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DIY Decorative Shower Curtain – Finished And Installed

My finished shower curtain adds just the right amount of color to that tub side of my bathroom, and I’m so glad that I added the bands of color at the bottom to really tie everything together.  I actually think this would make a beautiful drapery panel (with the addition of lining, of course).

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After hanging it, I realized that my cornice at the top isn’t tall enough to hide the curtain rod and grommets, and that was its whole purpose.  So I’ll need to come up with a way to extend the height of the cornice so that the rod and grommets don’t show.  And I obviously still need to tile the ceiling above the tub.

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I love how the shower curtain turned out, but I’ve been a bit concerned about how the tub area would look with a decorative shower curtain on a tub that’s configured like this.

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At the condo, the tub was on the far wall when entering the bathroom, so the view was straight on.  But here, the tub is on the side, and you get this side view of the shower curtain.  It looks fine in the photo above with the shower curtain liner tucked behind the decorative shower curtain, but most of the time I have the shower curtain liner inside the tub, and that looks very strange and messy to me.

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So I think I’m going to keep it pulled open to the other side of the tub.  That seems very strange to me, because it just makes sense in my mind that it should be pulled open to the far corner (and don’t ask me to explain why that makes sense 🙂 ), but I actually really like it like this.  And this will allow me to keep the liner in the tub at all times without it showing from the bathroom door.

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With it pulled to this side, it seems to balance the vanity better, and I like how it peaks out from behind that wall.

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And do you notice anything else that’s different?

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I swapped out the ceiling light and the shades on the sconces.  The original ceiling light just started to feel much too big and imposing in this small bathroom.  I wanted something smaller, white, bright, and most importantly, something made of glass and metal rather than fabric, so I went with this light from Home Depot.  I’ll be using the other light in the hallway.  And the original shades on the sconces were boring and drab fabric shades, so I picked up these pretty glass shades at Lowe’s.

Unless I’m missing something, I think I only have three big projects left in this room:  (1) installing the tile above the tub, (2) finishing the linen storage area, and (3) finishing all of the trim (crown, wainscoting, etc.)  Then it’s just small finishing details, a bit of decorating, and it’ll be done!

By the way, I didn’t really do a detailed tutorial on this shower curtain because I already have two other shower curtain tutorials that basically include all of the same info.  So if you need DIY guidance, you can check out these two tutorials:

Pinch pleated shower curtain with contrasting band, hung on drapery rings and rod

Shower curtain with pleated ruffle detail and grommet top

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51 Comments

  1. Oh, it looks lovely! Just the right touch to balance the dark wood. Success! Good for you!
    Bonnie

    1. Now, you have to take it down to install tile, grout, shower light and fan, etc. Did I ever tell you that my husband puts his pants on, zips the fly, buckles the belt, then puts his shirt on, unbuckles his belt, unzips his pants, tucks in his shirts, zips his pants, buckles his belt, etc. Now, I know that there is at least one other person in the world like him. He also drives off the driveway down the street, then buckles his seat belt, adjusts his seat, turns on the lights. About two blocks down the street he’s ready to drive. Isn’t life grand. Luv you both!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. The curtain looks beautiful, and the contrasting teal band and green ribbon was genius. I agree the liner looks funny when the curtain is pulled to the back of the room. You should definitely leave it pulled towards the vanity. I think when you add some art to the wall you face when you enter the bathroom it will add that sense of balance to put all the various elements of the bath into harmony. Right now the curtain is the only item with bold pattern in the room, so it seems more prominent than it will eventually when you are finished. The glass shades for the fixtures is another wonderful move. That ceiling fixture is just right. Great work as always, Kristi!

  3. It’s lovely, and I like how the teal panel is about the same height as the bathtub. Btw in one of my homes I used to have the curtain closed at all times – it made the bathroom more colourful and allowed me to keep some bathroom stuff inside the tub (it was a tiny, tiny flat).

    1. The shower curtain is pretty. Glad you were able to recycle those pretty custom drapes from your living room. Phoebe spoke my exact thoughts. I have never left a shower curtain open. I like the way it looks when it’s pulled all the way across and also it lets the liner dry out so you don’t get yucky mold. But, everyone has their own way of doing things. I’m anxious to see the finished bathroom also! Love your style! Have a great and blessed day.

  4. I bet you like to keep the shower curtain open for some reason (maybe to avoid a wall of fabric or make the bathroom feel larger?), but in every guest bathroom I have ever been in, the shower curtain is always pulled closed, completely covering the bathtub opening – which avoids your issue of seeing the liner.

    1. Same here! I always see the shower curtain fully closed. And that’s what I do in my own home, which helps the inner liner dry out.

