Why would you want something around like that that is not being used. I would suggest better use of space in a small bathroom. Put out towels that you can use. Big fluffy ones that look inviting. If you want something decorative, maybe replace the towel bar with a shelf, and add shells or fresh flowers or something spa related like vintage bath salt canisters.

Lots of people have towels just for decoration. I don't use my couch pillows.

There was a thread on here some time back about this but I can't seem to find it thanks to the lovely search engine.

Yes, I know. My mother is like that. There are towels out that nobody is allowed to touch. And soap set out that all heck would break out if anyone used it to wash their hands.

Candles that are never burned and collect dust that turns gooey in the wax.

There are completely empty decorative kitchen canisters, and glass jars filled with food products like dried pasta that is not used for eating, lined up along the counter barely leaving any room to prepare food.

I use my couch pillows for comfort and use all the pillows on the bed. I don't remove pillows when I use the couch or bed and stash them out of the way.

I was just opening discussion on a different point of view when decorating. I believe items should earn their keep by being functional unless it is an art piece. Vive la différence!

Here is an inspiration photo for decorative arrangements. Tie a cord and add shells, plastic flowers, vintage buttons, anything - anything that helps to bring in the theme of the bathroom:

{{!gwi}}

I have decorative towels in our downstairs bath, sorry have no pics on computer. Those bath towels are not used as it is the "guest bath". IOW, no showers or baths are taken in that particular bath. All other baths' decorative towels are for use as well. My family doesn't understand the decorative towel thing and if I designate a towel as decorative, it will be the one that they first reach for to use:P.

I was beginning to wonder if the decorative towel thing is a gene I got from DM? She has beautifully displayed towels and I wouldn't dare dry my hands on them. That's why she has the paper guest towels on the vanity. Me, I put the guest towels out and when I empty the trash, no towels, so I guess the towels are being used in the "guest" bath.

Why don't you replace the "builder's" towel bar? Sounds like you don't like it, unless it's installed on tile all it needs is a little spackle and paint. Or replace it with a nice towel bar or shelf as dilly said. Where do you hang the towel(s) that you use when you get out of the tub?

I don't do decorative towels - when I did have a powder room with a sink, I would hang a "nice" (instead of bleached out worn out "everyday" towel LOL) towel in the PR (which also housed laundry closet) but expected it to be used. The PR in new house doesn't have a sink yet but the kids use it more than the upstairs bath so once we do get a sink in there (use hand sanitizer now or wash up in kitchen) that towel(s) will get constant use.

How often do you replace hand towels? I'm thinking PR will need to be replaced daily if not more often (at least we get a break when kids are in school). Right now the hand towels in the upstairs bath get replaced every 2-3 days - I try to every other day but sometimes forget, and no one else ever throws them in the hamper (heck, sometimes I'll grab them on the way to laundry room and not replace them, no one else does either, then they use the bath towels if they're still hanging there or I assume their pants if no towels, b/c I never find paper towels in the trash. Even though paper towels are under the sink and linen closet is 3" away from bathroom door out in the hall.). The hand towels upstairs only get used when someone uses the toilet upstairs instead of PR (mostly just at bedtime) and also the kids wash their hands up there before dinner each night.

No advice, just a story about decorative towels.

We used to play Bunco once a month, rotating play at each home. One time a neighbor was arranging new, pretty towels in her powder room just to spruce the room up. When her 8 yo son saw them he asked "Mom, do you have Bunco tonight?".

Since the bathroom has a Jacuzzi the larger wall area can probably handle something like this to make the tub area more elegant than the builders grade towel bar:

For a smaller narrow space:

Clan, simple and functional:

You can still use 'decor only' towels on a fancier towel bar too if you wish. Guests won't use a towel that is tied in a ribbon or straw. These towels scream "Don't Touch! Decor Only!"

I'm with dilly, put out some very fluffy towels that both look nice and "decorative." Since it's only for decoration, you can spend a bit more money on one set..maybe with a ribbon trim or something, but not too fancy to where you can't quickly dry your hands on if you have to.

Shee, we have the same sofa, and I just love the softness of the pillows! I can snooze there any time. lol. I only put pillows out if they're comfortable to lay on or prop my head on.

And my dog Grace has to have a pillow on the sofa to put her head on also. :)

"Why would you want something around like that that is not being used."
Dilly - My thoughts were why even ask/word it that way when she obviously wants them for decoration.
You're right, it's a different point of view and it's a decorating forum.

