Some links in the "Complete the room" section below are affiliate links. If you buy through them, KFD may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I only point to things I'd actually specify.
Here is the thing about a shower curtain: in most bathrooms it is the single largest piece of fabric in the room, and people treat it like an afterthought. That is backwards. The shower curtain is the closest thing a bathroom has to drapery, and if you style it like drapery instead of a plastic liner, the whole room comes up a level. Bathrooms deserve to be enjoyed like any other room in the house, so let us give this one real thought.
Hang it high and let it fall long
The fastest upgrade costs nothing but a longer curtain. Mount the rod close to the ceiling and choose a curtain long enough to nearly reach the floor. The same trick that makes drapery make a room feel taller works here, and a short, stingy curtain floating above the tub is the number one thing that makes a bathroom feel cheap.
Pattern is your friend
A bathroom is usually small, which makes it the perfect place to be brave with pattern. A bold botanical, a strong stripe, or a graphic geometric turns the curtain into the design event of the room. I have a particular weakness for a Greek key border, which is about as neoclassical as a shower curtain can get, and for a good Moroccan-inspired geometric. If the rest of the bath is tile and white, the curtain is where the personality lives. The same logic makes a bath one of the best places for a bold wall, so if you would rather the pattern live behind the tub, a print from our removable wallpaper collection does the job and comes back down in an afternoon.
Or commit to quiet contrast
If pattern is not your thing, do the opposite deliberately. A crisp white curtain with a fine black border, or a monochrome grayscale, reads clean and considered rather than plain. Understated is a choice too, as long as it is a choice and not a default.
Bring in a jewel tone
Jewel tones will always be beautiful to me, and a bathroom is a low-risk place to use one. A deep emerald, a sapphire, an oxblood curtain against pale tile feels rich and a little unexpected. And per a rule I apply everywhere, find a way to slip in a hint of red, even if it is only a towel or a small object on the vanity. It wakes the whole room up.
Do not neglect the hardware
The rings and rod matter more than their size suggests. Swap flimsy plastic hooks for brass or another warm metal and the curtain instantly reads more custom. A little gilt somewhere never hurts a room, and a bathroom is no exception. And every bath could use a mirror with some presence, which pairs beautifully with a proper round bathroom mirror above the sink.
Choose the practical parts wisely
Style still has to function. Pick a water-resistant fabric or pair a beautiful cloth curtain with a simple liner behind it. Size it correctly so water stays in the tub. Look for reinforced grommets and real stitching so it survives daily use. None of that has to be visible, and none of it should stop you from choosing something you actually love to look at.
Finish the floor
A bathroom is still a room, and a room wants something soft underfoot. A small, washable patterned rug warms up cold tile and pulls a color from the curtain down to the floor. A botanical piece like the ones in our Meadow collection is a pretty way to do it. For more on styling the finishing details, our guide to accessorizing with Regency glamour applies just as well to a powder room as a parlor.
Complete the room
The rug and the wallpaper are ours; the curtain and its hardware aren't, so here's what I'd actually shop for the parts we don't make: a proper fabric curtain long enough to nearly graze the floor, a simple liner to hang behind it, a brass or warm-metal rod mounted high, real rings instead of the flimsy plastic hooks, and a coordinating towel bar to carry the metal through.
Shower curtain styling: quick answers
How high should you hang a shower curtain?
Mount the rod close to the ceiling rather than just above the tub surround, and choose a curtain long enough to nearly reach the floor. The extra height draws the eye up and makes the whole bathroom feel taller, the same way high-mounted drapery does in any room.
What size shower curtain do I need for a high rod?
A standard 72-inch curtain is made for a standard-height rod, so mounting higher usually calls for an extra-long curtain (84 or 96 inches) to keep it nearly floor-length. Measure from the rod to the floor and add a couple of inches of clearance so the hem does not drag.
Should a shower curtain match the bathroom or stand out?
Let it stand out. In a small tiled bathroom the curtain is the largest piece of fabric and the natural place for pattern or a jewel tone to live. If you would rather keep it quiet, make that a deliberate choice with a crisp bordered white rather than a default plain liner.
Can you use a cloth shower curtain instead of a plastic one?
Yes, and it looks far better. Hang a beautiful cloth curtain on the outside and a simple water-resistant liner behind it to keep water in the tub. You get the look of real fabric with none of the practical downside.
What hardware makes a shower curtain look more expensive?
Swap plastic hooks for rings in brass or another warm metal, and use a substantial rod rather than a thin tension one where you can. Carrying that same metal through to the towel bars and a framed mirror is what makes the whole bathroom read custom.
The takeaway
Stop thinking of the shower curtain as a necessary evil. Hang it high, choose it with intention, back it with good hardware, and let it carry the room. The bathroom is one of the most-used rooms in the house, and there is no reason it should be the least designed.