      I also wonder if the shower curtain pulled to the center of the room might interfere with general accessibility, or at least the feeling of accessibility. Even though I am fully ambulatory, I think it might make me feel less able to move freely in the bathroom. Just a thought.

    2. I agree – we close the curtain fully not only to dry out the liner but I want to see the full curtain. It may give a smoother appearance having it pulled closed or mostly closed.

      Obviously it is gorgeous as with everything that you do!

      1. Agree….keep ti closeted to see that beautiful curtain in all it’s glory! I’d rather be siting on the loo looking at the beautiful curtain then the tub fixtures, as nice as they are. 😉

    3. I keep it open for both of the reasons you mentioned (I hate a wall of fabric, just like I hate closed draperies on a window, and the bathroom looks tiny when it’s closed), plus if I close it, it’ll completely cover up the bathtub skirt that I worked so hard on. Keeping it open was the plan all along. I’ve seen plenty of bathrooms with open shower curtains, especially if the tile is nice and new. I always think of closed shower curtains as a way to hide unsightly tile and grout, but I don’t have that anymore. 🙂

  5. I love the shower curtain! Also the new light is a much better look for this room. I love the other light. But I think bathrooms should have a bright light. This room is really coming along. Soon you will have 2 finished rooms! So awesome!

  6. Wow. This is the first blog I’ve read about your bathroom in a while and the difference is amazing! 🙂 I love it.

  7. Nice curtain. I just recently made my shower curtain but I made two panels so I could hang one on each side at ceiling height light you have done. The liner hides discretely behind one side and the whole thing looks balanced.

    1. I was going to suggest the same, if you don’t desire a curtain pulled completely across. I think it would look more balanced and frame the tilework (I’m assuming that’s why you don’t want to pull it across and cover it up with fabric all the time). The two panels can even be stationary with only the liner being pulled across for a shower, keeping it brighter in the shower when in use, and saving wear on the decorative panel(s).

    2. My mother had a custom made shower curtain once and that’s what she got was two panels draped to each side, the liner was on a separate rod and always hung on the drain/fixture side. Because the panels were draped you could see a hint of the liner on the one side but the curtain itself was so attractive you really never noticed the liner. Pretty curtain.

  8. I can’t believe how bright it looks in there!! I went back to the before photo’s, and it looks small and cramped, but this now feels more spacious and bright. Absolutely lovely!

  9. Lovely shower curtain, Kristi! I too like the color band across the bottom and the ribbon accent. I keep my shower curtain drawn all the way across too since it hides all the shampoos and stuff in the tub. Thanks for the tip about using a fabric liner rather than plastic. I’ve been periodically taking my liner down and laundering it due to the very problem you mentioned – mildew. Here in southern Louisiana, it’s a common issue.

  10. What about raising the rod a little bit? And hanging the liner on a separate, higher rod? That way it wouldn’t have that narrowing gap between the two. Hang the liner on rings so it pull separately and easily.

    Love the new light in here and the decorative shower curtain is lovely. What a transformation!

  11. Hi Kristi! I like the curtain pulled to the front of the tub also. When looking at it pulled towards the back, it made the toilet area look a little cramped. Really loving everything about this bath!

    Kathy

  12. You did a fabulous make over on this bathroom!!! I love the shower curtain it just ties in all the color…Can’t wait to see it done with the decorating touches!….You are so talented and crafty and did I say…SMART!!!

  13. Great to see the progress on the bathroom and I love the new light fixture. What I notice about the shower curtain is that it doesn’t hang straight from the top to the bottom. The rod is set in and with the wainscoting on the tub the bottom protrudes further out. That would drive me nuts. I agree with everyone else about keeping the shower curtain pulled across the tub. I like balance and it just seems off balance pulling it to one side or the other when not in use, but that is just me. Not trying to be Debbie Downer here but just my observation. Maybe artwork and other accessories will integrate the shower curtain into the room but right now to me it seems out of place. I’m so glad you are back, I have been missing your posts. I know you will make it wonderful whatever you decide. I can’t wait to see your ideas and progress on the dining room.

  14. I would either keep the curtain closed the whole way. Or, if you really don’t use this tub very often, can you just keep the liner outside of the tub until it’s needed? Then it’s hidden anyways. With it pulled to the middle it feels like it’s in the way and you can’t see the nice tile work. Just thoughts!

  15. The shower curtain looks really awesome Kristi. I also like Brenda’s idea of dividing the shower curtain and having it balanced on both sides of the shower/tub.

