Today’s outdoor showers are much more than a place to rinse off after a dip in the ocean. In Southwest Florida, they often serve as extensions of the home, with dense greenery, layered materials and inward-facing courtyards, tapping into the restorative benefits of biophilic design.
These outdoor enclaves are conceived as seamless extensions of the home, maintaining visual and physical cohesion while creating a sense of escape. Living vines creep up the walls while tropical plantings, bamboo and natural stone reinforce the organic atmosphere. Oftentimes, designers use the same or similar flooring in adjacent interior spaces for aesthetic flow. Rather than feeling exposed or overly designed, the bath takes on the character of a hidden garden retreat.
In order to create a sense of immersion while maintaining privacy, landscape architect Pat Trefz, founder of Naples’ Outside Productions Inc., prefers to use plantings as screening, layering palms, vines and dense tropical foliage to shield the space naturally.
Photography by Dan Cutrona
outdoor showers retreat design tub with plants made in rio
Made in Rio’s Felipe Papadopoulos covered a Native Trails freestanding tub in Fort Myers with weather-smart louvers.
When plants alone won’t do, pergolas and overhead louver systems can create additional enclosure. In Fort Myers, general contractor Made in Rio’s Felipe Papadopoulos designed his home’s indoor and outdoor bathing options, placing a soaking tub between the primary suite and a wellness room outfitted with a gym, sauna and steam shower. Powered louvers above the concrete tub open or close depending on the weather and desired level of exposure. “I wanted to maintain permeability to light, air, climate and the area around,” he says. Bamboo surrounding the soaking tub references the bath houses Felipe visited in Japan. “I wanted that outdoor sensory experience of being as close to nature as possible,” he adds.
The alfresco setting provides a sensory experience. The bamboo and palms rustle in the wind, creating soundscapes. Cascading showerheads, such as the one Pat installed in a Port Royal project, flow like a waterfall. Climbing jasmine walls installed next to outdoor bathing areas create aromatic vapors of steam and humidity. “Different temperatures, smells, sounds, stillness—it all plays a role,” Felipe says.
Many designers now treat the space as a focal point rather than tucking it away. “What do you see from the inside?” thinks Melissa Allen of Romanza Interior Design when designing for the outdoors. In a project with London Bay, she layered porcelain slab, natural stone and plantings to create a textured backdrop. Pat recalls the previous Port Royal project in which they created a “view garden,” carving a big picture window from the bathroom to the courtyard. Pat covered the alfresco shower wall with low-maintenance faux ferns and bromeliads to offer a moment of delight and ease whenever the homeowners look out. When showering, the water appears to emerge from the greenery like a waterfall. “A lot of our clients want something that feels like being on vacation,” he says.
Photography by Diana Todorova
outdoor showers retreat design plant wall port royal home
Greenery is used to make a natural privacy wall. In this Port Royal home, Naples’ Outside Productions Inc.’s landscape architect Pat Trefz mixes faux ferns and bromeliads to create a low-maintenance, jungle-like surround. The spout flows like a waterfall, while the rustle of swaying palms in the distance adds to the ambience.
In some cases, there’s no separate outdoor setup. At the late Naples architect Andrea Clark Brown’s celebrated Butterfly House, a private courtyard connects to the primary bedroom and en suite bath. Architectural designer LaTreasa Byrne, who crafted the home’s indoor-outdoor bathroom, notes that they used mosaic tiles indoors that mimicked the courtyard’s stone. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors lead from both rooms onto the vine-covered retreat, with the shower and soaking tub opening onto the landscape.
Still, these spaces must withstand Florida’s environment as much as they indulge it. Designers favor softer, organic-looking materials while avoiding overly porous stone that can trap moisture and encourage algae growth. Pat uses split-faced stone for its natural appearance. The landscape architect also emphasizes the importance of drainage beyond the shower itself, including proper plumbing for rainwater. Beyond materiality, the infrastructure needs to account for how the space is used. Melissa’s clients intended for the outdoor shower to be just as functional as their primary washroom. She incorporated built-in niches for skincare and hair products, turning a rinse into a fully integrated space for self-care. Increasingly, outdoor bathing areas are earning a permanent place in the home—not as an afterthought or poolside utility, but as a space to escape.
Photography by Venjhamin Reyes
outdoor showers retreat design shower space talis park
Designed by Romanza Interior Design’s Melissa Allen for London Bay, this alfresco setup functions like a primary shower for the homeowners. Built-in niches for hair and skincare products turn the alfresco bathing space into a restorative retreat.
Top image: The late architect Andrea Clark Brown’s team brought the indoors out with a courtyard off the primary bath in the famed Lake Park Butterfly House.