This $15 Hack Makes Your Bathroom Look 10x More Expensive

Interior designers have long worked to elevate curtains by playing with proportions and where they hang them. Usually, they do the latter by installing a rod higher than a window’s upper frame and letting fabrics fall gracefully to the floor. But what would it look like if you took the same approach with other curtains beyond the windows in your home — particularly your bathroom’s shower curtain?

It’s a project I can’t stop thinking about after coming across an insanely simple yet gorgeously elevated bathroom renovation by Alexandra Sanford, a DIY content creator known as @simplysanfordco on Instagram and TikTok. In February, Sanford shared the result of a decision she made to forgo a glass shower enclosure in her small primary bathroom — rather, turning the idea of a shower curtain on its head in a brilliant way. 

The result? A stately look that makes a smaller bathroom feel cavernous despite limited square footage. The kicker is that Sanford found a way to use Amazon staples to complete the look for under $100 total (around $60 if you already have a tension rod — just $15 if you only need liners!). 

“I used regular window panels intentionally to elongate the wall and make the space feel larger and more elevated,” Sanford says. “I just layered in a washable liner behind them to protect them from water. I haven’t had any issues since.”

While Sanford landed on this styling trick during her gut renovation, it’s one that you can try in any bathroom that has a tub and shower combo that could use a bit of love. Sanford says she devised the hack during planning and was able to execute it in under 10 minutes in total, calling it the “easiest” part of reinventing this primary bathroom. 

“I used a super heavy-duty, rust-resistant tension rod and just slid the pre-pleated panels on,” she adds. “It’s been over a year now, and it hasn’t budged at all!”

Worried about cutting out a stream of light? Don’t be, even if your bathroom doesn’t have direct sunlight from an embedded window. Instead, take Sanford’s lead and choose unlined curtains that are sheer or semi-sheer. “Even when you put the washable liner behind them, a lot of light comes through,” Sanford shares. 

It seems that many of Sanford’s followers have already been fans of stringing up their shower curtains against the height of their bathroom’s ceiling. Many remarked that they didn’t know that extra-long shower liners existed (they sure do!). 

“My mother has done this since 1985, and I’ve done it with every home I’ve ever owned,” one commenter shared. “It keeps the steam trapped in the shower so that it’s nice and steamy,” another quipped. 

I’m personally convinced that ceiling-height rods and cascading fabrics create an expensive-looking visual that draws your eyes up and away from a cramped floor space — particularly away from storage organizers or supplies that often crowd the base of a toilet. And the look blends both modern style and traditional design all at once. 

The icing on the cake? The brass hardware that Sanford chose to gather her shower curtain when not in use. “I absolutely love how it looks, and I’m so happy I went with this option,” she told her followers.