  16. Hi, I am puzzled, as much as I really love the look of the curtain, it’s sophisticated and matches the bathroom colour scheme really well, but here in the UK we wouldn’t advocate a curtain at all on a remodel, makeover, new build, we would always go for a glass screen atop the tub or across a shower enclosure – this doesn’t seem to be the case in the US – can you share with me why this might be? Don’t get me wrong, I think the curtain looks lovely and love pretty much everything that you have done to the house – you never cease to amaze me with your brilliant and immense hard work – keep it up! Thanks Lauren.

    1. Here in the U.S. we do it both ways. I think in bathrooms where there’s just one tub/shower combo, the glass enclosure look isn’t as embraced here because it’s reminiscent of the old, outdated enclosures from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s. You will see them on some tubs, though, so it’s not completely unheard of here. Glass enclosures (generally frameless on new construction and remodels) are almost always seen on showers, but when it comes to tubs, it’s just a matter of personal taste. I prefer a fabric shower curtain because bathrooms, like kitchens, are full of hard surfaces, and I like to add any softness anywhere I can. A fabric shower curtain looks like a drapery panel, and I much prefer it over a glass enclosure on a tub. If I had a shower only, I would have used a frameless glass enclosure.

      They even used a fabric shower curtain in the 2015 HGTV Dream Home:

      http://www.hgtv.com/design/hgtv-dream-home/2015/kids–bathroom-pictures-from-hgtv-dream-home-2015-pictures

      1. I prefer glass enclosures to shower curtains, mainly to do away with mold and mildew issues that shower curtain liners have if used daily.

        Now that my kids are grown and their bathroom sees little use, I could see using a curtain again.

        I love the idea that some of you suggested to Kristi- putting the curtain on a separate rod and leaving it open in the middle with the liner closed behind it.

        1. I buy liners that are anti bacterial and anti mold. They are also washable. They are usually labeled “Hotel” liners. I never have a problem with mold or mildew. I do, however, keep the liner and the fabric shower curtain pulled completely across the tub. I also have two showers with glass enclosures. I hate them, although I would hate a shower curtain on them also. They are so much work to keep clean and sparkling. I use Rainex to keep everything beading up so it can be wiped off but still a lot of work.

    2. I don’t know about anyone else, Lauren, but I did away with my glass enclosure many years ago. It was in all honesty just one more thing to have to keep clean and water spot free. I use a fabric shower curtain (it’s silky feeling) inside of my decorative curtain. I rarely have to wash it as it dries out rapidly and mold isn’t an issue with a fabric curtain. Plus there are no tracks to have try to clean below the glass doors.

      Kristi, the new curtain is thing of beauty!

    3. I think Kristi is right. In the US, we have a lot of these combination tub/shower units and the glass sliding doors that were popular in the 50’s through 70’s and all of them all had lower tracks. The tracks are always filthy with soap scum, brown sludge, and who knows what else and they’re impossible to clean–especially if someone owned them before you and wasn’t as diligent with the cleaning from day one. Also, the type of glass they used was usually textured on the inside and would develop a permanent fog on it unless you were the type to clean your tub a couple times a week or squeegee it after each use. I had one in my condo and it was one of the first things I ripped-out. I returned to a curtain because I felt it was easier to clean or replace and it was the most cost effective for my budget at the time.

      They make newer ones with better track mechanisms and, if you’re lucky enough to have a separate shower and tub, you can even have custom trackless glass walls and a swinging door put in on the shower. I couldn’t even tell you what those probably cost.

      Another thing I noticed about Europe the last time I traveled there is that bathrooms in many European countries are treated as wet rooms. There’s usually a floor drain and sometimes, tubs have hand-held showers and no surrounds at all. A curtain wouldn’t make sense in this case, as it’d probably pick-up the water from the floor. In the US, our floors remain dry for the most part.

      A lot of people are commenting on the curtain open or closed thing. We keep ours closed, but I think it’s mostly because we have a tub and tile that needs replacing, so we close it to hide it from company. It looks dirty even when clean. We also have a bathroom with poor air circulation, so I feel it lets the fabric liner dry out faster to not have it bunched up. If we had a brand-new tub and nice tile job, we’d probably leave it open more. It’d certainly make the room feel bigger. I think all of that comes down to personal preference. I’m guessing Kristi wants to keep it open to show-off her nice tile job and tub apron mill work.

  17. Your curtain is beautiful and the bathroom is looking awesome. I have only seen shower curtain pulled all the way across the tub area. Is that an option for your room? It feels more like you went in and cleaned up the bathroom that day with the curtain closed, if that makes any sense. Of course maybe people with pretty tile in their bathrooms do it differently.

