Comments on Things That Inspire: Hand towels: where do you put them?

I just love all the mirrors you featured here. The...

2011-10-05T04:17:04.756-04:00

I just love all the mirrors you featured here. They're all beautiful. Lovely!

I have a basket of facecloths rolled Japanese-styl...

2011-10-04T21:17:29.730-04:00

I have a basket of facecloths rolled Japanese-style beside the basin - can't bear the thought of people rqndomly using my personal towels!

I like a beautiful hand towel resting right near t...

2011-09-26T07:37:59.026-04:00

I like a beautiful hand towel resting right near the sink on the countertop. The features are elegant and stunning as well. So glad to have your blog as a resource.

that second bathroom made my heart skip a beat. lo...

2011-09-21T14:08:15.280-04:00

that second bathroom made my heart skip a beat. love.
greetings from pakistan!
Amara
www.pink255.com

I prefer towel bars over rings for handtowels in a...

2011-09-03T19:00:54.343-04:00

I prefer towel bars over rings for handtowels in a Powder Room. But if you are having a party, there is a lot to be said for good quality paper towels and a waste basket if there is not staff to keep the facilities in shape.

i love the sink in front of the window best. i hav...

2011-09-03T12:12:23.110-04:00

i love the sink in front of the window best.
i have always wanted one just like that.
perfect lighting for applying make-up!!!

xx

Well I am guessing you have made your decision by ...

2011-09-02T10:42:39.654-04:00

Well I am guessing you have made your decision by now, but...as I am pondering this very decision for a bathroom reno it was great to read this post!

I am not a huge fan of rings but have used them. I changed the ring out in my own powder room years ago just so I could put 2-3 pretty hand towels on an 18" inch bar.

The cabinet mounted bars I like, but find it can be hard to sell because people tend to have issues with putting holes in their new wood vanitity!

For a master bath, I am currently looking into a (bath)towel warmer system...if the price is right and it's attractive. Otherwise it's bars and/or hooks. In this same space, there is also a concern there is not going to be space for hand towel bars and may have no choice but to use rings or leave the towels on the counter.

I do love RH for their hardware and used all their fixtures in a bathroom project. Baldwin also makes some very attractive towel bars in polished nickel, which is what I have in my powder room.

Did you choose a pretty handle flush yet for your toilets!?

It's funny, when renovating our master bath I ...

2011-09-01T12:14:14.792-04:00

It's funny, when renovating our master bath I didn't even think about hand towel placement until the room was almost finished. We have a trough style concrete sink which doesn't facilitate access to a hand towel from both sides of the sink. Plus, in my world hand towels on a counter would always be a rumpled mess. I like the hand towel ring. It gives the towel a home and just enough zhush.

Holly I agree with design chic, that bathroom with...

2011-09-01T12:06:16.526-04:00

Holly
I agree with design chic, that bathroom with the orchid is de-vine! I love all the photos you chose as well. I get this question all the time from clients who want to know where to put them. I really think it depends on the bathroom, and amount of space. But clearly all bathrooms have them so if done right, they can become a work of art!

we're planning on renovating our bathroom soon...

2011-08-29T13:41:28.205-04:00

we're planning on renovating our bathroom soon so these pictures were the perfect inspiration! thanks!

p.s. i'm hosting a giveaway on my blog for a set of fashion illustration cards, i hope you'll check it out!

Gosh, what an interesting question. I do like a to...

2011-08-28T10:27:59.244-04:00

Gosh, what an interesting question. I do like a towel bar; it allows the material to receive circulation and to dry a bit. But I also like to go somewhere as a guest and find individual towelettes (?) -- fabric or paper -- on a tray; that's nice when there are a lot of people around.

For our powder room, I have 2 small bamboo boxes a...

2011-08-27T19:49:29.401-04:00

For our powder room, I have 2 small bamboo boxes about the size of a square tissue box cover. One box has washcloths (my substitute hand towels) folded in half, rolled tightly, and wedged in a box with the folded side out. The other box is for the "dirties". I find it helpful to put one in the dirties box so guests aren't hesitant to use one and know where to put it when they are finished. i have a supply behind the vanity skirt, folded and ready to go in the empty spots. Often guests are hesitant to dirty the lone hand towel or don't want to use one someone else has used. When it's just my husband and I here, we reuse them.

Fantastic post. I also like to skip the bars and r...

2011-08-27T11:23:56.727-04:00

Fantastic post. I also like to skip the bars and rings for children's bathrooms and use a single row of hooks behind the door or beside the vanity, where they fit. Love the images you included in this post. :) Erica

Great post as usual!! I love your blog. It depen...

2011-08-25T12:06:03.180-04:00

Great post as usual!! I love your blog. It depends on what the bathroom is used for. In a powder room, I do for guests what I prefer myself when I use someone's powder room, which is to have my own clean towel to dry my hands. I think it's kind of gross to have to use a towel after someone else. For a party, I leave a stack of plain white paper guest towels on the counter next to the sink, near a decanter of liquid soap. For day to day, I leave a stack of 10 or so white linen hand towels in the same place.