As far as the pillow thing... I grew up in a home where we did use them and they quickly started to look it.
I'm sure my future kids will use theirs.

And before someone thinks or brings is up....
I'm not rude. I never say anything to any guests about not using them. Squish away.

I'm w/dilly! Form *AND* function is the *rule*, isn't it? Pretty towels, hung neatly is decorative enough~just my 2 cents. ;o)

Thanks for some different ideas. I know it's so old school to have towels that aren't to be used. The towel bar is in the master bathroom and covered up when the door is open to the bathroom. It's really a wasted space of a wall that I probably could get away with nothing on. I am in the process of replacing my every day towels and was just playing around with different ideas of putting some of the extra new ones on the bar....and we use our pillows on the couch and I wouldn't do it again. :-)

Mocharoman, I must be old school as well because I have towels hung that are for decorative use only in my powder rooms. I also have a tray with paper guest towels for everyone to use. I have never had a problem with family members or guests using the paper towels. I like it that way

BTW Shee, in my great room I have pillows that I don't allow anyone to use either. This is only in my GR but the pillows on the sofa in the FR is open for use by all.

I'm old fashioned and proud of it :-)

hreno, that's one cute story !!

This thread has been an eye-opener to me. I do realize some have decorative towels. I had this conversation with a friend years ago. She does not understand how anyone could have a bathroom with well-used towels only displayed. But it would have never, never, never, occurred to me that I, as a guest, would be expected NOT to use the towels set out in a guest bath. I have always thought that the fancy towels were for the guests. Kind of like my sofa..........when it's only family, we have a throw on the sofa to keep it clean from dog paws. When I know someone is coming over or I have a party, I remove the throw.
So, if I see paper towels in a bath, I'm supposed to use those instead of the hand towel? Really?

(and at the risk of offending someone, I'm still going to say.......how is a bathroom pretty and decorated if the homeowner has to put out Bounty to dry people's hands? It seems like one cancels out the other!)

I do still remember as a young child, visiting my Daddy's Ex-wife in San Jose. (don't ask...) My Mama would remind us not to go in the fancy living room, the one with the little fence and gate. I would look at that pretty, pretty, room, with it's white sofa and velvet chair, and wish I could open the gate and go in....

Red

Mocharoman, how about putting up some vintage towels as art on the rod? They can be themed to your style and guest won't try to use them since they look so different.

These are for kitchen but check around for bath themed ones. They are out there.

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

Check Esty for modern themes like this one:

Another bygone era:

You could even get fancy ones that say *guest* and if they look too fancy guests won't even use them. They'll use the curtains instead. :)

If your towel bar is behind a door as you say I would not put towels that are used there. The problem I had with my behind the door towel hooks was that the towels did not get enough air to dry and turned smelly. The big fluffy towels made it hard to open the door all the way. I removed my behind the door hook but displaying vintage towels art art would have been a good use for it.

Vintage towels are cute. My mother has two vintage ones in her bathroom right now showing a 1940's 'his and her' setting. The guy is in stripped pajamas shaving at a mirror and the woman is fixing her '40s 'do' in front of a mirror. No one is allow to touch these towels of course.

Red - I think some people are very bathroom = germs minded and prefer using throw away paper towel vs. one for everyone. Kind of like how some people wash their bath towels after one use. I think most people that do this use something neater looking than Bounty lol but I know what you're saying.

I think it took about 30 years before my mom started using the monogrammed towels they got for their wedding. Before that, she'd display them (green and orange - very forward-thinking for 1962, 10 years ahead of the 1970's home she displayed them in when I was young) but we were warned not to use them.

Though those vintage ones are cute! Some of them look more like dresser scarves (thin, embroidered). I might look for something like that for my PR to hang on the towel bar on the back of the washstand, have a bar or a ring with towels we can use on the side where the kids can reach.

Re: paper towels - I've seen them pre-folded. My cousin's SIL put them in pretty baskets in her bathrooms for the wedding reception they had at their house - much more sanitary than having 200+ people using the cloth towels! But for occasional guests/small parties I don't mind having a few towels they can use. If more than 1 person needs to use the same towel, there's always the back side (I use the back side in my mom's house since I don't know how often she changes her hand towel). Of course, if anyone in the house is sick I put the Bounty out on the counter!

