Bathroom Window Treatments

Whether you’re giving your bathroom a total do-over or just want to refresh its look, window treatments should be a key part of your plan.

After all, the optimal bathroom windows treatments need to blend just the right amount of light control and style, while providing privacy from your neighbors and standing up to humidity.  

Here’s a look at shutters, blinds and shades for giving your bathroom the perfect finishing touch. 

Vinyl Shutters

With a rich, classic aesthetic, shutters are like custom cabinetry for your windows. And unlike genuine wood shutters, vinyl shutters can take heat and moisture, making them ideal solutions for bathroom windows. Look for shutters with a UV-resistant material that prevents them from warping, cracking, fading, chipping, peeling or discoloring over time. 

If you desire a lot of natural light in your bathroom (and privacy won’t be an issue), consider installing shutters only on the lower halves of your windows.

Faux Wood Blinds 

Do you have real wood blinds in other rooms of your home and want a consistent look in your bathroom? Then faux wood blinds are your answer. Like vinyl shutters, they stand up to humidity, so they won’t warp or crack, they’re extremely durable and they’re available in a variety of colors and finishes. 

You can enjoy as much natural light or privacy as you desire without raising or lowering the blind; simply tilt the slats.

Banded Shades

For a different look on your bathroom windows, you may want to consider banded shades. Also known as layered shades, these unique window treatments are a spin on a standard roller shade. They combine alternating sheer and solid fabric bands on a single shade, for a solution that gives you two options for light.

Simply align the solid fabric bands to let the sheers diffuse natural light (they also filter the view from the outside in). When you desire privacy, shift the solid bands so they overlap one another. (Of course, you can also raise the entire shade for a wide open view.)

Keep in mind, though, that fabric window treatments are more susceptible to mildew than vinyl shutters or faux wood blinds, so make sure you run your exhaust fan long enough to allow the fabric to dry.

Woven Wood Shades

Want to add a touch of nature to your bathroom? Consider woven wood shades. Handcrafted from natural fibers like bamboo, grasses, reeds and jute, woven wood shades add a peaceful ambiance so you can enjoy a relaxing soak or shower at the end of the day. 

The amount of natural light that filters through a woven wood shade depends on its weave. While the shade you choose may provide privacy during the day, it may become more see-through at night. For increased privacy, opt for a room-darkening liner.

Convenient Control

As you’re narrowing down your choices for new bathroom window treatments, also think about how you want to control them. While you can certainly open and close them manually, you could also enjoy convenient control with automated shades—which is especially ideal if you have hard-to-reach windows, such as behind a soaking tub. 

You can easily raise and lower automated shades (or tilt the louvers on automated shutters) with a button press on a remote, tap on your mobile device, automatically or even with your voice (and your favorite voice assistant).