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How to Decorate Towels in a Bathroom: 4 Simple & Effective Ways

Typically, when in a rush you’ll tend to just hang your towel on the rail any which way. But there are a range of ways to create a decorative towel display. These are especially good for hosting guests in your home, but also to create a really nice experience when you wake up in the morning. 

Overall, folding a towel in thirds, and creating pockets inside towels for the smaller towels is the best way to create decorative towels. Folding towels in thirds creates a very clean look, that gives you that expensive hotel look. Elastic bands can also be used to create towel flowers.

Below, I’ll cover a range of different techniques that can be used in your bathroom, when storing towels in a cabinet. As well as, the best colors to use for decorative towels. Let’s learn some simple techniques…

#1: The Rose Roll Towel Folding Method

The rose roll towel folding method is a great way to store any sized towel. And it can also be used as a way to create decorative towels that side on a shelf. It’s very easy to do and looks amazing. Here’s a video that shows how to do this method:

It is, however, not very good at saving space when folding towels. This is because there’s a lot of wasted space around the edges.

#2: The Spa Fold: Great for Storing & Displaying Any Size Towel

The spa fold turns your towel into a decorative roll. It looks really amazing and is super easy to do. It’s ideal for towels you place on shelves, in cabinets, or beside an indoor/covered spa. The great thing is it works for any size towel.

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Here’s a video of how to make it:

#3: The Bandana Knot: Ideal for Hanging Bath Towels

The bandana knot involves tying a face cloth to a bath towel. It looks amazing on a rack and is very simple to do. It also creates a nice space in the towel where you can add some soap, miniature shampoo, or decorative flowers. Here’s a video showing how to do it:

In the video, she also shows a few other methods that are particularly good. They are all ideally suited to a guest bathroom, or for an Air Bnb, or a hotel-type bathroom. But heck, why not do these for yourself every once and a while!

One is a method for placing a towel on a large vanity. And also has room where you can put a special touch, such as a soap, or miniature shampoo. I was particularly impressed with the methods she showed and thoroughly recommend them.

In my opinion, the ideal way to create decorative towels for yourself is to use roll-type designs such as the rose pattern, or the spa role. They’re very easy and fast, but aren’t so over the top that it’s not worth the effort. Especially, since you’ll grab your towel first thing in the morning anyway.

#4: The Hanging Rose Decorative Towel Pattern

The hanging rose decorative towel pattern is specifically designed for guest kinds of scenarios. For example, if you’re hosting an Air Bnb, or have a guest house or guest room with an en-suite.

It’s a method used to hang towels, and uses two different towels. Once a person uses the towel on the inside, they can then use the towel on the outside. 

Typically, a towel can be reused, so one hanging rose pattern can last 4 to 5 days per guest. It looks very elaborate and creates that wow factor but is surprisingly easy to put together.

Here’s a video that shows to make this towel pattern:

This pattern is a bit different because you need 2 towels. Two different colors work best. And you also need a rubber band.

The trickiest part about doing this fold is getting the triangle-shaped parts on the ends to be even and symmetrical. It takes adjusting them a few times at first.

Here are the steps to do it:

1. Lay the towel completely flat

2. Fold it in half on top of itself like it would be if you hung it on a rail

3. Fold any corner of the towel into the center of the towel so it’s overlapping the midpoint of the towel slightly

4. Do the same for the opposite corner of the towel

5. Flip the entire thing over, being careful to keep it in position

6. Roll it tightly along its length

7. At the end tuck the towel into the pocket that is automatically created because of the way you folded it.

How to Stack/Display Different Kinds of Towels in a Bathroom

Typically towels for bathrooms are of three types:

  1. A bath towel – the biggest
  2. A hand towel – the second biggest
  3. A face towel – the smallest

As a set, they can be folded in each of the methods explained above. For example, you could fold each of them into a spa roll, and place them on a vanity. Or, you can mix and match the designs together. 

The towel folding designs shown in the video for the bandana knot method involve using all three towels made into one.

The two main places to put decorative towels are either on a rack or on a vanity. But extra towels stored in a closet can also be folded decoratively. The two best designs for these are the rose and the spa roll. 

How to Color Coordinate your Decorative Towels

The main thing with choosing colored towels for your bathroom is choosing colors that match – that don’t clash, and colors that match the mood you’re trying to create in your bathroom.

The overall color combinations that go well together are:

  • White, black, gray, brown
  • Orange and blue
  • Red and green (lighter shades to avoid a Christmas feel)
  • Brown and blue
  • Yellow and purple

White and black go with any color. If you want a calm relaxed feel to your bathroom stick to lighter shades of the colors you’re using.

Green, is also a naturally calming color. Also, match the colors of the towels to the tiles or paint of the walls and ceiling. In most cases, it will be white, but it’s also possible to have other colors.

For example, you could have decorative tiles that have colors in them. To match a color to these, choose one of the colors and use towels that are the same. 

You can use any shade. For example, if you have granite tiles that are green in color, you can get pale green, or deep green colored towels to match. Either will match, except the lighter shades will be more complimentary and calming, and the darker shades will be more contrasting and interesting.

How To Fold Towels To Save Space in a Closet

Folded towels take up less space than rolled towels

In some cases, you may have limited closet space, and need to make the best use of it. Or, you may just want to be as neat and organized as possible. Here’s the best way to fold towels to save space in a closet.

In general, the best way to fold towels to save space, is to fold them into a square that fits the base of the closet perfectly. For example, you could comfortably fit two towels along the width, and 4 towels along the length. Fold them in a way that they are all the same size. Rolling towels leaves lots of empty space. 

Towels can be comfortably stacked on top of each other, but can tip over unless they’re in a corner. Therefore, it’s typically best to stack them against the back wall. And be very careful when you remove a towel not to yank the towel underneath with it!

How Do You Display Decorative Towels in a Bathroom

Towels are always required in a bathroom, so you might as well beautify them. There are a range of different ways to fold them to be displayed. So, here’s a rundown of how to display decorative towels in a bathroom.

As a general rule, hang bathroom towels on the rack, or place them on a vanity, provided the vanity is large enough. You can fold decorative towels in a set all in the same pattern, or you can create a package of towels folded in a design that incorporates the bath, hand, and face towel.

Typically a roll way of folding decorative towels is the simplest but also looks amazing, whereas hanging patterns are a bit more ornate. Hanging towels as a way of displaying decorative towels can leave a pouch where you can place soaps or flowers. This creates a really nice touch. And can create that WOW factor.