I have a friend who uses the paper towels in her PR and they're monogrammed. I always feel bad using one since i'm not really scrubbing my hands, and they're much larger than needed, but since they're for that purpose.....;o)

It's all in the presentation with those Bounty towels. Getting a neato towel holder does the trick:

{{!gwi}}

The above paper towel holder looks even better with natural color recycled paper ones:

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For guests something like Chux works great - cloth-like feel, won't all apart when wet, no lint, reasonable price. Just take them out of the box and set them in a nice tray or basket. They come neatly folded and flat. Google for paper towels using the search word *scrim*.

You can even get them in blue or red if that fits your decor.

{{!gwi}}

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II use the heavy duty scrim towels on a roll in my kitchen. They hold up better when cleaning than any of the 'heavy duty' grocery store brand paper towels.

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Great for a kid's bathroom and with the blue scrim towels kids will love using it. No more asking "Did you wash your hands?!?"

Cathrugg, thank you! Red I get what you are saying about the Bounty paper towels. I do make an effort to buy the big paper guest towels from BB&B. I've also gone to stores like Party City and purchased color -coordinated large dinner napkins for the PR. Again I have a very pretty tray that is set on top of the vanity.

With respect to actual towels like bath towels, ok I admit it, I have a section in my linen closet of guest towels that are used only for guests. Some of our everyday towels look pretty ratty although they work well for us on a daily basis but I wouldn't want them to be used by my guests.

I really am old-fashioned and OMG, I have turned into my Mom! My ephiphany! We always had "everyday" and "company" items for the home. Yikes, I need an intervention. LOL!

Yeah, those were not the best examples of vintage embroidered bathroom hand towels. Most of the ones for sale are for kitchen, but the vintage bathroom
fingertip towels do exist on eBay and places. Using *1940s* in the search brings up oodles of results. That seemed to be the high point for the embroidered towel era. Also using *his and hers* in the search for vintage towels eliminates a lot of the kitchen towels.

Check out this eBay link for a version of vintage bathroom hand towels. This is a similar theme to the ones my mother has but not the same design. They are cute.

http://cgi.ebay.com/1940s-HIS-HERS-towel-transfer-embroidery-pattern-mo1594_W0QQitemZ330376410887QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item4cebf7f707

http://cgi.ebay.com/1940s-His-Hers-Couples-guest-bath-towel-transfer-ORG6_W0QQitemZ330416791488QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item4cee601fc0

And this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/1940s-His-Hers-Couples-guest-bath-towel-transfer-ORG4_W0QQitemZ330416792036QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_2?hash=item4cee6021e4

Different and cute:

http://cgi.ebay.com/3062-Vtg-Embroidery-40s-Gay-Nineties-Romance-for-Towels_W0QQitemZ120347714255QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item1c054862cf

http://cgi.ebay.com/6490-WWII-Era-His-Hers-Guest-Towel-Designs-1940s_W0QQitemZ380155872752QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item58830e45f0

http://cgi.ebay.com/1940s-Burlesque-Lady-Finger-Tip-Towel-Appliqued-Cute_W0QQitemZ350296114342QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item518f4684a6

I use large decorative hand towels in the master bath. It's small and almost completely tiled with hard surfaces. The towels act as a noise absorber. Bathrooms can be "echo-y". I would definitely use a lot of fabric in a PR adjacent to public rooms if I had one!

This has been an interesting topic. We have a guest bathroom, that is, pretty strictly a guest bathroom. It's just the two of us in our house and this bathroom is located close to a guest bedroom and also very close to the greatroom. I do have towels hanging in that bathroom that are more decorative, but I also have a towel ring beside the sink where I keep a handtowel. I also keep a handtowel right at the sink - so I'm pretty sure the handtowels are the most convenient for guests to use when drying their hands. HOWEVER, if I am having several people over at once, or some type party/gathering, I also use the paper hand towels then. Most people appreciate the paper towels rather than having several people dry their hands on the same towel or couple of towels. I, personally, appreciate this if I am using a bathroom that several others might be using. I'm not particularly germaphobic, but this is a more sanitary method.

Also, like Dilly suggested (and since I adore vintage linens!), I have hung the vintage linens over the larger towel rod in that bathroom. I really intend to have the bar removed, but until we repaint that bathroom, it's there so something needs to hang on it.

