Bathroom Window Design Ideas

Windows are an essential component of your bathroom. They help eliminate moisture, prevent mold growth and light up your space. Despite the many different shapes, colors and glass types to consider, choosing a bathroom window doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you work with a reputable window contractor.

Here are some bathroom window design ideas to get you started on the right track.

What to Consider When Choosing a Bathroom Window Design

When choosing the ideal window for your bathroom, consider the following four aspects:

Size

Window size plays a significant role in a bathroom’s appearance and lighting. Select a window size based on the following:

• The size of your bathroom window should be proportionate to the space.
• You may want several windows to keep your space well-lit and ventilated.
• A large window can make a space appear more spacious and airy than it actually is.
• Smaller windows are often a great fit for bathrooms with privacy concerns.
• Replacing small windows with large ones isn’t always possible without modifying exterior walls.

Investing in new windows with frames made of materials that boast stronger-than-average strength and durability is also a viable option. Composite frames, for instance, allow manufacturers to offer slimmer frames. 

It might seem like a small improvement, but shaving off a few inches from the frames’ thickness can increase the glass areas significantly as long as it doesn’t compromise the windows’ performance, longevity and structural integrity. Moreover, various privacy glass options will help you keep your space as private as possible. 

Style

As one of the most humid parts of your home, bathrooms have specific stylistic and practical requirements. Bathrooms are usually humid, so they must have proper ventilation to help remove excess moisture and reduce the likelihood of mold, mildew, poor odor and rot. The right window style will elevate the look of your space while maintaining its privacy and managing humidity. Consider the following when choosing a bathroom window:

• Adding at least one operable window is vital to preventing moisture-related issues in your bathroom.
• Popular operable bathroom window styles include double-hung, awning, casement or sliding windows.
• Awning windows offer better privacy and can remain open in any weather.

Pro tip: If you want a large glass block in your bathroom for design purposes, you can simply place an awning or transom window above it.

Glass

Transparent windows can pose privacy concerns in bathrooms, but you have multiple options to control visibility in your bathroom, including:

• You can choose stained, seeded, frosted or textured glass to maintain the privacy of your space.
• You can attach privacy film to transparent windows to make the glass opaque. 
• Opaque windows allow natural light to pass through while obscuring the bathroom’s contents. 

When choosing window glass for your bathroom, consider your home’s style. If you have a modern bathroom, frosted glass could complete its look. Stained glass usually works well in traditional homes, while seeded glass can elevate a vintage bathroom.

Another option is to have windows that vary in transparency. For instance, you can have the upper half of the glass clear and the bottom half opaque.  

Location

As with real estate, location is key to window placement. A badly-positioned window will prevent adequate light infiltration. Here are some tips to help you choose the optimal window placement:

• Placing your bathroom windows higher on the wall gives you privacy and natural lighting.
• Skylights offer similar benefits plus a view of the sky.
• Consider your bathroom design and take advantage of available views.
• Shape matters — A high, narrow window provides generous amounts of natural light without sacrificing privacy. 
• You can enjoy views without sacrificing privacy if you use privacy film or treated windows.

When choosing where to place a window, remember that it’s ultimately a matter of your preferences. You can work with your window installer to achieve the perfect combination of light infiltration, privacy and a good view of the outdoors.

What Type of Window Is Best for a Bathroom?

Awning windows are among the best windows for a bathroom. However, sliding, casement, and double-hung windows also offer unique advantages.

Your new bathroom windows must be easy to operate and maintain. As such, practicality and convenience should be one of your top priorities. Fortunately, they can be found in some of the most common window styles, such as:

Sliding Windows

Sliding doors and windows are ideal for most bathrooms, offering benefits like:

• Lighting: These windows allow excellent natural light penetration and can be combined with Low-E4 glass, allowing natural light to penetrate through the glass while deflecting ultraviolet (UV) and infrared rays.
• Operation: Sliding windows are also known as glider windows, as they’re easy to operate with a gentle push or tug. 
• Space: If space is a concern in your bathroom, you should consider sliders. Since they slide open and close, they do not consume as much room as other window styles. 
• Efficiency: This window design uses weatherstripping to fill the space between the sashes, ensuring that no outdoor air seeps through the bathroom interior. This approach offers excellent energy and thermal efficiency.
• Budget: As one of the most affordable types of windows available, these windows are great for smaller or lower-budget bathrooms.

Casement Windows

Casements are common in vertical openings, and you will notice a hinge on the side. They are a top choice for bedrooms and even bathrooms, due to benefits like:

• Security: Casements feature hook-shaped locks on the frame, providing added protection and security.
• Energy efficiency: They feature a weathertight seal around the area where the moving sash intersects with the frame. Because of this seal, the unit stays airtight when closed, helping reduce your energy costs. 
• Low-maintenance versatility: Some window installers may recommend casement windows not just for bathrooms but also for any other living space in your home because they require little maintenance and are easy to operate! 

