Tips on how to make a bathe curtain look trendy in a rest room house
When you’re planning a rest room replace and questioning whether or not bathe curtains nonetheless have a spot as a bathe room concept, you’re not alone. As soon as thought of a default, they’re now usually dismissed as outdated, unhygienic or just a stopgap till a glass display screen is put in.
However are bathe curtains actually out of date, or have they only fallen out of favour as rest room design tendencies have shifted? And in sensible phrases, how do they really examine to glass screens in terms of house, cleansing and day-to-day use?
To get a clearer image, we requested rest room specialists whether or not bathe curtains are nonetheless getting used, once they make sense in trendy loos, and methods to make them really feel intentional reasonably than non permanent.
Does anybody use bathe curtains anymore?
When you’ve spent any time rest room inspiration recently, it’s simple to imagine bathe curtains are formally out. Glass screens and walk-in showers dominate most trendy rest room design, and curtains are sometimes related to older leases or fast fixes reasonably than intentional selections.
However specialists say that notion doesn’t inform the complete story. Whereas bathe curtains are not the default, they’re nonetheless broadly utilized in loos the place flexibility and ease of use matter greater than a set display screen.
Designers proceed to favour bathe curtains in sure layouts, resembling compact loos and areas with sloped ceilings or tough corners like loft conversion loos. What’s extra, Blanca Sanchez, founding father of Halo Design Interiors, says bathe curtains “work brilliantly for shower-over-bath layouts and slim footprints, the place a inflexible panel or door would really feel cramped or awkward.”
They’re additionally a sensible possibility in level-access showers and moist rooms, the place with the ability to pull the curtain again totally makes the house simpler to maneuver via and adapt for various customers. In different phrases, whereas bathe curtains will not be probably the most talked-about possibility proper now, specialists agree they’re nonetheless very a lot in use, simply in additional considerate, layout-led methods than earlier than.

Blanca Sanchez is an expert inside designer and founding father of Halo Design Interiors. She has intensive expertise of working with non-public purchasers, builders and likewise architects, property consultants and trade specialists. Her initiatives have led her to areas all through the UK, together with London and the House Counties, in addition to initiatives accomplished globally.
Why bathe curtains get a nasty popularity
Let’s be trustworthy, bathe curtains have a little bit of a picture downside, and in response to the specialists, it’s not solely unwarranted. For a lot of owners the affiliation is with flimsy liners, lingering damp smells and the fixed fear that water is escaping onto the ground.
“Curtains want good air flow and periodic washing to stop mould,” cautions Blanca Sanchez. With out common airflow and cleansing, even a good-quality curtain can rapidly begin to look drained, which is the place many hygiene issues stem from.
Motion and upkeep are different widespread frustrations. Not like a set glass display screen, a curtain can shift whilst you bathe, which can enable water to flee if it’s not correctly weighted or appropriately hung. And whereas glass screens require wiping to stop limescale, bathe curtains depend on constant care to remain contemporary. Selecting the mistaken materials could make this maintenance doubly onerous, as cheaper choices usually tend to discolour or harbour mildew.
In brief, bathe curtains are likely to get a nasty rep once they’re handled as an afterthought. Poor supplies, insufficient rest room air flow and incorrect becoming can all undermine their efficiency – however when maintained correctly, specialists agree many of those points are avoidable.
Bathe curtains vs glass screens
At first look, selecting between a bathe curtain and a glass display screen can really feel like a purely aesthetic resolution. However rest room specialists say the true variations have a tendency to point out up when you begin utilizing the house every single day.
Price comparisons
“A bathe curtain will be the higher selection the place budgets are being rigorously managed,” says Keeley Sutcliffe, design supervisor at BC Designs. Curtains are faster to put in and simpler to exchange, which might make them a smart possibility whenever you’re updating a rest room regularly or attempting to maintain rest room renovation prices beneath management.
Glass screens, however, normally price extra upfront and are chosen with longevity in thoughts. “A well-specified display screen is a long-lasting resolution,” explains Richard Eaton, design supervisor at Tissino. Whereas screens are usually dearer, he notes they’re much less prone to want changing over time as a result of put on or discolouration, which might make them really feel like higher worth in the long term.

Keeley Sutcliffe
Keeley Sutcliffe is Model Supervisor for award-winning British rest room designers, BC Designs. Since 1999 the award-winning firm has been main the best way with its considerate, modern and thought of rest room designs.

