Design is in the details, right? So bear with me while I rant about shower curtain rings for a moment…only in the interest of saving you the hassle I currently face.

I have a steadfast rule about shower curtain rings. I hate the C- or S-hook varieties:

…because if you try to actually move the curtain back and forth, several hooks get knocked off the rail. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but a daily annoyance for sure. So I’ve outlawed C- and S-hooks in my own home…and never recommend them to clients.

Also on the no-fly list? Those great-looking hotel-style rings with the little roller balls:

If you’ve ever used them, you know they make a heinous fingernails-down-the-chalkboard grating metal noise when you move them back and forth. I like their look but I won’t suffer on a daily basis for it.

So what does that leave me? Generally speaking, that leaves plain metal O’s and the cheapo plastic variety, which always reminds me of John Candy in Plains, Trains and Automobiles. Or these:

…but since I’ve never worked at Enron ($65!), they’re a bit out of my price range.

And then I found perfection. These amazing Simply Shabby Chic bling rings (from Target)–ideal for Phoebe’s princess-y bathroom.

Or so I thought.

Brought them home and popped them through the curtain. Beautiful. Can already hear her squealing with delight. Started to add the liner and…d’oh! The rings don’t fit through the grommet holes on my standard shower liner!

So I thought, “this must mean there are a variety of grommet sizes on shower curtain liners and I just need to trade mine for one with bigger holes.” And ummm…there appears to be no such animal.

Seriously? No one tested whether or not these puppies would make it through a standard shower liner? For shame.

I did a little research online and discovered that people who’ve snapped up shower curtains such as the one below–meant to hang so that the rod fits through the oversized grommets like a window curtain–also run into the same problem.

One online poster advised someone else to buy a grommet kit in a larger size and replace the existing grommets on their liner. I just refuse to buy a kit to retrofit a liner (and all subsequent liners I’ll need during the lifetime of these rings)…that’s ridiculous.

But it’s hard to go back to the non-bling farm, now that I’ve seen how awesome these rings are with Phoebe’s shower curtain. I don’t want the hassle of making something similar. So I’m going to have a go at removing one of the jeweled pieces on each ring. Hopefully that’ll be enough to stick through the liner and snap the rings shut.

There’s nothing Simply Chic about that!