Pulling off decorative illusions to rave reviews

“We must select the illusion which appeals to our temperament and embrace it with passion if we want to be happy.” Cyril Connolly (1903-1974), English writer, “The Unquiet Grave.” (1945).

Have you ever been in a bathtub shower where the space is so small that you keep getting caught up in the shower curtain? It actually sticks to you as you’re trying to bathe. If you own an older home with bathrooms that were built before the mega tubs and showers, you know what I mean.

You may be familiar with the circular shower rod that is especially made for the free-standing tubs, such as the footed tubs. Well, there are now adjustable, curved shower rods on the market that provide up to an additional 7 1/2 inches of room once the shower curtain is closed. They attach to the wall just like the regular straight rod, but the outward curve provides extra upper body room. This is not an illusion.

My mom has a tub that was installed many years before showers were standard features. The shower was installed years later, but because the tub is so small, taking a shower was a frustrating exercise, fighting the shower curtain.

One of my cousins who is a frequent visitor to my mom’s house bought one of these nifty curved rods for her. He had seen them in several hotels and knew it would be perfect for mother’s tiny tub. Apparently, the hospitality industry developed the idea before the residential market got on board.

Being always interested in new product innovations, I did a little research and, sure enough, they’re out there.

For instance, Moen (www.moen.com) has introduced a new, adjustable-length, curved shower rod that adjusts to fit shower or bath enclosures between 54 and 72 inches, with no cutting required. The rod fits all standard-size shower curtains and comes in several finishes. They are available anywhere Moen products are sold, and it’s a rela-tively simple do-it-yourself project.

Q: We have wall-to-wall mirrors over the vanity in our master bathroom. And, in spite of the fact that it is sometimes nice to have a larger mirror, this one makes our bathroom appear dated. I would imagine removing the entire mirror would be costly, and we just want a cosmetic fix at this point. Do you have any suggestions:

A: Actually, I have several ideas to change the appearance of those enormous mirrors. And, yes, it would be expensive. Most of those mirrors are glued and screwed in. When removed you could conceivably have a ruined wall to deal with, plus a replacement. I’m sure when contractors began installing those many years ago, homeowners were thrilled to have all of the mirror space and all that it means. However, we’ve changed our minds somewhat about our bathrooms in general and the huge mirrors no longer have soft places in our hearts. We want our baths to look more like livable spaces and not so utilitarian.

Two quick fixes will give you the illusion of a different mirror situation.

The first one is the easiest; hang a framed mirror on top of the wall mirror. I know this sounds confusing since you’re trying to get away from the mirror in the first place, but when you hang the secondary mirror, the big mirror will recede and become more like background. You will actually begin to look only into the secondary mirror and ignore the other. I’ve done it and have friends who have, and it works.

For the best effect, use a mirror with a wooden frame. It will totally distract you from the other wide expanse of mirror and warm up the space.

The second fix will again be an illusion. But then again, we are talking mirrors, right?

Try trimming the mirror with decorative molding. The added trim will make it seem more like a mirror you might have hung, and not one covering the whole wall.

As a matter of fact, the more elaborate the trim, the better the mirror will look. Check out the lightweight, synthetic molding that you can hang with an adhesive. Molding also can be painted or stained to suit your needs. Try it. I know you will be pleased.

Carolyn Muse Grant is the editor of Southern Nevada Home & Garden magazine. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home & Garden section of the Review-Journal. Check out other decorating tips in Southern Nevada Home & Garden magazine, which is published the first Saturday of each month. Send questions to cgrant@reviewjournal.com.