For a Guest bathroom, I leave a guest towel for each overnight guest who will be using that bathroom on the counter and stack bathtowels on a Restoration Hardware "train rack." Then, I have empty 36" towel bars on the walls, as well as a few hooks either on the wall or behind the door. The biggest pain when you're a guest is going to take a shower and not having anywhere to hang your wet towel because all the bars are full, and not having anywhere to hang up your clothes/robe when you take it off.

For the masterbath, dh and I each have a hand towel by the sink. To me, the best place to put a masterbath hand towel is exactly where you are most likely to use it. Fresh towels are stacked by the tub, and on shelves, and towel bars are ready to receive damp towels after a bath or shower.

Think through how you and your guests actually use the spaces. Who uses the powder room? Who uses the guest baths? Who uses the masterbath? For example, if a client has a houseful of kids that use the powder room every day, a stack of paper guest towels is more practical and sanitary than a fancy arrangement of tiny fingertip towels which no one wants to use.

Still fun to watch your thought process, Holly -- ...

2011-08-25T01:23:36.964-04:00

Still fun to watch your thought process, Holly -- looks like it's really coming together!

I see more bars now; a decade ago, it was all rings. I like the bars to prevent towels from bunching up as well. Not much of a fan of towels on the counter, although I did like the 3rd photo.

Sometimes the receptacle outlet can be in the same place we need a ring or bar, which can be either annoying or perfect depending on the outlook. Some folks want to hide the outlet behind a towel; others find it annoying to work around the towel to reach the outlet.

I much prefer a simple towel bar - much more hygen...

2011-08-24T04:28:21.530-04:00

I much prefer a simple towel bar - much more hygenic, and if the towel color blends well with the decor should not look out of place.

I've never been a fan of the ring... but an al...

2011-08-23T16:53:25.939-04:00

I've never been a fan of the ring... but an alternate solution to folding them on the counter is to use a standing guest towel holder. You can get it in a bar style or a ring style.

I am currently in search of an extra long towel bar that can be used in a library for hanging newspapers or magazines... if any one has a source I would love to know about it! I may have to use a drapery rod with the towel bar brackets.

I so hate towel rings too. I've been placing h...

2011-08-21T13:48:04.317-04:00

I so hate towel rings too. I've been placing hand towels on the counter in our master bath. But now I'm leaning toward a small towel bar. Anyone have good sources for 12" bars?

Love the white bathrooms you have posted and the l...

2011-08-20T20:05:25.874-04:00

Love the white bathrooms you have posted and the last vanity is gorgeous.

In our bathrooms we use fluffy white wash cloths as hand towels. I first saw that done in some lodges in Kenya and Tanzania and really like the idea so I copied it.

In one of the bathrooms we have a toilet paper holder instead of a towel bar and it works perfectly. It's mounted on the side of the vanity http://www.pbase.com/cjw/image/122768167.

The master bath doesn't have bars or rings and the hand towel (wash cloth) is folded and lays on the vanity until it's thrown in the basket for laundry every day or two.

bar and wall ....always.

2011-08-19T23:47:51.283-04:00

bar and wall ....always.

The bathroom with the simple pink orchid is one of...

2011-08-17T09:47:08.101-04:00

The bathroom with the simple pink orchid is one of my favorites, and the towel bar is perfect. Like yours from Restoration - simple and unobtrusive.

My husband and I have our own bathrooms in our mas...

2011-08-17T09:45:57.503-04:00

My husband and I have our own bathrooms in our master bedroom. I have hand towels hanging from an 18 inch bar near my vanity; however, I have chosen to fold and stack my bath towels by the tub rather than hanging them. In our powder room off our foyer, I fold the towels even though I have plenty of room to hang them. It's just a look I prefer for this room. As to rings vs. bars, rings will hang closer to the wall and therefore any wet towel hanging from it will also. This may not be the best idea in a bath with wallpaper or a specialty finish.

I really like this post. The features are elegant ...

2011-08-16T22:39:28.977-04:00

I really like this post. The features are elegant and stunning as well. For me it was a precious piece. Big thanks and keep sharing incredible post.

Charles A

My small business recently hired a cleaning compan...

2011-08-16T10:26:45.436-04:00

My small business recently hired a cleaning company to clean our building, and they asked us if we used Cloth towels, and would we want them cleaned.

Now, we didn't.. But having "gone green" about a year ago at home, I have been thinking about it at work too.

So we ditched the Paper Hand Towels and got cloth ones.
Of course I was then confronted with "Where do they go?"
At the moment they sit on the side next to the sink, but I am looking for a rail.

Thanks for the inspiration :)
Good job, and keep it up!

Clarkey

I'm redoing my guest bathroom and am very perp...

2011-08-15T18:47:37.981-04:00

I'm redoing my guest bathroom and am very perplexed since we are installing a free standing vanity and I really don't want the hand towels on the counter top. I'm still pondering the issue...same with the TP holder, freestanding or mounted?
Karen