When I moved out of my parent's house I didn't have a lot of money. I was dead broke but I wanted to make my small, not that great apartment look as nice as possible. A few websites, bargains and friends getting rid of furniture really helped. However, I had a really hard time with the bathroom. All the normal redecorating things were out of my price range--all except shower curtains.
Since shower curtains were the only new bathroom thing I could afford, I went hunting after them with a lot of enthusiasm. I went to every shop in town that could have them and browsed online. Since this was the only decoration I'd be able to put in the bathroom I put a lot of effort into making sure it would be the best one I could get.
After looking at thousands of shower curtains, I finally settled on a striped one full of colors I loved. At first I just took it for granted, but slowly I began to realize how much I liked it and how much it brightened the bathroom. Rather than being something to keep the water from ruining my bathroom, it was something pleasing to look at. I encouraged friends to get shower curtains that weren't just clear or white--to explore all the options, because it really did help make the room.
When I got some more money together, I knew that I wanted to invest it in the bathroom. While I loved my shower curtains, I wanted to make the whole room pop. Fortunately, the curtain provided a great accent to work off of. I incorporated stripes and those colors into the room, allow the curtains to play off the new design and really bring everything together. My friends and family all thought I was a little strange for being so obsessed with shower curtains, but once they saw the completed bathroom, they agreed with me that it helped make the room.
Shower curtains are usually get something people get for their utility, not for the aesthetic, and it's a shame. They're a great way to bring a bit of design flair to a dull room, and they're probably the cheapest way out there to redecorate. With all the fun colors and design out there, they should be an important consideration in any redesign, not an after-thought.
Zoe Holmes is a New York-based Midwesterner. Her current shower curtains are a lion and a unicorn.
