasselled throw, which was turned into a blind. The walls are in green tadelakt and the arched shower cubicle was inspired by Moroccan architecture.
Boz Gagovski8/13Adding a pelmet to your curtains is an easy win in terms of maximising drama. In Max Hurd's bathroom, the theatrical curtains in a vibrant red (Red Ivy Trellis, a custom print from Daniel Slowik Limited) elevate the blue-washed room ('Pitch Blue' from Farrow & Ball) and artfully draw your eye to the trees beyond. The window treatment was inspired by early John Fowler designs.
Christopher Horwood9/13Hidden shutters sit flush with the window surround in Wolterton Hall, one of John Fowler's last remaining interiors. The shutters and panelling are both painted in Mylands’ ‘Egyptian Grey’, and blend together seamlessly while toning with the new marble wet-room floor, from which water drains without the need for a shower screen.
Paul Massey10/13Doubling up on window dressings has worked a treat for Cath Kidston in her London House, where a pretty scalloped blind from holland linen blind from The Blinds Company is paired with simple painted shutters.
Boz Gagovski11/13A blind and lampshade in Soane’s ‘Coquelicots’ linen punctuates the otherwise fairly neutral, glamorous scheme in this bathroom in Verbier is designed by Vanessa McDonald.
Owen Gale12/13Reminiscent of the grand American bathrooms of Syrie Maugham from the Twenties, the main bathroom in this classic Georgian house in Bath uses a white on white palette; carrara marble basketweave tiles from Ca’Pietra cover the floor, while a huge marble lined bathtub from Porters sits centrally in the room in front of the fireplace. A flowing painted cartouche in soft grey surrounds the window frame – a nod to the 18th-century folly of Cy Twombly’s partner, Nicola Del Roscio, at Gaeta.
Mark Anthony Fox13/13A bamboo roller blind echoes the natural materials used for the canity and mirror in Rixo co-founder Orlagh McCloskey's house in London. The wooden frame doors conceal built in shelves on either side of the sink.
