Why I Dislike Contemporary Shower Curtains – And Why You Should Too!
I’m the sort of person who loves going to the yard sales or consignment shops to look for furniture. I do this not because I am cheap, though the money saved is a big plus, but because I find the craftsmanship and design of older items that much better. Unfortunately, there are a few areas where I really have to buy new, which is why I want to talk about the failure of contemporary shower curtains.
Now, I don’t think that just because something was made in the past it’s better. I spend plenty of time sanding, refinishing, and repainting antique items. Obviously there’s wear and tear and somethings are just always shoddy. But while an old chair is repairable and can contribute to the look of a room, old bathroom supplies tend to disappear completely, leaving me with contemporary shower curtains.
It’s not that contemporary shower curtains are poorly made or anything. It’s just that the designs are clearly made for the modern home and so match what a modern decor would look like–not the retro looks that I tend to go for.
It’s not that contemporary shower curtains are hideous. There are a lot of fun (and funny!) designs that I have seen. For someone else, they would be great and really make a room pop. But the rooms I am creating are usually really centered around a certain time period–the kind of designs not really found on newly made products.
It’s just that, at the end of the day, contemporary shower curtains don’t looks as good for my style as a true antique one would. I don’t mind a modern sensibility being brought to bathrooms. I encourage it. I just wish someone also found the time to mimic the old sensibilities as well.
This may seem extremely nitpicky. Ok, I know it’s nitpicky. The designs of contemporary shower curtains probably don’t matter to anyone but me and the designers of them. But they should. Our design accents–those elements that we choose to help make a room pop–those matter. They’re important. And so anything that throws that off, be it an anachronistic frame or contemporary shower curtains in a 20s-styled room, helps lessen the mood.
Details matter to me and they should matter to you. You may not care about how contemporary shower curtains look, but I am sure there are other design elements you get worked up over. Instead of feeling bad about that, embrace it! We need those pickier elements so that e don’t rest until we get the room we want and the look we’re after. It’s what makes design such a challenge, but oh so satisfying.
Muhammad Aqib