Black & White Shower Curtains

I love shower curtains that add an unexpected design element to the bath. Right now, I have a clear vinyl one covered with cute floral medallions in shades of blue, green, and brown. It’s seen better days. After a couple of years of daily use, it’s got a tear near the top (probably from me being a little too aggressive with it before I’ve had my morning coffee). So I spent a couple hours last night browsing my favorite sites for a replacement. I’ve been planning to paint my bathroom aqua, and accent it with black and white accessories, but I haven’t quite gotten around to it yet. I’m considering Benjamin Moore’s Seagrove or Oceanfront (check them out here, on BM’s cool virtual fandeck tool). I’m a pro at painting—I’ve done my bedroom three times now—but my bathroom walls are super high, which means I have to borrow a ladder from my super, and then climb up and down said ladder with a roller full of paint. So that’s why this project has remained on the to-do list for so long. I swear I will get to it one of these days, but in the meantime I’m going to pick up a new, graphic black-and-white shower curtain. Maybe it will motivate me to get painting. Here are the contenders:

Dwell Studio for Target Baroque Shower Curtain

I’ve loved almost everything Dwell Studio has done for their inexpensive line at Target, including this curtain with bold, oversized scrollwork. PRO: It’s a cotton/poly blend, which should hold up well over the long haul. CON: Some reviewers mentioned that the color bled when it got wet. Eek. $27.

Urban Outfitters Bird Toile Shower Curtain

Urban has a number of adorable black and white curtains, but this one is my favorite for layering an aqua blue bird silhouette atop classic toile. PROS: It matches my color scheme perfectly! And I love toile. And birds. And it’s on sale for $15. CONS: It’s 100% cotton, so it may require ironing. I hate ironing. $15.

Black Florafauna Vinyl Shower Curtain (at Bed, Bath & Beyond)

My friend Jenny has this clear vinyl curtain running amok with woodland creatures and flowers in her pretty purple bathroom. PROS: There are deer…and owls…and rabbits…and…seahorses? CONS: You can’t throw vinyl into the wash; it’s prone to rips. $20.

CB2 Pictobath EVA Vinyl Shower Curtain

I dig the whimsical, bathroom-inspired pop art print on this curtain from CB2. PROS: It’s got a sense of humor. CONS: It’s vinyl, so same as above. $15.

Marimekko Tuuli Shower Curtain (at alwaysmod.com)

OK, so this one’s not technically black and white. Sue me. PROS: This tree silhouette is one of my absolute favorite Marimekko prints, and I think the gray and white would look lovely with aqua. CONS: It’s 100% polyester, so I wonder if it would make that annoying whisper-y sound every time I opened and closed the curtain; since it’s 7 inches longer than a normal curtain, I might need to make some alterations. $49.

And the winner is…Bird Toile. I’m ordering it right now.

Current Crush: Skeleton Keys

Set of Vintage-look Keys from Pottery Barn

File keys under “things they don’t make like they used to.” Just look at a beautiful, ornate old key and then take a gander at that ring of boring, stubby keys that’s always getting lost at the bottom of your purse. No comparison, right? I was just reminded of that fact as I perused potterybarn.com, checking out the new merchandise, and came across the set above. FYI: These keys are faux antique, so in my opinion, they don’t have nearly as much charm as the real deal vintage kind. I have a few old skeleton keys that I’ve picked up over the years at various house sales and flea markets, but not enough to make a collection. Suddenly I’m motivated to go looking for more and actually do something with them—which means I’ll probably be hitting the Brooklyn Flea this weekend. It’s really a blend between a traditional flea market and a craft fair, with some yummy food vendors thrown in as a bonus. I’ve only been to the original in Ft. Greene, so I’m curious to know if the DUMBO location has as many vendors. Anyone been to it?

Back to keys. So, what can you do with an old skeleton key (or keys)? I would:

• Hang it on a long chain and wear it as a necklace. (If you’re anti-DIY, check out Erica Weiner’s vintage key necklaces.)
• Use an oversized key as an actual keychain. This idea was inspired by the ingenious Bottle Opener Key over at urbanoutfitters.com.
• Hot-glue a number of them onto a plain picture frame or mirror frame.
• Glue one onto the front of a journal with a plain cover and give it as a gift.
• Spraypaint one key (or a few) white, glue to some colored card stock, and frame it as art.
• Hang them on the wall in a group, like the PB set at top.
• Arrange a collection of them in a vintage glass jar.

A couple of other smart ideas I dug up online:

Country Living suggests hanging the keys from ribbons in a window, or even using them as pulls on a shade. Continuing on the window theme, I’d also try threading them onto ribbons and using them as curtain tiebacks.

Over on etsy.com, Howdoesyourgardengro created some adorable door/wind chimes using vintage keys. They’re currently sold out, but a crafty person could probably make a similar set of chimes.

To find an endless supply of skeleton keys, head on over to eBay or search the vintage section at Etsy.