Design Dilemma: Help Me Find a Yellow Shower Curtain

Photo -- which is NOT of Joanna's bathroom -- by Jenn Hsu

More Ways to Waste Time reader Joanna writes, "My bathroom has turned out to be the greatest design challenge in my condo. The color -- a 1970s neon yellow -- is very strong. I've tried to compliment the yellow with aquas and apple greens, but it doesn't work. I'm looking for a lemon-yellow and white shower curtain that isn't vinyl with ducks on it, but I'm gun-shy after failing with the last six shower curtains I've tried (yes, six). Can you or your readers suggest anything?"

First of all, Joanna, can I just say that I'm actually a little jealous of your lemon yellow bathroom? Yellow's such a cheerful color, and though it's been a challenge to match, at least you're not stuck with an impossible pink-and-maroon bathroom like mine.

Anyway, my initial thought is to simply use a white shower curtain. It's fresh and clean and might help offset all that yellow a bit. I especially love the frilly, feminine White Devil Shower Curtain from India Rose, above, $96 at Burke Decor. Or you could just get a plain white shower curtain and jazz it up by sewing a band of yellow fabric across the bottom, or by simply glue-gunning on a length of yellow ribbon or rick-rack as contrasting trim.

But if you're set on a yellow-and-white patterned shower curtain, I scoured around a bit and found a few options for you:

Pottery Barn Tile Print Shower Curtain (center), $59

Anthropologie Languid Leaf Shower Curtain, left, and Sundew Shower Curtain, right, both $88. I like these because they have just a dash of sunny yellow on a mostly white field.

Marimekko Unikko Shower Curtain in Lime/Yellow (left), $49

Restoration Hardware Butter Collection Shower Curtains, $79 each

IKEA Saxan Shower Curtain, $4

When I started thinking about it, though, I realized that you shouldn't limit yourself to just shower curtains. Pretty much any kind of curtains could be pressed into service in a bathroom -- you'd simply need to use a waterproof liner so they don't get splashed and retrofit them with grommet holes or hang them on a pressure-mounted rod if your regular shower rod isn't detachable. (I like Anthropologie's Spiral Vine and Climbing Dahlia curtains, above, $98 and $88 for one 50-by-84-inch panel.)

You could also just pick out some fabric you like and have your local seamstress or drycleaner seam and hem it for you -- and voila, a totally custom shower curtain. Here, some yellow-and-white fabrics that caught my eye:

Marimekko Skulptur Yellow Fabric, $70 per 59-by-36-inch section, and Stilla Yellow Fabric, $30 per 54-by-36-inch section

IKEA Katrin Fabric, $6 per 59-by-36-inch section

And here, again, is that great OD Zig Zag Fabric, $14 per 54-by-36-inch section at Hancock Fabrics

Readers, any other yellow-shower-curtain suggestions for Joanna -- or ideas on other hues that might work with the neon yellow in her bathroom? (She mentioned that apple green and aqua didn't jibe with her particular shade of yellow, but perhaps a graphic black and white, a dark chocolate brown, or a soothing, sophisticated gray would pair nicely with the bright yellow.)

If you have more ideas for Joanna, please post a comment and share them!

P.S. Click here for lots more yellow decor.

P.P.S. Have a design dilemma of your own? Send it in, along with a photo or two, and I'll put it up here for a communal brainstorming session.

eBay Find of the Day: Pear Dish

I am all about the pear right now: That shape, that yummy yellow-green color, the Scandinavian simplicity of it.

I'm in love with my Marimekko Paarya panel, and I was crushed when Victoria (of the wonderful sfgirlbybay blog) beat me to the awesome pear canister, right, from the new Three Potato Four shop. (I am so going to be haunting Victoria's Petite Flea in case she ever tires of it.)

But maybe I can still nab the great Pfalttzgraf pear dish, top, up for auction on eBay right now.

Current bid: $5.

eBay Find of the Day: Yellow Enamel Bowl

Is it possible for a simple yellow bowl to make you happy?

It must be, because it does.

