In the mood to give your bathroom a shot of luxury and some dramatic height? Here’s another simple and speedy mini-makeover that anyone can do. Just upgrade from the average 72″ shower curtain to a super tall version (we snagged a 95″ curtain from here, and it works perfectly with our 98″ ceilings).
While we were at it, we also picked up an 84″ fabric shower curtain liner (the liner didn’t need to be as long as the actual curtain since it just needed to hit the top of the tub and not go all the way to the floor like the curtain). And we didn’t even have to order the liner online since good ol’ Bed Bath & Beyond carried ’em. Now, you might be asking yourself why we went for a fabric liner over one of those clear plastic ones. Well, our inspirational new friend Lesley (who let us crash her house a few weeks ago) mentioned that she picked one up because they last forever and can be thrown in the wash if they get any sort of mildew-esque issues instead of tossed into the garbage after a year or so. We’re always down with snagging things for the long haul, and it was about time that we switched out our old plastic liner anyway, so the fabric liner really does seem just as practical as it does luxurious and hotel-chic.
And since we know you guys love a good before and after, here’s the old 72″ shower curtain:
And the high-society 95″ version:
The room looks taller, and somehow seems to have better architecture, like those old homes with extra tall ceilings. And since tiling a tub from floor to ceiling is a new trend (and our tile stops a few feet from the ceiling) it somehow makes up for the vertically challenged tile and feels super luxe and special.
Note: To further spiff up your shower, you can add some shiny new brushed nickel rings along with a gleaming new rod to totally update an old plastic shower rod (we made that change a few months ago, and they were just crying out for an ooh-la-la curtain to match). Check.
So go ahead, swankify up your shower and send us the pics (no shots of you sudsing up in your new shower necessary).
Kelsey says
Hi Sherry and John! First time commenter, event though I’ve been following you guys for almost a year. I stumbled across this old post and was amazed because this bathroom (as shown in the pics above, before you did the renovation) is almost identical to one in our new house – except picture gray-blue tile on the walls, an old sliding door on the shower, and a large pedestal sink. We also have a mirror that stretches from the sink all the way to the wall above the toilet (with a row of vanity lights above), which leaves little room for any sort of storage. Our only real storage is a large closet that backs up to the shower (on the right as you enter), much like I think you had in this bathroom.
We don’t plan to do a full demolition, but I definitely want to do some updates to this bathroom, and your pictures give me hope. I plan to remove the door on the shower and replace the light fixture, but would also like to tear down the long mirror and replace with a smaller one like you have above – but as I think our wall tile hits higher than yours, I’m wondering how low the bottom of the mirror should be in order to still seem “normal” (ie, not only show the top of your head)? By tearing down the current mirror, I think we could install some shelves above the toilet – but is there anywhere else we could pick up counter or shelf space? Also, did you all have a door on your closet, or leave it open? I’d imagine the room feels more open without it, but worry about keeping the content sufficiently organized to keep it open!
Thanks for your thoughts!
YoungHouseLove says
We took the door off of the linen closet in our first house because it was constantly hitting the bathroom door and it felt nice and open without it. I just added pretty woven baskets to a lot of the shelves in there and they work like drawers (you can pull them out to access things, but they seem to keep things looking neater). As for the mirror, I would use painter’s tape to tape off different “shapes” and “heights” and then stand back and see which ones look best (try to picture how much of your body would be reflected to make sure it’s not just the top of your head). Good luck!
xo
s
Jackie says
Hey! Just wondering – do you think that heavy duty iron on tape would work for a shower curtain? My shower is a weird height (about 81″) but I was thinking hemming might be an option, if the humidity won’t ruin the iron on tape.
YoungHouseLove says
Someone else asked me that a while back and I’m not really sure. I think it would be worth a try because it might stick just fine and if it doesn’t it’ll just fall out and you can try another method (it won’t ruin the fabric or anything).
xo
s