Richard is senior design supervisor at Tissino and is chargeable for designing lots of Tissino’s market-leading rest room merchandise. His speciality areas are showers, baths and heating, and he enjoys nothing greater than creating merchandise that folks get pleasure from utilizing every day, whereas ensuring they appear the half.
Flexibility comparisons
One of many greatest benefits of a bathe curtain is how adaptable it’s. “Curtains are faster to put in, simpler to exchange, and permit the lavatory to evolve over time with out committing to a set enclosure,” Keeley explains. That flexibility will be particularly useful in households the place wants change, or in household loos that need to work onerous for various customers.
Bathe screens commerce that adaptability for construction. Richard Eaton factors out that many owners want the sense of permanence a glass display screen offers, significantly in loos designed for long-term use the place a clearly outlined showering space feels extra intentional.
Upkeep & longevity comparisons
Upkeep is commonly the place the romance of a bathe curtain wears off. “Curtains want extra common laundering to remain hygienic, they’re much less efficient at containing water than a fitted display screen, and poor-quality choices will date rapidly,” warns Richard. With out common care, it’s simple for them to start out wanting drained.
He explains that tumbler screens are “simpler to maintain clear over time” and fewer liable to sorts of mould or discolouration when correctly specified. Whereas glass nonetheless wants common wiping, it usually holds up higher than cloth which will want changing each few years.
Aesthetic comparisons
Visually, curtains and screens create very totally different moods. Used thoughtfully, curtains can soften a rest room and introduce “color, texture or distinction into an area which may in any other case rely solely on tile and sanitaryware,” Keeley Sutcliffe says. This may be particularly interesting in areas that really feel just a little stark, or in additional conventional loos the place an excessive amount of glass can really feel misplaced.
That mentioned, Richard Eaton notes that tumbler screens have come a good distance. “That is not restricted to plain, clear glass,” he says, pointing to fluted or reeded finishes, framed profiles and partially screened designs. In smaller loos particularly, he provides, a display screen may help the house really feel calmer and extra ordered, which regularly makes day-to-day cleansing simpler too.
Store glass bathe screens
Create a smooth, industrial look with this black Crittall-style bathe display screen, combining toughened security glass with a press release body for a contemporary, high-end end that’s simple to suit and constructed to final.
Geneva Brushed Brass Bathtub Display screen
Improve your rest room with this brushed-brass bathe display screen, that includes easy-clean tempered glass and a pivot design for easy entry, combining on a regular basis practicality with a refined, up to date look.
Convey a clear, trendy end to your rest room with this frameless sail-shaped tub display screen, crafted from 8mm toughened glass with a clean hinged design for versatile, on a regular basis use.
Tips on how to make a bathe curtain look intentional, not outdated
Based on designers, bathe curtains solely really feel outdated once they’re handled as an afterthought. “The only method is to specify it with the identical care given to a display screen,” says Blanca Sanchez. She recommends beginning with proportion, explaining {that a} full-length curtain with a weighted hem and beneficiant fullness will all the time hold higher and really feel extra substantial than a light-weight possibility.
{Hardware} selection additionally makes a noticeable distinction. Sanchez advises utilizing “a ceiling-fixed or elegantly curved rail” and matching the end to your brassware so it reads as a part of the general scheme. Small particulars could make all of the distinction, so she additionally suggests utilizing “rustproof rings or gliders” to assist the curtain hold neatly and transfer easily.
Material and color needs to be handled as a design resolution reasonably than a last-minute add-on. Sanchez recommends selecting “a relaxed, tonal cloth or a delicate sample that ties to the tiles or stone,” which helps the curtain really feel built-in reasonably than visually disruptive.
When these components come collectively, a bathe curtain stops feeling non permanent. Detailed correctly, Sanchez says, it may well “look thought of and sit comfortably in trendy loos,” proving that with the fitting method, a curtain can really feel intentional reasonably than outdated.
Store trendy bathe curtains
Coastal Breeze Wave Edge Stripe Bathe Curtain
Convey a relaxed coastal really feel to your rest room with this easy-to-hang, machine-washable bathe curtain, that includes delicate turquoise stripes and a wave-edge element.
French Verdure Aubusson Tapestry Curtain
Flip your bathe into a press release with this Aubusson-inspired curtain, combining classic French attraction with sturdy, water resistant cloth for a daring, characterful rest room replace.
Maeve Scalloped Cotton Bathe Curtain
Add a playful, design-led contact to your rest room with this Maeve bathe curtain, that includes scalloped edges and embroidered detailing on delicate cotton twill.
Not offered on bathe curtains? We now have a information to the most effective over-bath bathe screens to discover as a substitute. And in the event you’re set on a moist room, be sure to do your analysis and skim our moist room flooring information first.