Bespoke Bathroom Remodeling

Bathroom Oasis: Designing a Multifunctional Laundry and Bathing Space

The Bathroom Sanctuary of Your Dreams

You know, it’s become increasingly clear to me that the more time I spend at home, the more I want my bathroom to be a true oasis – a serene and functional space where I can unwind and rejuvenate. I’ll admit, in my previous life before working from home and spending what feels like 99% of my time indoors, I may have neglected my bathroom like the ugly stepchild of my home. But a global pandemic has a way of changing both the big and small things, and one of those small yet impactful changes for me has been this newfound urge to thoughtfully consider every inch of my apartment, starting with the bathroom.

This week, my latest obsession is all about hanging bath towels and creating the ultimate multifunctional laundry and bathing oasis. I know storage is always top of mind for me, given my severe lack of it, and that’s especially true in my bathroom. Luckily, I live with just one other human, so we only require a few towels between the two of us – no towel hoarding over here, I promise. But as a fun weekend project, I decided to painstakingly think through all the different ways to hang and store those precious few towels. And, of course, I had to look back at some of our past EHD projects for a little inspiration.

Hanging It All Up

The classic and preferred towel hanging option seems to be the good old towel bar. I know a lot of people are extremely passionate about this method, as it allows for quicker drying. And I get it – a damp towel is just the saddest. Another pro of the towel bar is that it allows you to mix and match colors or patterns, which EHD famously loves. The crisp white towel combo is a timeless choice, but that doesn’t mean you can’t mix things up with your hand and bath towels to add some personality.

If you’re team towel bar all the way but looking to refresh your bathroom, consider replacing your old one with a new one in a different color or style. Updating outdated hardware is one of our favorite (and most low-lift!) hacks, so if you’re in the market, here are some of our current favorites:

The EHD preferred styling technique is to fold both the bath and hand towels into thirds and layer them so the seams are invisible. But if the thought of folding a towel before hanging it up sounds like a lot of work, I hear you, and I tend to agree. So, let’s move on to some easier options, shall we?

Towel Racks and Hooks

We don’t use the towel rack look a lot, but man, is it a smart and classic way to handle your towels. We really thought it was the perfect piece for the Silver Lake Hills master bathroom – a small space dream that also provides built-in storage. If you’re into the towel rack vibe, here are a few of our favorites:

Now, for my personal favorite and newfound solution: the towel hook. To be honest, if there’s any chance I can avoid folding something, I take it. I know those in humid climates despise the hook strategy because the towel takes more time to dry this way, but I see two solutions for this.

If you have the space, you can install both a bar and a hook. Emily has done this in quite a few bathrooms, like the one in the Portland master bathroom you see above, and it really is the best of both worlds. The second option, which is what I personally do, is to hang your towel over the shower curtain rod so it’s spread out, and then once it’s dry, transfer it to the hook.

The towel hook is also a preferred option if you don’t have a lot of wall space and want to free up some for art or other decor. For example, in the mountain house guest bathroom, Emily installed a hook on a cabinet, so no wall space was sacrificed. Instead, there’s ample room to hang art or any other wall decor.

Hooks are a really great option for smaller bathrooms because they don’t take up precious wall space and are extremely convenient to install – all you need is a screw and a screwdriver. And if you do go this route, I might suggest taking notes from Emily Bowers’ bathroom, where she installed hooks directly next to the shower and sink, so a clean towel is always within arm’s reach. I stole this idea for my tiny bathroom, and it’s one of the better decisions I’ve made this year. There’s so much less water on my bathroom floor, where before it seemed like a puddle was present at any given time. In honor of safety first, I’m very happy with this solution, but it’s worth noting that I also love the look of the hanging towel. It’s effortless yet chic and a great way to display more stylish towels.

If you’re in the market for some new towel hooks, here are a few of our favorites:

Baskets and Ladders

This one is a great storage solution for small bathrooms, especially ones lacking a ton of wall space. You can either roll your towels and store them vertically or fold them and stack them on top of one another. Obviously, you’d also want a hook or towel rack to hang towels to dry, but a basket is a good option for a guest bathroom or a bathroom that multiple family members share, because there’s nothing worse than realizing a clean towel is nowhere to be found.

Here are some of our favorite basket options:

And now for the EHD favorite – the ladder! Yep, ladders aren’t just for climbing and hanging blankets. We LOVE them in a bathroom, as shown above and below. They’re like the really cool younger cousin of the towel bar. They instantly modernize a room and create vertical storage options, which is always a win. Plus, if you have a smaller bathroom, they’re not as visually bulky as a storage cabinet would be, thus opening up the space.

As you can see here in everyone’s favorite bathroom, the ladder doubles as decor and storage. That’s form and function, my friends. The ladder draws the eye up and fills up empty wall space, plus holds towels for post-bath coziness. The one you see there is from Katy Skelton and is unfortunately sold out, but here are some other ladder options we love:

The Towels Themselves

Now that you have your towel hanging solution figured out, why not get some new towels that aren’t just classic white? You and your bathroom deserve it. And if you prefer a bath sheet over a bath towel, like Emily does, check out options 8 and 9 in the list below:

So, now I want to know – what’s your preferred towel hanging strategy? And does anyone have a towel warmer, and if so, is it worth it? All of us at EHD are very curious, so let’s chat!