Current bid: $22.

eBay Find of the Day: Yellow Lacquer Campaign Desk and Chair

With a beautiful desk like this, sitting down to work or bill paying would actually be something to look forward to.

The circa-1960s campaign-style desk and chair were manufactured by Drexel and feature an au courant canary yellow lacquered finish with elegant brass accents. This set would elevate the most humble home office to something really special -- and it's stylish enough for a bedroom or a living room, too.

Current bid: $360. (Hurry -- the auction ends Monday afternoon.)

eBay Find of the Day: Girl in Yellow

The frame is nothing special, the water-stained matting needs to be replaced, and I know absolutely nothing about the artist (G. Galla, from France -- ring any bells?).

But there's something so beguiling about this original, midcentury-era pastel-and-pencil portrait of a demure girl in yellow that I keep coming back to stare at it.

I think I may need to make her a permanent resident of our home (unless, of course, somebody beats me to her).

Current bid: $10.

eBay Find of the Day: Donut Phone

'Seventies-era Western Electric Sculptura telephones (aka "Donut" phones) are popping up all over the place lately:

In the new CB2 catalog ...

... in actress Ione Skye's David Netto-designed bedroom, featured in Domino ...

... in the latest "Trendy Objects Drinking Game" on Hatch ...

... and, of course, on eBay. The model pictured at top, in cheery of-the-moment yellow, is in good working order and has a handy touch-tone pad. (Rotary dialing, after all, is just so onerous.)

Current bid: $22. Hurry -- the auction ends Monday night.

eBay Find of the Day: Yellow Hollywood Regency Chairs

The form of these Louis XVI-style chairs is haute French glam, but the colors are pure California sunshine. They'll add a hint of humor to a modern dining table and a dash of sophisticated symmetry flanking a tall dresser.

Current bid: $202.50.

Color Obsession: Yellow Fever

Suddenly, yellow is everywhere. You can barely crack a shelter magazine these days without seeing the sunny shade splashed across its pages. (Personally, I blame Kelly Wearstler and the bright canary frock she wore on the cover of Modern Glamour.)

Yellow is a perennial favorite, of course. But the color we’re seeing now isn’t the warm, muted honey or ochre hue of years past. Instead, it’s a clear, bright, strong shade -- picture the color of that Seventies “smiley face” icon and you’ll be pretty close. In fact, the recent resurgence of yellow owes a lot to the influence of that over-the-top design decade. But today’s interpretation has an added sense of sophistication and luxury. Think Palm Beach and Hollywood Regency.

Pair yellow with dark, intense charcoal grays, smoky taupes, and lacquered blacks for a super-chic salon sensibility, or with bright blues and greens for a more youthful, cheerful take on the trend. Either way, nothing can beat yellow for a dose of pure pop.

Here, a selection of furnishings, lighting, and textiles that’ll add a shot of sunshine to your décor:

Left: Moderndose Petite Sunny Side Table, $149; center: Design Within Reach Hee Lounge Chair, $230; right: Shine Bloom Stool $490


Top: Vintage Campaign Table, $3,500; bottom: Shine Spencer Table, $780


Left: Hexagons Wallpaper, $80 per roll; center: Florence Broadhurst Yellow Floral Tudor Wallpaper, $448 per roll; right: KWID Imperial Trellis Wallpaper


Left: Glass Lamp, $279; right: Urban Outfitters 3-D Chandelier, $25


Left: Shine Palisades Pendant, $640; right: Biltmore Lamp, $352


Above: Vintage Yellow Resin Lamps, $1,250


Top left: Weego Home Bamboo Pillow, $100; top right: Crate & Barrel Atrium Granada Stripe Pillow, $30; bottom left: Anthropologie Day’s Eye Pillow, $98; bottom right: Victoria Hagan for Target Yellow Trellis Floor Pillow, $30


Left: Marimekko Stilla Fabric, $39 per yard; center: KWID Couture Stripe Fabric; right: IKEA Katrin Fabric, $5 per yard


Left: Anthropologie Isola Bella Rug, $298; right: Bev Hisey Moroccan Rug