Martha+Tom

Updating Apt. 203… a New Shower Curtain

When I painted our bathroom orange last summer we purchased a new shower curtain at IKEA for $8, pictured below center. I wanted something brighter than the brown one we’d been using from Tom’s old apartment (you can see this partially below) to match the crazy brightness of the walls I’d created. Perhaps too crazy…? I could go on about whether the choice to paint the bathroom orange was good or bad, but that would take a while. As Tom has said, at least it doesn’t look like a prison cell any longer:

Sickly lime green trim. Just what I've always wanted.  Self inflicted lead poisoning.

I was reasonably happy with the orange and brown IKEA shower curtain… it seemed to tie the bathroom together, and I even learned that the plastic content is on the green side (via Apartment Therapy’s post). It seems IKEA is committed to using 100% PVC free plastics. So everything was great. That is, until the proximity of the plastic shower curtain to the radiator caused it to burn and melt mid-way through the winter. In the photo on the right below you can see just how much the shower curtain and the radiator rubbed elbows.

$8 IKEA shower curtain  Can you see the radiator? Can you see why this might be a problem?

The burn in the shower curtain above happened about two months ago. It almost drove me to deciding that this was a sign to get rid of the orange paint (again, I go back and forth between hating/liking this), but instead I used the opportunity as an excuse to buy a new shower curtain. This one is by Dwell Studio, a company I’ve been a fan of for a long time. Dwell is best known for their colorful, contemporary bed linens, and their prints for home, kids, and baby are well worth a look. As you may have guessed by now, I am pretty smitten with this new shower curtain. I think Tom might actually like it, too. At the very least, it’s nice to return to a lightweight, cotton curtain that moves freely and won’t MELT on me. It doesn’t hurt that the colors are perfect. It’s even possible I might stop hating the orange…

Dwell Studio shower curtain (not $8)  Natural light from the window...Alternate view  100% COTTON Wash warm. Do not tumble dry.

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7 comments on “Updating Apt. 203… a New Shower Curtain”

  1. Linda 20 April, 2009 at 8:57 am

    I really like the new shower curtain. It’s statement is “we are people on the go.”

  2. Amy 20 April, 2009 at 1:09 pm

    Martha, I really like the orange color, it’s bright and alive…and you guys are watching that you don’t start the bathroom on fire with the shower curtain too close to the radiator, right??

  3. Ryan 23 April, 2009 at 12:43 am

    I think the orange looks good but then again I don’t:

    a) have any idea what I am talking about
    b) have to go poop in a bright orange room every day
    c) really care

    also….it took me a good 10 minutes to figure out wtf a sink curtain was

  4. john 22 August, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    that shower costs 66.00 online..I can’t believe you’d be thrifty about chairs but spend 66 bucks on a shower curtain.

  5. Martha 28 August, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    True, it was not cheap. And, as I mentioned shower curtains can be had at IKEA for $8. I think it’s important to be thrifty when it counts and when it’s required, but still be able to spend on a quality product if it’s a good fit and the money is available. The fabric alone for this shower curtain could easily cost this much for a DIY.

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