Where to Put Hand Towels With Double Sink

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This week I am selecting some of the small but important elements that go into finishing a house – the bath hardware, including the towel bars.  Given that we are nearing the end of a project that has involved hundreds (probably more like thousands!) of decisions, I am grateful for Restoration Hardware – their lines of stylish bath hardware in both chrome and polished nickel finishes have made the selections quite easy.

My favorite design at Restoration Hardware is Chatham.  It is simple and timeless, with a nice elegant scale that works well in the new house.

Bath hardware is fairly straightforward, but I have found that the approach to the placement of hand towels is quite personal and is often dictated by the architecture and design of the space.  In general, I have observed that my designer likes to place hand towels on the counter, both in half bathrooms and the main bathrooms.  If there is a strong client preference to hang them on a wall (and the layout and design allows for this), as a general rule she prefers 18" towel bars over towel rings.  I have never really given much thought to this topic, but it has emerged that my husband has a preference for hanging hand towels whenever possible.

I looked through my inspiration files, and saw many examples of hand towels placed on counters, similar to the way it is shown in this picture.  This is a good solution for this space - a towel bar or ring could not be mounted on the wall to the left of the sink because of the plugs and light switches.

This powder room has hand towels on a tray.  There is room for a towel ring or bar on the wall, but the walls remain clear and uncluttered by placing the hand towels on the counter.

I am not crazy about where the hand towels are hanging in this bathroom – draping them over the bar in the front of the vanity breaks up its pretty lines.

Many of my pictures are from magazine features, where some of the necessities of daily life are whisked away or airbrushed out.  This bathroom doesn't seem to have a hand towel in sight, although to be fair one side of the wall can't be seen.

I love this picture of a sink under a window, via Belgian Pearls.  There is something so appealing about being able to look out of a window when at a sink.  Note the hand towels neatly folded on the counter.  My only issue with this is that in every day use, I suspect that the hand towels might start to look a bit messy draped on the counter.

Personally, I am a fan of a simple small towel bar if the space and style of the vanity allow for it.

Powder rooms often have different requirements than bathrooms attached to bedrooms.  In this bathroom, a towel bar on the wall near each sink makes sense to me. Small towel bars, usually 18", provide room for a hand towel and a washcloth.  Although harder to find, 12" towel bars are also sold in some lines.  We are cutting down 18" towel bars for a couple of the bathrooms where there is not much wall space – an advantage of having a variety of tools at the construction site.

In my inspiration file pictures, there are quite a few master bathroom spaces that don't seem to have a designated place for the hand towel.  Designer and blogger Brooke Giannetti designed this space – I must ask her whether the intent is for the hand towel to rest on the counter or be hidden away.

Another example of the 'hand towel bar free look' is seen in this bathroom. I assume it was staged for a real estate photo or a magazine shoot, but there are no hand towels to be seen.

This bathroom is another one of  my favorites, and looking at it with new eyes, I spot an towel bar mounted on the side of the cabinet.  If a hand towel bar is used, there are many who prefer to use an 18" bar rather than a ring.  Architecture by Brooks &  Falotico ,  interior design by Boxwood Interiors .

This is a beautiful bathroom (architecture by Brooks &  Falotico), but what strikes me the most is the abundance of towels in the space. There are towels underneath the sink, on the counter, and on a towel ring.  Interestingly, this is one of the few pictures in my files that shows a bathroom with a towel ring for the hand towel.  This bathroom has paneling, so the more compact design of a towel ring makes sense.

So, where do you prefer to place a hand towel? Do you prefer placing it on the counter, hiding it away, or on the wall?  If you like the hand towel on the wall, what is your preference - towel bar or ring?

Where to Put Hand Towels With Double Sink

Source: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2011/08/hand-towels-where-do-you-put-them.html