Double-Hung Windows

The narrowness of double-hung windows makes them ideal for areas that require more privacy. They offer significant advantages, including:

• Ventilation: Since this window style is operable, it can improve your bathroom’s ventilation. Once opened, the bottom sash of the window will allow cooler air into the room. On the other hand, when you open the upper sash, warm air will enter. 
• Easy maintenance: Double-hung windows are easy to maintain and clean. Their sashes can be tilted out, meaning you can clean them from inside the house.
• Versatile appeal: They are a popular option because they can add appeal to almost any part of the house, including bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and living rooms.

A classic window, this style has been popular for decades and offers an excellent blend of efficiency and visual appeal.

Awning Windows

Awning windows are a popular choice for bathroom windows, due to a few noteworthy features, such as:

• Privacy: If you use privacy glass for your awnings, they will maintain your privacy even when they are open. 
• Ventilation: When cranked open, these windows allow fresh air into your bathroom. They do a spectacular job of capturing the available breeze.
• Design: Awning windows have a hinge on the upper part of the frame, and the sash’s bottom opens away from the frame. Thus, you can leave these windows open even when it’s raining outside. 

These windows are one of the best options if you need a combination of privacy and top-quality ventilation.

Picture Windows

Picture windows are a spectacular addition to many bathrooms, since they offer:

• Excellent visibility: Because of their large, open design, picture windows offer significant benefits in terms of visibility, making them an ideal addition to any bathroom with beautiful views.
• Improved lighting: A picture window allows significant light infiltration, ensuring optimal lighting in your bathroom and home.
• Energy efficiency: These windows may offer improved energy efficiency in two ways. First, by using energy-efficient glass, you can reduce the window’s heat transfer. Second, it can reduce the need for artificial lighting, resulting in additional energy savings.

Pro tip: Picture windows don’t open, which means they have no ventilation abilities. Pair them with functional windows like awning and casement windows for the best results.

Specialty Windows

If you want a more unique look for your bathroom, consider investing in specialty windows, like:

• Combination: These windows combine an operable window with a fixed or inoperable unit. They come in virtually any shape or size, from semicircles to small square transoms, allowing you to explore your creativity even more. 
• Bay and bow: These are large windows created by combining three or more windows so they angle out beyond the house wall. Bay windows are angular, while bow windows are curved, offering excellent light harvesting capabilities.
• Custom, shaped: In a smaller bathroom, it’s helpful to choose softer shapes and colors to keep from overwhelming the space with too many harsh corners. Oval or circular windows can do the trick. You can place a pair of them, or even three in a row, along one wall at about eye level. The higher placement helps with privacy.

What Window Is Best for Bathroom Ventilation?

While there are multiple opinions about this, the consensus is that the best ventilation comes from one of the following window styles:

• Casement windows: Also known as crank windows, these windows open outward, allowing maximum airflow and capturing breezes.
• Awning windows: These windows offer superior ventilation in regions with heavy rainfall. They allow you to achieve optimal ventilation, even under less-than-ideal weather conditions.

• Double-hung windows: Thanks to their bisectional construction, they open at the top and the bottom. Depending on the required flow, you can open the upper or lower sash.

What Is the Best Window Treatment for a Small Bathroom?

While this is personal preference, compact blinds like roller blinds often provide the most space-efficient window treatment for small bathrooms. You may also opt for uncovered windows with opaque panes or compact curtains.

Customize Your Windows

While the styles and considerations discussed above are invaluable, customization options are also worth considering.

Window Colors

The best bathroom windows are fashionable as well as functional. Take advantage of this opportunity to add a little more color to your bathroom. Since window frames are a small feature compared to walls, ceilings, and shower curtains, choose a bold accent color for your frames. 

It’s okay to use a dark color here, even if your bathroom is small. The light through the window will make the space look light and airy, even if you have a dark gray, brown, or green window frame. The darker color will make your window stand out against a lighter-color wall.

Frame Materials

Using wood in a bathroom is often seen as adventurous since wood is susceptible to rot in moist environments. However, wooden accents make you feel relaxed and closer to nature, which is perfect in a bathroom. 

Fibrex^® composite material, is made from wood fibers and can be made to look like natural oak or maple. It does not develop rot or mold like natural wood, and you don’t have to worry about scraping and staining it. 

Fibrex^® material also resists bowing and warping due to changes in temperature and humidity, so the frame will stay tightly against the glass window rather than developing gaps that lead to air leakage.

This framing material is versatile enough to form any window shape, and we can customize its appearance to everything from natural wood to a more matte look.

Grilles

Grilles can add a different look and feel to any window. They subdivide the window’s appearance, making it seem like multiple smaller windows. They can give your bathroom windows a whole new look. The right grille can also improve window security.

Pro tip: For bathrooms with a more country, rustic appeal, consider white windows in a small square shape. Fit the windows with grilles, also painted in white, which divide the windows into small squares.

If you’re not sure what style of bathroom window is best for your home, try using Renewal by Andersen’s window visualizer to try out different styles, shapes and colors. 

Bring Your Bathroom Windows to Life With Renewal by Andersen