SF Good Questions: Shower Curtain Suggestions?

7-9-shower curtain.jpg Hi creative AT:SF readers! I'm moving into a new rental house next month, and I need serious help with the bathroom. It has one of those circular tub-shower enclosures - I've included a picture from Home Depot just to give an idea of the shape, but it's much more attractive than the one I'm dealing with! The bathroom is all white and very washed out and sad looking; I can't paint, so I want to liven it up with a bright shower curtain...

...I love Anthropologie's Sundew set, but at $88 it's way out of my student budget (and I probably need something even cheerier), and all of the bright patterned shower curtains at Target etc are really cheesy looking. I'm thinking about buying my own fabric and making a curtain or two myself. It doesn't need to be waterproof as I'll be pairing it with a vinyl liner, but it has to be low or no-sew. Could I just finish the sides with hemming tape and use clip-on rings, or does anyone have a more "professional" idea?

-Courtney

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Comments (10)

can you buy a series of affordable shower curtains (obviously all with the same pattern on it) and chain them all together via the hooks at the top?

try Ikea, they sometimes have fun shower curtains

I immediately thought of this:

http://www.outdoorfabrics.com/CurtainsDecoratingStudio.aspx?cid=50

They can make a custom size shower curtain in any outdoor fabric they carry or even your own.

The price might be out of your budget range, but it is a great source. Their outdoor fabrics cost less than I can find even with my trade discount.

This is a great source!!

If you wanted to go with non-waterproof fabric and the clip on rings, you could use flat bed sheets.

I had one exactly like the picture... and I just used two identical curtains (with liners) - one for each side. I used power glide rings, so they would bunch up nicely... kind of like a swag.

If you want to use your own fabric - you could attach the panels to Dignitet clips from Ikea and then hang the clips on the curtain rings.

Good luck!

You can *definitely* use new-sew hemming table and non-shower curtain fabric. I've done this several times for a shower curtain (and for window curtains) and it looks great. Check out IKEA and some of the other recommended places for fabric. You're best bet is a flat sheet, but anything will do. Look at thrift shops, children's stuff, "clearance" in BedBathandBeyond, etc. for a cheery fabric. Once you find material you like, it's a super simple DIY to hem with an iron and clip on clips. Good luck!

The vinyl liners for that style of enclosure are about $50.00 (depending on size needed) already:
http://www.signaturehardware.com/product360?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=nextag

Second, realize that using an opaque shower curtain or fabric all the way around the tub will make it very DARK in there, unless you have a light directly overhead.

Third, I know I don't have guests in the bathroom while I'm showering, so I don't need an opaque shower curtain.

For color, try mix/match solid/patterned towels. And a colorful rug. Or go all white. Simply because laundry sucks and being able to toss all the white stuff in at once, without worrying about what colors might bleed into other colors, or fade, will make it easier for you.

As you are trying to bring color and variety into your bathroom, how about using four complementary yet different shower curtains? Or two and two of the same? You could play with texture or color in that context.

It might be out of your price range, but with the AT focus on Marimekko -- they have great, lively fabrics you could use for a shower curtain.