This Tiny Tweak Is Your Secret to a More Stylish, Splash-Free Bathroom
In this corner of the internet, every room is equally loved, but let’s be honest: When it comes to great design, the bathroom isn’t typically the most inspiring space in the house. A bathroom often leaves little room for the imagination beyond a soothing paint color or pretty bath mat, but there’s a new way to spruce up that space: your shower curtain.
Sure, you can get a shower curtain in a pretty design or material, but that’s not all. Nowadays, many interior designers are thinking beyond the typical shower curtain and adding more formal drapery to the mix. That’s right: I’m talking about the type of drapes that typically flank a window making their way to the bathroom — and valences, too. Just ask designer Tami Ramsay of CLOTH & KIND, who brought this decorating trick to a recent project.
Why Should You Add Drapes to Your Shower?
Bathrooms can feel cold and sterile, but shower curtains provide an opportunity to introduce softness to the space. For so many years, though, people have just been using the same old shower curtains without much thought or creativity, other than doubling up with two shower curtains for a fuller, more luxe look. But why not try actual drapery for a more custom option, including a valence? This frames out a shower to make it appear more fancy and window-like.
For Ramsay, the spark for this idea came from her project’s lack of visual interest beyond its atypical ceiling line. “This was a small bathroom without much architectural interest, plus, it had a small slope of ceiling that intersected with the opening to shower,” says Ramsay, who has offices in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Athens, Georgia. “In order to disguise this and also create a pretty textile moment, a shower draped with panels and a valance was the perfect match.”
Not only does this small design tweak give your bathroom a more polished look, but when paired with a plastic shower liner, the extra layer can reduce the amount of shower water that ends up on your bathroom floor. “This drapery and valance was mounted outside the shower and allowed for a standard shower liner and rod to be hidden behind it,” Ramsay adds. “No bulk and bone-dry.”
How to Add Drapes to Your Shower
Installing a valance can be as easy as nailing a few pieces of fiberboard together, mounting it onto your wall, and then applying the fabric of your choice with a glue gun or staple gun. Or, if building your own valance is more muscle than you want to put into a DIY project, create the look of window treatments by adding two pieces of fabric that open and close like curtains. (Even better? You can create your own curtain tiebacks for the ultimate drapery effect.)
Regardless of how you bring the drapery style to your bathroom, one thing’s for sure: Your fabric should never come in direct contact with your shower’s water. “An absolute no-no is not having a separate, thick, waterproof shower curtain liner behind the draperies,” Ramsay explains. “The steam of a standard shower could take its toll on a cotton or linen fabric — causing it to sag — so that needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the fabric.”
To err on the side of caution, consider performance fabrics or outdoor textiles, which are known to wick away excess moisture. “If you wanted to be supersafe, you could interline the drapery with a plastic waterproof liner and also use another liner within the shower,” Ramsay adds.
Once you have selected the right textile, you have free reign on the color palette and patterns. But where to begin? Ramsay says this decor tip is “not a one-size-fits-all scenario” and to let the rest of your space inform your decision. “[It] has everything to do with the tile and other finishes,” she explains. “We worked around a piece of art that had red and blue in an otherwise white tile bathroom, and Katie Leede’s fabric was pitch-perfect.”
Whether you opt for stripes, florals, or a statement-making solid, one thing’s for sure: Showertime has never looked so stylish.
Further Reading
We Tested (and Rated!) All the Sofas at Ashley — Here Are the Best to Suit Your Style and Space
Everything You’ve Ever Wanted To Know About Article’s DTC Furniture
See How a Stager Used Paint to Transform a 1950s Living Room
