What a difference a "shade" makes

Our new house has a wonderful spacious master bathroom.   Lots of tile, lots of cabinetry and mirrors, i.e., lots of hard surfaces that make the space a little sterile.   I knew I wanted to add some beautiful fabrics to the space but couldn't find the perfect pattern - the color in the bath is Benjamin Moore "Tidewater" - not green, not blue, but a very soft clean hue.   We have a Dash and Albert shell motif wool rug on the floor that has lots of color possibilities.

Here's the before of the bathtub elevation.   Note the pretty chandelier - we found it in a church thrift shop for $35.00.    Not sure why we didn't turn it on for the "before" shot - oh well.    It was in pieces in a box and we figured we'd have to spend a ton of money finding missing parts.   Guess what:   THIS is what was in the box!!

To the right of the tub is a glass shower, and to the left is an enclosed toilet room.   The vanities are opposite the tub wall.   We opted for a privacy window since the home next to us is close and we wanted light, but not shades or shutters closed all the time.

I finally decided on a fabric by Kravet -  Ikat Fabric Bansuri Ranjani 54" Echo Spa Blue.  Now I know what color to call the bathroom - "spa blue".   I searched for the fabric name and low and behold, it was available on E-Bay, as a second with a very minor flaw, for less than half of the retail price.   So for less than $100 in supplies, and a relaxing Sunday afternoon of sewing, here is the window with a London Shade.   If you look closely you'll see a great round table holding bath salts and candles.   It is from World Market and the carving and texture are beautiful.   Only $129 on sale right now.  I'm ordering another for the living room.   The teak tub tray is from Ikea (who knew?) and it's kept my Kindle out of hot water more than once....  

I think the stripe in the pattern added a lot to the London Shade.   There are lots of good instructions for how to make the shade if you just Google "London Shade".   This one took 5 yards and the window is about 4' x 4'.   I didn't line it because I wanted as much light as possible.    It was very easy to make, and with the help of my handy husband who cut a mounting board, it was a snap to install (well for me that is, I don't think getting the brackets installed was a snap for him!!)
 
I hope you'll tackle this kind of simple window treatment.   I had gotten an estimate of over $1000 to have the shade made (it would have been operational - this one is fixed since I never intended to use it for privacy).   So watching old movies while sewing straight seams was well worth the time.   
 
 Good luck!