For overnight guests, I too, keep separate towels for their use. I have a linen closet right off that bathroom, so it's easy to keep a small supply of towels, plus there's a small stool/table in that bathroom where I can lay them out if we are having overnight guests. There is a bar inside the shower where guest can hang wet towels.

Red, the paper towels for bathroom use are not like Bounty LOL. There are some nice ones out there. Particularly nice during cold/flu season if you have several guests.

tina

Dilly Dally where did you find that iron two tiered wall shelf with the towel hooks? I am currently working on my master bath and thats exactly what I am looking for.

That one is from Horchow.

I actually had meant to post this one from Kaboodle since the OP was asking about a towel bar and not hooks.

http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/ornate-shelf-towel-rack

You could even get fancy ones that say *guest* and if they look too fancy guests won't even use them. They'll use the curtains instead. :) hahahahaha

My sister had a golf themed PR and hung multiple golf towels, with those funny hooks, from the towel bar. It looked fun and no one towel ever felt too soggy from overuse. And every golf tournie gives them out so she had multiple.

My complaint?/pet peeve?/whine? is I hate the feeling of the all those pretty printed napkins and PR towels. I always feel like the dye is rubbing off. I think a basket of facecloths for each person to use to dry their hands works - but, once again, that doesn't help the original poster with her dilemma. Sorry about that...

Oops, forgot the link to Horchow. Clicky below. Have a jolt of coffee before you look at the price.

http://www.horchow.com/products/decor-bath-bed-Ccat000088.jsp

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There are lots of these out there.

Reasonably priced:
{{!gwi}}

http://www.americanchateau.com/servlet/the-2069/Retro-Enameled-Utility-Shelf/Detail

I like the simplicity of a shelf and hooks for a bathroom.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Horchow Ironwork

YIKES! No wonder I liked it. dilly dally forget the coffee break out the bottle of wine. I think I'll pass on the Horchow shelf. I will be checking out the others though. Thanks!

Did anyone grow up with *fingertip towels* that were set out for guests? I think this sort of custom was quite common
decades ago. Fingertip towels were common as wedding gifts. They were rectangular and smallish, made of linen usually. They would have cutwork or embroidery and often had monograms. They all must have been tucked away and "saved" never being used because tons of them, either vintage or antique, are listed for sale as new, never used, still with tags on, ect. Or they were set out and guests were afraid to use them.

My Mom had oodles of guest fingertip towels she set out when people came over. As I recall the guests never used them. They just hung there and were put away again.

One of the many sellers specializing in fingertip towels:

http://gypsyrosalie.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=15

Here is a link that might be useful: Vintage Fingertip Towels

In my younger days I used to have decorative towels. Now I do hang towels in layers but the expectation is to use them. I have a couple of towel rings in my master bath that are decorative. In my powder room, I have layered towels on the ring to be used, plus a finger tip towel laying on the edge of the sink.

I have a friend who stays at my home frequently and I notice she takes her makeup off on the washcloth and towels and is causing them to be stained. My Mom said I should say something, but I choose not to. I just put out the towels she stained and hope she is comfortable in using them when she stays.

I think Guest Paper Towels are fine. They make so many beautiful ones and holders to display them in. They are especially helpful for large parties.

Just my two cents, when I go to someone's home I am glad they have paper towels in the bathroom for me to use. I do not want to use a towel other people have used. If they don't have paper towels I would rather use toilet tissue. Now if my guests are staying at my house, naturally I would put out nice towels for them to use, but for a party or dinner party...paper towels for everyone!

I prefer the layered look like deborah's. In my GB I used two colors (chocolate/cream) and use the towel, hand towel and wash cloth in the layers.

The link below has some suggestions.........

Here is a link that might be useful: towels

And when we go to a h ome that has either fancy or utilitarian paper towels in the b athroom, all I can think is how wasteful and polluting. You practically need a court order in our house to use a paper towel in the kitchen, and certainly never in the b athroom, only cloth towels are used there.

And growing up in a domicile with "special" towels, I will never, ever expose my family to that, the towels are there to be used by anyone and everyone, if they get trashed, well, they're only towels, and are easily replaced.

sandponder

"You could even get fancy ones that say *guest* and if they look too fancy guests won't even use them. They'll use the curtains instead."
My Brother's clever Wife has an embroidered towel in their guest bath that says:

"Guest towels are for Guests.
All others wipe your hands on your pants."