If your towels are simply hung on towel rails in your bathroom, you’re doing it wrong. Even worse if they’re found hanging over your door (the horror!), or left to get grotty on the bathroom floor (absolute horror).
Today I want to share some of my fave bathroom towel styling ideas with you. I decided to put this together because I think towels are often thought of as just purely function items. And by all means they are functional, but what about how they look?
Towels can make or break your bathroom, which is why it’s wise to pay attention to how you’re displaying yours. Towel rails are lovely and all, but there are at least 11 other ways you can showcase towels in your bathroom.
The bonus is that a lot of these towel styling ideas are great for renters, ideal for small spaces, and they’re pretty budget friendly (you know I’ve covered budget bathroom styling here before). That’s a design trifecta right there.
So let’s jump into it and get your towel styling game super-strong!
1. Vignette on Vanity Top
This one is the most obvious of the towel styling ideas on the list, so let’s start here. This is a pretty simple concept that works if you have a single-basin vanity with a large horizontal plane to work with either side.
Simply take a smaller towel (like a hand towel or even wash cloths) and fold it up nicely on a tray. Pair it with other bathroom essentials like a soap dispenser or tooth brush holder and you have yourself a functional vignette.
This is a super easy one to do, and it works with any number of towel colours.
2. Stacked Under the Vanity
This one is only going to work if, you guessed it, your vanity has a storage section built in underneath it. You can see this concept come to life in the image above.
What is an ordinarily heavy or hard bathroom in terms of colours and materials is softened by towels being brought into the mix. These are towels you probably won’t use everyday and are somewhat decorative, so don’t spend a tonne of money on these. Go for looks over quality and enjoy the softness they bring to the space.
And yes, that there is a fake fiddle leaf fig. Here’s where we source the best fake plants from for clients.
3. Folded on a Portable Caddy
I do love the idea of a caddy, especially in a share house. It allows different members of the home to have a dedicated shelf each. This concept also works great for the kids in your home, dear parents! They’re also a great idea for renters who can’t fix shelving to a wall. The bathroom towel styling idea here is pretty simple: fold them, stack them, style around them. It’s easy, it’s affordable, and it takes no time at all. Love the Nissafors trolley above from IKEA, don’t you?
4. Hung on Decorative Hooks
You don’t even have to pop hooks on the back of the door, which is a common towel storage go-to. There are so many chic and sexy hooks on the market nowadays that it seems practically criminal to hide them. Why not run a few divine matt black ones across a wall in your bathroom and let not only towels, but also robes, become a style moment in their own right.
Related Read: 8 Ways to Future Proof Your Bathroom
5. Styled on a Bath Caddy
A bath without a bath caddy is like a person without clothes. Don’t let yours go naked; dress it with a caddy you can display decorative moments on top of. A candle is a nice idea. As is soap and a scrubbing brush. A little wash cloth or hand towel completes the scene. The image above via Bed Bath N Table nails this concept perfectly.
Need a candle for your caddy? Here’s our fave Aussie candle brands.
6. Folded over a Decorative Ladder
A ladder in a bathroom is a great small-space solution. I’ve had the displeasure of cramped bathrooms in a few of my homes and maximising the footprint of the space always becomes key. A ladder takes up next to no floor room and looks super chic if the ladder you choose works with the tones of the bathroom in question. The Norm Towel Ladder above from Candana is a personal fave.
7. Popped in a Textural Basket
This one is very similar to the ‘store under the vanity’ idea, but it allows for more styling wow-factor. We love a jute storage basket here at TLC Interiors, and a set of rolled towels in them creates a scene that feels wonderfully tactile. Bathrooms can be such cold and hard spaces. A nice bit of jute or wicker warms things up a bit.
8. Folded Over the Tub
Some of the best bathroom towel styling ideas are the simplest. And this has got to be the simplest of them all. Your freestanding tub is a great big chunk of white in the room that’s crying out for some softness. A caddy is a great idea, as we’ve already discussed, but so is folding some towels over the edge of the bath. I like to include patterned towels when I execute this idea. It brings a little more dimension to the space, as seen here in the image via The Effortless Chic.
9. Styled on a Bamboo Shelf
This is a great bathroom towel styling idea for renters who can’t fix anything to the wall. I find bamboo products like the Ragrund above from IKEA are a great way to bring some warm texture into the space. This product is like a ladder, seat and shelf in one, so it ticks loads of towel styling boxes if you ask me. Stack some towels, hang some towels, roll some towels. The options are endless.
10. Stacked on a Floating Shelf
Another great small-space idea is the floating shelf. I love the concept in the image above; not only taking it off the floor, but utilising the section above the door to save as much space in the room as you can. Look, I’m not entirely sure what the vintage scissors are all about, but the towel styling here is lovely and I give them props for having a crisp white towel pop against a moody black wall.
11. Suspended on a Vanity Rail
I do love this bathroom towel styling idea the most because it looks so super chic. Have you ever considered a concept like this? If you have a floating vanity without ample space underneath, why not install a rail that suspends from the bottom of it? That way you can fold towels over it and appreciate the sense of space and interest it brings to the room. Love it in the bathroom above via Plumb Architects.
How do you do it?
When it comes to bathroom towel styling ideas at your place, are you showcasing something stellar that’s not included in the list here? I’d love to know how you’re making towels shine in your space. Drop me a comment below and share your styling prowess with me and other TLC blog readers.
Also check out the video above for some cool bathroom storage ideas for under $50!
