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Shower Curtain Update Using Drapery Panels

Remember when I posted about the 1 thing you can do to upgrade your bathroom?  Guys I am about to share another thing you can do to upgrade your bathroom.  I did a thing recently that made a HUGE difference.  This is going to sound over simplified and crazy, but I changed the shower curtain.

Do you remember the horse chairs that I had to have for my bedroom?  (Click here to see my whole master bedroom tour.)  Well these curtains spoke to me the same way those chairs did.  LOL I saw them and in my SOUL I knew they had to be mine.  It was instant love.  However I was leaving the store (thrift, of course) and couldn’t pin point exactly what I’d do with them so I didn’t buy them straight away.  Luckily my friend was headed over & ended up picking them up for me.  They were $2.  I still wasn’t sure what I would do with them but I couldn’t’ get them out of my head so I knew I needed to get them physically here so I could see if I could make them work.

Bold Shower Curtain Pattern

The only place I could think of to try them was in the kitchen.  But as soon as I held them up in there I knew it was going to look dated and bad.  Since I didn’t have any other ideas I put them in the guest room (aka storage room) while I thought about it.  The next day I was hopping in the shower and as I grabbed the shower curtain to get in, inspiration struck!  They would make a fabulous shower curtain!

I have always shyed away from patterned shower curtains.  I think because, to me – and this is a personal preference – they are too small of a piece of fabric. I much prefer the look of a long shower curtain, when you can pull it off, because it brings the ceiling up and fills the whole wall.  It creates a wall of soft texture to an otherwise cold and hard room.  This is not to say that I don’t or haven’t ever used standard shower curtains.  I have used standard size shower curtains in both my old and current home in different bathrooms.  The bathroom I’m talking about is our hall bathroom, the main one in our house.  When I originally tackled this room (see the full tour here) I painted the walls a bright white (despite knowing I should have went with something creamier).  To balance the white walls with the gold-beige sink counter top I added art and DIY’d a long shower curtain out of a drop cloth to add warmth and texture.  It worked great.

Here is what my bathroom looked like after I redid it the first time:

White green gold brown bathroom vanity with gold scones framed watercolors drop cloth shower curtain brown tile vintage mirror

 

And here it is with my $2 drapery-turned-shower-curtains:

How to Use Drapery Panels as a Shower Curtain

 

YOU GUYS!  I’m obsessed!  This bathroom is just outside of our dark green master bedroom.  I liked the other, more neutral, shower curtain but as soon as I put these up I almost couldn’t believe the difference it made in this little bathroom!  You know how you always hear that the best place to try out a bold wallpaper is in the bathroom?  Because these panels are so long with such a bold pattern I feel like it’s the same effect, but without the installation headache!

These are fully lined and pleated drapes.  There are actually two panels that I hung and then attached with straight pins on the rod. Because they are drapes not curtains (drapery has a stiff buckram header while curtains do not) they had to be hung with drapery pins.  Luckily, since moving into this house I have become very familiar with drapery pins thanks to our living room drapes so this didn’t throw me for a loop.

Here’s how I used drapery panels as a shower curtain:

These came from the thrift store and had been shoved into a bag so they had quite a few wrinkles.  I don’t have a steamer so the first thing I did was lay them out on the floor and spritz them with Febreeze and a little water.  They didn’t have a smell but since I couldn’t wash them (you shouldn’t wash professional drapery) I figured this would freshen them up.  This helped to release the wrinkles.

How to use curtain panels as a shower curtain

How to use thrift store linens

Next I set up my step ladder in the bathroom.  (Why do bathrooms have to be so hard to photograph?!)  Since I already had the existing shower curtain hung high there was no way my 5′ 2″ self could reach that standing on the ground.  I ended up needing to lower the bar a few inches because these drapes weren’t quite a long and I did want them to cover most of the tub.  I measured the drapes and then added an inch to account for the pins and rings.  I marked that measurement on the wall.

Updating your bathroom with creative shower curtain ideas

Shower curtain ideas

To hang drapes with pins you have to use drapery rings that have an eyelet on the bottom of them.  Luckily I had this set left over from another project so I didn’t have to go pick them up.  Before I rehung the shower curtain rod I threaded all of the rings onto the rod.  Once the rod was in place I simply hooked the pins through the shower curtain liner and then through the eyelet on the ring.

How to use real curtains as a shower curtain

And that’s it!

Easy 1 day bathroom update

Shower Curtain Decor Ideas Creative

Easy Bathroom Update Ideas DIY

Honestly, this little project not only brought me SO MUCH happiness but it also surprised me.  As a non-patterned shower curtain user this was out of my comfort zone but I am SO SO SO SO SO happy it with.  And do you know one of the things I LOVE about these hanging there?  The fabric is SO full.  It’s not just a little piece of fabric stretched across the space, this gives real depth and texture.  I love the pleated top too!  This project was a total win for me.  Creatively I love the pop it adds to our home but financially it also cost me $0 because my friend didn’t want me to pay her the $2 back.

Now that you’ve seen this do you think you’d take the chance on using a bold drape in your bathroom?

Don’t forget to pin!

Bathroom Decor Ideas Shower Curtain Upgrade

How to use curtains panels as a shower curtain

Bathroom Decor Ideas White Walls Green

 

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11 responses to “Shower Curtain Update Using Drapery Panels”

  1. candy Avatar
    candy

    Using the drapes is a wonderful idea. What a great DIY recipe and a way to recycle. Turned out great.

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Thanks Candy!

  2. Kelsey Avatar

    What an AMAZING difference! A shower curtain is such a huge part of the bathroom and it really brings yours together in a beautiful way. I will keep this tip in mind when I can’t find the just right shower curtain!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Thank you!

  3. Sara Ross Avatar

    Those look perfect in your bathroom!! I have actually done this same thing in my old master bathroom. I wanted something long and of course, I couldn’t find a “real” shower curtain I liked so I bought window coverings instead. It worked out perfect for that bathroom. I now have a regular shower curtain in my current bathroom but it fits with the style of the room.

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Yes! It is such a good alternative!

  4. Tiane Avatar

    Super helpful! Also, you’re so funny! Totally changed the look of the bathroom! It’s great!

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Haha, thanks! I’ve had it up for over a year now and I still love it!

  5. […] Do something bold with the shower curtain:  Have you ever heard that a bathroom is the best place for a bold wallpaper?  Well I’m going to counter that and say that the bathroom is the best place to go BOLD no matter what.  The reason why this is the case is it’s a small space and there are already so many hard, white finishes (toilet, tub, sink) that there is usually a natural counter balance.  When I took the chance and repurposed bold drapery as a shower curtain it changed & elevated the look of the entire bathroom.  CLICK HERE TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE A BOLD SHOWER CURTAIN MAKES. […]

  6. Karen Hanzel Avatar
    Karen Hanzel

    I was looking for someone who gave this a go. Oh the possibilities!

    Thank you for taking the jump.

    1. admin Avatar
      admin

      Ha, thanks! I LOVE it and get so many compliments. I’d love to see if you’ve done something similar!

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