    1. A closed curtain would make the room feel tiny, and would also completely cover up the bathtub skirt that I worked so hard on. I much prefer an open shower curtain, just like I prefer open curtains/draperies on a window.

  18. Beautiful shower curtain! I keep my closed, but I don’t have beautiful tile to share! Hang it in whatever manner works for you!

  19. I love the shower curtain! It adds the colors needed to pull everything together. A few more details to complete and you will have Room # 2 completed in your home! Woot! Woot!

  20. Love, love, love the light changes and the green ribbon REALLY sets the curtain apart – amazing the HUGE impact small changes/additions can make!!!

  21. i had a similar cosmetic issue in my guest bathroom. As someone mentioned earlier I put in 2 rods-one for the liner to hang in the tub (guest bathroom for my grandsons who would leave the liner hanging outside the tub if that’s the way it was when they got in) and one for the decorative curtain that stays closed so the bathroom looks pretty

  22. I like the solution of keeping the curtain to the right in order not to see the liner – it doesn’t feel like crowding the room to me. If it does to you, I think the idea of splitting the curtain into two parts is great and would allow more symmetry, too. Please don’t decide to keep it closed all the time, though, because that way you wouldn’t be able to see your beautiful wainscoting on the tub!!

  23. Hi Kristi, the shower curtain turned out great. I love the treatment at the bottom, but I am not sure about the fabric. This is about as close as I have seen it, the living room pictures did not really show it up. I am surprised that you would pick a fabric that is so mellow looking, especially since you have such a penchant for bright colors. Just goes to show you, we all have mixed tastes. I wish you would get the bathroom done. It is starting to feel like you have so many projects started and nothing quite done. I would like to see the condo finished and the bathroom finished, before you start something else. I would think that it would calm your mind! Blessings

  24. I really like the new ceiling light! I do think it works better. Don’t know what to say about the conundrum about the shower curtain. I would have thought to draw the curtain shut, but as Karen said, then no one can see your nice tub skirt. Your solution of opening it towards the door is probably the best answer.

  25. Hi, personally, I prefer the curtain left open for for an entirely different reason. I still remember the shower scene from Psycho 55 years ago. lol I do wish I had kept my shower curtain instead of the glass doors with the walk-in shower. The doors are a pain in the neck and take up too much air space in a small bathroom. Live and learn. Your room looks lovely…you should be proud!

  26. Hi Kristi, I found your blog recently when searching for shower curtains or valances with tub enclosure glass doors. Just wanted to tell you how much I have enjoyed your blog and all the terrific DIY instructions. Your shower curtain info is the best I have found and I have googled and searched everywhere online for solutions to get them just right!! Why are ready mades so short??? You have been a tremendous help and the way you explain and show pictures of all the steps is so useful. I look forward to your newsletters and again, thank you for sharing your knowledge on home decorating/remodeling solutions. You are AMAZING with your DIY talents and skillsand a great inspiration. Thank you! Blessings…

  27. This turned out beautifully!! I love the new lights!! They add so much more sparkle to your bathroom and really draw attention to that beautiful ceiling. This little bathroom is amazing! Kudos to you – you did a wonderful job of bringing it together. I can’t wait to see what the linen storage looks like when it’s all said and done!

  28. I wanted to tell you that I stole your ceiling idea. Only, I did it in my laundry room. The ceiling was a terrible mess of drywall and the previous owner had put at least 100 screws in it. Its a small room and I ended up using picket fence panels. We love how it turned out. Thank you for the idea.

  29. The wainscotting and tile border are my favorite things in this bath. Thanks for sharing. It is all inspiring me to think about a bath redo in my near future!

  30. Hi Kristie, I’m catching up on my reading… I do read all your posts but don’t often comment. I’ve been sewing for over 25 yrs years and love what you’ve done with the curtain. it’s perfect, I love the colour block at the bottom also. I’ve also read tonight, how you got frustrated and cut the curtain in 2. I have a suggestion: I live in a very humid part of Australia. Shower curtains are rare here these days due to the mould, although I have one because i find the glass too much work to clean and maintain. I have found that by drawing my curtain across the full length of the opening every day after showering it all drys and I have no mould. I think if you were to do that it could look good when not in use and nobody would notice the fact that the waterproof one is in the bath. I place my floor mat over the edge of the bath so the curtain doesn’t stick to the bath and will dry on the bottom as well. i also like how your previous curtains had open space about the curtain which would also help with air and drying. It would also remove your worry of the cornice not covering the rod etc. Before you cut them I liked it being closest to the bathroom door – the right maybe?
    enjoy your break, your enthusiasm will return, i promise. Remind yourself it’s a hobby not a requirement. 🙂