If you’re decorating a bathroom, there’s nothing that adds a more luxurious look than a fabric shower curtain. You see them in upscale hotels, and you can have one as well, even if you don’t know how to sew.

Fabric curtains can be the focal point for bath decorating, as there are endless varieties of fabrics available — from lavish silks to au naturale cottons, linen and hemp — so you can create any mood you like for your morning rinsing.

Fabric shower curtains are actually the decorative part of a pairing, as inside the fabric curtain you’ll need a functional counterpart — a plastic liner to protect the fabric layer from moisture, mold and mildew. Together this duo provides privacy, decoration and a way to keep your bathroom floor dry from over-spray.

Fabric options

Most standard shower curtains are 72 inches square to fit a 6-foot tub. If you want a larger or smaller curtain, simply add 8 inches to the finished width and 16 inches to the finished length to cut the rectangle and figure yardage.

For a standard shower curtain, you’ll need 5 yards of fabric that’s either 45 inches or 54 inches wide.

Look for home decorating prints that have more body than ordinary cotton fabrics, as they will hang better because of their weight.

If the fabric is a large print, you will need to purchase extra to match the design patterning, so ask the sales clerk for help in determining the additional amount needed. A bed sheet offers another fabric alternative and a way to coordinate bathroom decor with adjacent bedroom furnishings. If you’re buying a sheet, a full flat sheet will suffice.

Top treatment

Shower curtains can be hung several ways. Some are held in place with hooks over a rod, and the hooks go through buttonholes spaced across the upper curtain edge. Others offer small grommets through which hooks are placed over the rod. Others, like the featured curtain, offer large decorative grommets through which a rod is threaded (a separate rod holds the plastic inner liner).

The large grommets require no sewing or special tools to insert; they simply snap together. They’re available in a variety of fun colors, including metallics. Some are transparent. Look for them in the home decorating section of the fabric store.

— Reporter: gwizdesigns@aol.com