This “So Cute” West Elm Gem Totally Transformed My Dingy Rental Bathroom (It’s Bound to Sell Out!)

published Oct 24, 2024
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Black and white penny floors tiles in bathroom with green square tiles in shower.
Credit: Erin Derby

I love my apartment, but it’s old (like, built-in-1901 old), and it never seems to stay clean. I’ll dust one spot, and then 30 seconds later it’ll look like it never happened. That’s especially true in my windowless bathroom, which, up until recently, had been my least favorite area of my apartment — and then I ordered a new shower curtain.

I’ve never been one to splurge on shower curtains, and I actually need two in my current bathroom because of the way it’s laid out — I have a corner shower with an L-shaped rod. I was content with my simple white ruffled shower curtains from Target, but then I saw clothing company RHODE’s latest collab with West Elm, and a new ruffled design had officially stolen my heart. 

Available at West Elm, the RHODE Thistle Shower Curtain packs all my favorite motifs into one chic bathroom accent: stripes, ruffles, and a cute cottagecore-looking print. I bought two of the yellow option (it also comes in blue), and I love the mixed-pattern design and cheery color. The curtain blends in perfectly with my predominantly blue-hued bathroom scheme, and it’s subtle enough to play well with plenty of palettes — especially if you need more brightness in all-white space.

At $45 a piece, it’s a little more expensive than standard shower curtains, but you get what you pay for in terms of quality and aesthetic — these put my original Target ones to shame. Both look so high-end in my bathroom that they could pass as real curtains, and I almost feel like I’m stepping into a cool beach cabana whenever I take a shower (a girl can dream, right?). Plus, they’re timeless and durable enough to keep for years, even in future apartments. 

The Thistle Shower Curtain is part of LA-based fashion brand RHODE’s second partnership with West Elm, the first of which launched in summer 2023. This recent installment has a vintage-inspired touch for every room, but I’d argue it really shines in the bathroom decor department. Beyond just my beloved shower curtains, you can upgrade your bathmat, Q-tip storage, or top-of-the-toilet candle (a must, IMHO) with cute, colorful pieces under $100.

After a lifetime of being a plain, all-white shower curtain person, I’m officially on the fun, patterned bathroom decor bandwagon, thanks to the RHODE Thistle Shower Curtain — which is also perfect for distracting from the fact that my bathroom’s absolutely impossible to keep clean!